Friday, January 24, 2020

Metaphysical Realism and Matilal’s Theories on the Connection Between Words and Things :: Philosophy

Metaphysical Realism and Matilal’s Theories on the Connection Between Words and Things ABSTRACT: The vexed issue of the precise connection between words and things (or objects) has been a major preoccupation over the centuries summoning the resources of metaphysics, philosophy of language, linguistics, ontology and increasingly semiological analysis. Philosophy in India produced a number of different and often conflicting solutions, only to be rivalled by an equally bewildering variety witnessed in the ancient and modern West. I want to bring to the foreground the late Professor Bimal K. Matilal’s development of Nyaya-Vaisesika realist approach to the aporia, and interject the analysis with dissident voices, especially of Mimamsakas and Buddhists. Significantly, it will be the living ghosts of Putnam and Dummett that I will invoke to haunt Matilal’s variation on metaphysical realism (after Davidson). Matilal veered closer to a realist metaphysic, which is inflected in his own formulation of a theory of language appropriate to this ontology, this despite h is idealized attraction to phenomenalist-constructivism (especially Buddhist); his flirtations with Bhartrharian holism (even Saussurean semiology) and lately with Derridean deconstruction (after G. C. Spivak) in his epiloquia. But my critique focuses on his famous earlier analysis of Jnana or cognition and his defence of a particular linguistic-ontology within a narrowly circumscribed naturalized epistemology (after Navya-nyaya). The Problem The vexed issue of the precise connection between words and things (or objects) has been a major preoccupation over the centuries, summoning the resources of metaphysics, philosophy of language, linguistics, ontology and increasingly semiological analysis, to solve this problem. Indian philosophy produced a number of different and often conflicting solutions, only to be rivalled by the even more bewildering variety of approaches and theories witnessed in the West, traditional and modern, relying largely on various model of the ‘word’ (natural, ideal, scriptural, semiotic, etc.). In this paper I want to suggest that there is an even more intricate relationship between the model of the word or language and the background view of the world. In other words, it is not at all as simple as sitting down one fine morning and asking, "Well, ol' boy, what is the connection between the word and the world?" as though it is a question simpliciter about some given or givens in our envi ronment. Many theories proceed on the basis of this assumed dualism, if not a complete asymmetry between language and the world that it is supposed

