An Accounting Problem :: essays research papers

The annuities department was faced with an accounting problem. The current accounting system would be obsolete in a few years and our business customers are currently experiencing resource issues when problems arise and support for this system is required. Since financial reporting is a complex process, convoluted action was required to resolve this problem. The annuity technology group, along with the annuity business group came up with three possible solutions and conducted a high level requirements analysis and a cost benefit analysis to determine which solution to implement. The solutions analyzed were, do nothing and stay on the existing accounting system, go with a new accounting system designed and built by our Life Insurance partners, or build our own accounting engine. The requirements and cost benefit analysis took several months to complete and a final decision would not be made until 18 months after the initiation of this project. The end result of the requirements and cost benefit analysis concluded that it was most beneficial to our business partners to build our own accounting engine; however this was not the elected solution. Our suggestion to do nothing was not feasible; we were already facing resource issues for existing accounting problems. Additionally, through requirements analysis, we discovered that no future enhancements would be made to this old system, as the annuity business unit was the sole user of this system. Early on, we were able to eliminate remaining with our existing accounting system as a reasonable solution. External pressure from our Life Insurance partners wanted us to commit to using their services. Life Insurance had designed and implemented an accounting system a few years ago that provided wonderful functionality. This system is being used by most of the enterprise although there is no corporate mandate requiring administration areas to use it. While the functionality of this system is quite detailed and impressive, it fails to meet all of the needs of the annuity business customers. Because the annuity business requirements were quite extensive, the life insurance group could not commit to the necessary enhancements that would be required to their system to satisfy annuity users. Because of these business requirements, we then conducted an extensive analysis to determine what Annuities IT could do to satisfy the business requirements. The analysis revealed that we could build our own accounting system for only 25% of the cost of using the life insurance system.

The literary work of Niccolo Machiavelli entitled “The Prince”

The literary work of Niccolo Machiavelli entitled â€Å"The Prince† is a narration of his personal experience as a messenger of the Florence Republic to the courts of Europe.   In its entirety, the book was a series of conversation made by a Counselor to a Prince.Going deeper, the said work scrutinizes the violent way by which political power is conquered and maintained, and situations by which it may be lost. In as much as this work is a political remark, and not a creation of imagination, Machiavelli had made use of his experience to narrate political and social events, all culled from the world history.Through out the story, it is the Counselor who had made the talking, giving advice to the Prince. As to manner for which the story was written, the author engages his audience to actively participate to intelligently uncover his true message. Analyzing and reading between the lines of the letters of the story would reveal that more meaning would be given to the Counselorâ⠂¬â„¢s advice.BODY POSSIBLE AUDIENCEAt first glance, one would think that the Counselor’s advice is solely addressed to the Lorenzo de Medici.  Nonetheless, after reviewing the story, it can be gleaned that the book is also addressed to leaders and to those individuals who want to become future leaders. (Hindman, 2000) One focus of his advice includes the ways of controlling a political organization.In doing so, he mentioned that giving recognition to the significance of the mass is important. A leader cannot secure his position without their support, aside from the assistance of his military. He also made a straightforward suggestion to future leaders to implement ruthless maneuvers to accomplish a specific political ambition without considering whether if it is for the general welfare.At some other point of the story, the Author seems also to address his work to the masculine audience.   This is due to his way of advocating atrocious and brutish act such as exterminatin g the kin of the leader he has dethroned, employing an act that injures mortals, and engaging in preemptive war.Moreover, the idea that the Prince may be generous only with the properties of others, to keep silent if possible, and to try to be feared instead of being loved is an act that may be attributed to virility. The worse suggestion he made which implies masochism was to improve the animalistic nature of the Prince, to learn how to engage against evil, and to know how to be unpleasant.It is interesting to note that Machiavelli also seems to address anybody who is in a competitive environment and those with hope to move forward. It is because the story of â€Å"The Prince† revolves on a leader who seems to have many obstacles and enemies. In the writer’s statements, he presented tactics on how this Prince would remain and still, can conquer people who oppose him.In the same manner, it also gives advice to those individual who faces many competitors. It presents sc hemes on how to prevail and find possible road that may lead to success. In effect, this is to say that the Machiavelli maxims are also applicable in every person’s daily activities.In relation thereto, business leaders may also be possible audience of this book. Take into consideration the case of Bill Gates, owner of Microsoft, who is likewise experiencing many stiff duels in computer world to maintain his power and position. Thus, the point is on how to set the limits on how to achieve power and how to maintain it.What is impressive in this work is the way Machiavelli communicates to the tyrant while at the same time speaks to lovers of liberty.   He made this possible by making a single explanation that may be interpreted in two different ways.Some events if interpreted possess two different ideas, that is, one is the literal interpretation and the other is extraction of messages by reading between the lines. This novel contains ideas, which at first glance, is addresse d to those want to lead tyrannically for their own benefit and, if interpreted, is also directed to those who wants to lead for the benefit of those individuals within their jurisdiction.In the case of tyrants, he sought to convert the possible tyrants by transforming their personal ambitions into the writers’ public one (i.e. for public good). He taught evil in as much as this is the idea that the tyrant wants to know, however, he made it possible to make said teaching against it and make it to benefit the common good.On the other hand, it teaches the lovers of liberty on how to fuse together their ambition to stay in power, by not being a good one, and still be loved by the mass.Thus, in effect, Machiavelli is appealing to tyrant by teaching to be bad, and at the same time, appeasing the lovers of liberty by promoting general welfare.Taken in a different context, this book may be also considered as a warning to the Republicans, the lovers of liberty, because it seeks to exp ose disgracefully the princely government by elaborately presenting it principles in an offensive way.Lastly, it has been told that â€Å"The Prince† was written by Machiavelli to express his thoughts not for Lorenzo but to those who deserves to be princes. This is because Lorenzo cannot, in any way, understand the message Machiavelli has conveyed in his twofold statement.

