Steps in the Medical Billing Process Essay Example

Steps in the Medical Billing Process Paper Steps in the Medical Billing Process Yolonda Hinojosa HCR/220 November 27, 2011 Deborah Ryan Steps in the Medical Billing Process The sequence of steps in the medical billing process, are as follows: The visit: There are four steps in this category. Step1. Preregister Patients; the patient is preregistered and basic information is taken from the patient. The appointment has to be scheduled or updated and the information that has to be taken is insurance and demographic. Returning and new patients are asked for the medical reason for their visit so the appropriate appointments can be scheduled. Step2. Establish financial responsibility for visits; this step is very important to determine financial responsibility for the visit. Insured patients will be asked questions about what services are covered under their plan, medical conditions that establish medical necessity for the services, what services are not covered, and how much of the bill is the patient responsible for. You must verify patients’ eligibility for their health plan in case it has expired or there has been changes made. Step3. Check in Patients; the new patient has to be checked in when they arrive at their appointment, this is when detailed information for demographic and insurance is collected at the front desk. When a returning patient checks in they are asked to review their information to make sure everything is still the same as the last time they visited. The clerk will also check to make sure that they do not have any past due bills that need to be taken care of. We will write a custom essay sample on Steps in the Medical Billing Process specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Steps in the Medical Billing Process specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Steps in the Medical Billing Process specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Step4. Check-out Patients; the patient will be checked out after their visit with the provider and the provider gives the findings to the check-out clerk so they can record the medical codes for the visit that will be billed to the health plan and the patient. The Claim: There are three steps in this category. Step5. Review coding compliance; the coding compliance must be reviewed in order to insure that they all satisfy official requirements. There are guidelines that must be followed when codes are assigned and checking for oding errors are vital to this review so that the payer will pay the proper charges. Step6. Check billing compliance; the billing compliance is checked for each charge, or fee for a visit, each procedure has a specific code. Separate fees are associated with each code, but not all codes are billable. Step7. Prepare and transmit claims; this step is a major one for the medical billing process in order to assure that the preparation of accurate and timely claims. If this step is skipped then the provider cannot be paid for services rendered. Post Claim: There are three steps in this category. Step8. Monitor payer adjudication; this should be done after claims have been sent to health plans because it is important to collect payment as soon as possible. These payments as well as those from patients are the practice’s accounts receivable and this money is used to run the practice. Step9. Generate Patient statements; the statements must be generated in order for the patient to know the amount they owe after their health plan and any other insurance has paid their portion of the bills. Step10. Follow up patient payments and handle collections; following up patient payments and handling collections is also an important part of the medical billing process, it assures that the patient accounts are paid in a timely manner in order to keep them from going to collections. Patient payments are analyzed regularly for over-due bills. Reference Valerius, J. , Bayes, N. L. , Newby, C. , Seggern, J. I. (2008). Medical Insurance an Integrated Claims Process Approach (3rd Ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Falling In Love †Poem