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

History of Psychological Assessment

Psychological assessment is considered one of the most important functions in applied psychology. In psychological assessment, the practitioner uses observation, interviews, and psychological tests to gain information about the client’s personality characteristics, symptoms, and problems in order to arrive at practical decisions about their behavior. In an assessment study, the practitioner identifies the main sources of clients’ problems and attempts to predict the likely course of events under various conditions. Psychological assessment is similar to psychological testing, but usually involves a more comprehensive assessment of the individual. Psychological assessment is a process that involves the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from personal interviews (www. en. wikipedia. org). Psychological assessment refers to scientific methods psychologists often use to understand the human personality. When combined with information from interviews, observations, and other sources, assessments can help clients explore new and more effective ways of resolving human problems (Cantley, 2008, p. 1). History of psychological assessment The history of psychological and educational testing is a relatively short one, extending just more than 100 years. The term mental test was first used in print in 1890 by James McKeen Cattell (1890). This history is one in which necessity repeatedly begets innovation. Problems in the French schools, during a period that could be described as the advent of public ducation, where teachers first had to deal with larger class sizes comprising students with diverse backgrounds, encouraged Alfred Binet to construct what most individuals consider to be the first modem intelligence test. I use the term modem because it is reported that Chinese society around 2200 B. C. E. was a â€Å"test-dominated society† (Thorndike & Lohman, 1990, p. 1). At that time in China, various civil service positions were distributed by means of formal assessments of the skills of various, privileged applicants (Geisinger, 2000, p. 117). Exploring my selected event On our â€Å"History of Psychological Assessment Paper†, there are four different events and I chose the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely used personality inventory intended to uncover a subject’s unconscious attitudes; the subject indicates agreement or disagreement with various statements and the results are scored in such a way as to assess personality. (Developed at the University of Minnesota). Historical Roots of MMPI  The original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed in 1939 (Groth Marnat, Handbook of Psychological Assessment, 2009) using an empirical keying approach, which means that the clinical scales were derived by selecting items that were endorsed by patients known to have been diagnosed with certain pathologies. The difference between this approach and other test development strategies used around that time was that it was atheoretical (not based on particular theory) and thus the initial test was not aligned with the prevailing psychodynamic theories of that time. The atheoretical approach to MMPI development ostensibly enabled the test to capture aspects of human psychopathology that were recognizable and meaningful despite changes in clinical theories. However because the MMPI scales were created based on a group with known psychopathologies, the scales themselves are not atheoretical by way of using the participants’ clinical diagnoses to determine the scales’ contents. Explain why the event is significant Why I think the event is significant because the MMPI-2 is most commonly used by mental health professionals to assess and diagnose mental illness. The MMPI-2 has been used in other fields outside of clinical psychology. The test is often used in legal cases, including criminal defense, and custody disputes. The test has also been used as screening instrument for certain professions, especially high risk jobs, although the use of MMPI in this manner has been controversial. The test is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs, including substance abuse programs is why I think that the even is important. How has MMPI affected the development of psychological testing in the 21st century? I do not think that MMPI will affect the development of psychological testing in the 21st century because Kaplan and Saccuzzo (2009) stated that, â€Å"In structured personality testing, the MMPI-2 appears destined to be the premier test of the 21st century. This favorable prediction for MMPI-2 is a turn-about from the 1982 prediction made in the first edition of this book. We had not anticipated the innovative approach of Butcher and colleagues in dealing with the original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s inadequate normative sample. Thus, future prospects for the MMPI-2 are indeed bright (p. 602). Summary Psychological assessment is one of the most important and complex activities undertaken by clinical psychologists. The goals of psychological assessment include describing the individual’s symptoms, identifying possible causes, evaluating the severity of the problem, and exploring the individual’s personal resources, which might be valuable in the decisions to be made. The future of psychological testing depends on many issues and developments. Professional issues include theoretical concerns, such as the usefulness of the trait concept as opposed to index of adjustment, the adequacy of tests, and actuarial versus clinical prediction. Moral issues include human rights such as the right to refuse testing, the right not to be labeled, and the right to privacy (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2009, p. 603).

History of Psychological Assessment

Psychological assessment is considered one of the most important functions in applied psychology. In psychological assessment, the practitioner uses observation, interviews, and psychological tests to gain information about the client’s personality characteristics, symptoms, and problems in order to arrive at practical decisions about their behavior. In an assessment study, the practitioner identifies the main sources of clients’ problems and attempts to predict the likely course of events under various conditions. Psychological assessment is similar to psychological testing, but usually involves a more comprehensive assessment of the individual. Psychological assessment is a process that involves the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from personal interviews (www. en. wikipedia. org). Psychological assessment refers to scientific methods psychologists often use to understand the human personality. When combined with information from interviews, observations, and other sources, assessments can help clients explore new and more effective ways of resolving human problems (Cantley, 2008, p. 1). History of psychological assessment The history of psychological and educational testing is a relatively short one, extending just more than 100 years. The term mental test was first used in print in 1890 by James McKeen Cattell (1890). This history is one in which necessity repeatedly begets innovation. Problems in the French schools, during a period that could be described as the advent of public ducation, where teachers first had to deal with larger class sizes comprising students with diverse backgrounds, encouraged Alfred Binet to construct what most individuals consider to be the first modem intelligence test. I use the term modem because it is reported that Chinese society around 2200 B. C. E. was a â€Å"test-dominated society† (Thorndike & Lohman, 1990, p. 1). At that time in China, various civil service positions were distributed by means of formal assessments of the skills of various, privileged applicants (Geisinger, 2000, p. 117). Exploring my selected event On our â€Å"History of Psychological Assessment Paper†, there are four different events and I chose the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely used personality inventory intended to uncover a subject’s unconscious attitudes; the subject indicates agreement or disagreement with various statements and the results are scored in such a way as to assess personality. (Developed at the University of Minnesota). Historical Roots of MMPI  The original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed in 1939 (Groth Marnat, Handbook of Psychological Assessment, 2009) using an empirical keying approach, which means that the clinical scales were derived by selecting items that were endorsed by patients known to have been diagnosed with certain pathologies. The difference between this approach and other test development strategies used around that time was that it was atheoretical (not based on particular theory) and thus the initial test was not aligned with the prevailing psychodynamic theories of that time. The atheoretical approach to MMPI development ostensibly enabled the test to capture aspects of human psychopathology that were recognizable and meaningful despite changes in clinical theories. However because the MMPI scales were created based on a group with known psychopathologies, the scales themselves are not atheoretical by way of using the participants’ clinical diagnoses to determine the scales’ contents. Explain why the event is significant Why I think the event is significant because the MMPI-2 is most commonly used by mental health professionals to assess and diagnose mental illness. The MMPI-2 has been used in other fields outside of clinical psychology. The test is often used in legal cases, including criminal defense, and custody disputes. The test has also been used as screening instrument for certain professions, especially high risk jobs, although the use of MMPI in this manner has been controversial. The test is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs, including substance abuse programs is why I think that the even is important. How has MMPI affected the development of psychological testing in the 21st century? I do not think that MMPI will affect the development of psychological testing in the 21st century because Kaplan and Saccuzzo (2009) stated that, â€Å"In structured personality testing, the MMPI-2 appears destined to be the premier test of the 21st century. This favorable prediction for MMPI-2 is a turn-about from the 1982 prediction made in the first edition of this book. We had not anticipated the innovative approach of Butcher and colleagues in dealing with the original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s inadequate normative sample. Thus, future prospects for the MMPI-2 are indeed bright (p. 602). Summary Psychological assessment is one of the most important and complex activities undertaken by clinical psychologists. The goals of psychological assessment include describing the individual’s symptoms, identifying possible causes, evaluating the severity of the problem, and exploring the individual’s personal resources, which might be valuable in the decisions to be made. The future of psychological testing depends on many issues and developments. Professional issues include theoretical concerns, such as the usefulness of the trait concept as opposed to index of adjustment, the adequacy of tests, and actuarial versus clinical prediction. Moral issues include human rights such as the right to refuse testing, the right not to be labeled, and the right to privacy (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2009, p. 603).

