Thursday, October 31, 2019

MySpace is not a Controversy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MySpace is not a Controversy - Essay Example This paper summarizes and analysis an article on My Space controversy by Bill Hewitt and highlight the points and reasons of disagreement. MySpace is an online recreational area for kids and at the same time it draws the attention of perverts and creeps (Hewitt).I disagree with the way Hewitt positions this article to prove MySpace as a controversy right from its title and description. Primarily aimed at building a community of young people looking for new friends, sharing music and their experiences, the website attracts and teenagers on a large scale. These attractions make it one of the biggest web players with 20 percent of young visitors between the ages of 14-17(Hewitt). With such level of popularity and its widespread use among young adults and kids throughout the world, criminal use of such a convenient source right from their bedrooms is not unlikely. The fact is disturbing; however, it does not make â€Å"MySpace Nation† as Hewitt calls MySpace users, a controversy. I disagree with his term MySpace Nation at the first place, and secondly attributing them as a controversy. If we go by Hewitt understanding, we must attribute those schools and all their students as controversy whose students are found guilty of rape or violence. Criminal acts like murder and rape are also associated with the teens using MySpace that has become preferable location for cyber-bullies and pedophiles (Hewitt).I completely disagree with Hewitt when he attributes criminal acts like murder and rape with the use of MySpace. It is not more than an exaggerated accusation without supporting evidence. By doing so, Hewitt may also refer Harvard as a terrorist institution just because people who studied there were found involved in some terrorist activity. Hewitt does not clarify that how using MySpace is linked with 2 or 3 out of their million users being murderer or rapists. The picture Hewitt portrays injects a fear in the mind of readers and they immediately feel threatened by online safety of their kids using MySpace specifically. Hewitt describes parents’ experience who felt blown away by MySpace use as personal diaries. However, I completely disagree with the idea of comparing MySpace with personal diaries. The main idea of MySpace is networking with friends and keeping the sense of community alive. For the safety part, kids can always personalize their space and select their friends. Parents can keep check on their kids’ friends and activities online to some extent as well. However, the idea of restricting MySpace use or limiting the time of using internet to 15 minutes seems completely impractical. MySpace membership is restricted to users who are 14 or above, however, younger children with email address can easily access and get exposed to objectionable content instantly (Hewitt). Though the claim is true, but I disagree on the grounds of attributing it only with MySpace. The fact is that it is same with all socializing networks on internet. None of the network uses proper identification of its members, targeting MySpace specifically seems strange. Random incidents of crime and predators targeting kids seem very threatening. However, Hewitt does not inspire authorities to make changes in the model of social networking sites. Rather than attacking MySpace, Hewitt should have suggested some built-in features or some membership requirements that can stop underage membership or even

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Stone Henge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stone Henge - Research Paper Example The only identified comparable sites of similar epoch (Flagstones and Stonehenge in Dorset) are just a quarter of Avebury size. The ditch alone was 21m (69ft) wide and 11m (36ft) deep, with its key fill carbon dated to around 3400 - 2625BC (Castleden 34). A later date in the current period is more likely though excavation of its bank has validated that it has been expanded, presumably by use of materials excavated from its ditch. The fill on the foot of the final ditch may therefore post-date any other in a former, shallower ditch that does not exist any more. Since there lacks written account from the era of the Avebury Stonehenge construction, nobody knows for sure. Neolithic people resided here as evidenced by some artifacts found inside the sites and in burial barrows. They do appear to line up with spiritual events that are readily recognized. However, the why question remains a clandestine. This has sparked many legends about their origin and purpose dealing with the entirety f rom King Arthur to the Devil. So far none of the mysticism has any historical reliability. The circles predate them all, except perhaps of course the Devil (Sugden 1)! Aubrey Burl estimates a sequence of construction starting with the South and North erected around 2800BC, followed by the Outer Circle and the henge around 200 years later, the 2 avenues added around 2400BC. A timber circle of 2 concentric rings, acknowledged through archaeological geophysics conceivably stood in the northeast part of the outer circle, though this waits excavation testing (John and Atkinson 9). A ploughed barrow can also be seen from the air in north-western quadrant. The henge had 4 entrances, 2 opposing ones on north by north-west and south by south-east line, and 2 on an east by - and west by south-west line. ‘In spite of being a man-made construction, it was featured in the 2005 TV program Seven Natural Wonders as among the wonders of West Country for the reason that it consists of natural c onstituents. The henge is a World Heritage Site and a Scheduled Ancient Monument’ (unesco.com). Excavation at Avebury Stone Henge has been quite limited. Sir Henry Meux placed a trench over the bank in 1894, which consequently gave the first suggestion that this earthwork was constructed in two stages. The site got surveyed and excavated spasmodically about 1908 to 1923 by a