Falling In Love – Poem Free Online Research Papers 2 Am. She walks while I lay. Breathing heavily. Palms sweating and thoughts running. Emotions have been spilt through the ink I embedded so clearly on the letter I gave you. I Lay contemplating, and these thoughts smothering my sleep. Thoughts of confusion, and an overwhelming desire. A Desire for future; a future. I tilt my head towards the curtain filtering the world, yet gliding with the night’s breath. Slowly I pull my body from comfort and thrust my legs from the covers. Naked and exposed to the unknown I pull my body through the small space between the top and the cill of natures own air-conditioning. Freedom of movement allows me to bask in the moons glow of light. I sink into my minds thoughts. I feel internally cold, freezing; frozen. Is the summer night’s warmth the only thing keeping my body from failing to shutdown? Maybe. I yearn for a moment; a break from the usual pessimistic views, traveling at a speeds science can’t explain down my highway of thoughts. I need the peace she sends. It’s so surreal. Our Love. Just â€Å"us† in general. The dark the light. The un-accepting family, the undeniable; unthinkable love. The girls’ school. Everything is so clichà ©, yet so surprising and so unexpected in all of our ways. It’s hard our love at school, but its how everything started; so why is it seeming more difficult lately? My eyes constantly search and scatter themselves across and down the corridors for the matching eyes staring back. You looking at me. Peace washing and cleaning all uneased feelings throughout my mind. All is healed when the sudden glimpse strikes, even for that mere second, all is then complete. My hand swings limp and bare without the grasp and protection your hand seems to give. Throat parched with the jaw dropping, hanging under its lock and shallow breathing, waiting for your presence. My shoulders cold and uncovered without your arms sheltering their motions. My laugh echo’s aimlessly with no path leading to its destination. This all when you’re not by my side. These, just a few of the things I feel without you next to me. These aren’t just words, but devastating actions that take place within me, with severe loss leaving me empty and searching for your security. I love you. Loving you, to love you means a whole lot more than words of a feeling. Actions take place, then feelings leak and embed themselves within the body. The heart skips at a pace un-timable. The stomach turns in directions, compasses are unable to predict. The mind spins in corners of a circle. The hands leak, though luckily the skin filters. The mind is numb to all but you. If my air could lift you, my throat is at drought. You hold the strings that direct my smile, the cords my laugh bellows and the force behind my tears. You’re the tune to my song and the light to my praises. I admire your strength and love, your passion and care. You are beautiful and you’re my world. Just keep spinning. My thoughts have been broken. Your touch jolts through body, and trapped within my mind I was unable to realize you joined me on the balcony. You eyes searching and flickering at mine. Searching for an answer or truth; perhaps both. I sink. The chair holds me, hugs me and keeps everything from spilling to the ground. You try to speak, but like sand to the tide your voice is smothered by millions of drowning waves and words. I turn away and you drop to your knees. My attention is brought to your body curled onto your knees, hands capturing your tears as they make paths down your innocent cheeks. I start to breathe faster and faster as I try and explain my words on that paper. My mind relapses into emptiness. As I’m about to clutch the perfect confession, you begin to scream. You stare up at me, with eyes of devastation, betrayal and all with sadness and a lost path. Standing and stabilizing your body, your words are flooding from your mouth not attentive to the new path the tears are escaping into. Aware and penitent, I stand and try to hold you. You scream louder and begin to push and slap me, punch and kick. Your words not making any sense and adjoining until you stop and sink into my shoulder. â€Å"Please. No† slip from your moistened lips. A tear escapes from my eye and I apologize. You straighten and collect your self. Searching for your bag and jacket, your head hangs and your eyes pursue to leak emotions replacing the words. I try and stop you, aware that it’s too late. Your eyes finally making connection to mine once again breaks my wall of stabilized explanations. I let you climb through my window. I watch you walk out my door. I hear your foot steps leave their mark for the very last time on my stairs and wait for the door to close. Waiting no more I see you rush to your car trying to collect yourself and failing. Watching my life slip away into the car I barely see your lights down my street and within moments you’re gone. Unable to explain or justify my secret I bawl and spread my body across the balcony. The last action taking place. Ever. Excuse me mam? The hospitals environment making everything so clichà ©, he found the attention he was looking for. â€Å"Mam I’m so sorry, we lost Rachael.† The cancer spread and defenseless I was defeated. Research Papers on Falling In Love - PoemThe Spring and AutumnThe Hockey GameHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionMind TravelPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHip-Hop is ArtLifes What IfsCapital PunishmentComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Taxation - Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Taxation - 1 - Assignment Example   Consumptive taxes are levies on sales of commodities that are subject to use by a business or an individual. While some people understand that a small fee is added on to the buying of commodities in stores, many overlook additional taxes. An example of a consumptive tax is hunting or fishing. Travel fees and toll road levies are also part of consumptive taxes. The IRS carries out three different types of audits: fields audit, office audits, and correspondence audits. If one is audited, the IRS notifies them in writing indicating the type of audit they are conducting. In an office audit, a taxpayer physically takes their documentation to an IRS branch office where IRS examiners review the details of the taxpayer’s documentation. Instances of IRS office audits include circumstances where a taxpayer claims abnormally high deductions and the IRS wants to see the conforming support documents to verify that the information is accurate. A correspondence audit is the mildest audit and normally occurs due to minor mistakes on a taxpayer’s tax returns. Usually, a taxpayer mails the relevant forms and documentations to IRS to complete correspondence audit. The IRS then reviews the full information send by the Customer and closes the audit after addressing all issues. Under Field audit, IRS auditors visit the office or home of the taxpayer to verify that the tax returns were accurate. The main dissimilarity between a field audit and an office audit is that a field audit happens on the premise of the taxpayer while an office audit happens in the IRS branch office. Individuals may request the IRS to perform the field audit at the premise of the taxpayer’s accountant. The main aim of audits from a government’s point of view is to ensure that every taxpayer adheres to the same tax laws and that the taxpayers are reporting and paying taxes correctly. IRS Tax Audits

Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film - Movie Review Example However, the film was nominated for the Academy Awards for best ‘makeup’. Best Character and Scene form the Film The novel ‘Frankenstein’ as well as the film captivates a volley of characters within the plot. The character which is most fascinating and appealing is evidently ‘The Creature’ played by Robert De Niro as it is presented as the product of an experiment with corpse and electricity. The kind of makeup which was put on Niro was definitely quite bizarre and heavy in order to make him awful. The way Robert De Niro carried the makeup throughout the film, makes his acting commendable. The attire and the makeup became a coherent part of his personality throughout the film. The way Robert De Niro displayed the bestial qualities within the creature; it almost compelled the audience to think that he is a real corpse electrified to life incarnated. Also at times, the emotions displayed by the awful creature are not an easy job to exhibit but an expert actor like Robert De Niro could make it possible. For an average or general actor it is not an easy task to portray emotions with attire and make up of a beast.

