Cloning :: essays research papers

The first thing that must be cleared up is what is cloning, and what is a clone. A clone is an existence derived asexually from a single single by cuttings, bulbs, tubers, fission, or parthenogenesis reproduction ("Cloning", 1997). Pathogenesis reproduction is the development of an organism from an unfertilized ovum, seed or spore ("Pathogenesis", 1997). So cloning, biologically speaking, is any wreak in which production of a clone is successful. Therefore, the biological term cloning is the production of a transmittableally indistinguishable duplicate of an organism. However, people can exercise the word cloning to intend other meanings. For instance, we generalize many older and new techniques as cloning. This is not a good practice because these techniques are antithetical and impose unique concerns and issues. In the world of scientific technology, cloning is the artificial production of organisms with the same genetic hooey. Scientists very call the tran sferring of a nucleus from the booth of one organism to an enucleated orb cell, nuclear transfer (Wilmut 811). This will produce an organism that has the exact genetic material as that of the donor cell. Scientists are utilize current techniques exceedingly more, and with a variety of species. Astonishingly, more clones are present in the world than one would think. In nature, and even in the lives of humans, clones are present. As stated earlier, a clone is an organism that has the same genetic information as another organism. From this we can dictate that cloning occurs with all plants, some insects, algae, unicellular organisms that conduct mitosis or binary fission, and occasionally by all multi-cellular organisms, including humans. Monozygotic twins, or identical twins, are clones of separately other. They have the same exact genetic information due to the division of an embryo early in development, which produces ii identical embryos. About eight trillion identical twin s are hot in the world thus, already eight million human clones inhabit the world. Today, the only cloning question is occurring in scientific model organisms. These are organisms that interrogation scientists from around the globe have collected abundant amounts of data. All this data is necessary so that advancements in research can continue more efficiently. The just about common scientific models are E. coli, mice, fruit flies, and frogs. The first organisms that were cloned using nuclear transfer were frogs. This is because they have large egg cells and scientists can obtain up to two thousand of them from one ovulation.Cloning essays research papers The first thing that must be cleared up is what is cloning, and what is a clone. A clone is an organism derived asexually from a single individual by cuttings, bulbs, tubers, fission, or parthenogenesis reproduction ("Cloning", 1997). Pathogenesis reproduction is the development of an organism from an unfertilized ov um, seed or spore ("Pathogenesis", 1997). So cloning, biologically speaking, is any process in which production of a clone is successful. Therefore, the biological term cloning is the production of a genetically identical duplicate of an organism. However, people can use the word cloning to intend other meanings. For instance, we generalize many older and new techniques as cloning. This is not a good practice because these techniques are different and impose unique concerns and issues. In the world of scientific technology, cloning is the artificial production of organisms with the same genetic material. Scientists actually call the transferring of a nucleus from the cell of one organism to an enucleated egg cell, nuclear transfer (Wilmut 811). This will produce an organism that has the exact genetic material as that of the donor cell. Scientists are using current techniques exceedingly more, and with a variety of species. Astonishingly, more clones are present in the world than one would think. In nature, and even in the lives of humans, clones are present. As stated earlier, a clone is an organism that has the same genetic information as another organism. From this we can say that cloning occurs with all plants, some insects, algae, unicellular organisms that conduct mitosis or binary fission, and occasionally by all multi-cellular organisms, including humans. Monozygotic twins, or identical twins, are clones of each other. They have the same exact genetic information due to the division of an embryo early in development, which produces two identical embryos. About eight million identical twins are alive in the world thus, already eight million human clones inhabit the world. Today, the only cloning research is occurring in scientific model organisms. These are organisms that research scientists from around the globe have collected abundant amounts of data. All this data is necessary so that advancements in research can continue more efficiently. The most common scientific models are E. coli, mice, fruit flies, and frogs. The first organisms that were cloned using nuclear transfer were frogs. This is because they have large egg cells and scientists can obtain up to two thousand of them from one ovulation.

Radar: A Silent Eye In The Sky :: essays research papers fc

Radar A Silent Eye in the alternateTodays society relies heavily on an invention taken for granted communicate detection and ranging.Just about everybody uses radar, whether they realize it or not. Tens ofthousands of lives rely on the precision and speed of radar to guide their planethrough the skies unscathed. Others just use it when they turn on the morningnews to check the weather forecast.While radar seems to be an heavy part of our everyday lives, it hasnot been around for long. It was not put into effect until 1935, near World WarII. The British and the Americans both worked on radar, but they did not worktogether to build a single system. They each developed their own systems at thesame time. In 1935, the first radar systems are installed in Great Britain,called the Early Warning Detection system. In 1940, Great Britain and theUnited States install radar aboard fighter planes, giving them an advantage inplane-to-plane struggle as well as air-to-ground attacks.Radar w ork on a relatively simple theory. Its one that everybody hasexperienced in their lifetime. Radar works much like an echo. In an echo, asound is sent out in all directions. When the sound waves find an object, suchas a drop curtain face, they will bounce back to the source of the echo. If you countthe number of seconds from when the sound was made to when the sound was heard,you can figure out the distance the sound had to travel. The form is(S/2) X 1100 = D (Half of the total time times 1100 feetper second equals the distance from the origin to the reflection point)Of course, radar is a much more complicated system than just somebodyshouting and listening for the echo. In fact, modern radar listens not only foran echo, but where the echo comes from, what direction the object is moving, itsspeed, and its distance. There are two types of modern radar continuous waveradar, and pulse radar.Pulse radar works like an echo. The transmitter sends out short burstsof radio waves. It whenc e shuts off, and the receiver listens for the echoes.Echoes from pulse radar can tell the distance and direction of the objectcreating the echo. This is the most common form of radar, and it is the onethat is used the most in airports around the world today.Continuous wave radar works on a different theory, the Doppler Theory.The Doppler Theory works on the principle that when a radio wave of a set

Essay --

MRSA among athletesStaphylococcus discovery started when it is first investigated and been observed also culture by Pasteur and Koch but were made by Ogston in 1881 and Rosenbach in 1884 (Ogston, 1882 Rosenbach, 1884). Staphylococcus aureus is well known as staph are bacteria that carried on the cutis or nose of healthy people. astir(predicate) 25 to 50 per cent of people carried this staph according to research that being made. Most skin that defileed by staph causes minor have-to doe with likes pimple but it can be cure without using an antibiotics. Sometimes, staph can cause serious problem for example pneumonia, blood or give voice infections and deep skin infections. Usually athletes tend to get the infection anywhere equipment rubs and cause broken skin such as on the hands, knees or elbows for football, hoops or volleyball players or on the buttocks or sides of the legs for rowers. According to (Rosenbach), S. aureus were responsible for wound infections and furunculosis (Rosenbach, 1884). After that, surgeon being afraid of this microbe could infect the patient who doing surgeries. They believed that Staphylococcus can cause life threatening disease after trauma and fatal pneumonia during influenza season. Therefore, in pre-antibiotic era, S.aureus was known as study life-threatening pathogen. MRNA started to become world-wide problem in 1950 (Shanson, 1982 Cokkson and Philips, 1990). MRNA stands for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and this microbe are related to MRNA is staphylococcus aureus. S.aureus is a bacterium commonly found on skin, axillae and nares of healthy individuals. MRSA is the outbreak of skin infections caused by S.aureus which is resistance to antibiotics. During 1950, a new virulent strain of peni... ...self-inoculation from a carrier target or acquired by contact with an exogenous source, usually another person. People who are nasal carriers of virulent Staphylococcusaureus can also cause serious skin diseases d ue to toxin production. In addition, skin and soft tissue infections are also caused by MRSA. Therefore, the treatment involves drainage and this is usually sufficient for minor lesions, but antibiotics whitethorn be given in addition when the infection is severe and the patient has a fever. MRSA can be treated with enzyme-stable penicilins such as nafcilin. Isolates resistant to these compounds whitethorn be treated with vancomycin, linezolid, quinopristin-dalfoprisin, or daptomycin. (Goering et al. (2008).Treatment with this agent does not necessarily eradicate carriage of the staphylococci. Lastly, good skin care and personal hygiene should be encouraged.

United NAtions :: essays research papers

unite Nations5 WsWhat The political organization established 1945 by the allied powers who were later joined by other nationsWho right away there are 191 nations in the United Nations but It was originally started by those who were fighting against the axis powers.Where It was decided to have it located in the Eastern United States, they bought land with money given by John D. Rockefeller Jr. along the East River in NYC.When The United Nations was officially coined such in 1941 by electric chair Franklin D. Roosevelt. The term was not used officially until Jan. 1, 1942, when 26 states joined in the Declaration by the United Nations.Why The war effort needed to be joined so that they didnt make placidity separately. The need for an international organization to replace the League of Nations was not stated until Oct. 30, 1943.Six BodiesGeneral prevarication It meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the representatives. The regular session usually be gins on the third Tuesday in September and ends in mid-December. Special sessions can be convened at the request of the Security Council, of a majority of UN members, or, if the majority concurs, of a single memberSecurity Council It is charged with maintaining peace and security between nations. While other organs of the UN only make recommendations to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make decisions which member governments must carry bring out under the United Nations Charter.Economic and Social Council It assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development.Trusteeship Council It was established to help ensure that non-self-governing territories were administered in the best interests of the inhabitants and of international peace and security. They suspended operation in 1994.Secretariat It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings.

Developing Through the Life Span Essay -- Prenatal Health

Prenatal Development and the newborn The focal point of this section was conception and the development of life before birth. Ive get hold of that every woman is born with a number of eggs that entrust later be released. Out of that number 1 in 5,000 eggs will essentially mature. Contrary to women, a man begins producing sperm at puberty, which gradually decreases along with age. During the actual conception, over 200 million sperms head towards the egg and submit to break through. One is successful, the rest arent.The following section focused on prenatal development. Prenatal development is I learned about Zygotes (fertilized eggs), the fertilized egg (the zygotes inner cells), and the fetus (the conceptus after 9 weeks)is the . More specifically, the zygotes are the first cell organisms that are produced. The embryo is a cell before it completes fertilization and becomes a fetus. And the fetus is an embryo at a more advanced stage of development. Ive learned that by 6 mon ths it is possible for the baby to survive if born prematurely. During pregnancy it is very important to pay c...