team of workers under the command of Harold St. George Gray. Gray Harold was able to establish that the Avebury constructors had dug down 11m (36ft) into the natural chalk during excavating the henge ditch, creating an outer bank 9m (30ft) high around the entire perimeter of the henge as well as using red deer horn as their main digging tool (LLC 46). Harold Gray recorded the ditch’s base as being flat and 4m (13ft) wide although some late archaeologists have grilled his use of untrained labor to excavate the ditch, suggesting that its form might have been different. Harold Gray found few artifacts in the ditch filled but did recover dispersed human bones, jawbones being principally well represented. At about a depth of 2m (7ft), Gray encountered a complete woman’s skeleton 1.5m (5ft) tall who had been possibly buried there (LLC 51). Alexander Keiller, an archaeologist re-erected majority of the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Risk Factor Risk Based Prevention To Young Offending Criminology Essay

Risk Factor Risk Based Prevention To Young Offending Criminology Essay Risk factors which are used by developmental criminology, are those characteristics such as a large family, experience of abuse and having criminal parents whereby longitudinal and quantitative research shows that will present negative outcomes such as future offending and the more likelihood of offending. There has been research into youth offending which shows that there is a range of identifiable risk factors which are present in the lives of many children and young people. There are a number of risk factors which is said to increase the youths likelihood of being involved with criminal or anti-social behaviour, Family, individual, environmental. These risk factors have many agencies within them. The basic idea of risk-based prevention is simple. It is to identify the key risk factors for offending and implementing prevention methods planned to counteract them. Through effective sharing of information it provides the prospect for the early identification of those children and youn g people most at risk. In this essay risk factors and risk based prevention approaches will be outlined and critically assessed as approaches to young offending, firstly in the essay explaining and analysing risk factor approaches to youth offending by looking at the main foundation of risk factors and risk management by looking at the ideas of the approaches. Then Reliability of risk factors as a way to tackle delinquency to reduce prevention of reoffending will be looked at. The essay will also analyse techniques for risk based prevention methods and understanding the reasoning behind it. Lastly the essay will assess the effectiveness and efficiency to see if risk based prevention approaches have made a difference to youth offending. It is often wondered as to what triggers the youth to offend at such an early age. There are risk factors that are said to be predictors of delinquency. Risk factors come from the principles of Developmental Criminology. This criminology ideology is concerned with three key issues that are the developing of offending and antisocial behaviour, risk factors that focus on different ages, and the effects of events that have happened in life on the course of development. Developmental criminology thus tries to attempt to identify non-criminal behaviour which leads to criminal behaviour and to avoid them from happening at an early age with risk based prevention techniques. Offending is often part of a big syndrome of antisocial behaviour that arises in childhood and tends to continue into adulthood (West and Farrington, 1977). Risk factors and risk management had become important and had been highlighted in the 1980s. The public of the US wanted more accountability and rationality in the policies of the justice system. So that is when a new system of actuarialism had emerged. Jonathan Simon was first to notice actuarial assessments. The old society which was based around punishment of an individual in order to correct society was then challenged by a new risk society whereby its target was to find the risky population by using scientific calculations. These populations were controlled with minimum welfare support because they were targeted (Source: Muncie Pg.22) Risk analysing has become very common since the 1990s as interest in preventing crime research has grown rapidly. The approach which suggested that offending is part of the continuum of anti social behaviour which starts at childhood then persists to adulthood and which is then reproduced in generations is the criminal career approach. A project was investigated on why delinquency begins and to see if criminality can be predicted. The project was an ongoing Cambridge study in delinquent development. A group of working-class boys that were aged 8 were selected, twelve from ethnic minorities. They were contacted again at different ages in their life from 10 up until 48 to see which of those boys had developed a delinquent life and why some continued the life of crime when they came to adulthood. It was found that a fifth of the participants that had been selected had in fact committed an offence and had been convicted as a juvenile. Some of them had shared characteristics which were si milar, for example they were troublesome, impulsive etc. and had a tendency to come from families that were poor or large and that had parents who had been convicted. Farrington maintained that longitude research and recognized that the risk prevention paradigm had global implication and strong practical application. (Source: Muncie 2009 Pg.26) Based on all this information Farrington had identified family, individual and environmental predictors to future criminal behaviour. Among the family factors that are most important are criminal or antisocial parents, Criminal offences may run in the family and is shown that a high percentage of youth offenders had convicted members within the family. This may be due to the youth seeing that criminality is in the norm and