Friday, January 24, 2020
Activity-Based Costing ( ABC ) Essay -- Essays Papers
Activity-Based Costing ( ABC ) Summary The business environment in the 1990s is markedly different from that of the past when conventional cost accounting procedures were established. Activity-based costing (ABC), pioneered in the late 1980s, offered a new costing approach consistent with the changed environment. However, ABC did not diffuse rapidly into the business community. This article demonstrates why adopting ABC is important by documenting the potential of ABC in supporting contemporary managerial decision making. Introduction Everything happens faster in business today. Even new management tools (some say "fads") follow a meteoric path. For example, the ink on new articles describing activity-based costing (ABC) was hardly dry before consulting firms had integrated it into their slick brochures and presentations. All they needed was someone to use it. To illustrate, Romano identified only 110 installations by August 1990, nearly two years after the procedure was developed, with 77 percent of these in two major firms [13]. Perhaps this phase, in the process of introducing the new procedure, could be called "the period of wild over-promise." However, even by the mid-1990s, ABC has not spread widely throughout the industry and "even in large firms, widespread success of ABC is not obvious" [16]. According to Ness and Cucuzza, "thousands of companies have adopted or explored the feasibility of adopting ABC. However, (they) estimate that no more than ten percent of companies now use activity-based management in a significant number of their operations" [11]. A survey conducted by the Institute of Management Accountants' cost management group found that only 29 percent of companies used ABC instead of traditional systems, but this was an increase from 25 percent in the previous year [10]. Among reasons cited for low adoption were employee resistance and major organizational changes required with the use of ABC [11]. Some trace the source of slow adoption of ABC to technical as well as cultural issues [5]. Others feel that ABC would be more widespread in industry if it were marketed better by the cost accounting profession itself [1]. As the dust has settled, ABC has turned out to be less a revolutionary technique than a useful refinement to proven systems. The costs of products and services must be accurate, or management can be misled. Decisions... ...8. Lewis, R.J. "Activity-Based Costing for Marketing." Management Accounting, November 1991, pp. 33-38. 9. Lofgren, G.Q. "Quality System Registration: A Guide to Q90/ISO 9000 Series Registration." Quality Progress, May 1991, p. 37. 10. "More Companies Turn to ABC."Journal of Accountancy, July 1994, p. 14. 11. Ness, J.A. and T.G. Cucuzza. "Tapping the Full Potential of ABC." Harvard Business Review, July/August 1995, pp. 130-131. 12. Port, O. "Custom-Made, Direct from the Plant." Business Week, November 18, 1994, p. 158. 13. Romano, P.L. "Trends in Management Accounting." Management Accounting, August 1990, pp. 53-56. 14. Roth, A.V., C. Gaimon, and L. Krazewski. "Optimal Acquisition of FMS Technology Subject to Technological Process." Decision Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 2, Spring 1991, pp. 308-334. 15. Schonberger, R.J. and E.M. Knod Jr. Operations Management: Continuous Improvement. Richard D. Irwin, 1994, p. 44. 16. Selto, F.H. and D.W. Jasinski. "ABC and High Technology: A Story with a Moral." Management Accounting, March 1996, pp. 37-40. 17. Smith, R.B. "Competitiveness in the '90s." Management Accounting, September 1989, pp. 24-29.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
European External Action Service Introduction Essay
European External Action Service Introduction Introduction            To strengthen the European Union, make it more efficiency, make its projects more interesting and give it more profile, there was the need for the establishment of External European Action Service (EEAS). According to treaty of Lisbon signed in 2007, the establishment of EEAS was to be carried out by high representative council after consulting European parliament. Following this, on 25th march 2010 high representatives council sent a proposal for the establishment of EEAS to European Parliament. With discussions, negotiations, and consideration of various concerns, EEAS was approved for established by European government on 8 July 2010. Functions of external European action service            The main aim why the external European action service was made is to enhance European Union global functions. It was created to make broad functions of European Union more Efficient and that is the base which creates the functions of the external European service action. The external European action service performs presidency and diplomatic functions. In the precedential role, the body assists the President of the European Council to carry out his responsibilities on foreign issues. In its diplomatic service, external European action service supports High representative who is also the vice president of the European commission (Eeckhout, 94).            