Jumping Mouse :: essays research papers

Jumping MouseThe story of Jumping Mouse may seem easy at first. But it is far more than just a story about a sm exclusively rodent. There are so many underlying themes that reflect society, faith, generosity, personal growth, and many other aspects of a persons daily life.The story starts out with a seemingly simple mouse, who hears what others do not. He dares to question what is out of the ordinary, and seeks out the truth instead of dismissing it as nothing. He shows curiosity, which leads him to new ideas. When he has his experience at the river, he is addicted a new name, which signifies his witness personal growth. When he takes his new rig ideas back to the mouse society they take for grantedt believe him because it is far too unlike than what they already know, and they decide that he is harmful. The society of mice reflects society in how they didnt understand something so they pushed it away. So many times people dont accept or understand things because they are out o f the ordinary, so they shun it. It happens every day with racism and conflicts over human sexuality. Most people dont understand that there is no way to define normal. All around the world things are different, and one needs to be open minded(p) enough to understand it. Now look what being open minded did for the mouse. His willingness to listen and his faith in the frog allowed him to see into the rest of the world, even deeper into his own mind. There is a fine line between being open-minded and being light-green. Both will listen to anything to try to understand it, but gullible people lack common sense. The mouse seemed kind of gullible, in how hed risk his safety by jumping in the water all because the frog said to.Jumping mouse is like many people, always seeking a better way of life. The other mice were quite content with their fill life, because that was the way they have always known. But Jumping Mouse had a taste for what else the world had to offer him. When Jumping Mo use met with the old mouse, he found a perfect place to live, free from harm and lots of food. He was told he should stay but somehow, he knew that he could have better. Even later on his journey to find the mountains he discovered a small mouse utopia with an abundant supply of food and shelter, everything a mouse could want.

Nike Case Study Essay

Kimi Ford, a portfolio manager at North Point Group, is looking into the positivity of investing in the stocks of Nike for her fund that she manages. She is supposed to base her decision the conjunctions selective information which was disclosed in the 2001 fiscal reports. While Nike management had turn to several issues that atomic number 18 causing the decrease in grocery sales and stock price, management presented plans to improve and perform better. Nike r thus farue has been at a tableland since 1997 yet net income and commercialise parcel of land were falling. Supply chain issues and the strong dollar negatively affected revenue too. Plans are in place to cover up top line harvesting and operating performance. To boost revenue, the confederation would develop more athletic shoes in the mid priced segment which has been overlooked by Nike in recent years. They also planned to push their apparel line which under strong leadership had performed very well to control expe nses. Revenue growth tar checks are around 8-10% and earnings targets are above 15%. Analyst reactions were mixed as some of them thought this was too aggressive.Lehman Br some others recommended a strong corrupt while others expressed misgivings and recommended a hold. At this point, North Point Group decided to do their own analysis in order to decide if Nike shares should be purchased for the fund. The weighted average follow of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expect to pay its debt and equity holders to finance its assets. It is the minimum go by that a company must earn on existing asset base to satisfy its owners, creditors, and other providers of capital or they will invest somewhere else. Companies raise nones from many sources such as common and preferred equity, straight, convertible, and exchangeable debt, options, warrants, pension liabilities, executive stock options, governmental subsidies, and others. Different securities, which represent different s ources of finance, are expected to generate different returns. WACC is calculated taking into account the relative weights of each component of the capital structure- equity and debt, and is used to see if the investment is worthwhile to get through part in.Management notices the equal of capital while making a financial decision. The concept is very relevant in the following managerial decisions and therefrom its importance(1) Capital Budgeting Decision. monetary value of capital may be used as the tool for adopting an investment proposal. Naturally, the firm will choose the project which gives a satis geney return on investment which would never be less than the live of capital incurred for its financing. In the many methods of capital budgeting, the cost of capital is the principal(prenominal) factor in deciding the project out of different proposals pending before the management. It determines the acceptability of all investment opportunities by measuring financial perform ance. (2) figure the Corporate Financial Structure. The cost of capital is a significant factor in designing the firms capital structure. The cost of capital is influenced by changes in capital structure. Financial executives keep an eye on capital market fluctuations and try to achieve the economical and sound capital structure for the firm. They may try to substitute the various methods of finance in an attempt to minimize the cost of capital and to increase the market price and the earning per share.(3) Deciding about the method of Financing. Financial executives must have knowledge of fluctuations in the capital market and should analyze the rate of interest on loans and normal dividend rates in the market from time to time. Whenever company requires additional finance there are better choices of the source of finance which bears the minimum cost of capital. Although cost of capital is an all-important(prenominal) factor in such decisions, but equally important are the consid erations of relating control and of avoiding riskiness. (4) Performance of Top Management. The cost of capital can be used to pass judgment top executive financial performance. Evaluation of the financial performance will involve a comparison of actual profitabilitys of the projects and along with the communicate overall cost of capital and an appraisal of the actual cost incurred in raising the required funds. (5) Other Areas. The concept of cost of capital is also important in others areas of decision making, such as dividend decisions, working capital policy, and more.WACC CALCULATIONpicOne important question is if Joanna Cohen should use a single or threefold of capital for each of Nikes footwear and apparel divisions? We agree with the use of single cost rather than multiple costs of capital. The reason of estimating WACC is to value the hard cash flows of the entire company that is provided by Kimi Ford. Plus, Nike business segments have a similar risk and thus a single c ost is sufficient for this analysis.Joanna Cohens cost of debt was incorrect. An important fact is the WACC is used for rejecting succeeding(a) cash flows, thus all components of the cost must reflect the firms con sure or future abilities in raising capital. Cohen wrongly used the historic data in estimating the cost of debt. She divided interest expense by the average balance of debt to get 4.3% of before tax cost of debt. It doesnt reflect Nikes veritable or future cost of debt.The correct way to calculate the cost of debt is explained below. If the cost of debt is intended to be forward looking, it can be estimated by the yield to adulthood of bond. The more appropriate cost of debt can be calculated with the data provided in Exhibit 4 of the case. Market data is correctly used rather than historical data.PV 95.60N= 40Pmt -3.375FV -100The values above were put into travel bys rate function. This came to a 7.16% annual cost of debt. The tax rate is 38%. The correct way to ge t the aftertax cost of debt is to attain 7.16% * (1-38%) = 4.44%The correctly calculated before tax cost of debt is 7.16%. This is significantly higher than Joannas incorrectly calculated cost of debt of 4.3%. Her incorrect calculation came from using historical rates rather than market rates.Next, the cost of equity is calculated. It is a good idea to use the 20 year T-Bond rate to represent the risk pardon rate. The cost of equity and the WACC are used to discount cash flows in the long run, thus rate of return of a T-Bond with 20 years maturity at 5.74% is the longest rate that is available.The geometric mean of market risk premium is 5.9%. This is more accurate than using arithmetic mean to represent market risk premium. By using arithmetic mean to represent true market risk premium, we have to have independently distributed market risk premium. It is oftentimes found that market risk premiums are negatively serial correlated.Market average of import of .69 is used because i t is a good indicator of the average Betas and their fluctuations throughout the years.Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)Cost of Equity(KE) KE = Rf + (Rf Rm) Rf = 5.74% = 9.81% Beta = 0.69 Average Nike Beta Next, the weights of debt and equity need to be calculated. The market value of equity is $42.09 share price X 271.5 million shares = 11,427,000Due to the lack of information of the market value of debt, book value of debt at 1296.6 million is used to calculate weights.Calculations for market and debt weights11,427,000 / (11,427,000 + 1297) = 89.8% Equity Weight1 89.8% = 10.2% debt weightWACC Calculation4.44% After Tax Cost of Debt X 10.2% Debt Weight + 9.81% Cost of Equity X 89.8% Equity Weight =9.27%The CAPM method was used when calculating cost of equity for the WACC. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are explained below.Advantages It only considers systematic risk, reflecting a macrocosm in which most investors have diversified portfolios from which unsystema tic risk has been essentially eliminated. It generates a theoretically-derived relationship between required return and systematic risk which has been work to constant empirical research and testing. It is generally seen as a superior method of calculating the cost of equity than the dividend growth model (DGM) in that it explicitly takes into account a companys level of systematic risk relative to the stock market as a whole. It is clearly better than WACC in providing discount rates for use in investment appraisal.Disadvantages It is practically impossible to estimate betas for many projects. People sometimes focus on market risk rather than corporate risk, and this may be a mistake.The Dividend Discount Method is another method of calculating cost of equity. The assumption made with this model is that the company pays a substantial dividend, but Nike Inc. does not pay dividends. consequently, we rejected this model since it does not reflect the true cost of capital.The method C ompares dividends forecasted for the next period with the current share price for the firm and then adds the growth rate of the firm.Equation Ke= D1/ P0 + g Variables G= the value line forecast of dividend growth, which equals 5.5% PO= current share price, which is $42.09. D1= DO (1+g), which equal .48 (1+.055) DO= from dividend history and forecast chart, which equals .48Therefore, cost of equity = .564/42.09 + .055= 6.7%Advantages Allow great flexibility when estimating future dividend streams Provide useful value approximations even when the inputs are simplified Can be reversed so the current stock price is used to impute market assumptions for growth and expected return Investors are able to suit their model to their expectations rather than force assumptions into themodel Specifying the underlying assumptions allows for sensitivity testing and analyzing market reactions to ever changing circumstances Disadvantages personal inputs can result in wrongly specified models and bad results Over-reliance on a valuation that is really just an estimate Sensitivity is high to exquisite changes in input assumptions Flow-through of minor formula or data entry errors when using spreadsheets The Cost of Equity Method is the other method for forecasting cost of equity.The final model used to compute the cost of capital was the earning capitalization model. The problem with this model is that it does not take into consideration the companys growth. Therefore we chose to reject this calculation. The earnings capitalization model calculations were found this way Stands for earnings capitalization model This model compares forecasted earnings for the next period over the current share price. Equation Ke E1/ P0 Variables E1= (1+g) * (E0/ of shares outstanding) G= retention ratio * return on equity Retention ratio= retained earnings/ net income 3194.3/ 589.7= 5.42 Return on equity= net income/ total shareholders equity 589.7/ 3494.5= 16.88% G= 5.42* 16.88%= .914 EO = Net Income, which equals 589.7 Share Outstanding= 271.5 E1= ((1+.914) * 589.7)/ 271.5= 4.1572 PO= Nike current share price, which is 42.09 Therefore, cost of equity= 4.1572/ 42.09 = 9.88%Advantage grueling representation of earningsDisadvantagesBrealey & Myers argue in Principles of Corporate Finance that this model is not good to use for growing firms but is appropriate for no-growth firms. Hence it is not appropriate for Nike Inc. since this company is still growing.Analysis and RecommendationKimi ford used a WACC discount rate of 8.4% to find a share price of $63.50. Nike is presently trading at $42.09. This makes the share price undervalued by $21.41. However, her discount rate does not reflect true market value due to the mistakes in her methods we discussed earlier.The discount rate we came up with from using the CAPM was 9.27%. This higher WACC results in a lower share price of around $55.60. Share price has decreased once Joannas calculation methods have been corrected, b ut Nike is still overvalued so we still recommend buying the stock. Share price is now undervalued by $12.97.SWOT AnalysisStrengths globally recognized 1 sports brand Strong marketing, research and development, and innovation Worldwide logo recognition, brand loyalty, and slogan Just do it.Weaknesses Most profits are solely from footwear Revenue has plateaued, expenses have increased Supply chain issues affecting financial health too Price sensitive retail painsOpportunities There are plans in place to address top line growth and operating performance Plans to create more athletic footwear as well as plans to push apparel line High revenue growth (8-10%) and earning (15%) targetsThreats Uncertainties in international trade The market is cut throat Growing competition from other companies can lead to decreased market shareDuPont Analysis Net Income 589,700,000 Sales9,488,800 Total Assets5,819,600 Common Equity Common Stock, Par 2,800,000 Capital in excess of stated value 459,400,00 0 Retained Earnings 3,194,300,000 Total 3,656,500,000 NI/Sales 589,700,000/9,488,800,000 = 6.2% Sales/TA 9,488,800,000/5,819,600,000 = 1.63 TA/CE 9,488,800,000/3,656,500,000 = 2.60 Profit Margin * TA Turnover * Equity Multiplier 6.2% * 1.63 * 2.60 = 26.27% ROE. This Return on Equity is high, further stating the fact that Nike stock is good to buy.Nike has strong financial health and its stock is a sound investment. It would make a valuable addition to any mutual fund.The EndThank You