therefore feel it is ok to offend. Children that come from criminal families often have an anti authority attitude and so therefore believe that offending is acceptable. Also large family size is an important family factor to delinquency, it was researched in the Cambridge study that if a boy had four or more siblings by the time he was 10 he doubled the risk of being a juvenile. There are many reasons why having a large family may make a youth turn to criminality. Parental attention decreases when the number of children increase in the family, therefore making the household more overcrowded which can then lead to conflict and frustration. There are many different types of child rearing methods which may lead to delinquency. There have been studies to show that parents that dont know what their children get up to i.e. not knowing where they are when they are out, and parents that allow their children to be out roaming the streets whilst unsupervised at an early age, tend to end up having delinquent children. Important individual factors were low intelligence, Having low intelligence and bad performance in school is a predictable reason for offending. There is a link between low intelligence and crime and it is associated with a poor ability to manipulate concepts to understand the feelings of victims. Empathy and impulsiveness are key factors which are personality traits that predict whether youth will become delinquent. Farrington took particular attention to this as he recognized them to be significant emotions in delinquency. Someone who l acks in empathy wont care about other peoples feelings and will have selfish attitudes, also like those who are more impulsive wont think about what their actions may have caused in the future. The important factors within environmental factors are peer pressure, Delinquents usually have delinquent friends therefore sometimes may be a result of peer pressure. As a youth they could be easily manipulated and convinced into participating in anti social behaviour, Drinking, smoking, drug abuse etc. There are many more risk factors however these factors just mentioned are most common and they are easily identified. (Source: Farrington 2007) There is sometimes a misunderstanding of risk factors as they may be seen as scientific facts and the real cause of crimes, However they should not be mistaken as they are merely a prediction of what may make youths offend in the future. However it does give an insight as to what areas need to be looked at in order to reduce crimes. The idea of risk factor approaches is that it generalises those individuals who are considered to fall into the risky category and those who are more likely to become offenders in the future. Risk factors surely cant be easily generalised, as the UK is a diverse nation, and it cannot be assumed that everyone lives in a similar community with the same customs. Risk factors fail to explain the variables of culture and context fully. What if there were different circumstances for example a child from a large wealthy family does this make the youth at risk of future delinquency? However this contradicts with the fact that children from poor families tend to t urn to delinquency. So are risk factors a reliable tool to tackle delinquency and reduce crime? it can be seen as a reliable tool however risk factors after all are just risks, so technically it doesnt mean its a certain reason as to why crime happens, it does on the other hand show which areas need to be focussed on and what needs to be done in order to help prevent future crimes. The idea of risk-based prevention is to identify the main risk factors for offending and to implement prevention methods planned to work against them. Risk-focussed prevention first came from medicine which was later imported into criminology from medicine and public health by Hawkins and Catalano (1992). There are many methods of crime prevention through early intervention. Visits from health professionals to give advice on things such as infant development, nutrition, alcohol and drugs so this reduces child abuse from parents. Intellectual enrichment programmes in nurseries which will stimulate reasoning and thinking skills for young children, parenting education programmes, cognitive and social skills training to teach children the consequences of their actions in terms of behaviour, there are many other risk based prevention methods but these are the common approaches used to help prevent and reduce crimes. It is easy to point out the risk factors and predicting the root causes of a youth being delinquent so therefore preventing youth crime can be done, however it is not easily done and may not be the case. There are many of the factors which are interconnected and there are problems with trying to spot which variables are independent and which variables are dependant. It is a crucial point when analysing risk factor evidence, because distorted results may produce false conclusions and focussing on risk factors which may not be necessarily needed. A huge problem of risk-focussed prevention is to figure out which risk factors are causes and which are simply markers or correlated with causes (Farrington, 2000).   