Lab identification of Clostridum difficil Essay - 1

Lab identification of Clostridum difficil - Essay Example Antibiotics are common in altering the colonic flora, thus the correlation. Today, the infection has attained a global threat level, with deaths in large economies such as the United States estimated at above 14,000 per year. Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile is usually complicated since its outcomes are similar to those shown by other bacteria such as Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens, or Salmonella spp. Several diagnostic methods exist, such as Colonoscopy, stool assays, and medical imaging, vary in their level of efficacy. This study will expound on the several diagnostic techniques of Clostridium difficile with regards to their effectiveness towards its assessment and treatment. Several indicators may lead indicate that one has the Clostridium difficile infection. Common symptoms include excessive recurrent dehydration, fever, tenderness in the lower abdomen, fever in some cases, general body discomfort (malaise), cramping abdominal pain, and diarrhoea that might be watery or in rare cases, bloody. Further suspicion might arise if these symptoms occur in patients who have received antibiotic treatment within three months’ time. Additionally, patients who are hospitalized also stand higher chances of contracting the Clostridium difficile infection. Finally, the diagnosis for the infection might be necessary if a hospitalized patient has recurring diarrhoea for about forty-eight hours. Although most of the mentioned cases are mostly within hospital settings, Clostridium difficile is also common away from medical centres. The risk of infection by Clostridium difficile depends on two factors; the exposure to the bacteria and exposure to antibiotics. The occurrence of Clostridium difficile is highest in infants, accounting for about 84.4%. Residents in long-term care facilities come second with about 57% occurrence, while occurrence in healthy adults accounts for about 5-15%.