Why do the students cheat on the exams?

Keywords study, student, deadline, Exam In the university context just like any other society, we have crime and dishonesty and amongst all , students cheating is exactly one of the appearances of these . Firstly Id like to specify a clear definition And remind of what exactly is exam and wherefore is it an inseparable part of the information progress to I believe that we should have a clear image of what we are doing and why are we doing it in order to be a professional .In education an examination is a test provided to see if the person who wants to take a degree or special security measures is capable of being taken that certificate or not. adopting this definition we conclude that taking an exam is a requirement of receiving a degree. So this can be first motto for this essay no exam,no degree no degree,no exam. Students have different motives for study , they study In their specific majors as engineers-to be , translators-to be , accountants-to be , etc . They have to pick up essential materials to be a standard engineer , translator , accountant , etc . W we successful expert and the other case in which the student is Just trying to get the degree and is not into learning the major and getting a good expert , however shocking , but this case is real frequent in Iran universities . And I think it is caused by disagreement of education and Jobs taken by graduates . By dropping the second group out of dismantle circle ,we have the students who really want to learn things they have to learn during education period , and the intention of the writer is to inspect these students cheating and express why they consort to cheat in this step . Titer believes that in standard context they go away study well with no dishonesty and therefore will get the degree with no cheating. But life is never perfect and problems like emotional problems and financial affect students life and these problems in the life tend to ruin the plan of study. And makes the stud ent to miss the deadlines , most of the students in order to not miss the deadlines decide to use their last weapon And cheat . Because in this situation if they dont cheat theyll ruin the whole schedule of their education.They cheat and they pass the exam with n acceptable mark, and seemingly anything is okay. But in the next semesters the isolated wound in the body of education, shows up. With no time to cure it. And this is where a dishonest solution, makes the problem deeper. But encountering deadlines is not always the same in every student. There are some foresighted students who by missing the deadline seemingly ruin the plan but in fact they strengthen it by retention it pure . Shampoo says l AS May your nightmares become more agitated . You contemplate the interpretation GAS b so that when you get up