A key problem with the risk factor prevention paradigm that its presentation of specified individualised risks as though they compromise uncontroversial facts, truths and scientific realities. The research within risk factors shows some correlations with statistical records of offending and so therefore shouldnt be confused with having discovered the causes of such offending. Risks may be pointed out and may try and be prevented however some youths may be punished for crimes they may have never committed and there is a chance that they may end up offending in the end due to interventions and as a retaliation, so therefore risk prevention management end up becoming a risk itself. So are risk based prevention approaches efficient and effective and have they made a difference to youth offending? The youth crime action plan is a comprehensive, analysis made by the government as to what they are going to do to tackle youth crime (Source: Homeoffice.gov.uk). The government are aware of the risks and have been trying to prevent them. i.e. the risk based prevention methods mentioned earlier. However there is a problem with this. Individuals and families are being targeted purely on the basis that they are risky candidates and therefore being punished for crimes which they have not even committed. Risks are just predictions and probabilities and chances of something which could happen or likely to happen. Its not certain that these risks could become reality. This therefore may seem unfair to those who may fall into the risky category however have no means or intention to commit a crime. Even though there is a chance in being able to prevent youth crime through preve ntion methods there is also a high chance of innocent people being labelled. So the question is whether risk based prevention approaches are fair? A large family in a deprived area may find it patronising for a health professional to come to their home to tell them about how to look after their children, and also may seem unfair because they are being targeted purely because they fall into a risk category, whereas a large family that live in a less deprived may not need such risk prevention methods directed at them. So would it not be fairer and more equal if everyone had the same help and support, because people who dont fall into the risk category may also offend in the future. On the other hand there are good signs of progress made by the government due to their intervention which is making a huge difference to youth crime. It is said that between 2000 and 2007 young offenders who have been reoffending within 12 months fell by 2.7%. the number of youths going into the criminal justice system has made improvements by reducing by 9% from 2006/07 to 2007/8. There has been a decrease in youths using drugs and alcohol (Source: Youth Action Plan 2007) So their youth action plan methods are efficient and effective as there is evidence of improvement however there will always be the minority which prevention methods will not work on. To conclude Risk factors and risk based prevention are important approaches to youth offending as it is important to try and tackle where the root of the problem is coming from and then ways to prevent youth crime from happening. However it is increasingly difficult to predict the patterns of a youths behaviour. Risk factors should not be seen as the causes of the crime, they should be seen as factors which contribute to the problem of crime in the majority circumstance. Risk factors and risk management can work for some people but may not work for others. it seems like people are picked out at random even if they may not even be the problem. There are clearly many problems with risk based prevention approaches which were mentioned in the essay, main one being whether the approaches are fair and whether it is fair for risk factors to target certain people even if they have no intention to commit crime, however it is important to try and deal with crime and trying to prevent it to kee p the level of crime low even if the minority may be unfairly accused. The youth action plan on the other hand shows statistics of improvements made by the governments interventions which shows that risk based prevention approaches are worthwhile. Perhaps giving everyone the same support would be a better approach regardless of whether they are in the risky category because someone who may be out of the categories within the main risk factors may still go on to offend, and it is hard to predict who is at risk of offending as the UK is ever changing and there are far too many factors to consider.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The History of Babylonian Mathematics Essay -- Babylonia Mathematics E

The History of Babylonian Mathematics The history of ancient Babylonia is really long, but this essay is a short and to the point summery of the entire history. The history of Babylonia started near the end of the year 2000 BC, when invaders were attacking the Sumer kingdom. Sumer was a powerful kingdom in the western part of Asia, and it some what occupied what would become Babylonia. After the kingdom of Sumer was destroyed the city-states of Larsa and Isin came into settle on the land once occupied by Sumer. This led to fighting between Larsa and Isin. After hundreds of years of fighting Larsa defeated Isin. But, just as Larsa beat Isin, Hammurabi came to power in the city of Babylonia. Hammurabi went on to defeat Larsa and start a vast kingdom in the place where the Sumer kingdom used to be. Hammurabi was a very powerful military and political leader. Also he set up a code of law stating â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†, this law is called the Hammurabi code and is still used today. Hammurabi’s dynasty was also called the First Dynasty of Babylonia. This dynasty ruled for about 200 years until 1530 BC. Under the control of this dynasty, Babylonia entered a period of prosperity and peace. The Babylonians developed an abstract form of writing based on wedge-shaped symbols. Their symbols were written on wet clay tablets that were baked in the hot sun. Many of thousands of these tablets have survived to this day. They had to use straight lines because curved line could not be drawn in the wet clay. They used these tablets to aid in the calculations of problems. They studied math with the help of these tablets. They studied in mathematics because having a peaceful nation they had no need to specialize in military and warfare, so they learned math and discovered new forms of math. A tribe known as the Kassites began to attack Babylonia when Hammurabi’s son ruled the empire. Over the centuries, the Kassites weakened Babylonia. Finally, around 1530 BC a Kassite dynasty was set up in Babylonia. After about 150 years, the Babylonians and the Kassites lived in peace until the Assyrians attacked Babylonia. They weakened Babylonia so much that the