The Fencing Problem | Mathematics Problem

The Fencing Problem | Mathematics Problem The Fencing Problem. A farmer has exactly 1000 metres of fencing and wants to fence off a plot of level land. She is not concerned about the shape of the plot, but it must have a perimeter of 1000m. Which shape, with a perimeter of 1000m has the maximum possible area? Let us start off with a isosceles triangles. The area of an isosceles triangle can be computed by using the Area=  ½ base x height formula.   Let us start of with the equilateral triangle. Then each side has length 1000/3=333.4. We need to calculate the height. For this we use trigonometry. The height(h) divides the triangle in two identical right angles. All the angles are equal and add up to 180 ° so angle C is 60 °. Then,   since, tan C= height/adjacent we have that height=tanC x adjacent So area of triangle is  ½ x 166.67 x 333.34 x tan 60 = 48114.4 Next suppose we shorten the base so that it’s 300 m in length. Then the other two sides are 350 m each.   Here we don’t know the angles but we can use Pythagoras’ theorem to obtain the height. We get 150^2+h^2=350^2 which means h^2= 350^2-150^2=100000 and h=316.2 So area of triangle is  ½ x 300 x 316.2=47434.2 Next we shorten the base consecutively another four times and perform the same calculation. The results are displayed in the table below. Base m Side m Area m^2 334.34 333.34 48114.4 300 350 47434.2 250 375 44194.2 200 400 38729.8 150 425 31374.8 100 450 22360.7 It is clear from the table that the area decreases and that the equilateral triangle has the largest area. Next we consider rectangles. A square with a perimeter of 1000 m has sides of length 250 m and thus the area   250250=62 500 squared meters. Let us stretch the square by 25 meters to 275. To keep the 1000 m perimeter the horizontal sides shorten to 225. The area is 275225=61875. We repeat this procedure and show the results in the table below. Hight m Width m Area m^2 250 250 62000 275 225 61875 300 200 60000 325 175 56875 350 150 52500 375 125 46875    We can see that the squre has the greatest area and that the area decrases as the square is stretched. We can see that the area would eventually be zero as the wiidth gets smaller and smaller and close to zero. Also we see that the the square has a greater area than the triangle. Let us examine shapes with more sides to see if the area increases. Thus we should calculate the agrea of a   regular pentagon.   It can be divided into 5 isosceles triangles with each of the sides as a base. Using the same procedure as when we calculated the area of the equilateral triangle we can calculte the area of the triangle in the pentagon. Multiplying by 5 we get the area of the pentagon. Each side has length 1000/5= 200. The angle at the centre is 360/5=72. As this is an isosceles triangle we get that the other two angles are (180-72)/2=54. So height=tan54 x 100 and the area of the triangle is  ½ 200 x tan 54 x 100=13763.8. Now we need to multiply by 5 to get the area of the triangle. We get Area= 68819.1 m This is bigger than the square. Let us construct a formula for the general n-sided polygon. The length od each side is 1000/n. The central angle is 360/n. So the other two angles are (180-360/n)/2 which simplifies to   90 –180/n. That gives the formula for the height h=tan(90 –180/n) x (1000/2n) and the area of triangle is    ½ 1000/n x tan(90 –180/n) x (1000/2n). We need to multiply the number of sides which gives Area=500 x tan(90 –180/n) x 500/n. Using this formula we calculate areas for a n sided polygon as n increases. The results are shown in the table below. Number of sides Side length Area 5 200 68819.1 6 166.7 72168.8 7 142.9 74161.5 8 125 75444.2 9 111.1 76318.8 10 100 76942.1 11 90.1 77401.9 15 66 78410.5 30 33.3 79286.4 1000 1 79577.2 It is clear that as the number of sides increases so does the area. But as the number of sides increases we get closer and closer to the shape of a circle which can be thought of as the an infinitely sided polygon. Thus the shape with the largest area is the ciscle. What is the area of a circle with perimeter of 1000m? 2x Pi x radius=1000 so radius=159.2. From the formula for the area of a circle, Pi x r^2, we get the area 79622.53 The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002: Overview and Impact The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002: Overview and Impact Sarbanes Oxley Companies Abstract The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 was passed on July 30, 2002 and only the public companies are now feeling its impact. This act frequently called the â€Å"most significant accounting or auditing legislation since the securities exchange Act of 1934†. After the implementation it has established its demands to the companies for proper management and disclosure of risk. Nortel networks is a giant corporate in telecom industry and as it is expected they also have faced the challenges come from the SOX act. Some of them are in favor and some are against the Nortel. ‘SOX’ has manipulated a larger impact on Nortel internal employee and external customers as well as their financial statement. The outcome of the Nortel is clearly different from before implementing the SOX. This paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the SOX, how it governs the public corporate, financial disclosure and practice of public accounting in general sense. Besides this it will focus on the outcomes of Nortel network after implementation of SOX and its financial statement. Introduction There have been found a number of corporate financial scandals (e.g. Tyco International) that provides various type of weakness in the governance and auditing practice in the organization. It represents the failures in controlling the reliability and integrity to the stock markets. The scandals cost billions of dollars for the investors when the affected companies were collapsed. As a result, these scandals make upset the public confidence in the nation’s security markets. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act was passed in positive response by the American congress on July 30, 2002 in response to a number of major corporate and accounting scandals and these scandals in result of decreasing the investors or shareholders confident on investing on the share market. To restore their confident, a new regulation from SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) is implemented. The act was granted by a vote of 423-3 by the House and by the Senate 99-0. So, it can be said that the act had not to face approving challenges. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act gives the government a strong control. This act is commonly known as Sox or Sarbox act and it consist of eleven titles. Each title contains different sections and setting from further corporate board tasks to criminal penalties. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act was named after senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael G. Oxley. President George W. Bush signed it into law, stating it included, â€Å"the most far reaching reforms of American business practice since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt†. The established legislation is applicable for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. This new legislation is an enhancement to standardize the process for all US public companies; the companies will become more transparent on company board, Management and public accounting firms. For example, the Tyco International case reduced the confidence and shocked the investors in the listed companies in the share market and the liable reporting authorities. So, the purpose of the act was to recover the confidence and make tight the government rules and regulations on the companies to keep them under control. The consistent financial reporting process is ensured by this act. Consequently, the reliability to the public in accordance with disclosure is increased. The telecom professionals found themselves under the force to fulfill the regulation within a short time. By doing this they can keep away from any criminal accusations. The most important provisions of  the  Sarbanes–Oxley Act include: Accelerated reporting of trades by insiders Public reporting of CEO and CFO compensation and profits. Auditor independence and a prohibition on audit firms offering value-added services. Companies are now required to have an internal audit function, which must be certified by external auditors Certification of financial reports by CEOs and CFOs. This paper presents a real understanding on the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and its impact on the telecom industry. It also provides the controls adopted by the authority to maximize the financial reporting process. Besides these, it would give a clear idea that will act as a guideline on what possible interface control may need to implement to the telecom governance and accounting process. Literature review From a number of financial scandals the act Sarbanes Oxley has been evolved. This act provides some important and practical provisions for the public companies. There are eleven titles under the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 and these are: Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), Auditor independence, Corporate responsibility, Enhanced financial disclosures, Analyst conflicts of interest, Commissions resources and authority, Studies and reports, Corporate and criminal fraud accountability, White collar crime penalty enhancement, Corporate tax returns, Corporate fraud accountability. All these titles provide fifty seven sections overall. The public accounting, public corporate or financial disclosure, all these are the boundary of Sarbanes–Oxley Act. The impact of Sarbanes Oxley 2002 on the Nortel networks in the telecom industry in regarding to its internal employee and external customer. Moreover, the outcomes of the Nortel telecom after the implementation of Sarbanes–Oxley Act. Some implied recommendations from this act and also some limitations of different sections. An overview of SOX act Public company accounting oversight board (PCAOB) Title one has nine section and it establishes public company accounting oversight board. This public company accounting oversight board is to provide independent oversight of public accounting firms providing audit services. It also deals with the auditors registering, defining the specific process, subject to the securities laws, and related matters. It is to ensure the public confidence in the preparation of informative, accurate and