History of Psychological Assessment

Psychological assessment is considered one of the most important functions in applied psychology. In psychological assessment, the practitioner uses observation, interviews, and psychological tests to gain information about the client’s personality characteristics, symptoms, and problems in order to arrive at practical decisions about their behavior. In an assessment study, the practitioner identifies the main sources of clients’ problems and attempts to predict the likely course of events under various conditions. Psychological assessment is similar to psychological testing, but usually involves a more comprehensive assessment of the individual. Psychological assessment is a process that involves the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from personal interviews (www. en. wikipedia. org). Psychological assessment refers to scientific methods psychologists often use to understand the human personality. When combined with information from interviews, observations, and other sources, assessments can help clients explore new and more effective ways of resolving human problems (Cantley, 2008, p. 1). History of psychological assessment The history of psychological and educational testing is a relatively short one, extending just more than 100 years. The term mental test was first used in print in 1890 by James McKeen Cattell (1890). This history is one in which necessity repeatedly begets innovation. Problems in the French schools, during a period that could be described as the advent of public ducation, where teachers first had to deal with larger class sizes comprising students with diverse backgrounds, encouraged Alfred Binet to construct what most individuals consider to be the first modem intelligence test. I use the term modem because it is reported that Chinese society around 2200 B. C. E. was a â€Å"test-dominated society† (Thorndike & Lohman, 1990, p. 1). At that time in China, various civil service positions were distributed by means of formal assessments of the skills of various, privileged applicants (Geisinger, 2000, p. 117). Exploring my selected event On our â€Å"History of Psychological Assessment Paper†, there are four different events and I chose the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely used personality inventory intended to uncover a subject’s unconscious attitudes; the subject indicates agreement or disagreement with various statements and the results are scored in such a way as to assess personality. (Developed at the University of Minnesota). Historical Roots of MMPI  The original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed in 1939 (Groth Marnat, Handbook of Psychological Assessment, 2009) using an empirical keying approach, which means that the clinical scales were derived by selecting items that were endorsed by patients known to have been diagnosed with certain pathologies. The difference between this approach and other test development strategies used around that time was that it was atheoretical (not based on particular theory) and thus the initial test was not aligned with the prevailing psychodynamic theories of that time. The atheoretical approach to MMPI development ostensibly enabled the test to capture aspects of human psychopathology that were recognizable and meaningful despite changes in clinical theories. However because the MMPI scales were created based on a group with known psychopathologies, the scales themselves are not atheoretical by way of using the participants’ clinical diagnoses to determine the scales’ contents. Explain why the event is significant Why I think the event is significant because the MMPI-2 is most commonly used by mental health professionals to assess and diagnose mental illness. The MMPI-2 has been used in other fields outside of clinical psychology. The test is often used in legal cases, including criminal defense, and custody disputes. The test has also been used as screening instrument for certain professions, especially high risk jobs, although the use of MMPI in this manner has been controversial. The test is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs, including substance abuse programs is why I think that the even is important. How has MMPI affected the development of psychological testing in the 21st century? I do not think that MMPI will affect the development of psychological testing in the 21st century because Kaplan and Saccuzzo (2009) stated that, â€Å"In structured personality testing, the MMPI-2 appears destined to be the premier test of the 21st century. This favorable prediction for MMPI-2 is a turn-about from the 1982 prediction made in the first edition of this book. We had not anticipated the innovative approach of Butcher and colleagues in dealing with the original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s inadequate normative sample. Thus, future prospects for the MMPI-2 are indeed bright (p. 602). Summary Psychological assessment is one of the most important and complex activities undertaken by clinical psychologists. The goals of psychological assessment include describing the individual’s symptoms, identifying possible causes, evaluating the severity of the problem, and exploring the individual’s personal resources, which might be valuable in the decisions to be made. The future of psychological testing depends on many issues and developments. Professional issues include theoretical concerns, such as the usefulness of the trait concept as opposed to index of adjustment, the adequacy of tests, and actuarial versus clinical prediction. Moral issues include human rights such as the right to refuse testing, the right not to be labeled, and the right to privacy (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2009, p. 603).

