Enron Was The Largest Trader Of Electricity, Energy And...

Alessia Scolaro Accounting II Before its collapse, Enron was the largest trader of electricity, energy and natural gas in the world. Founded in 1985 by businessman Kenneth Lay, Enron quickly became one of the largest corporations in America. It was a company who claimed to valued itself on integrity and truthfulness and whose main goal was to try to change the way the world bought and sold energy. Unfortunately, greed and arrogance along with accounting fraud lead to its ultimate demise. The company’s first case of fraud was uncovered in 1987 after two rogue traders in Enron’s International Oil unit in Valhalla, NY began taking exceedingly risky gambles with company funds. In an otherwise risky market, Enron suspiciously seemed†¦show more content†¦The investigation unveiled the fact that Lay had actually been warned early on by auditors about the illegal actions of his employees. Fearing the loss of profits from firing his biggest money-makers, Lay had decided that it was in the company’s best interest to allow the illegal activities to continue. Both traders were eventually fired and one served a one year prison sentence. Jeffrey Skilling joined the Enron team as CEO shortly after. Under his leadership Enron adopted the accounting method mark-to-market which allowed the company to report potential future profits on the same day a deal was signed. No matter what their actual profits were, on paper, they could be whatever the company decided. This easily manipulative system contributed majorly to Enron’s eventual downfall. To the outside world, the company seemed prosperous. Stock prices rose dramatically and reported profits exceeded expectations yearly. Fortune magazine even called Enron the â€Å"country’s most innovative company.† In reality, it was all an elaborate illusion to hide the fact that Enron was drowning in debt. The chief financial officer, Andy Fastow was tasked with covering up Enron’s financial crisis. Fastow established hundreds of fake limited liability companies to create the illusion that Enron was earning profits by conducting business with these entities. They

Should Human Organs Be Traded or Sold Within the United...

Should Human Organs Be Traded or Sold Within the United States? What’s the Right Thing to Do? As NBC13.com news points out â€Å"everyday seventeen people die waiting for organ transplants.† These deaths could simply be prevented by having a system in place that could provide a service to these helpless individuals. According to this site, there are 120,000 people still waiting for organs, nationwide; 30,000 of them are African Americans. But when it comes down to the issue of free trade of human organs, the majority of American citizens will consider it a controversial and ethical issue. There could be a large group of people supporting each side of this argument. However, only those who want to sell their organs and those who need the†¦show more content†¦Let’s think of it this way, for someone who is waiting for kidney transplantation, it is important to clear his or her body from normal metabolic waste. Don’t forget that the kidney is not only responsible for filtering the metabolic waste and balancing fluid and electrolytes, but is also resp onsible for the secretion of hormones. These are erythropoietin which is responsible for red blood cell production and renin angiotensin aldosterone which is critical for maintaining the body’s sodium level. This in turn, controls the blood pressure. This process is being done without our knowledge hourly. (Lewis 667, 765, 766, 1139, 1207) But for those who have dysfunctional kidneys, this process must be done manually. For example, for clearing the body from metabolic waste, patients much go through a treatment called dialysis. This treatment could decrease the physical ability of the patients to go through the transplant surgery when they find the kidney. (Forbes) Now just imagine that you have found a perfect match of a kidney but the surgeon cannot transplant it because you are too physically weak to go through this surgery. If it was me, I would fight this current process so that I could save me or my loved one’s life. It is the core of our human nature. When we a re in trouble, that’s when we think of finding a solution to get us out of it. Unfortunately, sometimes this approach will have very seriousShow MoreRelatedHuman Trafficking Essay863 Words   |  4 PagesAfter the illegal drug-trade human trafficking is the fastest increasing criminal industry. Human trafficking is commonly referred to as modern-day slavery. This is the illegal trade of human beings for forced labor or for exploitation. Exploitation referring to the use of others for prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, or the removal of organs. Woman and young children living in poverty are the ones who usually fall in the trap of the traffickersRead MoreHuman Trafficking Essay871 Words   |  4 PagesAfter the illegal drug-trade human trafficking is the fastest increasing criminal industry. 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One example is the use of human tissues; samples of tissue are collected from donors and prepared in a laboratory (hsi.org, n.d). Even after death, human tissue can still be depended on. Post mortem brain