Essay about Dances With Wolves - 1291 Words

Dances With Wolves In his movie Dances With Wolves actor Kevin Costner tries to do away with any preconceived notions that the viewer might have had about the Native American Indians being a savage and inhuman race. He does this by first unraveling the mysteriousness of the Indians then he brings the viewer to a point of connectedness with the Indians and their culture. We then come to a sincere appreciation for them as human beings and individuals and find ourselves siding with them in matters of allegiance. This movie accomplishes this goal with several tactics and strategies. As the story unfolds we follow the life of John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) and take on his emotions and therefore come to the same realizations that he does.†¦show more content†¦We see that they are easily frightened at times like when Kicking Bird runs from the naked John who is also just as shocked by the Indians presence however does not want his horse, Sisco, to be messed with. We see through Johns eyes how frustratin g it is to not be able to communicate with other people and we understand how much trouble this has probably been for the Indians before. We see them as being generous people when John is presented with a Buffalo skin from them as well as their kindness in accepting his gifts. We also see how in Johns eyes the Indians are developing personalities of their own as individuals and not just a group of people. The second thing that must be done in order for the movie to completely change our opinion of these savages and bring our allegiances to them instead of the white settlers and army is that we must not only overcome our fears and prejudices we must also now connect with them in such a way that we feel bonded by friendship and love. The best way to accomplish this is through a feeling of belonging. As John becomes more and more involved with the Indians we see more and more of the personalities of the Indians themselves and we begin to see how human they really are. Now John begins to form friendships with these Indians and therefore so do we. One example of this is Johns friendship with Kicking Bird. John andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Dances With Wolves1093 Words   |  5 Pagessavages. Dances with Wolves represents a shift in this mindset. It was one of the first movies to paint life on the Great Plains as complex. Nevertheless, the film still contains many of the familiar Hollywoo d Indian myths. Dances with Wolves follows John Dunbar, a former Civil War soldier, who is transferred to Fort Hays. There Dunbar meets his Sioux neighbors, and slowly builds a relationship with the entire tribe. By the end of the movie, Dunbar has become fully integrated into the tribe. Dances withRead More Dances With Wolves Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pages The film, Dances with Wolves, staring Kevin Costner gives a historically accurate presentation of the Sioux Indians and their way of life. In this production, Lieutenant John Dunbar, played by Costner, is rewarded for his heroic actions in the Civil War by being offered an opportunity to see the American frontier before it is gone. Dunbar is assigned to an abandoned fort where his only friends are a lone wolf and his beloved horse, Cisco. After several weeks of waiting for more American troops,Read MoreDances With Wolves And Avatar1142 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Dances with Wolves and Avatar: Similar but Different† Dances with Wolves and Avatar are thought to be very different, but they are actually more similar than viewers may realize. First off, these are two must see films! The viewer walks away with much more than just having seen a movie. Both of these movies encourage cultural understanding, motivate, and teach individuality. Dances with Wolves and Avatar are alike in plot and cultural significance. These two films are alike in plot because in bothRead More Dances