Kassite dynasty fell from power and the Assyrians took control. Because of an influx of many nomadic tribes, Babylonia fell into anarchy for about 200 years. During the 800s B... ...e. And if their table of reciprocals, which was used to help them do math, was used today, it would most likely confuse everybody. But, back then they had to use because they did not have calculators or computers to make math easier. We also don’t use a positional number system where the base is 60 rather than the base of 10. One thing that the Babylonians used that is still in use today is the Pythagorean triples. The study of math he study of math is important because with out math we wouldn’t have all the things we have today, such as computers, cars, planes, space exploring technology, etc. With out math all that stuff, which we take for granted would not be around. We would still be in the dark ages if people with a great understanding for math hadn’t been there to invent new things and pull us out of the dark ages and into the techno age. Even though I may not me a mathematical genius, I realize that with out math I would have to write my whole report out on hand instead of a computer. I could not play my video games or chat online with friends if it wasn’t for math and the understanding of it. The study of math is important to society and probably always will be.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The General Understanding of Technology

â€Å"Technology is not an image of the world but a way of operating on reality. The nihilism of technology lies not only in the fact that it is the most perfect expression of the will to power †¦ but also in the fact that it lacks meaning. † (Octavio Paz) Technology is the general term for the processes by which human beings create tools and machines to increase their control and understanding of the material environment. It is perhaps best understood in a historical context that traces the evolution of early humans from a period of very simple tools to the complex, large-scale networks that influence much of our modern-day life. For the past couple of decades, it has been unclear, whether technology is a positive movement or a path to self-destruction. The debate has led strong arguments from both sides, but the one thing that they both agree on is that technology involves a huge risk. However, the movement toward a technological workplace has been undoubtedly in the works for a long time and no matter what the critics say it will still continue to grow exponentially each year. As the world stumbles toward the twenty-first century, a shadow looms over the planet, a dawn of a new revolution: a revolution of work. Just as human history was forced to cope with the transformations that came with the rise of the Industrial Revolution, we now must deal with the end of that Revolution and the beginning of another. Although this technological revolution in the business world has been the subject of immense media hype and scrutiny in the past few years, it has occurred slowly but surely over the past few decades. The revolution reaches as far back as the invention of the telegraph in the 1850s. The invention of the telephone, fax machine, and more recent developments in wireless communication have offered businesses more flexibility and efficiency, and those willing to embrace these new technologies have found that they are more likely to survive and prosper than fade away as fads. As a result, employers persistently push for technological advancements regardless of the risks. Rumors about computers taking over people†s jobs run rampant through today†s high-speed network of communication. The fear of losing one†s job to a hard-cased metallic box is beyond anyone†s understanding. However strong of a possibility it may be, the technology age is far from it. As Nobel Peace Laureate Arno Penzias, chief scientist at Lucent Bell Labs, said â€Å"†¦ I can't say anything is totally impossible–of a computer, no matter how powerful, replacing a human being. Human beings just do too many different things. † Technology still requires human interaction. For example, at a super-market, if the clerk scans a product over the bar code reader and the reader is unable to read the product correctly, the clerk must manually enter the number into the register. Arno goes on to reiterate that â€Å"Technology is a tool and it can make us whatever we are already, only more so. Today†s technology is in no state to replace humans, but rather is in a state requiring integration of human intuition and machine logic. The result is today's heavily technological workplace, where proficiency with complex phone systems, fax machines, and networked computers is essential. These machines tend not only to liberate but also enslave the common worker. Critics argue that technology can be a positive influence, but with the current situation in which new technology grows each day, it is making more of a negative impact and generating additional hardship for the worker. A report by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) warns that one out of every 10 jobs requiring information technology skills is going unfilled due to a shortage of qualified workers. † Critics claim that workers are unable to keep up with the speed at which technology is being unveiled and that employers are blinded by the â€Å"infinite possibilities† that technology promises. â€Å"It's like running out of iron ore in the middle of the Industrial Revolution,† says the association's (ITAA) president. A study says that an estimated 60% of new jobs in the year 2000 will require skills possessed by only 22% of new workers, thus requiring U. S. companies to send more of their work overseas where they can find eligible job candidates. Technology is a positive movement; however, it plays a key role in many cases of unemployment. As the rate of technological development quickens, those who do not work with these advancements on a day-to-day basis can become detached from the modern industry and consumer demands, thus becoming far less