Cultural Evolution free essay sample

The concept of cultural evolution has had a problematic history because its initial usage became linked to 19th century efforts by Western societies to justify their dominance over other societies. Despite this initial misuse, however, cultural evolution remains an important mainstay of anthropological research. As currently used, the concept parallels biological evolution in the sense that societies frequently acquire and spread important traits as they adapt to the pressures confronting them.A very simple example might be a coastal society developing increasingly superior technologies for acquiring food from the ocean in response to the demands of a growing population for food or to the disappearance of land-based food resources. But such adaptations are found in social, political, and economic organization as well as to other facets of a society. Of course, not every cultural trait emerges as an adaptation. Many – such as the tail fins on cars or details of religious doctrine – arise because of the society’s history, the actions of specific individuals, and other factors which belong to the society itself and are not generally shared with others. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Evolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But many traits of central importance to a society are adaptations to the society’s problems. Furthermore, as different societies grow in size and complexity, they predictably encounter the same problems.The existence of these common problems creates the basis for the evolutionary â€Å"stages† or â€Å"types of society† described by Evans because generally human societies reshape themselves in fairly similar ways to solve these problems. 1. With what â€Å"modes† of sociocultural integration does Evans categorize pre-industrial societies (p. 23-5)? Subsistence, Economy, Territory, Population and settlement pattern, Community, Society, Politics, Religion 2. Clearly, the terms which Evans uses to label the â€Å"modes† of sociocultural integration are adjectives which describe social relationships among individuals in a society.So why does the table on p. 24-5 use information about â€Å"Territory† and â€Å"Population and settlement patterns† to classify societies into these categories? It is important to use these aspects to classify societies because â€Å"there is no evidence for unilinear evolution†(p. 23). Depending on the type of society the territory and settlement patterns do describe relationships among individuals in a society. For example, in the Egalitarian system bands may share a common area and know the various â€Å"rules† in which they use the area. 3. Which of the â€Å"modes† described by Evans seems closest to your own society?Politics and religion in the â€Å"Ranked† system are closest to our society. For the remaining modes, our society most closely resemble the â€Å"Stratified† system. 4. The â€Å"modes† as well as the â€Å"Types of society† given in Evans’s table are often described as â€Å"Levels of Complexity†. What evidence do you see in the table that Ranked Societies (Chiefdoms) really have a more complex organization than do Egalitarian Societies (Bands and Tribes)? There is evidence that the â€Å"Ranked† societies are more complex as there are more people and facets to this type of society.This system is farming and hunting, so there are enough people to hunt for those staying and farming. The economy experiences more complexity and diversity as there is less movement than the â€Å"Stratified† societies. Due to the size of the community in a â€Å"Ranked† system there is a need for leaders to specific positions to keep order to the chiefdoms. 5. How is a cultural evolutionary framework useful in understanding the differences between the religions found in tribal societies, chiefdoms, and states (p. 34)? Specifically, how does the role of religion differ in each kind of society?The â€Å"Egalitarian† societies kept the immediate group, plants and animals sacred. The â€Å"Ranked† societies focused religion on the crops they grew and the plants and animals they used in particular, and the most important family in the tribe were seen as the ones with â€Å"direct relationship to supernatural powers. † In the â€Å"Stratified† communities religion was sanctioned with specific rules and places for worship. 6. What is the principle of cultural ecology (p. 51)? How is it important to the study of cultural evolution? Cultural ecology is a feedback loop.Human interaction with the environment will produce positive or negative responses, which eventually affect humans. It is important to study cultural evolution because history has a way of repeating itself. 7. What is the culture core (p. 51)? What are its three basic components (margin note on p. 52)? Culture core is evaluating how cultures survived, or what they were missing that led to demise. It kind of reminds me of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but on a community or cultural level. The three basic components are Ideology, Organization, and Technology.