With Wolves Essay2082 Words   |  9 PagesDances With Wolves No matter how you choose to categorize human beings, whether by race or religion, nationality or gender, the resultant categories will display at least one immutable constant. Each group, no matter how diverse their beliefs or how dissimilar their behaviors, will contain men of honest and peaceful natures as well as men of divisive and violent natures. In the film Dances With Wolves, we are exposed to two distinct categories of people inhabiting post civil war America, theRead MoreThe Film Dances With Wolves2160 Words   |  9 PagesSpoken by Joseph Campbell, myths â€Å"support a certain social order and define humanity under any circumstance.† The film Dances With Wolves tells a fictional story that expresses those two mythological functions through the journey of John Dunbar beginning as a United States soldier and becoming a part of a Native American tribe, the Sioux. Through this transformation, the mythological functions help define what it means to be a true human bein g. A true human being is someone who has become so awareRead More Dances With Wolves Analysis Essays2123 Words   |  9 PagesDances With Wolves Analysis The movie Dances With Wolves was produced in 1990 and directed by Kevin Costner who starred as the main character. Dances with Wolves tells us the story of a white man who gets acquainted with the Sioux, who learns to love and respect them as valuable people with a culture and who discovers how wrong white peoples preconceived ideas about Native Americans are. A sense of adventure and drama is the feeling Dances with Wolves gives us. With this movieRead MoreEssay on Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake1805 Words   |  8 PagesDances With Wolves by Michael Blake is a novel that covers the topics of cross-culture, equality and respect. It also shows me the history of modern America. Reading this novel is a great adventure to me. Through years of getting ready, Michael Blake spent nine months on writing the book and got it done in 1981. The story happens in 1863, when US civil war was in ongoing. Knowing the potential amputation of his wounded leg, Union Army Officer Lieutenant John J. Dunbar turns suicidal and ridesRead More Shifting Perceptions in Dances With Wolves Essay1821 Words   |  8 PagesShifting Perceptions in Dances With Wolves In Kevin Costners motion picture Dances With Wolves, a white veteran of the Civil War, John Dunbar, ventures to the American frontier, where he encounters a tribe of Sioux Indians. At first, both parties are quite wary and almost hostile to each other, but after some time, Dunbar realizes that they have both grown to love and value each other as friends. As the movie critic Robert Ebert comments, Dunbar possesses the one quality he needs to cut throughRead More Overcoming Stereotypes in the Movie, Dances With Wolves Essay1768 Words   |  8 PagesOvercoming Stereotypes in the Movie, Dances With Wolves Everyone has a preconceived opinion of how a certain ethnic group is in terms of the way they live, the morals they hold, the way they deal with people different from them, and how they deal with one another. We come to these conclusions by what we have seen in the media, heard from other people, or actually experienced ourselves. Most people would consider these opinions to be stereotypes. Dances with Wolves is a motion picture that deals withRead More Changing Native American Stereotypes in the Film, Dances with Wolves1546 Words   |  7 PagesChanging Native American Stereotypes in the Film, Dances with Wolves The film Dances with Wolves, that was written by Michael Blake and directed by Kevin Costner, helps to shift our perspective of Native Americans from one of stereotypical distaste, to one of support and respect. According to an anonymous critic on www.eFilmcritic.com This is one of the few westerns that devotes its time to looking at the plight of the American Indians (particularly the Sioux), who were thought by some as