The external European action service is responsible of coordinating the ministries of development and defense. From a development perspective, the external European action service plays a role of shaping strategy and programming development collaboration all over the word. The body combines the technical experts of the European commissions and the council’s political weight in the process of enhancing European Union role all over the world. On the side of defense, the body works under the European Union where they provide military support all over the word in the peace keeping process under the European Union policy of common security and defense (Austermann 70).            External European action service maintains a good neighborhood relation with other countries. Most of the countries who border the European Union in sides are undergoing a political change. Under the policy of neighborhood, the external European action service work hard to ensure a solid union with those countries in the process of easing political transitions in those countries. Challenges external European action service face            Integration is the key challenge that the external European action service is facing today. The body was formed recently and is still struggling to integrate bodies of the European Union which they work hand in hand for global role achievement. For example the security and defense body has is decision making council, this council decisions contradicts the decisions of the external European action service and thus they fail to agree on any issue. The efforts of external European Union to integrate this bodies end up fruitless because of lack of teamwork between the organs of the European Union (waele et. al, 251).            The external European action service is facing another main challenge of competition between the institutions. During the formation of external action service, the main bodies that were involved were the council and member state. Their main aim was to make external operations of the European Union effective. Other institutional took it as a plan to bring inter-institution competition. This altitude makes it difficult for the External action to operate because other institution performs their duties with the aim of competition and thus they can not agree with the decisions of the external European action service (Blocksman and Steven 23). Recommendations            More has to be done to increase authority and capacity of the external European action service in its operations. One, chairperson of the working groups of the external action should be permanently appointed other than the current system where the chair is rotational. The capacity of external European action service in handling major European Union policies should be increased. The policies that should be considered are; struggle against terrorism, energy security and environment among other policies (Boening et. al, 33).            The policy and planning capability of external European action service should be strengthened. This will enable the body to be more efficient on strategic issues and paper work planning. The external European action service should be provided with the necessary resources for it to function well this should be done after the staffing level review has been done. All this recommendations will ensure that the external European action service is efficient in its work. This will be an advantage to the European Union (Morgera 64). Relation to European Union Countries            External European action service ensures that there is strong cooperation between the European Union and European Union members on matters of foreign affairs and policy. This is done through the influence of the civil servants of both the European Union and European countries, where they establish a living link. External European action service has helped European Union to be stable on matters of foreign affairs and thus many countries have aspired to join the European Union. This has made the number of European Union members to rise where currently they are more than 28 (Brierly and Clapham 142). Conclusion            In conclusion, we have discussed about the functions, challenges, recommendations and relation of external European action service in this easy and we have seen that this organization is one of the strongholds of the European Union. The global picture of the European Union is reflected by this body and since the formation of the European action service the performance of the European Union has improved. More research on how this organization can be entrusted with more power and ways to solve the institution competition should be done. This will enable it to be more efficient in its operations. References Austermann, Frauke. European Union Delegations in Eu Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic Service of Different Speeds. , 2014. Internet resource. Blockmans, Steven. Fit for Purpose?: The European External Action Service One Year on. Oxford: Oxfam GB, 2012. Print. Boening, Astrid, Jan-Frederik Kremer, and Aukje . Loon. Global Power Europe: Volume 1. Berlin: Springer, 2013. Internet resource. Brierly, J L, and Andrew Clapham. Brierly’s Law of Nations: An Introduction to the Role of International Law in International Relations. , 2012. Print. Eeckhout, Piet. Eu External Relations Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Morgera, Elisa. The External Environmental Policy of the European Union: Eu and International Law Perspectives. , 2012. Print. Waele, Henri C. F. J. A, and Jan-Jaap Kuipers. The European Union’s Emerging International Identity: Views from the Global Arena. , 2013. Print. Source document