useful to a company. For example, a young employee at a bank in the past could become increasingly useful and valuable to his company as he aged, since his knowledge would be cumulative of all that he had experienced, since the industry would probably not undergo drastic changes in fifty years. Today, however, a 50-year-old manager of a computer firm would have started his career when punch cards were used to collect and store data in programs. For him to keep up with the astounding changes in the computer industry over the past 30 years would be a commendable achievement by itself, let alone running a company at the same time. However, despite the prosperity that technology may bring, the current trend of hardships in a technological workplace has deterred many young workers. A (ITAA) survey showed that 2,000 large and mid-sized companies found at least 190,000 unfilled information technology (IT) jobs. The report cited a decline in college graduates with degrees in mathematics or computer science. Currently, â€Å"With the median age at 40 and climbing, middle-aged and older workers will be the cores of tomorrow's workforce (while younger workers will be scarce)†¦ To compete for the best workers, businesses will offer expanded employee benefits and flex scheduling to accommodate the needs of diverse ages and lifestyles. † These benefits that businesses promise to accommodate their workers with are beginning to appeal more and more in the eyes of younger workers and college grads. According to a study by Newsweek, traces of technological growth are already evident. The top three fastest growing and top paying jobs involve or directly use technology; Database manager at 11. %, Computer engineer at 10. 9%, and System†s Analyst at 10. 3%. The introduction of technology into the workplace sometimes poses difficult challenges for supervisors, and often the manager-employee relationship. Although a worker's access to a phone or computer may theoretically increase his or her productivity, it also introduces new temptations for distraction and wasted time. In addition, employees become more isolated and their relationships with co-workers deteriorate. Client contacts can frequently be handled over the phone or by other electronic means, and although this usually proves more efficient and cost-effective than traditional person-to-person contact, it also results in a depersonalization of this relationship. Technological advancements also sometimes lead to divisions within a company between management and its employees. Management must decide to give workers the freedom associated with many of these technologies and construct a plan for monitoring employees use of these technologies, while keeping in mind that overbearing supervision leads to worker dissatisfaction and distrust of managers. In general, the relationships between individuals of any level of a company tend to suffer with the introduction of new technological methods. In summary, technology has changed our workplaces enormously. It has not only opened up opportunities, but has also changed the very nature of work. In the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial based economy the world has redefined work. Labor meant the men, women, and children in factories. However, those jobs are no longer there. The majority of people are no longer needed for the production of goods in the world with the advent of more modern mechanized production facilities. These trends foreshadow not just change but a seismic quake. A wave of change that will crash upon us with a force we haven†t known before. Many will see this new wave of change as frightening. But, it does not have to be viewed that way. Aside from all the loss and danger our collective future shows, it also offers unparalleled opportunity.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Sarbanes-Oxley’s Act: Article Summary

The article â€Å"Congress Should Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley Act† by William Niskannen discusses reasons and arguments why the law should be annulled. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA) was passed, in 2002 and was considered a response to the collapse of Enron and other corporations with similar problems. Nevertheless, the author views this act as inadequate, harmful and unnecessary. Firstly, the act is viewed as unnecessary because â€Å"the stock exchanges had already implemented most of the SOA changes in the rules of corporate governance in their new listing standards†. p. 12) In other words, Exchange Commission is provided with full authority to enforce and to approve all accounting rules and standards, as well as to control financial statements of their firms. Furthermore, Department of Justice is able to prosecute executives for frauds associated with securities, stocks and bonds. The author claims that Public company Accounting Oversight Boards isn’t useful as it ha s no authorities to regulate remaining independent public auditors. Secondly, the law is viewed as harmful because it â€Å"substantially increases the risks of serving as a corporate officer or director†. (p. 13) The author means that SOA may serve more foreign and small firms, rather than stocks on American exchange. For example, the law suggests banning of loans to corporate officers and it leads to elimination of one of the most effective tools of executive compensation. In such a way, the act reduces incentives of directors and corporate executives to receive legal advice. Finally, the act is viewed as inadequate because it has proved to fail problems of accounting, taxation, corporate governance and auditing. In such a way, SOA increase the risk of bankruptcy. I think that the question whether SOA is effective or should be repealed is rather controversial. On the one hand, it cares for of foreign firms and small businesses, as well as fails to respond to auditing and taxing problems. On the other hand, it is designed as rescue program after Enron scandal. Its goal is to restore reputation and public trust in corporate sector in the USA.