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Descriptive Essay - Original Writing - 912 Words

chair. I make my way to my room and I grab the picture frame that I placed on my night stand. I hand the frame to Harry, This was Niall and I on my 13th birthday. We had a paint war, and I broke my finger because Niall tripped me. I don t know how I managed to do that, but I did. I smile at the memory. Harry sits on the end of my bed. I grab my portfolio and I hand it to Harry. I placed each picture by date. I smile as I sit next to him. He goes through the pictures and smiles. Niall is a great lad. Harry says. I know, why do you think he s that way? I wink at Harry. He smiles and continues looking through the pictures. I really thought you were lying to me. He hands me my portfolio. Why? I place it under my bed. He s never mentioned anything about you. I feel my heart drop. Oh. Is all I manage to say. I can tell you something though. I ve known Niall long enough to know he s doing it for a good reason. I hope so. Harry pulls out his phone again to check the time 11:00. He leaves in an hour. What happened between you two anyways? He left without saying anything to me. I was left thinking that it was my fault for all these years. Of course, I would watch all of his audition, including yours. I would still support him through anything even though I wasn t by his side like we promised. I fiddled with my fingers. Do you want to see him? He asks. I do someday, but not now. I say. I understand. If you ever need a check up on him,Show MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1110 Words   |  5 PagesI don’t know how I got to where I am, but I’m here now, and I have to win if I want to live. I am in a game, and in order to live, I have to escape. That’s the thing, though: I don’t know how to escape. I was running for my life around this old house that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. I doubled over and held my head in pain as I saw the static, which meant it was coming. I was being chased by what looked like a person but in no way acted like one. Just as it was about to appearRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1102 Words   |  5 PagesIt is on days like this when we stop to think about our life. Small drops of rain begin to dapple the cobblestone pavement as people whip out their umbrellas for cover. I continue sauntering down the busy street, relishing the feeling of a light shower. Moving with the mass of pedestrians, I stop at a crosswalk where I wait for the stoplight to turn green. A flower shop employee across the street scurries to bring in the numerous bouquets and close the doors as rain starts rolling down the displayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing914 Words   |  4 PagesDreamy I thought. Standing on the corner is a young guy with a smile. I see him here almost every day, so I linger for a while. He tells me his name, and I tell him mine. I m Ester, what s your name? I enquired. My names David .,He replied. We end up talking for a while and I asked him if he had ever left this city. He tells me of all these stories of the places where he s been, the distant lakes and mountains, and in valleys oh so green. I can see it in his eyes, he really has beenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing974 Words   |  4 Pages I was used to moving round, having a mother who liked to travel more than making roots was something I had gotten used to. Still, I had never gotten used to the loneliness of an empty house when she was out exploring, or the feeling of leaving behind someone who could have meant something to me. Our most recent move was Oregon. It was pretty, and I didn’t mind it, but it was much different than Florida. Not only was it opposite sides of the country, it felt as if it were opposite worlds. InRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1012 Words   |  5 Pageshave plenty of time in the next month to think about my feeling in regards to Kendrick. I needed to finish up the article and get it off to my editor. I should be able to get it done by tonight and send an email in the morning. I was thinking of writing my next article about the sea life around the Scottish coast. Since our salmon dinner last evening I thought I would do a piece about the commercial salmon farming that began in Scotland in 1969. In 2002 over 145,000 metric tons of farmed AtlanticRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1561 Words   |  7 PagesThere’s something I need to say and what follows may not be something that you’d expect, it won’t be heartening or uplifting. If you remember today, I told you about going somewhere I wanted to go to†¦ I’m not sure if you believed and accepted what I now confess as untrue; it is partly. I needed to pull away emo tionally†¦ from you. You must have had fathomed that some degree of formality had seeped between us. Born of habit, formulaic greetings had become a routine. You presume that I’m a close friendRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1387 Words   |  6 PagesI was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sapphire gems all around the chest area as I entered the ball with Ciel and Sebastian. I took a good look around here, the hallway was lined with gold. There was a servant ready to escort us to the ball room. Hello, come this way. He said, walking forward. Wow, this place is so fancy! I exclaimed, looking around. It s fake gold. Ciel bluntly replied, bringing my hopes down. I sighed. Ciel sounded like he wasn t in a very good mood. Ciel, lightenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1287 Words   |  6 Pages In the morning, Caireann woke me up. She stood above my bed, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, looking at her. Then I looked across the room to her empty bed. Andy s empty bed sat in the corner. I swallowed, climbing out of bed. Sleep well? Caireann asked me, starting out the door. Yeah, I said, going over to our small dresser. I had the bottom two drawers. Andy had the middle two, and Caireann had the top. I pulled open the drawers, pulling on a colorful tank top and a grayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1345 Words   |  6 PagesLater that night, I was behind the wheel of my G-Wagon with Melissa in the passenger seat. She didn’t feel like driving since she was on the road all day and I understood so I didn’t mind when she asked me to. I had been tight-lipped. She kept eyeballing me as if she detected that something was bothering me but I just kept singing to my India Arie as if I was carefree. â€Å"So are you going to tell me what’s going on or no† Melissa said disrupting my own personal concert. I stopped singing and tookRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1085 Words   |  5 PagesI WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash

