Animals’ Rights? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Animals’ Rights? Animals flock about nature going on with their daily lives eating, mating, playing, and hiding. â€Å"Hiding from what?† someone might ask. They are hiding from the predators that roam the earth as if it is only theirs to move about freely without respecting the other inhabitants of the earth. These predators are known as humans. Many of these predators have taken the lives of many animals selfishly and disrespectfully. Some animal species have been killed by the hundreds each year, many times for the purpose of putting money in the pocket of the killers. Some animals have been wounded and not retrieved and therefore left to die in agony. This must stop and there are some reasons why. If all of the animals were gone, then they could not reproduce and would not survive as an ongoing species. Humans could not survive without animals for food and shelter. Killing these animal species off without any purpose but for the pleasure of hunting and for the small portion of money earned thereafter. This leads to the belief that a certain amount of respect has been lost for animals. This respect that I am trying to give to the animals is in the sense that humans will do almost anything to ensure that life continues for them for as long and prosperous as possible. Plants will grow back and animals reproduce, but something must exist if it is to reproduce. We as humans do not see this problem. When I speak for the humans I am speaking for the majority of people who do not realize that this is a problem. However, I believe that some do understand the reality behind excessive amounts of hunting. There are those, however, who see nothing except for the animal that stands in fron t of them and the weapon they hold. Those who stan... ...en every year. Hunting them within the set limits has resulted in the decrease of these accidents and it has also regulated the deer population. Without these rules however, animal species are at risk. Humans have become predators of everything that exist. Animal, plants, and the earth are prey for the humans. The amount that the humans use of each has drastically increased. The earth was made for the humans to look after and humans are not doing a very good job of keeping it fit for survival. Of course, not all humans act in this way nor do they believe that this is how the human race has developed. Remember that animals and humans both live on the earth and though it may be human nature to hunt for our survival, over-hunting many of these animals will result in our extinction, especially when many of the animals that we use for food and shelter cease to exist.

Deceptive Accounting Essay

Fraud and corruption are a menace not only in the poverty stricken countries, but also in the developed world. The worldwide menace of malpractice attempts to defeat the value to globalization. In the globalized world of investors of the 21st century with its first transatlantic stock exchange, it is necessary to continue reforms to shake off abuses of power at the level of their roots. So, Daniel Quinn Mills, a professor at the Harvard Business School, writes Wheel, Deal, and Steal (2003) to express his belief that CEOs of imperial nature are continuing their practice of stealing from investors despite the hue and cry over the financial scandals of Worldcom, Tyco, and of course, Enron. The author claims that the rules that have been designed to protect the investors are failing time after time. Hence, Mills details wide-ranging reforms that are possible and should be designed in order to encourage transparency in financial work. Additionally, the author shows how investors should, after perusing his book, try to protect the leftovers from corrupt financial practices. Investors may even be able to use Mills’ advice in recovering their lost moneys. Wheel, Deal, and Steal claims that investors are being cheated at many different levels. The auditors and the CEOs may all be involved in financial fraud for a variety of reasons, the main one being that they all want to pocket greater earnings without sharing them with investors. Moreover, the rules of law and ethics do not seem to be doing a great job in controlling accounting fraud. There is a basic clash of interests between the investors and the corporations that the investors were meant to fundamentally trust for the protection of their particular interests, that is, to create more earnings for themselves through their investments. These conflict of is the concept of alienation put forth by Karl Marx. According to Mills, even the stock market crash had this conflict of interests at its core. It is not about the accounting scandals of recent times alone. Rather, the problem is deep rooted as it is a conflict of power and money. The CEOs try to pocket as much money as possible sometimes at the expense of the investors. Originally, however, shareholders were meant to be the owners of American enterprises, and the executives were to act as the agents of the investors. But now, executives are the only ones making fortunes for themselves and expanding their own power in the corporation. Investors, on the other hand, are left far behind in the process of business. Mills offers plenty of accounting information in his book that investors should want to understand in order to gain mastery over the accounting malpractice techniques that are used to give them losses in stead of the gains of ownership. While power had been shifted from the hands of the investors to the households of the executives, the executives and their auditors had been using â€Å"creative accounting† to defraud the investors. The techniques of â€Å"creative accounting† should be learned by the ordinary investor who may from now want to replace the all-powerful executive in favor of a team of managers that should work on behalf of the investors alone. Mills advises investors to take charge through his book by informing them that only they are the ones that seem to be staying behind. The attorneys, the auditors, and the investment banks are all involved in corporate fraud that is deliberately designed to give less to investors (who are generally greater in number). The parties sharing the greater profits by defrauding investors mainly seem to be the executives of investment banks, law firms, accounting firms, and the corporation itself. The author explains that the executives of big corporations have established compliance in their systems wherewith they do not only defraud their gullible and valuable investors without a sound from the latter; but they have also developed compliant teams of accountants and boards of directors. After devising financial malpractice, the executives â€Å"had to do deals that would look good in their financials and get approval from auditors and boards for misleading financial reports. Finally, they had to cash in their options before the frauds and other misrepresentations were discovered† (8). Mills reminds us that the CFO of WorldCom, Mr. Scot Sullivan; the CFO of Enron, Mr. Andrew Fastow; and the CFO of Tyco, Mark Swartz—all were smooth operators who had been given excellence awards by the CFO Magazine. Furthermore, Fortune Magazine had given awards to Enron for being the most admired company along with Citigroup. In addition, Enron had been lauded every year from 1996-2001 for high achievement in innovation. The executives seem to be fooling everybody. What is more, the author of Wheel, Deal, and Steal blames the Federal Reserve for harnessing Mr. Brooksley Born, the chief executive of the CFTO, by telling him to stay out of the business of derivates. Thus, everybody seems to have been involved in the creation of a financial scandal whenever it has happened. While some may formulate deficient laws and others may unwisely supervise the financial practices of a corporation, the entire system appears to be flawed. A comprehensive effort to eliminate the problem of corporate fraud is therefore needed on the part of the financial system as a whole, including the supervisors. Mills provides good insights into the functioning of both the Commodities Futures Trading Corporation and the Federal Reserve while offering his advice on the reform of the system. This book also is a reminder that the Internet bubble is over and the next bubble might be of hedge funds or the funds of hedge funds. Investors must be prepared for the next bubble with an increase in consciousness with respect to their precious moneys invested for greater earnings. Thus, the book is an essential read for investors who are ready to work for change. Mills advises that the government must be held responsible for punishing corrupt executives of various corporations. Besides, the good work of eliminating fraud must be continued given that democracies also accompany corruption at several levels, mostly having to do with the cream of supervisors or top management at accounting firms as well as regulatory agencies. The latter are responsible for making good regulations to check corporate fraud. However, investors must take charge to get regulatory agencies and the government as a whole involved in the process wherever the regulations and policies appear impotent. To increase the awareness of the investors and hopefully to push them to take action with regards to the regulation of their investments, Mill’s book answers the following question: There are many Americans now in the stock market, and if we are sufficiently upset about our losses, politicians and courts may act. Estimates are that the proportion of U. S. households that owned stocks or mutual funds has grown from 19% in 1983 to 49. 5% in 2002; and the proportion of single individuals who own stocks or mutual funds has grown from 42% in 1983 to 84% in 2002. If investors exert their potential influence, can we create a safer, more reliable, more honest America? (10).