independent audit reports. The board will be termed as a body corporate, operated as a nonprofit organization. Auditor independence Title two also consists of nine sections and it establishes the independence of the auditors. This act provides a standard for the external auditors which limit the conflicts of interest. Furthermore, it also refers the approval requirements for the new auditors. Partner rotation policy, conflict interest issues, auditor reporting programs are in this boundary. According to the section 201, it is not approved to do other kind of business for the auditing companies, which are apart from with the same clients. Corporate responsibility Title three consists of eight sections and it emphasizes on the responsibility of the senior executives. The senior executives will be responsible for the accuracy and validity of corporate financial reports. It also establishes the responsibility by the corporate officers about the accuracy and completeness of the corporate financial reports. Besides this, the interaction between external auditors and corporate audit committees has been specified through this act. There would be no improper manipulation on conduct of audits. Forfeiture of certain bonuses and profits, officer and director bars and penalties, insider trades during pension funds blackout periods, fair funds for investors, all these will be treated as the corporate responsibility. For example, according to the section 302, it is implied that the company should be responsible for approving the integrity of their company financial reports. Enhanced financial disclosures There are nine sections in the title four and it mandates the requirements for financial transactions, such as off balance transaction. In addition, pro-forma figures and stock transactions of corporate officers are described under this act. The accuracy and validity of financial reports and disclosures is dependent on the internal controls to be ensured. There is the possibility of material change in financial condition. It enhanced conflict of interest provisions of personal loans to executives. This act provides the disclosures of transactions involving management and principal stockholders. Management assessment of internal controls, exemption, code of ethics for senior financial officers, disclosure of audit committee financial expert, enhanced review of periodic disclosures by issuers, real time issuer disclosures are the section included in this title. Analyst conflicts of interest This title consist only one section and it emphasizes on to restore the confidence of the investors in the reporting of securities analyst. This title defines the code of conduct that is applicable for the securities analyst and it emphasis the disclosure of knowable conflict of interest. Commissions resources and authority This title six consists of four sections and provides practices to recover the confidence in securities analysts. It also defines the authority of Security Exchange Commission to censure or bar securities professionals from practice. It also provides the information about which person can and cannot be barred from practicing as a broker, advisor or dealer. Studies and reports Title seven consists of five sections and enhances the conducting research to prevent the violence that may occur by the SEC registrants and auditors. Effects of consolidation of public accounting firms or role of credit rating agencies in the operation of securities market or securities violations and enforcement actions, and whether investment banks assisted and others to influence earnings and obfuscate of true financial condition are the boundary of this title. Corporate and criminal fraud accountability Title eight ‘corporate and criminal fraud accountability’ consists of seven sections and it is referred to as the â€Å"corporate and criminal fraud act of 2002†. Specific criminal penalties for fraud manipulation and destruction or alteration of financial records or other interference with investigation all these are provided by this act. White collar crime penalty enhancement Title nine â€Å"white collar crime penalty enhancement† consist of two sections and this section is also known as â€Å"white collar crime penalty enhancement act of 2002†. This section of title nine defines the criminal penalties that associated with white collar crimes and conspiracies. It provides the more reliable guidelines and specially adds failure to certify corporate financial reports as a criminal offense. Corporate tax returns Title ten â€Å"corporate tax returns† consists of only one section which states that the chief executive officer should sign the company tax return. Corporate fraud accountability Title eleven â€Å"corporate fraud accountability† consists of sevens sections. According to the section 1101 it has been recommended that this title can be named as â€Å"corporate fraud accountability act of 2002†. This act is to find out the corporate fraud and records which could temper the criminal offenses. It identifies these offenses and joins those offenses to specific penalties. This not only provides this description but also revises sentencing guidelines and strengthens their penalties. Conceptual framework of this study This paper conducts a study about the impact of SOX act on the telecom company. The Sarbanes Oxley 2002 act is to present a detailed report on a company’s internal controls over the SEC. in addition, the overall review of SOX in a short way to understand deeply is the framework of this study. It would be difficult to get the right information from the respondents. The respondents may be unaware about the significance of the survey. Besides this, complexity in data collecting system may hamper the study paper. Multifaceted questions and difficult language is an obstacle to get the proper records. So, easy and understandable language will be used. Sarbanes–Oxley Act 2002 and the practice of public accounting According to the Sarbanes–Oxley Act 2002 all public accounting firms who wish to provide auditing function for the purpose of publicity traded companies need to register with the board. This act provides the scope of audit practice and reports, details investigation and defines conflict-of-interest prohibition. The SOX itself has changed or affect the practice of public accounting system of Nortel. Nortel believes that all adjustment is necessary for presenting a fair financial statement. It expected to everyone that the practice of public accounting will be fair in a manner. Before the Sarbanes–Oxley Act passage, the firms did not have to usually disclose stock-opinion grants to the Security and Exchange Commission unless the close of the business year. The firms had to disclose the stock-opinion within two business days after issuance. Sarbanes–Oxley Act has become now a law. Accounting, financial reporting and tracking of sales activities all these are affected by this act. Sarbanes Oxley is to be said as a mandatory which is applicable for all listed companies in the U.S. whether foreign or not and compliance is not an option. In case of Nortel the effects of SOX has begun. Like much of the business community, the public financial report is very crucial to present in a systematic way. The growing number of restatement and so many other certain public accounting practices which shake the public confidence in the financial reporting system has been seen for a long time. Although it is difficult to measure the effect of accounting issues on the investor confidence, various efforts to find out investor confidence have been made. For example, a survey based index provides the public opinion in regarding to the accounting practice. Public cite public accounting practice as a difficult and complex issue, which has negative impact on the stock market. Some surveys indicate that after implementation of Sarbanes–Oxley Act in July 2002. â€Å"Other sources such as empirical research studies and academic experts generally suggest accounting issues have negatively affected overall investor confidence and raised questions about the integrity of U.S. markets†. (GAO October, 2002). According to the Sarbanes–Oxley Act 2002 in the audit committee at least one member would be financially literate. The audit committee consists of minimum three members. However, SOX puts a strong emphasis on audit committee function with respect to the company’s relation with an external auditor. As a result the audit committee of each issuer becomes directly responsible appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any registered public accounting company employed by that issuer. (Didenko Pavel) At first Sarbanes–Oxley Act creates a nonprofit corporation that is â€Å"public company accounting oversight board† or PCAOB. Its â€Å"five SEC-appointed members (of whom two will be CPAs), financed by new public company fees, will register, inspect and discipline public accounting firms, including foreign firms in certain cases, as well as establish and enforce auditing, quality control, and independence standards.†(McTamaney, Aug 9 2002). Because of the new Sarbanes–Oxley Act the audit firm itself now will turn around its guide audit partner every five years. Hence, the sec 103 of the Sarbanes Oxley enhances public accounting firms to prepare, maintain and continue a period of time which is not less than 7 years. Section 104 allows the advisory board to maintain and review all audit papers for a period of 5 years from the end of the fiscal period. The section 105 of SOX provides the authorization to the oversight board to perform a wide investigation of auditing firms. Besides the auditing firms associated persons are to be conducted through broad investigation and the act authorizes the board to â€Å"require the production of audit work papers and any other document or information in the possession of a registered public accounting firm or any associated person thereof.† (Patzakis John, 2003). Accounting did not cause the recent corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom. Unreliable financial statements were the results of management decisions, fraudulent or otherwise. To blame management’s misdeeds on fraudulent financial statements casts accountants as the scapegoats and misses the real issue. Reliable financial reports rely to a certain extent on effective internal controls, but effective internal controls rely to a large extent on a reliable management system coupled with strong corporate governance. (A management system is a process of planning, executing, and control for all business processes in an organization.)