Monday, December 30, 2019

Information gathered can confirm if transactions are fraudulent - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1937 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Did you like this example? Another advice that Dr. Mitchell can give to the caller is to arrange another meeting with senior executives of the firm. She should tell them about her concerns about improper transactions included in financial statements. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Information gathered can confirm if transactions are fraudulent" essay for you Create order She should emphasize the GAAP sections which deal with revenue recognition. She should also tell them about the repercussions of reporting fraudulent transactions. The consequences would be extremely harsh and all the senior executives could face heavy fines, even possible jail time, and the company can go bankrupt. The company may face litigation from various creditors and due to no financing sources available, may even go bankrupt. The last advice that Dr Mitchell can give to the caller is to immediately consult with a lawyer. Since producing and submitting fraudulent transactions has serious legal implications, the advice of a law professional can be helpful since they have experience in dealing with these matters. The lawyer can also provide guidance on how to immunize her from litigation. (b) Even if the senior executives repent and correct their mistake, Dr Mitchell should advise the caller to ultimately resign from her position at the company. This is because the caller has evidence incriminating senior management and even if that information is published at a later date, it could seriously taint the managements integrity in accounting matters. If she continues to work at the company, and if these matters are raised at a future date, association with these executives could tarnish her professional reputation. Even if she faces hardships by resigning her positions, the long-term effects are surely beneficial since she will not be working with a management which has flexible views on ethics. (c) The risk of resigning immediately would be that she would not have access to the evidence about these fraudulent transactions. Obtaining that evidence is important especially if the company decides to sue her for fraudulent financial reporting at a future date. Her first task when reaching the office would be to obtain evidence of these transactions. (d) The state board of accountancy may prove to be an important help to the caller. Probably the board h as guidelines on how to deal with such situations from prior experience. Also, the caller may be able to discuss her situation with an accountancy ethics expert and obtain more advice on the situation. Question 2: Even though the caller is sure that the company is obtaining financing from the bank through fraudulent ways, Dr Mitchell may suggest to her that going to the bank immediately poses other kinds of risk. Since the senior executives are responsible for giving the bank their financial statement, it is their duty to ensure that there are no material misstatements in the financial records. The caller is aware that these records may contain inflated balances from the period. The risk is that if the transactions actually turn out to be valid, and if the caller informs the bank that they are not, the caller would be responsible for giving misleading information that harms the company. This would result in her being fired from the company, and possibly the company suing her for defamation. So it is very important that the caller be convinced in every way possible that the financial statements are materially misstated. She should be confident of these transactions before reporting to any outside entity. When she is confident about the misstatements, she can contact the bank, although it would be advisable for her to consult legal counsel before any such actions. On part of the bank, her not signing the financial statements should be detected in the internal control. Since a controller not signing financial statements is likely a big issue, the bank should investigate the companys accounts and should also start interviewing management about reasons why the statements are not properly authorized. Question 3: (a) The caller should likely consult with the state board of accountancy on whether there is a legal requirement for her to notify any third parties of what has happened. She should then follow their advice on whom to contact. However, if there is no such requirement, the caller does not face any legal repercussions for not contacting anyone else with information about these transactions. However, it is always better to also consult an independent lawyer in addition to the state accountancy board to completely ensure her immunity. (b) The external auditor should only be notified after the caller has consulted a lawyer. The eternal auditors can help to convince the company that they are deliberately misstating the companys financial statements. Also, the external auditor may recheck if the previous years accounts contain any material misstatements. This investigation will lead to auditors higher skepticism when dealing with the company next time. They may even go through the enti re backlog of previous audits to ensure that there were no material misstatements. However, it may even lead to the auditor to resign since they do not want a client with such high Audit risk. Question 4: (a) Even though the media in this decade has been full of headlines of accounting malpractice, it is really difficult to put an exact number on the prevalence of accounting malpractice. Some famous cases include Enron and Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, Tyco, etc. In 1999, a COSO study was released highlighting fraudulent reporting in the previous decade. This report was called Fraudulent Financial Reporting 1987-1997: An Analysis of US Public Companies. To the surprise of many people, the report stated that there were only about 300 cases of fraud in the corresponding decade. This number is quite low when one considers the amount of publicly traded companies in the US. However this is limited to public limited companies only and also because the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has