Equity vs. Equality What Is the Difference

In the context of social systems such as education, politics, and government, the terms equity and equality have similar but slightly different meanings. Equality refers to scenarios in which all segments of society have the same levels of opportunity and support. Equity extends the concept of equality to include providing varying levels of support based on individual need or ability.   Key Takeaways: Equity vs. Equality Equality is providing the same level of opportunity and assistance to all segments of society, such as races and genders.Equity is providing various levels of support and assistance depending on specific needs or abilities.Equality and equity are most often applied to the rights and opportunities of minority groups.Laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provide equality, while policies such as affirmative action provide equity. Equality Definition and Examples The dictionary defines equality as the state of being equal in rights, status, and opportunity. In the context of social policy, equality is the right of different groups of people—such as men and women or blacks and whites—to enjoy the benefits of similar social status and receive the same treatment without the fear of discrimination. The legal principle of social equality in the United States was confirmed in 1868 by the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides that â€Å"nor shall any State [...] deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† A modern application of the Equal Protection Clause can be seen in the Supreme Court’s unanimous 1954 decision in the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education, which declared that separate schools for African-American and white children were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. The ruling led to the racial integration of America’s public schools and paved the way for the enactment of more sweeping social equality laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Equity Definition and Examples Equity refers to the provision of varying levels of support—based on specific needs—to achieve greater fairness of treatment and outcomes. The National Academy of Public Administration defines equity as â€Å"The fair, just and equitable management of all institutions serving the public directly or by contract; the fair, just and equitable distribution of public services and implementation of public policy; and the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation of public policy.† In essence, equity can be defined as a means of achieving equality. For example, the Help America Vote Act requires that people with disabilities be provided with access to polling places and voting systems equal to that of able-bodied people. Similarly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that persons with disabilities have equal access to public facilities. Recently, U.S. government policy has focused on social equity in the area of sexual orientation. For example, President Barack Obama appointed nearly 200 self-declared members of the LGBTQ community to paid positions within the executive branch. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published the first-ever estimate of discrimination against same-sex couples in housing opportunities. Equity in the area of gender-based discrimination in education is provided by Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act of 1972, which states, â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.† Title IX applies to virtually every aspect of the educational experience from scholarships and athletics, to employment and discipline at approximately 16,500 local school districts, 7,000 postsecondary institutions, as well as charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, and museums. In athletics, for example, Title IX requires that women and men be provided equitable opportunities to participate in sports. Equity vs. Equality Examples In many areas, achieving equality requires the application of policies ensuring equity.   Education In education, equality means providing every student with the same experience. Equity, however, means overcoming discrimination against specific groups of people, especially defined by race and gender. While civil rights laws ensure equality of access to higher education by barring public colleges and universities from completely denying enrollment to any minority group, these laws do not ensure equity in levels of minority enrollment. To achieve that equity, the policy of affirmative action increases college enrollment opportunities specifically for minority groups including races, genders, and sexual orientations. First introduced by an executive order issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, affirmative action has since been extended to apply to the areas of employment and housing. Religion While religious equality is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, religious equity in the workplace is provided by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under this law, employers are required to accommodate their employees’ religious observances or practices unless doing so would cause a â€Å"unique hardship to the conduct of the employers business.† Public Policy A city is forced to cut the budget for its several neighborhood service centers. Cutting the operational hours for all of the centers by the same amount would be a solution representing equality. Equity, on the other hand, would be for the city to first determine which neighborhoods actually use their centers the most and reduce the hours of the less-often used centers. Sources and Further Reference â€Å"Distinguish between Equity and Equality.† Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health.Mitchell, Danielle. â€Å"Reading Between The Aisles: Same-Sex Marriage As A Conflicted Symbol Of Social Equity.† The Washington Jefferson College Review. (2007).Frederickson, H. George (2015). â€Å"Social Equity and Public Administration: Origins, Developments, and Applications.† Routledge. ISBN 978-1-31-745977-4.Gooden, Susan T. (2015). â€Å"Race and Social Equity: A Nervous Area of Government.† Routledge. ISBN 978-1-31-746145-6.