Marijuana is a substance that has become very much Essays - Cannabis

Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture. Nearly 65 million Americans have either used it occasionally or regularly. The use of marijuana hit mainstream America about thirty years ago and it has been accepted by a large segment of society ever since (Rosenthal 16). The debate on whether this substance should be legalized or not remains a very hot topic today. Despite government efforts to isolate and eliminate its use, it is clear that the use of marijuana is still very popular. There is an obvious problem concerning marijuana today. Governments on all three levels: local, state, and federal are trying desperately to find an appropriate policy involving marijuana. National polls show that more than 70% of the American people, from both ends of the political spectrum, support controlled access to marijuana for medicinal purposes. Despite fierce opposition from the federal government, voters in California and Arizona passed ballot initiatives in the fall of 1996 favoring the legalization of medicinal marijuana (Randall 33). If support for marijuana at least as a medicinal remedy is so high, then why have only a few states taken steps to change their policy? There are several reasons why marijuana remains illegal. Mainly, it is a political issue kicked around by certain special interest groups. Some of these groups perceive marijuana as a threat to the home, tearing families apart and causing them to abandon traditional values. However these groups usually are not legitimate areas of legislation. The more powerful groups have other, more practical reasons for keeping marijuana illegal. Among the most powerful of these groups are the combined law enforcement-judiciary-penal systems. This group sees the elimination of marijuana laws as a threat to their jobs. Add to this group defense lawyers, who stand to make millions of dollars defending marijuana offenders. Consciously or not, they support anti-marijuana laws

Slavery Reparations Are Wrong essays

Slavery Reparations Are Wrong essays Ladies and gentlemen: I don't believe that anyone in this chamber would move to disagree with the idea that slavery was an atrocity, committed from the depths of the darkest parts of the human sole. Cruelty is the readiness to give pain to others or lack of concern for their suffering. Pertaining to exactly what the white man did to the black slaves. Slavery was not an institution of neither economical nor a paternalistic system. It was a brutal, inhumane abuse of mankind. Africans were seized from their native land, and sold into lives of servitude in a foreign land. Indeed, it was a tragedy on such a scale that cannot be measured nor quantified. And it is this very notion of tragedy, which speaks to the matter of reparations for slavery. To be quite blunt, reparations, even if they may be deserved, are not feasible under any system or economic tangent. Not only would such an undertaking not remedy the situation, but it would sink Africa and her people deeper into the cycle of poverty and oppression that they have so struggled to free themselves from. While the arguments against reparations may seem shallow or self-serving to advocates of such a system, upon examination, the logistics of what to give, and whom to distribute it to, preclude any potential benefits of such a system of indemnity and requite. The point of the following critique is not to say that Africans were not mistreated, nor that they are not worthy of reparations, but that perhaps reparations are not an adequate solution to this situation, and certainly will only serve to worsen. Aside from any philosophical or idea-based arguments against reparations, there exist a number of logistical barriers to repaying blacks for their suffering. Immediate questions arise in the realm of distribution - it is intuitive that such reparations would be difficult to distribute, much less to decide how much, or where to place the funds or assistance. The question...