very limited resources. Almost 50% of fraudulent companies involved a situation like the one above where revenue recognition criteria were not followed. So this is quite a common method of committing fraud. Because of this, the AU requires that external auditors assume a risk of fraud causing material misstatement when evaluating financial statements. (b) Senior executives who face undue pressure to meet the expectations of different stakeholder may try to projects these pressures upon employees to help meet those targets expected by the stakeholders. Senior executives may even commit fraud to continue meeting expectations of stakeholders. The status of senior management can be used to pressure lower level employees to commit fraud. Threats usually employees are job loss or denial of promotions to employees unless they accept to be a part of managements fraudulent schemes. Also, the experience of senior employees may cause lower level employees to think that they are safe from prosecution as these techniques have already been tried. Also, if junior employees may not know the full picture, they can be easily lured into committing illegal frauds by management. (c) The best method junior employees can use is to stick with the IAS or GAAP as the basis for any activity or reporting. The same with this case where the caller was concerned that her employers were not meeting GAP criteria. Thus, the employee cannot be blamed for not doing transactions which do not abide by IAS or GAAP criteria. This also gives senior employees no justification to carry out recording which goes against established standards. Question 5: The senior executives of the company where the caller worked faced many incentives which made them give out materially misstated financial statements. Because it is a start-up company, executives face intense pressure to get the business to become a profit making enterprise and establish itself as a serious competitor in the marketplace. This company had been operating at a loss for a while and facing a huge cash shortage. Also, the bank had halted all credit until the quarterly reports could be produced. So there were a large number of pressures the management was facing and it gave the, the incentive to commit fraud. When they had so many incentives, they took advantage of some of the opportunities to commit fraud. Because these are interim and not period end reports, they were not audited by an external auditor. This gave management a huge opportunity to engage in fraud for the first quarter since there was no external investigation or audit. Also, because the company is smal l, the management could influence the clerks to commit fraud. Also, the fraud could have been easily perpetuated due to a lack of sophisticated control systems. And since the caller was gone for some days, it prevented management with a rare opportunity to get fraudulent accounting entries in to the system. Attitude was another condition that the management displayed when perpetuating fraud. They also showed a complete and utter disregard towards the importance of fairly presented financial statements. They used rationalization that everybody does it and accused the controller of being too high-minded and an idealist. They also commented on the controller lack of practical experience tried to rationalize it to the controller. But their overall main rationalization was that most companies do commit accounting fraud, and they shouldnt be the exception. Question 6: To record a transaction, SAB 101 states that the following criteria are required for GAAP: Evidence of an arrangement to exchange goods or services Earnings process should be complete. This means that the company has provided the product and a credit or cash payment has been made The money to be received can be measured reliably Collection is reasonably assured. The caller had said that none of these criteria were there to record the transactions. There was no arrangement to exchange goods and services, no goods were provided or cash or credit received. Consequently there was no way to measure revenue. And there was no possible assurance of collection since no transaction was agreed upon by any two parties. Question 7: (a) In this case, management had recorded revenue and debited accounts receivable when no purchase order was placed for those goods and no goods were shipped out. There were no actual customers. Thus, if recorded, these posting would not confirm to the occurrence assertion in the financial records for sales transaction. If we reference AU 326, the occurrence assertions tests whether the transactions recorded actually happened and whether they are done by the company. So there would be no occurrence assertion for these transactions. As there were no orders placed by customers to the company in the case, there obviously had been no shipping to these customers by the company. And since there was no shipping of these goods, there was no arrangement of any kind between customers and the company for exchange of cash and goods. (b) There are many audit procedures which can detect this kind of fraudulent records. The easiest and most straightforward way would be to send confirmation to these customers to verify that these transactions had indeed occurred. Customers would have probably exposed the proper amounts they owe to the company as accounts receivables. Also, they should show if these transactions were prematurely recorded or not. Another audit procedure would be to analyze the supporting documents of these recorded transactions. For example, select a sample of transaction from the Sales Journals, and check if there are supporting documents verifying the amounts. These can be, but are not limited to, the customers purchase orders, shipping documentations and acknowledgment of receipt of goods. There are also analytical procedures that can be used to check the occurrence of these transactions. This can be done by comparing this quarters data to previous quarters and measuring the discrepancies between quarters. Other comparisons can also be used; but some might only have a limited affect in ensuring occurrence of these transactions.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Personal Experience Explore Different Thoughts about...