Verbal Reaction Times Experiment Essay -- Stroop 1935 experiment

This report aimed to replicate Stroop's (1935) experiment. Using the repeated measures design and a sample of 20 students, differences in verbal reaction times on two tests were observed. The one-tailed hypothesis predicted that it would take longer to say words in the Cc, this is the conflicting condition where the colour of the word differs from the colour that the word describes. It was found that, using the t-test for related data, this hypothesis could be accepted as the obtained value was much greater then the critical value. It can therefore be concluded that visual interference does affect people's verbal reactions. Introduction In 1935 John Ridley Stroop published his Ph.D. thesis entitled 'Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions' - the findings of which became known as 'the Stroop Effect'. Stroop mentioned many studies in his work but the two that are most relevant for this report are Brown (1915) and Telford (1930), they conducted very similar investigations into colour associations and colour recognition patterns respectively. This area of research is known as controlled and automatic processing, it involves studies into how humans cope with divided attention such as multi-tasking. This could be anything from the simple dishwashing and listening to music simultaneously, to complex shadowing of continuous prose presented in one ear, whilst also typing up a separate prose presented to the other ear via headphones (Shaffer 1975). With their two-process theory, Shiffrin and Schneider (1977) make useful distinctions between controlled and automatic processing. They are as follows: controlled processing... ...1930) 'Differences in responses to colours and their names.' J. Genet. Psychol. An Experiment on the Stroop effect and hearing, http://www.ul.ie/~cscw/mikael/stroop.html British Psychological Society Code of Conduct for Psychologists, http://trapdoor.glos.ac.uk/ess/soss/ethics/appendix4.htm Cognitive Psychology, Wadsworth CogLab online laboratory, http://coglab.wadsworth.com/experiments/Stroop/ Neuropsychological Model of the Stroop Effect, http://www.uwm.edu/~neuropsy/Strpmast.html Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect, http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html Parametric Assumptions, http://www.sgcorp.com/normality_tests.htm The Stroop Effect - Attention and Memory, http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~bgbauer/chapters/stroop.html The t-test, http://trochim.human.edu/kb/stat_t.htm