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Salem Witchcraft Trials Hysteria And Craziness - 1470 Words
Salem Witchcraft Trials This period in America can be summed up in two words: Hysteria and Craziness. The 1692 notorious Salem witch trials started after some young girls from Salem Village, Massachusetts, purported to be possessed by demons. The girls accused some local women of bewitching them. As the wild hysteria spread across Massachusetts, a court was specially set up to listen to the cases. Bridget Bishop was the first witch to be convicted and later hanged in June. Eighteen more were hanged at the infamous Salem’s Gallows Hill, and several more children, women and men were sentenced as well, some months later. By September the same year, the craziness and hysteria had started to decrease, and public views turned against the rulings (Baker 2014). Even though the Massachusetts General Court eventually canceled the guilty judgments against the convicted and awarded compensation to their family members, resentment spread across the community. The agonizing legacy of the witch trials would be f elt for many centuries. During February of the remarkably cold winter, a little girl named Betty Parris fell bizarrely ill. She dove under furniture, contorted in pain, complained of fever and dashed about. The cause of Betty’s symptoms might have been some series of delusional psychosis, child abuse, stress, epilepsy, boredom, asthma, and guilt. The signs further might have been caused, as Linder (2009) would debate, by a convulsive ailment called ergotism, caused by excretingShow MoreRelatedSalem Witch Trial Hysteria Essay818 Words  | 4 PagesTwenty people were put to death for witchcraft in Salem during the 1692 Salem Witch Trial Hysteria. In The Crucible, a woman, Elizabeth Proctor, gets accused of witchcraft by a young girl by the name Abigail Williams, who just so happens to be having an affair with Elizabeth’s husband, John. Once John finds out Abigail accused his wife, he starts trying to find proof that all of these young girls are pretending that they ar e being hurt by these older women, just so that they will be hanged. The officialsRead MoreThe Middle Of The 16th Century1571 Words  | 7 Pagesnot present in England. Freedom to practice a religion of choice separate from the king as well as opportunity to make a better life for themselves. Upon their arrival to the New England colonies. They set up camp and established what is known as Salem Massachusetts. They created a strict set off rules as a basis for everyday life which included the following; using government to enforce religious beliefs, believing that the final authority came from the Bible, not from Church officials, and thereforeRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1448 Words  | 6 Pages The Salem Witchcraft Trials took place in 1692. The Crucible is a 4 Act play written by Arthur Miller. This drama takes place in Salem village and it accurately depicts the type of hysteria going on during the Salem Witch Trials. Which paralleled the same hysteria surrounding â€Å"McCarthyism†, Wisconsin senator, Joseph McCarthy’s obsessive mission to shine light on a communist infiltration of the United States. In The Crucible there were many characters that were immersed in the chaos while othersRead MoreWitchcraft : The Supernatural Powers Of Witches Essay2327 Words  | 10 PagesWitchcraft can be seen anywhere in today’s modern society, including movies, books, TV shows, fairy tales, poems, plays, and several other places and each of these examples show the evil of a witch. Belief in witchcraft has gone all the way back to the 400’s when St. Augustine told his people that there was no way for witches to live in God’s world and have supernatu ral powers, but soon people started to believe in the mystical powers of witches. These beliefs began to turn into fear and accusationsRead MoreJohn Proctor s Struggle With His Conscience1836 Words  | 8 Pagescan be a proud one, accepted with honour after making his love and more importantly his peace with God. However his natural instinct, given to him upon his birth is telling him to lie. That he should lose his good name, confess to dealing with witchcraft. Telling him to lose some, perhaps all the respect people have for him but to keep his life. To lose his dignity but to keep his life. To live to see his children grow up, to see his unborn child be born, to watch his wife grow old with him. But
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