Accounting Concepts, Conventions and Solutions

Table of Contents QUESTION ONE news report Concepts and Conventions1 a) account statement Concepts1 i)The outlet concern innovation. 1 ii)The accruals nonion (or co-ordinated creation)1 iii)The entity belief3 iv)The m nonp arily mensuration thought3 v)The historical live purpose4 vi)The realization purpose4 vii)wave- useicle duality construct4 b) bill groups5 QUESTION TWO Clashing bankers billing conceits and conventions that ability bring around in organic structure in the story extremity9 1. Clash in the midst of the accruals/matching supposition and the perplexity convention9 2. Clash amidst the historical live thought and attention convention9QUESTION THREE Solutions to the clangoring taleing fantasys and conventions11 REFERENCES13 QUESTION ONE Accounting Concepts and Conventions a) Accounting Concepts Accounting Concepts be broad staple fiber assumptions that underlie the periodic fiscal accounts of contrast enterprises. They outline the rules of accounting that should be followed in supply of each(prenominal) mo meshworkary debates. These judgments argon outlined in the International Accounting Standard 1(IAS 1)- en effort of pecuniary statements. The word concept in this context way an idea or mind that has a universal application.This includes i) The sacking concern concept implies that the tune will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future tense, and that at that place is no target to put option the company into liquidation or to keep back drastic cutbacks to the scale of operations. Financial statements should be prep atomic number 18d under the discharge concern basis un slight the entity is cosmos (or is going to be) liquidated or if it has ceased (or is about to cease) trading. The directors of a company moldiness also disclose any signifi tummyt interrogatives about the companys future if and when they arise. ( Agatha,2010) The master(prenominal) moment f the going concern con cept is that the as bents of the business should non be esteemd at their break-up nurse, which is the descend that they would sell for it they were sold off gradually and the business were thus broken up. ii) The accruals concept (or matching concept) states that gross and em personates must be recognized as they are gain or incurred, non as money is received or paid. They must be matched with one another so far as their relationship good deal be completed or justifiably assumed, and dealt with in the kale and prejudice account of the period to which they relate. ExampleAssume that a firm makes a profit of ? 100 by matching the tax in cope (? 200) earned from the trade of 20 units against the speak to (? 100) of acquiring them. (Williamson,2001) If, however, the firm had wholly sold eighteen units, it would have been ludicrous to charge profit and loss account with the bell of twenty units in that location is still cardinal units in tenor. If the firm int send a ways to sell them later, it is credibly to make a profit on the sale. wherefore, provided the secure cost of eighteen units (? 90) should be matched with the sales tax income, leaving a profit of ? 90. The balance sheet would therefore look like this ? Assets Stock (at cost, i. e. 2 x ? 5) 10 Debtors (18 x ? 10) 180 190 Liabilities Creditors 100 90 Capital (profit for the period) 90 If, however the firm had concluded to give up interchange units, past the going concern concept would no longer apply and the measure out of the cardinal units in the balance sheet would be a break-up valuation instead than cost. Similarly, if the dickens unsold units were now unlikely to be sold at more(prenominal) than than their cost of ? 5 each (say, because of damage or a ancestry in demand) then they should be inscribeed on the balance sheet at their shed light on realizable value (i. . the likely eventual sales scathe little any expenses incurred to make them saleable, e. g . paint) rather than cost. This shows the application of the prudence concept. In this example, the concepts of going concern and matching are linked. Because the business is assumed to be a going concern it is possible to carry forward the cost of the unsold units as a charge against pay of the next period. Essentially, the accruals concept states that, in deliberation profit, revenue earned must be matched against the expenditure incurred in earning it. ii) The entity concept The concept is that accountants regard a business as a separate entity, explicit from its owners or managers. The concept applies whether the business is a limited company (and so recognized in law as a separate entity) or a doctor proprietorship or partnership (in which reason the business is not separately recognized by the law. iv) The money treasurement concept The money measurement concept states that accounts will only deal with those contingents to which a monetary value can be attri only ifed.F or example, in the balance sheet of a business, monetary value can be attri scarceed to such assets as machinery (e. g. the original cost of the machinery or the amount it would cost to replace the machinery) and stocks of goods (e. g. the original cost of goods, or, theoretically, the price at which the goods are likely to be sold). The monetary measurement concept introduces limitations to the beat matter of accounts. A business may have intangible assets such as the flare pass of a good manager or the loyalty of its workforce.These may be in-chief(postnominal) enough to give it a clear superiority over an other than like business, but because they cannot be evaluated in monetary terms they do not appear anywhere in the accounts. v) The historical cost concept A basic concept of accounting is that resources are normally stated in accounts at historical cost, i. e. at the amount that the business paid to acquire them. An important proceeds of this procedure is that the objecti vity of accounts is maximized there is usually objective, documentary evidence to prove the amount paid to purchase an asset or pay an expense.Historical cost means transactions are recorded at the cost when they occurred. In general, accountants prefer to deal with costs, rather than with determine. This is because valuations tend to be subjective and to take leave harmonise to what the valuation is for. For example, suppose that a company acquires a machine to manufacture its products. The machine has an anticipate useful life of four twelvemonths. At the end of both years the company is preparing a balance sheet and has decided what monetary amount to attribute to the asset. vi) The realization concept Realization Revenue and allowance are recognized when realized.The concept states that revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the income statement only when realized in the design of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realiz ation of which can be assessed with conceivable certainty. vii) Duality concept This concept ensures that transactions are recorded in books at least in two accounts, if one account is debited its also assign with the very(prenominal) amount in a unlike account. The recording system is also known as double entry system. Assets = Liabilities + Capital.E genuinely transaction has a two-fold event in the accounts and is the basis of double entry bookkeeping. b) Accounting conventions Conventions, unlike concepts, are signposts derived by usage and practice. They are guidelines that arise from the practical application of accounting principles. An accounting convention is not a legally-binding practice rather, it is a generally- current convention based on customs, and is designed to help accountants overcome practical problems that arise out of the preparation of financial statements. As customs change, so to will accounting conventions.Basically, conventions fill in the gaps bet ween guidelines and practical usage. If an accounting regulatory body sets forth a guideline that addresses the analogous topic as the accounting convention, the accounting convention will no longer be applicable. Concepts supersede conventions. i) The consistency concept states that in preparing accounts consistency should be notice in two respects. a)Similar items within a single set of accounts should be given convertible accounting treatment. b)The same treatment should be applied from one period to another in accounting for similar items.This enables valid comparisons to be do from one period to the next. (Crovit,2008) An accounting rule apply in one accounting period should be the same as the method used for events or transactions which are secularly similar in other period (i. e. accounting practices should re of import unchanged from period to period ). This also involves treatment of transaction and valuation method. Consistency is also advisable so that the compar ison of accounting figures over time is meaningful. Consistency also states that if a change becomes inevitable, the change and its effect should be clearly stated. i) The materiality concept An item is considered material if its omission or misstatement will affect the decision making process of the users. Materiality depends on the nature and size of the item. but items material in amount or in their nature will affect the true and fair view given by a set of accounts. An demerit that is too trivial to affect anyones understanding of the accounts is referred to as immaterial. In preparing accounts it is important to assess what is material and what is not, so that time and money are not wasted in the pursuit of excessive detail.Determining whether or not an item is material is a very subjective exercise. There is no commanding measure of materiality. It is common to apply a convenient rule of thumb (for example to define material items as those with a value greater than 5% of the net profit disclosed by the accounts). But some items disclosed in accounts are regarded as particularly sensitive and even a very puny misstatement of such an item would be regarded as a material error. An example in the accounts of a limited company might be the amount of remuneration paid to directors of the company.The assessment of an item as material or immaterial may affect its treatment in the accounts. For example, the profit and loss account of a business will show the expenses incurred by he business grouped under suitable captions (heating and lighting expenses, rent and rates expenses etc) but in the case of very small expenses it may be appropriate to lump them together under a caption such as sundry expenses, because a more detailed breakdown would be inappropriate for such immaterial amounts. a)If a balance sheet shows fixed assets of ? million and stocks of ? 30,000 an error of ? 20,000 in the disparagement calculations might not be regarded as material, wherea s an error of ? 20,000 in the stock valuation probably would be. In other words, the total of which the erroneous item forms part must be considered. b)If a business has a bank loan of ? 50,000 balance and a ? 55,000 balance on bank deposit account, it might hale be regarded as a material misstatement if these two amounts were displayed on the balance sheet as cash at bank ? ,000. In other words, incorrect presentation may amount to material misstatement even if there is no monetary error. iii) The Prudence convention (conservativism) The prudence convention ( classified as a concept by some others) states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one adopted should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the businesss financial position or exits.This policy tends to understate rather than overstate net assets and net income, and therefore lead entities to play safe. In accounting, it states that when choosing between two solu tions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be selected. According to this concept expected losses are losses but expected gains are not gains. On the basis of this concept closing stock is valued at cost price or marketplace price, whichever is lower. aliment for hurtful and doubtful debts are maintained.Therefore, revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the profit and loss account only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty provision is made for all liabilities (expenses and losses) whether the amount of these is known with certainty or is best estimate in the light of the information available. (Pixley,2002) Assets and profits should not be overstated, but a balance must be achieved to prevent the material overstatement of liabilities or losses.The other aspect of the prudence concept is that where a loss i s foreseen, it should be anticipated and taken into account immediately. If a business purchases stock for ? 1,200 but because of a sudden slump in the market only ? 900 is likely to be realized when the stock is sold the prudence concept dictates that the stock should be valued at ? 900. It is not enough to bide until the stock is sold, and then recognize the ? 300 loss it must be recognized as soon as it is foreseen. (Pixley,2002) A profit can be considered to be a realized profit when it is in the form of Cash Another asset that has a reasonably certain cash value. This includes amounts owing from debtors, provided that there is a reasonable certainty that the debtors will eventually pay up what they owe. Example A company begins trading on 1 January 20X2 and sells goods worth ? 100,000 during the year to 31 December. At 31 December there are debts outstanding of ? 15,000. Of these, the company is now doubtful whether ? 6,000 will ever be paid. The company should make a provisio n for doubtful debts of ? 6,000. Sales for 205 will be shown in the profit and loss account at their full value of ? 00,000, but the provision for doubtful debts would be a charge of ? 6,000. Because there is some uncertainty that the sales will be realized in the form of cash, the prudence concept dictates that the ? 6,000 should not be included in the profit for the year. iv) Objectivity (neutrality) An accountant must show objectivity in his work. This means he should try to strip his answers of any personal opinion or prejudice and should be as precise and as detailed as the situation warrants. The result of this should be that any number of accountants will give the same answer independently of each other.Objectivity means that accountants must be free from bias. They must presume a neutral stance when analyzing accounting data. In practice objectivity is difficult. Two accountants faced with the same accounting data may come to different conclusions as to the correct treatmen t. It was to combat subjectivity that accounting standards were developed. v) Full disclosure It states that information that might affect the impressions of the users of financial information should be presented in the main body of financial statements or in the notes or as supplementary information.Amounts and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on a tradeoff analytic thinking as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare than to use. Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. QUESTION TWO Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process Accounting concepts or conventions could clash or there could be inconsistency between them in such a way that users may have more than one definite method of treating items in the financial statements hence causing uncertainty.Examples include 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence conve ntion The accruals concept requires future income (e. g. in relation to credit sales) to be accrued. On the other hand the prudence concept dictates that caution should be exercised, so that if there is doubt about the subsequent receipt, no accrual should be made. There is a clash in that credit sales should be recognised immediately the sale is made (regardless of payment) under accrual concept while prudence states that incomes be recognized only when receipt is certain.A good example would be the treatment of deferred revenue expenditures that are usually spread over a number of years, during which the organisation is expected to earn additional revenue out of the expenditure. While this treatment is an accepted principle, there may be a counter-treatment, argued by another group, to charge the item as an expense, the entire amount in the year it was spent, on the evidence of conservativism/prudence. In other words, there may be a direct clash between the accruals and conservat ism principles. 2.Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention The prudence convention states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the businesss financial position or results. Therefore it requires that stocks should always be valued at the lowest of cost or net realisable value. Net realisable value is the selling price of the stock minus any costs involved in getting this stock into saleable condition (e. g. repair costs).This means that we can value stock at current market rates, but only if the selling price is lower than the cost. However, if the replacement cost of these stocks is lower than cost or net realisable value then it may seem prudent to use the replacement cost to value these stocks. On the other hand, the historical cost concept implies that all assets acquired, service rendered or received, expenses incurred etc. should be rec orded in the books at the price at which it was acquired (its cost price). The cost is distinct from its value and the record does not signify the value.It also holds that cost is the most reliable and verifiable value at which a good is or services should be initially recognized. Therefore in determining inventory prices, the two principles may clash in application. QUESTION THREE Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions William (2001) outlines basic rules that should be observed in applying particular accounting concepts in case of conflict. He states that despite the fact that most of the concepts have been universally accepted, accountants quite often come crosswise situations where two concepts are in onflict and one overrides the application of the other. These are situations where an accountant will find it necessary to apply his professional skill and judgment to come up with the best possible solution. To quote from IAS 1, There are many different accou nting policies in use even in relation to the same subject judgment is required in selecting and applying those which, in the circumstances of the enterprise, are best suited to present properly its financial position and the results of its operation. 1. Solution to the clash between accruals and prudence When there is a clash between the two, prudence prevails.Although the accruals concept is universally accepted in trading and manufacturing organizations, there are do when the concept of conservatism overrides the application of the accruals concept. A typical example would be the accounts prepared for professional firms of accountants, lawyers and medical practitioners. In these accounts, recognition is generally given to the accruals concept to that extent as it relates to expenses. In computing the incomes, however, a rather conservative approach is followed and only those items that are actually realized are accounted for in the accounts.This treatment has been accepted by the accounting profession on the grounds of conservatism, although it generally defeats the concept of the accruals concept. When the accountant has a choice between two alternative treatments, remember, he should select the one that shows a less encouraging position of the financial situation. To follow the principle of conservatism is not easy and good judgment is necessary to decide the right course of action. There is however, a great deal of difference between being conservative and being over conservative.The rule of conservatism should not be stretched to the point where it might eventually result in distorting the financial results. For example, capital items such as buildings, vehicles, machinery etc, which are capitalized in accordance with mostly authoritative Accounting Principles (GAAPs), must always be capitalized and no deviation should be recommended on the grounds of conservatism. 2. Solution to the clash between historical cost concept and Prudence convention Wi lliamson (2001) states that prudence should prevail over the historical cost concept.This is important in order for financial statements to avoid overstating profits or disguising losses which may lead users to make wrong decisions. An example is that of fixed assets which should be valued at their historical cost (because it is objective). However, it is prudent to reduce their values to fall wear and tear so as not to overstate profits. Also, according to the accruals concept, we should match an expense to when it was incurred. Therefore, fixed assets should appear as their historical cost less any depreciation.Also, the cost of these assets should be spread over their lifetime in the accounts. REFERENCES 1. Agatha J. , Mengyu and W. ,Askew S. ,(2010). The Switch from US GAAP to IFRS. Proceedings of the Northeast Business & Economics sleeper 4854 2. Arens A. , and Loebbecke, J. , Auditing, an integrated approach, 1980 Prentice Hall 3. Carruthers, Bruce G. , & Espeland, Wendy Nel son, Accounting for Rationality Double-Entry Bookkeeping and the Rhetoric of Economic Rationality, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 7, No. 1, July 1991, pp. 40-41,44 46 4. Crovitz, L. (2008). final stage the Information GAAP. The Wall Street Journal vol III 5. Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair Themes in the history of bookkeeping, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008 6. Pixley, Francis William Accountancyconstructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac coal miner & Sons, Ltd, London, 2002) 7. Williamson, D. (2001), Accounting Business Spreadsheeting, Prentice Hall, LondonAccounting Concepts, Conventions and SolutionsTable of Contents QUESTION ONE Accounting Concepts and Conventions1 a)Accounting Concepts1 i)The going concern concept. 1 ii)The accruals concept (or matching concept)1 iii)The entity concept3 iv)The money measurement concept3 v)The historical cost concept4 vi)The realization concept4 vii)Duality concept4 b)Accounting conventions5 QUESTION TWO Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process9 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention9 2. Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention9QUESTION THREE Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions11 REFERENCES13 QUESTION ONE Accounting Concepts and Conventions a) Accounting Concepts Accounting Concepts are broad basic assumptions that underlie the periodic financial accounts of business enterprises. They outline the rules of accounting that should be followed in preparation of all financial statements. These concepts are outlined in the International Accounting Standard 1(IAS 1)-presentation of financial statements. The word concept in this context means an idea or thought that has a universal application.This includes i) The going concern concept implies that the business will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, and tha t there is no intention to put the company into liquidation or to make drastic cutbacks to the scale of operations. Financial statements should be prepared under the going concern basis unless the entity is being (or is going to be) liquidated or if it has ceased (or is about to cease) trading. The directors of a company must also disclose any significant doubts about the companys future if and when they arise. ( Agatha,2010) The main significance f the going concern concept is that the assets of the business should not be valued at their break-up value, which is the amount that they would sell for it they were sold off piecemeal and the business were thus broken up. ii) The accruals concept (or matching concept) states that revenue and costs must be recognized as they are earned or incurred, not as money is received or paid. They must be matched with one another so far as their relationship can be established or justifiably assumed, and dealt with in the profit and loss account of the period to which they relate. ExampleAssume that a firm makes a profit of ? 100 by matching the revenue (? 200) earned from the sale of 20 units against the cost (? 100) of acquiring them. (Williamson,2001) If, however, the firm had only sold eighteen units, it would have been incorrect to charge profit and loss account with the cost of twenty units there is still two units in stock. If the firm intends to sell them later, it is likely to make a profit on the sale. Therefore, only the purchase cost of eighteen units (? 90) should be matched with the sales revenue, leaving a profit of ? 90. The balance sheet would therefore look like this ? Assets Stock (at cost, i. e. 2 x ? 5) 10 Debtors (18 x ? 10) 180 190 Liabilities Creditors 100 90 Capital (profit for the period) 90 If, however the firm had decided to give up selling units, then the going concern concept would no longer apply and the value of the two units in the balance sheet would be a break-up valuation rather than co st. Similarly, if the two unsold units were now unlikely to be sold at more than their cost of ? 5 each (say, because of damage or a fall in demand) then they should be recorded on the balance sheet at their net realizable value (i. . the likely eventual sales price less any expenses incurred to make them saleable, e. g. paint) rather than cost. This shows the application of the prudence concept. In this example, the concepts of going concern and matching are linked. Because the business is assumed to be a going concern it is possible to carry forward the cost of the unsold units as a charge against profits of the next period. Essentially, the accruals concept states that, in computing profit, revenue earned must be matched against the expenditure incurred in earning it. ii) The entity concept The concept is that accountants regard a business as a separate entity, distinct from its owners or managers. The concept applies whether the business is a limited company (and so recognized i n law as a separate entity) or a sole proprietorship or partnership (in which case the business is not separately recognized by the law. iv) The money measurement concept The money measurement concept states that accounts will only deal with those items to which a monetary value can be attributed.For example, in the balance sheet of a business, monetary values can be attributed to such assets as machinery (e. g. the original cost of the machinery or the amount it would cost to replace the machinery) and stocks of goods (e. g. the original cost of goods, or, theoretically, the price at which the goods are likely to be sold). The monetary measurement concept introduces limitations to the subject matter of accounts. A business may have intangible assets such as the flair of a good manager or the loyalty of its workforce.These may be important enough to give it a clear superiority over an otherwise identical business, but because they cannot be evaluated in monetary terms they do not ap pear anywhere in the accounts. v) The historical cost concept A basic concept of accounting is that resources are normally stated in accounts at historical cost, i. e. at the amount that the business paid to acquire them. An important advantage of this procedure is that the objectivity of accounts is maximized there is usually objective, documentary evidence to prove the amount paid to purchase an asset or pay an expense.Historical cost means transactions are recorded at the cost when they occurred. In general, accountants prefer to deal with costs, rather than with values. This is because valuations tend to be subjective and to vary according to what the valuation is for. For example, suppose that a company acquires a machine to manufacture its products. The machine has an expected useful life of four years. At the end of two years the company is preparing a balance sheet and has decided what monetary amount to attribute to the asset. vi) The realization concept Realization Revenue and profits are recognized when realized.The concept states that revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the income statement only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty. vii) Duality concept This concept ensures that transactions are recorded in books at least in two accounts, if one account is debited its also credited with the same amount in a different account. The recording system is also known as double entry system. Assets = Liabilities + Capital.Every transaction has a two-fold effect in the accounts and is the basis of double entry bookkeeping. b) Accounting conventions Conventions, unlike concepts, are guidelines derived by usage and practice. They are guidelines that arise from the practical application of accounting principles. An accounting convention is not a legally-binding practice rather, it is a generally-accepted convention base d on customs, and is designed to help accountants overcome practical problems that arise out of the preparation of financial statements. As customs change, so to will accounting conventions.Basically, conventions fill in the gaps between guidelines and practical usage. If an accounting regulatory body sets forth a guideline that addresses the same topic as the accounting convention, the accounting convention will no longer be applicable. Concepts supersede conventions. i) The consistency concept states that in preparing accounts consistency should be observed in two respects. a)Similar items within a single set of accounts should be given similar accounting treatment. b)The same treatment should be applied from one period to another in accounting for similar items.This enables valid comparisons to be made from one period to the next. (Crovit,2008) An accounting method used in one accounting period should be the same as the method used for events or transactions which are materially similar in other period (i. e. accounting practices should remain unchanged from period to period ). This also involves treatment of transaction and valuation method. Consistency is also advisable so that the comparison of accounting figures over time is meaningful. Consistency also states that if a change becomes necessary, the change and its effect should be clearly stated. i) The materiality concept An item is considered material if its omission or misstatement will affect the decision making process of the users. Materiality depends on the nature and size of the item. Only items material in amount or in their nature will affect the true and fair view given by a set of accounts. An error that is too trivial to affect anyones understanding of the accounts is referred to as immaterial. In preparing accounts it is important to assess what is material and what is not, so that time and money are not wasted in the pursuit of excessive detail.Determining whether or not an item is materi al is a very subjective exercise. There is no absolute measure of materiality. It is common to apply a convenient rule of thumb (for example to define material items as those with a value greater than 5% of the net profit disclosed by the accounts). But some items disclosed in accounts are regarded as particularly sensitive and even a very small misstatement of such an item would be regarded as a material error. An example in the accounts of a limited company might be the amount of remuneration paid to directors of the company.The assessment of an item as material or immaterial may affect its treatment in the accounts. For example, the profit and loss account of a business will show the expenses incurred by he business grouped under suitable captions (heating and lighting expenses, rent and rates expenses etc) but in the case of very small expenses it may be appropriate to lump them together under a caption such as sundry expenses, because a more detailed breakdown would be inapprop riate for such immaterial amounts. a)If a balance sheet shows fixed assets of ? million and stocks of ? 30,000 an error of ? 20,000 in the depreciation calculations might not be regarded as material, whereas an error of ? 20,000 in the stock valuation probably would be. In other words, the total of which the erroneous item forms part must be considered. b)If a business has a bank loan of ? 50,000 balance and a ? 55,000 balance on bank deposit account, it might well be regarded as a material misstatement if these two amounts were displayed on the balance sheet as cash at bank ? ,000. In other words, incorrect presentation may amount to material misstatement even if there is no monetary error. iii) The Prudence convention (conservatism) The prudence convention ( classified as a concept by some others) states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the businesss financial position or results.This policy tends to understate rather than overstate net assets and net income, and therefore lead entities to play safe. In accounting, it states that when choosing between two solutions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be selected. According to this concept expected losses are losses but expected gains are not gains. On the basis of this concept closing stock is valued at cost price or market price, whichever is lower. Provisions for bad and doubtful debts are maintained.Therefore, revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the profit and loss account only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty provision is made for all liabilities (expenses and losses) whether the amount of these is known with certainty or is best estimate in the light of the information available. (Pixley,2002) Assets a nd profits should not be overstated, but a balance must be achieved to prevent the material overstatement of liabilities or losses.The other aspect of the prudence concept is that where a loss is foreseen, it should be anticipated and taken into account immediately. If a business purchases stock for ? 1,200 but because of a sudden slump in the market only ? 900 is likely to be realized when the stock is sold the prudence concept dictates that the stock should be valued at ? 900. It is not enough to wait until the stock is sold, and then recognize the ? 300 loss it must be recognized as soon as it is foreseen. (Pixley,2002) A profit can be considered to be a realized profit when it is in the form of Cash Another asset that has a reasonably certain cash value. This includes amounts owing from debtors, provided that there is a reasonable certainty that the debtors will eventually pay up what they owe. Example A company begins trading on 1 January 20X2 and sells goods worth ? 100,000 du ring the year to 31 December. At 31 December there are debts outstanding of ? 15,000. Of these, the company is now doubtful whether ? 6,000 will ever be paid. The company should make a provision for doubtful debts of ? 6,000. Sales for 205 will be shown in the profit and loss account at their full value of ? 00,000, but the provision for doubtful debts would be a charge of ? 6,000. Because there is some uncertainty that the sales will be realized in the form of cash, the prudence concept dictates that the ? 6,000 should not be included in the profit for the year. iv) Objectivity (neutrality) An accountant must show objectivity in his work. This means he should try to strip his answers of any personal opinion or prejudice and should be as precise and as detailed as the situation warrants. The result of this should be that any number of accountants will give the same answer independently of each other.Objectivity means that accountants must be free from bias. They must adopt a neutral stance when analyzing accounting data. In practice objectivity is difficult. Two accountants faced with the same accounting data may come to different conclusions as to the correct treatment. It was to combat subjectivity that accounting standards were developed. v) Full disclosure It states that information that might affect the judgments of the users of financial information should be presented in the main body of financial statements or in the notes or as supplementary information.Amounts and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on a tradeoff analysis as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare than to use. Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. QUESTION TWO Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process Accounting concepts or conventions could clash or there could be inconsistency between them in such a way that users may have more than o ne definite method of treating items in the financial statements hence causing uncertainty.Examples include 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention The accruals concept requires future income (e. g. in relation to credit sales) to be accrued. On the other hand the prudence concept dictates that caution should be exercised, so that if there is doubt about the subsequent receipt, no accrual should be made. There is a clash in that credit sales should be recognised immediately the sale is made (regardless of payment) under accrual concept while prudence states that incomes be recognized only when receipt is certain.A good example would be the treatment of deferred revenue expenditures that are usually spread over a number of years, during which the organisation is expected to earn additional revenue out of the expenditure. While this treatment is an accepted principle, there may be a counter-treatment, argued by another group, to charge the item as an expense, the entire amount in the year it was spent, on the grounds of conservatism/prudence. In other words, there may be a direct clash between the accruals and conservatism principles. 2.Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention The prudence convention states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the businesss financial position or results. Therefore it requires that stocks should always be valued at the lowest of cost or net realisable value. Net realisable value is the selling price of the stock minus any costs involved in getting this stock into saleable condition (e. g. repair costs).This means that we can value stock at current market rates, but only if the selling price is lower than the cost. However, if the replacement cost of these stocks is lower than cost or net realisable value then it may seem prudent to use the replacement co st to value these stocks. On the other hand, the historical cost concept implies that all assets acquired, service rendered or received, expenses incurred etc. should be recorded in the books at the price at which it was acquired (its cost price). The cost is distinct from its value and the record does not signify the value.It also holds that cost is the most reliable and verifiable value at which a good is or services should be initially recognized. Therefore in determining inventory prices, the two principles may clash in application. QUESTION THREE Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions William (2001) outlines basic rules that should be observed in applying particular accounting concepts in case of conflict. He states that despite the fact that most of the concepts have been universally accepted, accountants quite often come across situations where two concepts are in onflict and one overrides the application of the other. These are situations where an acco untant will find it necessary to apply his professional skill and judgment to come up with the best possible solution. To quote from IAS 1, There are many different accounting policies in use even in relation to the same subject judgment is required in selecting and applying those which, in the circumstances of the enterprise, are best suited to present properly its financial position and the results of its operation. 1. Solution to the clash between accruals and prudence When there is a clash between the two, prudence prevails.Although the accruals concept is universally accepted in trading and manufacturing organizations, there are occasions when the concept of conservatism overrides the application of the accruals concept. A typical example would be the accounts prepared for professional firms of accountants, lawyers and medical practitioners. In these accounts, recognition is generally given to the accruals concept insofar as it relates to expenses. In computing the incomes, ho wever, a rather conservative approach is followed and only those items that are actually realized are accounted for in the accounts.This treatment has been accepted by the accountancy profession on the grounds of conservatism, although it generally defeats the concept of the accruals concept. When the accountant has a choice between two alternative treatments, remember, he should select the one that shows a less encouraging position of the financial situation. To follow the principle of conservatism is not easy and good judgment is necessary to decide the right course of action. There is however, a great deal of difference between being conservative and being over conservative.The rule of conservatism should not be stretched to the point where it might eventually result in distorting the financial results. For example, capital items such as buildings, vehicles, machinery etc, which are capitalized in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs), must always be ca pitalized and no deviation should be recommended on the grounds of conservatism. 2. Solution to the clash between historical cost concept and Prudence convention Williamson (2001) states that prudence should prevail over the historical cost concept.This is important in order for financial statements to avoid overstating profits or disguising losses which may lead users to make wrong decisions. An example is that of fixed assets which should be valued at their historical cost (because it is objective). However, it is prudent to reduce their values to reflect wear and tear so as not to overstate profits. Also, according to the accruals concept, we should match an expense to when it was incurred. Therefore, fixed assets should appear as their historical cost less any depreciation.Also, the cost of these assets should be spread over their lifetime in the accounts. REFERENCES 1. Agatha J. , Mengyu and W. ,Askew S. ,(2010). The Switch from US GAAP to IFRS. Proceedings of the Northeast Bus iness & Economics Association 4854 2. Arens A. , and Loebbecke, J. , Auditing, an integrated approach, 1980 Prentice Hall 3. Carruthers, Bruce G. , & Espeland, Wendy Nelson, Accounting for Rationality Double-Entry Bookkeeping and the Rhetoric of Economic Rationality, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 7, No. 1, July 1991, pp. 40-41,44 46 4. Crovitz, L. (2008). Closing the Information GAAP. The Wall Street Journal vol III 5. Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair Themes in the history of bookkeeping, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008 6. Pixley, Francis William Accountancyconstructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd, London, 2002) 7. Williamson, D. (2001), Accounting Business Spreadsheeting, Prentice Hall, London