Macbeth: The Bloodbath Essay

Macbeth is by far the bloodiest of William Shakespeare’s plays. It begins with a civil war battle between the Scottish and Norwegian army, where Macbeth embodies his heroic and courageous figure. However, Macbeth eventually transforms into a villain, who murders the innocent with a lust for power. For the most part, blood is symbolic of violence and destruction. The frequent repetition of this imagery represents the murder, and the emotion following the murder, which is guilt. Shakespeare uses imagery of blood throughout the play to exemplify and express the guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after their deeds. After each murder, the act of guilt and regret increases. However, Macbeth soon accepts the fact that he will never be the same after murdering Duncan, which hardens him. Since he will never be the good captain he was at the civil war, he goes on killing left and right. Shakespeare’s nuance use of blood imagery traces Macbeth’s moral transformation from goo d to evil. Though Macbeth is known as an evil figure throughout the play, him as the heroic captain towards the beginning exemplifies the good character he could have been. During the civil war, Macbeth is known as a wounded captain who performs an action that is unlike him through the rest of the book. After Macbeth completes his good deed, he says, â€Å"For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution† (1.2.18-20). Macbeth has killed Macdonwald, a leader of the Norwegian forces fighting the Scottish. The blood that pours out of Macdonwald’s flesh represents good blood. The murder is for the sake of Scotland, which brings peace and victory. As a result of victory, Macbeth is given a new title: â€Å"Go, pronounce his present / death, / And with his former title greet Macbeth† (1.3.74-6). Duncan has given the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth. However, this victory is very much the begin ning of Macbeth’s downfall because of his gradual lust for power. Although guilt and regret express Macbeth’s concern for the deeds he has done, he soon accepts the fact that he will never be the same after Duncan’s murder. The good blood that is shed after the murder of Macdonwald is the only good blood in the play. After Macbeth murders Duncan, he begins to realize that he will never be the same, â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine† (2.2.78-80). The blood imagery represents his life changing forever because the blood of Duncan (the murder) will never go away. Not even Neptune, the God of the sea can wash it away. This murder is used for only Macbeth’s benefit, which sheds bad blood. In addition, the blood imagery also epitomizes the guilt and regret that follows the murder. Macbeth has now dug himself in a hole that is nearly impossible to get out. After the death of Banquo, there are a series of times where Macbeth meets the ghost of Banquo. Once Macbeth sees him for the second time, he says, â€Å"I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er† (3.4.168-170). Macbeth says that he might as well continue killing because he has nothing to lose. It is like he is an evil, immortal killing machine that will not stop. He has already killed Duncan, Banquo, and will soon kill the family of Macduff. Moreover, Macbeth is regretting his crimes because he thinks about returning to his old self. Though Macbeth seems to love Lady Macbeth unconditionally, blood and murder has brainwashed him so much, that her death does not even faze him. Lady Macbeth is the reason for the start of Macbeth’s downfall. Furthermore, she brainwashed, taunted, and persuaded him to kill Duncan, which led to his collapse. After Macbeth hears about the cry of his woman, he says, â€Å"I have supped full with horrors, / Direness, familiar to my slaughterhouse thoughts, / Cannot once s tart me† (5.5.15-17). Macbeth exemplifies his decline and is not bothered by this cry because he has experienced his own bloody terrors. Murder and blood has scarred his life forever, ruining his relationship with his wife. During the final face off between Macbeth and Macduff, Macbeth says, â€Å"But get thee back. My soul is too much charged / With blood of thine already† (5.8.6-7). The blood imagery represents each and every one of his murders in the past. Furthermore, Macbeth admits his burdens to Macduff and is reluctant to fight him. Macbeth  is conscious that he has already killed his family and is sure of killing him too if they fight. As a result, Macbeth is the one drowning in his own blood by the blade of Macduff. Shakespeare uses blood imagery to ultimately stress the overwhelming guilt and regret that Macbeth feels after each murder. It is like a reminder of the wicked crimes that have been committed. In addition, blood imagery guides the reader through Macbeth’s path and transformation from good to evil and his downfall. Blood and murder blind Macbeth from what is and was most important to him at the start; Lady Macbeth. It is almost as if his life tarnished and is meaningless as more blood piles on throughout the play. After Duncan’s death, his mind revolves solely around his lust for power, which leads to his downfall.