Introduction Everyone has their own story of where they came from. When you first come out your mothers wound you were a clunk of clay, and everything that you are exposed to molded you into who you are now based on by your surroundings. You never come out with the thought of rather you will become successful or become a low life. Everything that you observe through is what affected your academics and behavior. The saying, â€Å"You can take a person out of the hood but you cannot take the hood out of a person†, basically says that you can try to get away from a rough neighborhood, but what you already consumed about the hood will be your mentality and no one can change that about you. Growing up in a healthy and safe neighborhood with healthy inspiring people will influence a person’s way of thinking. This means a person would be capable of thinking positive and staying away from negativity. Oppositely, a person growing up in the hood or poverty with nothing but violence around t hem gets sucked into violence and hood activities. Some people that grow up in the hood try to act different from the hood because it becomes tiring to keep seeing people get shot down or joining gangs. It then becomes natural and people realize that this is the world around them and they will not be able to change it people will be people. The best thing for people to do is change themselves to stay away from negativity. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to explore differentShow MoreRelatedThrough My Creative Writing And Reading Experience, I Have1156 Words   |  5 PagesThrough my creative writing and reading experience, I have been exposed to a variety of literary genres. My preferred genres have consistently been free verse poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. For the purpose of this class, I have chosen the genre of creative non-fiction. 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