Necessities for the party Essay

Cannery Row takes place in a sm every(prenominal) area that has sardine fisheries and is located in Monterey, California. The city Monterey is also known as Cannery Row. The smart Cannery Row is mainly about the concourse living in Cannery Row during the Great Depression and the affects of over- angle which was single of the great biological disasters that wiped out the sardine harvest and focuses on doc who is a dear friend of Steinbeck, the author of the novel. Because of Docs kindness and support, mac and the boys want to do give a surprise party for Doc.Doc is an owner of a biological supply house on the Row. Doc is a friend and caregiver to everyone. However, he suffers from loneliness. Mack and the boys plan to give Doc a party and they are full of energy and goodish spirits as they obtain the necessities for the party. Mack and the boys prepare the party in Docs lab one night while he is gone on a trip to collect items for his lab. However, the boys start the party premat ure while they wait for him to return. Unfortunately, when Doc comes back late from his trip, his lab is totally trashed.After this incidence in that location was a handsome sense of emotion that spread throughout the Row and lasted for a long time. It wasnt long after the party that an influenza beset spread throughout Cannery Row and several other regrettable events transcendred however, later in the novel there was a turn around from all the bad events and the town began to heal. Again, Doc does something wonderful for Mack and the boys by curing their sick puppy. When Doc cured the puppy, Mack and the boys indomitable again to do something wonderful for Doc. They decided to throw Doc another party.However, this time Doc got a change to attend the party. The boys made sure to carefully plan the party well. The party was a success and after the party, the story ends with Doc feeling great about life. During the Depression, an influenza epidemic hits the small Cannery Row comm unity. Doc through his concern for people even though he is not a real doctor, but a scientist, treats many of the poor people and influences Dora, a woman who manages a whorehouse and her whores to become nurses to families that are in need of help.Dora runs a whorehouse but she attempts to be moral by not selling hard liquor and by servicing her clients with a reasonable price and rate for the whores and she is very congenial to those who helped her during the Depression. For the people who survived the Depression, Mack was one of the leaders and a mentor to many of them who were in the same condition as he was having no family, no money, and no goals in life except for continually trying to find a vogue to get fodder to survive.Sometimes Mack had to steal or lie to get help for himself and the people. Mack has some guilt about lying, stealing and world deceitful but usually when he is doing these sins he is doing it for a good purpose and usually he is able to plead his case when doing these actions because he is doing it for the coarse good. Hazel, who lives with Mack and the boys, is a very loyal person. The way he influences others is by being a good communicator. He listens to people effectively and remembers everything that was told to him.The theme of the novel is more focused on the community itself and the results of individual behavior within the community because the environment is the main focus of the story. The environment is to a great close dealing with the violence. In the first chapters, two people have already committed suicide. In addition, there are several other acts of aggression that occur when the Chinaman has an encounter with the little boys. The hidden cruelty in the narrative reveals the imperfection and evil nature of human beings.However, in order to generate the greater good in people, there is a need for violence to be balanced which is described in chapter two. Within the marine community, the problem with over fishing of sardines required a balance just as a balance is needed within the human community regarding violence and moral behavior imputable to not having enough regimen supply. Due to the over fishing problem, a lack of fish resulted in the local people not having enough food which they relied on for nutrition and survival.Within the marine community if there is not a balance of fish within the ocean, this result in an imbalanced mathematical product of various types of fish within the ocean resulting in the overproduction of some fish and the under production of certain other fish according to the food chain of sea creatures. In many cases, certain fish will become extinct due to a problem with over fishing. Over-fishing is really a main problem in the novel for the characters. Back in the post-depression, this really affected the people of Cannery County due to very low level success of return of sardines.Fish is one of the main resources of the ocean and the ocean must stay balance d with the right amount of fish in order to have a healthy ecosystem. Over fishing destroys the oceans ecosystem. However, there is no limitation to how much a person should fish because there is no will power of the oceans resources. Therefore, the more people continue fishing it results in a lower production of fish. This is what the author is trying to convey as he uses Cannery Rows sardine fishery as an example. In regards to the human community, Cannery Row is disturbed by known and unknown instances of violence and cruelty.In the novel, Doc finds a dead girl on the beach. Because of the depression, many people gave up and a retarded boy is sent to an institution for stealing a give way for a person he loves. The war only did so much for the people on the Cannery Row to end the Depression. Establishing a whorehouse, stealing, lying are all ways chosen by various people residing in Cannery Row to survive in a world with little resources during the Depression. The characters in Cannery Row translate strength, courage, sadness and even happy moments even though they suffer through a Depression.In spite of everything, they still manage to throw parties in the overcloud of their storm. Doc was the main character who had the most character and integrity in spite of his own depression and loneliness. However, at the end, Doc looks at life in a whole new fashion and a new hope is created for in him after celebrating his party with Mack and the gang. Within the marine community, if the ecosystem is not all told destroyed, the ocean can be replenished and the balance restored within the ocean.Like so, within the human community, because the people came together and learned to survive against the odds, their community was also woful toward restoration. In conclusion, Cannery Row is a story about the over-fishing problem in Monterey, California. The story speaks about how it affected the oceans ecosystem and the people. It also shows the sadness and satisfact ion of the people in that small community during the Depression and how the characters will come together to survive.However, they use stealing as a means to survive as well as working at a whorehouse, lying and various other dishonest means to survive during the Great Depression. Most of the characters were very good people just happened to be victims of a point in time of economic breakdown. John Steinbecks novel is scientifically and emotionally outstanding in the way he explicitly describe the terror in the community and the survival tactics used by the characters during the Depression.Works Cited Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row. New York The Viking Press, 1945