A Masters in Education for a Young Teacher Essay Example

A Masters in Education for a Young Teacher Essay Example A Masters in Education for a Young Teacher Essay A Masters in Education for a Young Teacher Essay Teachers who have, in essence, just begun their careers often jump on the first job they can find after college. After all, it’s difficult to get into particular school districts and sometimes there are no options when it comes to choosing exactly what grade you want to teach. It’s best to simply get your foot in the door and make changes from the inside as more opportunity becomes available. The need or desire to get a job right out of the gate is one of the reasons that many who have received their undergraduate degree in education bypass the choice to go straight on to earning their Master’s Degree. It may be that their expenses are such that they can no longer afford going to school full time and must get a job in order to support further schooling, or they may find themselves with a career opportunity that they simply cannot pass up, especially in this economy. But now immersed in that job and getting comfortable with the school and the classroom, that new teacher may still not want to lose the momentum she had gained through her undergraduate work; momentum, she has been told, that is difficult to recapture when you let too much time go by between earning an undergraduate degree and continuing on in a Master’s program. The option, of course, is to look at online learning where the ability to pursue degree programs in everything from Nonprofit Management to a Masters in Education is possible. This type of learning is fast becoming the most popular choice for those who are interested in continuing school in a non-traditional manner; something that supports their schedule and allows them the flexibility and control that they need to manage a multitude of responsibilities including family and a full time job.

Isoelectronic Definition - Chemistry Glossary

Isoelectronic Definition - Chemistry Glossary Isoelectronic refers to two atoms, ions or molecules that have the same electronic structure and the same number of valence electrons. The term means equal electric or equal charge. Isoelectronic chemical species typically display similar chemical properties. Atoms or ions with the same electronic configurations are said to be isoelectronic to each other or to have the same isoelectronicity. Related Terms: Isoelectronicity, Valence-Isoelectronic Isoelectronic Examples The K ion is isoelectronic with the Ca2 ion. The carbon monoxide molecule (CO) is isoelectronic to nitrogen gas (N2) and NO. CH2CO is isoelectronic to CH2NN. CH3COCH3 and CH3NNCH3 are not isoelectronic. They have the same number of electrons, but different electron structures. The amino acids cysteine, serine, tellurocysteine, and selenocysteine are isoelectronic, at least with respect to valence electrons. More Examples of Isoelectronic Ions and Elements Isoelectronic Ions/Elements Electron Configuration He, Li+ 1s2 He, Be2+ 1s2 Ne, F- 1s2 2s2 2p6 Na+, Mg2+ 1s2 2s2 2p6 K, Ca2+ [Ne]4s1 Ar, S2- 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 S2-, P3- 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 Uses of Isoelectronicity Isoelectronicity may be used to predict the properties and reactions of a species. It is used to identify hydrogen-like atoms, which have one valence electron and are thus isoelectronic to hydrogen. The concept may be applied to predict or identify unknown or rare compounds based on their electronic resemblance to known species.

Iran Mideasts Model Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Iran Mideasts Model Economy - Essay Example However the uniqueness of emerging markets presents both opportunities and challenges. Iran from the facts found in the case study may be strategically treated as an emerging market presenting new opportunities as well as challenges. The foremost challenge Iran faces is the trade sanctions from the United States that has hampered the inflow of foreign direct investments in to the country. If the country can solve its political and economic problems the country would be able to equal the economic growth of China in a very short time. The results of the last Parliament elections though disqualified the reformist candidates still a number of business minded focused on economic issues have been elected. However the progress in the economic reforms cannot be expected to take place at a faster pace. There are numerous challenges the country has to pace on the economic front. The amount of subsidies the government has to shell out on almost all the imported products from wheat till the impo rted fuel. The exports of non-oil products are very meager. Most of the manufacturing pants run in losses. The control of more than 50 percent of the economic activity is in the hands of various government departments and religious charities.

An advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An advertisement - Essay Example The predominantly blue background, symbolizing a blue paper has lightening hue from darker shade at the top portion to lighter shade at the bottom. Thus, the white background representing the magazine page was seen to contain a supposedly sheared and crumpled blue paper symbolizing a perfectly slim image effectively complements the orange color of the product. The ad actually elicited enhanced audience appeal in terms of being intrigued and wanting to find out more about the product from the way the ad is presented. As such, the audience would find out greater details from the text and from the product label. However, since the presentation tends to be exhibited more on a formal structure, due to the absence of any model or celebrity to endorse it, it has tendencies to exclude luring appeal from the younger population. The product is the main thrust and focus in the ad: being at the center of the print ad and where the product image occupies more than 50% of the page. Thus, the product is obvious and easily detected. In addition, since its image is presented through the actual visual representation of the product, the appropriate product label that gives crucial information is effectively provided. There is a text message situated at the top-most portion of the page with large font and white in color over the blue background. Another smaller set of text messages is shown just above of the lid of the bottle in darker blue font. Plus, the printed page of magazine at the background could be seen as a typical full narrative page in black text and typical sized font on a predominantly white background. Finally, only the text from the product label could be seen in this ad. As above mentioned, the texts of the advertisements are diversely presented. The text at the topmost portion of the page says: ‘For a slimming feel’ which is typed in two different font sizes. The words ‘For a’ and ‘feel’ have the same white color and size; while