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Opposition

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Opposition Arguments against Comprehensive Immigration Reform Perhaps the most widely held objection to comprehensive immigration reform is that it is amnesty  for people who have broken the law, and amnesty will only encourage more illegal immigrants to  come into the country. Opponents point to immigration reform efforts during the Reagan administration, the Immigration  Reform and Control Act of 1986, that granted amnesty to illegal immigrants. That reprieve opened  the door to a new wave of illegal migration, opponents say, and so will the plan to allow 11  million illegal residents to stay in the country. But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the Senates Gang of Eight who helped fashion the  framework for comprehensive reform, makes the case that doing nothing about the 11 million   illegal residents is in itself a de facto amnesty. Because the federal government has no  realistic capability to deport the 11 million, or to incarcerate them, there long-term residence  in the country is virtually assured. Ignoring the problem is a form of amnesty, McCain and other  reformers argue. New Reform Efforts Come With Tougher Conditions Also, unlike the amnesty provision of 1986, 2013 reform proposals impose stringent  requirements on illegal immigrants. They must learn English. They must clear background checks.   They must pay fees and taxes. And they must move to the back of the line, behind those waiting  to enter the country through the legal process. Comprehensive reform is unfair to those immigrants who are playing by the rules.Even many immigrant advocates argue that it isnt right to give the 11 million who entered the  country illegally special status that is unavailable to other immigrants who are going through  the legal process and trying to come here the right way. But President Obamas plan and the one negotiated by the Gang of Eight both require that the 11  millions pathway to citizenship starts behind those already in line. Both plans reject the idea  of expedited treatment for undocumented residents and want to reward those who have been working  their way through the legal system. These illegal immigrants will take jobs from American workers and promote a decline in wages  overall, which is bad for the U.S economy. Study after study and anecdote after anecdote have refuted these arguments. They are both   factually incorrect. First, there are tens of thousands of necessary jobs across the United States that American  workers just will not do at any price. There are also thousands of jobs that go unfilled because   no qualified American worker can be found to do them. Can U.S. Economy Run Without Foreign Labor? The reality is that immigrant labor is essential to filling necessary jobs that make the U.S.  economy run. States that have enacted harsh laws against illegal immigrants have found this out  first hand. Arizona and Alabama, in particular, endured severe damage and costly labor shortages in their agriculture  and tourism industries after passing laws designed to drive illegal immigrants out of the state. Even states without immigration laws are dependent on immigrant labor. In Florida, immigrants  are essential to agriculture and the hospitality industries. Tourism would collapse without  them. Undocumented workers have a negligible impact on the wages of documented workers that work at  the same firm, according to a paper released in March by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.   Documented workers at firms that also employ undocumented workers earn 0.15 percent less or  $56 less per year on average than they would if they worked at a firm that does not employ  undocumented workers, according to the study. In fact, workers in retail and leisure and hospitality actually earn slightly more money when  their firms hire undocumented workers, since having more employees allows them to specialize,  according to the research paper.

Organizational Structure Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Organizational Structure Paper - Essay Example Despite the fact that they vary from one structure to another depending on the organizational objectives, organizational structures determine the particular modes involving the operation and performance of an organization. Considering the significant role played by organizational structures in determining the achievement of organizational objectives, this paper discusses IBM’s organizational structure and the various aspects attributed to it. Organizational structure has two major roles in an organization, in which it provides the foundational structure for establishing the standard operating procedures and routines and how particular individuals get to participate in the decision-making process in an extent of their view to shape the organization in a particular manner (Cordes, 2003). In such, organizational structure allows for the expressed allocation of duties and responsibilities for further actions based on functions and processes to different entities within the organization such as departments, groups, or even to individuals. A particular organizational structure used by an organization determines the organization’s success or failure. Different organizational structures exist for an organization to adopt and implement, depending on the objectives of a particular organization. IBM Inc. on its part works with a matrix organizational structure, which has both a functional and divisional aspects all incorporated into the organization’s operations. As such the functional aspects involves the grouping of individuals depending on their expertise, resources, and experiences to perform specialized tasks, whereas the divisional aspect involves divisions of operation such as product lines and markets, all channeled towards meeting IBM’s goals and objectives (Massa, 1993). Previously, IBM had a flat organizational structure, with little distinction between the executives and the lower-level employees. The matrix organizational