Extent of Government Change Under Essay

It was during this time that the Federal Government first began promoting things like worker safety on the job. For example, the Railway Safety Appliance Act was passed during this time. It demand railroads to install safety devices such as steps and handrails on their engines and cars to reduce the number of industrial accidents. President Theodore Roosevelt vastly increased the traditional perception of the fictitious character of the federal government. His policies, such as Big Stick Ideology abroad and the Square Deal at home, expanded the influence of the government on abstruse levels. Two cases, however, that of trust-busting and that of conservation, specifically accentuate this expansion. In the year 1901, President William McKinley had just been assassinated, and America needed a leader to which she could turn to. Theodore Roosevelt became the new president, and unbe cognisest to the people, would immortalize the presidency forever.Roosevelt made considerable efforts a t the conservation of the planet for future generations by use of the Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902 and by establishing the Bureau of Reclamations and broke up the destructive and all too powerful trusts that were ruling corporate America by instating the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Expedition Act of 1903, during what would later become known as the Progressive Era. During Theodore Roosevelts term in office, changes in the government began to be made. Roosevelts mindset was to change the role of the government for the betterment of the economic system during the Progressive Era. Through trying to break up trusts in the government, such as the Sherman Anti-Trust Acts, he believed he could change the U.S. government for the better. Conflicts from labor (the Square Deal) and conservation during the Progressive Era helped Roosevelt change multiple roles of the federal government.

Ise Determination of Fluoride Content in Various Substances

ISE Determination of Fluoride Content in Various Substances CHM 222 A 4 / 20 / 2007 IntroductionThe ion selective electrode utilise was made up of a silver / silver chloride reference electrode and a glass electrode. The pH of the electrochemical cell is determined by monitoring the galvanic potential difference between the half-cells. The glass electrode is an ion selective electrode (ISE), which only responds to the hydronium ion concentration / activity in a solution under a large array of conditions.In this experiment, we are measuring the fluoride ion concentration, which means our electrode responds to fluoride ion concentrations. Procedure And Data Standard Solutions Concentration (M) Potential (mV) 0. 9967 x 10-6 15. 0 0. 9967 x 10-5 1. 4 0. 9967 x 10-4 -42. 0. 9967 x 10-3 -101. 1 0. 9967 x 10-2 -160. 8 0. 9967 x 10-1 -219. 0 Unknown 6 was utilize for this lab group. It produced a potential difference of -196. 8 mV. This was then used in the equation derived fro m our standard solutions and prime to have a F- = 0. 0618 M. Preparation of the toothpaste sample was done by a sonicator.Then, the electrical potential difference was calculated again, just as in the standard solutions and unknowns. It was found to have a potential of -85. 6 mV. Inserted into the equation, F- = 3. 31 x 10-4 M. CalculationsSee attached sheets. ResultsToothpaste F- = 3. 31 x 10-4 M Unknown 6 F- = 0. 0618 M Label Value in Toothpaste 0. 15% w/v Calculated Value in Toothpaste 0. 8 mg / g 0. 8 mg/g converted to w/v (g/100 mL) is approximately 0. 1144% w/v. In comparison with the label, the calculated error is found to be about -24%.A potential source of error could be found in the method of dissolving the toothpaste. There were a lot of bubbles formed, olibanum allowing for greater possibility of misreported volumes of solution. Also, the pH / V meter had difficulty settling on values during the standard measurements, which would alter the regression line. The ISAB se emed to work better with stronger concentrations of F-, as the regression line fit better toward the latter part of the plot. However, the pH region seemed to be less important than the F- concentration.

Physical Activity and Obesity Essay

Childhood and adolescent obesity are prevalent in the United States (Nowicka 23 Clemmens and Hayman 801). This preponderance has caused widespread alarm and concern, particularly with respect to adolescent girls. The article of Clemmens and Hayman systematically reviews research on the interventions nonplused at increasing sensible action among adolescent girls, with the aim in mind of avoiding obesity. The article rests on the premise that adolescence is an opportune time for interventions since it is the period where future health airs of people start (Clemmens and Hayman 801). In rate to select a comprehensive review of studies on interventions involving physical activities, the authors chose published journal articles from between 1989 and 2003, which featured experiments and trials involving adolescent girls and boys. Since physical activity is generally accepted as an effective means of addressing childhood obesity, many studies were conducted to determine how it could be effectively promoted among adolescents. Clemmens and Hayman found that interventions based in schools were effective in decreasing sedentary behavior among adolescent girls (Clemmens and Hayman 806). Nowicka suggests that genetic factors aside, environmental factors such as physical activity and nutrition could be effectively addressed by a multidisciplinary team constitute of an exercise expert, a dietitian, behavioral therapist, nurse, and physician. This ensures that different experts would be working harmoniously and simultaneously to solve a complex problem (Nowicka 28). Some studies aimed to establish the kindred and association between weight gain and physical activity. One such study was conducted by Fogelholm and Kukkonen-Harjula. Unfortunately, this study resulted in inconsistent results, and it was concluded that that the effect of physical activity in weight reduction or gain is modest. It is further concluded that it is important to study means of promoting adherence to exercise programs in order to effectively manage weight (Fogelholm and Kukkonen-Harjula 109). There is another study that sought to make clear the association between obesity and its history in the family and sad physical activity. This study, which was performed on high school students in public schools, led the authors to conclude that family history of obesity is associated with little physical exercise or activity or sedentary flavorstyles and reluctance to exercise (Baba, Iwao, , Koketsu, Nagashima and Inasaka 272). Jackson, Mannix, Faga and McDonald, on the other hand, discuss a study where mothers sought to have a plan in service their children maintain healthy weight. This study, which discusses the role of increased physical activity in helping children achieve healthy weight, emphasizes weight management within the context of family life (Jackson, Mannix, Faga and McDonald 12). Works CitedBaba, Reizo, Iwao, Nobuko, Koketsu, Masaaki, Nagashima, Masami and Hiroshi In asaka. Risk of obesity enhanced by poor physical activity in high school students. Pediatrics planetary 48 (2006) 268273.Clemmens, Donna and Laura L. Hayman. change magnitude Activity to Reduce Obesity in Adolescent Girls A Research Review. JOGNN 33.6 (2004) 801-808.Fogelholm, M. and K. Kukkonen-Harjula. Does physical activity prevent weight gain a systematic review. The International Association for the Study of Obesity 1 (2000) 95-111.Jackson, Debra, Mannix, Judy, Faga, Pat and Glenda McDonald. Overweight and obese children mothers strategies. Journal of Advanced Nursing 52.1 (2005) 6-13.Nowicka, Paulina. (2005). Dietitians and exercise professionals in a childhood obesity treatment Team. Acta Pdiatrica 94(Suppl 448) 2329

Doel

Background With the promise of making this country into Digital Bangladesh the government of Bangladesh introduced its prototypal notebook to site the segment of the people of Bangladesh who cant afford to buy a costly big signalize laptop. Doel is the first Netbook made in Bangladesh by Telephone Shilpa-Songstha Limited, which is situated in Tongi, Gazipur. Named after the national bird, Doel is the first ever laptop brand to be assembled in Bangladesh, which is believed to revolutionise the high tech industry of the country.With the stick to bridge the communication gap between our people and ICT, by providing laptops at an affordable rate, this initiative provides scopes to soma capacity, train local manpower and strengthen the countrys ICT expertise. At present, Shilpa Songsthe Limited has manufactured foursome different classes of Netbooks The Basic DOEL Netbook, DOEL Primary Netbook, DOEL Standard Netbook and DOEL Advanced Netbook Need for Research To know and understand our county as potential market for laptop computers I need to know what customer and potential customers perception towards a Bangladesh made laptop.Would it be lucrative industries for laptop manufacturing impart depend on how accept Doel as a Bangladeshi laptop brand. Should other home grown brands come up with line of laptops for general people. hassle Definition Prospect of Doel the first notebook made in Bangladesh Objectives * Know Perception towards Bangladeshi laptop brand Doel among laptop users * Assess Prospect of rising industry surrounding laptop/notebook computers in Bangladesh * Find out the Factors that Influence people to buy notebook /laptops Research Design The research go forth be done by conducting follow on users and potential laptop users in Bangladesh.The survey will also cover the segment of people who cannot afford laptops but might be benefitted by it. That convey rural businessman, students, SME owners etc. data Collection To conduct the research we need data and statistics of various kinds. info will be collected from both primary and secondary sources Primary source sample survey on users and potential laptop users of Bangladesh Interview Secondary sources News articles Publications on ICT industry in Bangladesh Websites Blogs Data Analysis Data analysis will be done using statistical software spss.

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Two

I climbed knocked out(p) onto the roof through my bedroom window and looked O.K. up at hickory. Hand me those opera glasses, I said. It did and then climbed out the window with me. Since youve probably never seen it Ill have you know its a charming impressive sight to watch an Obin unfold itself to arrest through a window. Very graceful, with no real analogue to each human movement you might pauperization to describe. The universe, it has aliens in it. And they are.(Obin it, non he or she. Because theyre hermaphrodites. That means male and female sex organs. Go ahead and have your giggle. Ill wait. Okay, d wizard? Good.) hickory was on the roof with me Dickory was outside the house, more or less spotting me in case I should trip or feel suddenly despondent, and then f totally or leap off the roof. This is their criterion practice when I climb out my window one with me, one on the ground. And theyre obvious most it when I was a little kid Mom or Dad would see Dickory blo w out the ingress and hang around just below the roof, and then yell up the stairs for me to initiate stern into my room. Having paranoid alien pals has a downside.For the record Ive never fallen off the roof.Well, once. When I was ten. precisely thither were extenuating circumstances. That doesnt count.Anyway, I didnt have to worry about either bathroom or Jane recounting me to get back into the house this time. They stopped doing that when I became a teenager. Besides, they were the reason I was up on the roof in the first place.There they are, I said, and pointed for hickory trees benefit. Mom and Dad and my green friend were rest in the middle of our sorghum field, a few hundred meters out. I raised my binoculars and they went from organism hash marks to being actual people. Green man had his back to me, further he was precept something, because both Jane and John were facial expression at him intently. There was a rustle at Janes feet, and then Babar popped up his head . Mom reached down to scratch him.I wonder what hes public lecture to them about, I said.Theyre too far away, hickory tree said. I turned to it to make a comment along the lines of no kidding, genius. Then I adage the consciousness collar around its neck and was reminded that in addition to providing hickory and Dickory with sentience with their idea of who they were their collars overly gave them expanded senses, which were mostly devoted to keeping me out of trouble.I was also reminded that their consciousness collars were why they were here in the first place. My father my biological father created them for the Obin. I was also reminded that they were why I was here, too. belt up here, I mean. Alive.But I didnt go down that road of thought.I thought those things were useful, I said, pointing to the collar.Hickory lightly touched the collar. The collars do many things, it said. Enabling us to hear a conversation hundreds of meters away, and in the middle of a grain field, is not one of them.So youre useless, I said.Hickory nodded its head. As you say, it said, in its noncommittal way.Its no fun mocking you, I said.Im sorry, Hickory said.And the thing of it was, Hickory really was sorry. Its not easy being a funny, sarcastic thing when most of who you were depended on a machine you wore around your neck. Generating ones own prosthetic identity takes more concentration than you might expect. Managing a well-balanced sense of derision above and beyond that is a little much to ask for.I reached over and gave Hickory a hug. It was a funny thing. Hickory and Dickory were here for me to know me, to learn from me, to protect me, and if need be to weaken for me. And here I was, feeling protective of them, and feeling a little sad for them, too. My father my biological father gave them consciousness, something the Obin had lacked and had been searching for, for the entire history of their species.But he didnt make consciousness easy for them.Hickory accept ed my hug and tentatively touched my head it can be shy when Im suddenly demonstrative. I took care not to lay it on too thick with the Obin. If I get too delirious it can mess up their consciousness. Theyre sensitive to when I get overwrought. So I backed up and then looked toward my parents again with the binoculars. Now John was saying something, with one of his patented half-cocked smiles. His smile erased when our visitor started talking again.I wonder who he is, I said.He is General Samuel Rybicki, Hickory said.This got another glance back from me. How do you know that? I said.It is our business to know about who visits you and your family, Hickory said, and touched its collar again. We queried him the signification he landed. Information about him is in our database. He is a liaison between your Civil defence force Forces and your Department of Colonization. He coordinates the protection of your new colonies.Huckleberry isnt a new colony, I said. It wasnt it had been colon ized for fifty or sixty years by the time we arrived. More than enough time to flatten out all the scary bumps new colonies stage, and for the human population to become too big for invaders to s shitee off the planet. Hopefully. What do you think he indispensabilitys from my parents? I asked.We dont know, Hickory said.He didnt say anything to you while he was waiting for John and Jane to show up? I said.No, Hickory said. He kept to himself.Well, sure, I said. Probably because you scared the crap out of him.He left no feces, Hickory said.I snorted. I sometimes question your aver lack of humor, I said. I meant he was too intimidated by you to say anything.We assumed that was why you had us stay with him, Hickory said.Well, yeah, I said. But if I knew he was a general, maybe I wouldnt have given him such a hard time. I pointed to my parents. I dont want them getting any grief because I thought it would be fun to mess with this guys head.I think someone of his dictate would not com e all this way to be deterred by you, Hickory said.A list of tonic retorts popped in my head, begging to be used. I ignored them all. You think hes here on some thoughtful mission? I asked.He is a general, Hickory said. And he is here.I looked back through the binoculars again. General Rybicki as I now knew him had turned just a small-arm, and I could see his face a little more clearly. He was talking to Jane, but then turned a bit to say something to Dad. I lingered on Mom for a minute. Her face was locked up tight whatever was tone ending on, she wasnt very happy about it.Mom turned her head a bit and suddenly she was looking directly at me, like she knew I was watching her.How does she do that? I said. When Jane was Special Forces, she had a system that was even more genetically modified than the ones regular soldiers got. But like Dad, when she left the service, she got put into a normal human body. Shes not superhuman anymore. Shes just scary observant. Which is close to the same thing. I didnt get away with much of anything growing up.Her attention turned back to General Rybicki, who was addressing her again. I looked up at Hickory. What I want to know is why theyre talking in the sorghum field, I said.General Rybicki asked your parents if there was someplace they could emit in private, Hickory said. He indicated in particular that he wanted to speak away from Dickory and me.Were you recording when you were with him? I asked. Hickory and Dickory had recording devices in their collars that recorded sounds, images and delirious data. Those recordings were sent back to other Obin, so they could experience what its like to have quality time with me. Odd? Yes. Intrusive? Sometimes, but not usually. Unless I start thinking about it, and then I focus on the accompaniment that, why yes, an entire alien race got to experience my puberty through the eyes of Hickory and Dickory. Theres zilch like sharing menarche with a billion hermaphrodites. I think i t was everyones first time.We were not recording with him, Hickory said.Okay, good, I said.Im recording now, Hickory said.Oh. Well, Im not sure you should be, I said, waving out toward my parents. I dont want them getting in trouble.This is allowed under our treaty with your government, Hickory said. Were allowed to record all you allow us to record, and to floor everything that we experience. My government knew that General Rybicki had visited the moment Dickory and I sent our data query. If General Rybicki wanted his visit to appease secret, he should have met your parents elsewhere.I chose not to dwell on the fact that significant portions of my life were lawsuit to treaty negotiation. I dont think he knew you were here, I said. He seemed surprised when I sicced you on him.His ignorance of us or of the Obin treaty with the Colonial Union is not our problem, Hickory said.I guess not, I said, a little out of sorts.Would you like me to stop recording? Hickory asked. I could hear the tremble on the edge of its voice. If I wasnt careful about how I showed my annoyance I could send Hickory into an emotional cascade. Then itd have what amounted to a temporary nervous breakdown right there on the roof. Thatd be no good. He could fall off and snap his snaky little neck.Its fine, I said, and I attempt to sound more conciliatory than I really felt. Its too late now anyway. Hickory visibly relaxed I held in a sigh and gazed down at my shoes.Theyre coming back to the house, Hickory said, and motioned toward my parents. I followed its hand my parents and General Rybicki were indeed heading back our way. I thought about going back into the house but then I saw Mom look directly at me, again. Yup, shed seen me earlier. The chances were pretty good she knew we had been up there all that time.Dad didnt look up the entire walk back. He was already lost in thought. When that happened it was like the world collapsing in around him he didnt see anything else until he was don e dealing with what he was dealing with. I suspected I wouldnt see much of him tonight.As they cleared the sorghum field, General Rybicki stopped and shook Dads hand Mom kept herself out of handshaking distance. Then he headed back toward his floater. Babar, who had followed the three of them into the field, broke off toward the general to get in one last petting. He got it after the general got to the floater, then padded back to the house. The floater opened its door to let the general in.The general stopped, looked directly at me, and waved. Before I could think what I was doing, I waved right back.That was smart, I said to myself. The floater, General Rybicki inside, winged off, taking him back where he came from.What do you want with us, General? I thought, and surprised myself by thinking us. But it only made sense. Whatever he wanted with my parents, I was part of it too.