Femininity and Gender Roles in Films The Graduate and The Last Picture Show :: Gender Stereotypes, Sex-role Stereotypes

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society has set certain standards that women are supposed to follow. The most common image of women is that they are very passive and try to avoid conflict in any situation. More and more in society women are breaking down the social barriers that confine them to their specific roles. The movies The Graduate and The Last Picture Show reveal to viewers a side to females that is very nontraditional. These two movies help to show how women are rebelling against sexual social norms, and they are taking a more active and aggressive role when dealing with heterosexual relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women in today’s society seem to be having a very difficult time expressing themselves without dealing with lots of criticism. Common values are standing in the way of women’s drive toward molding themselves into whatever they desire. Our culture has made standards about how should women look, act, and conduct themselves that greatly limits what they can do, and still gain respect. Martin S. Fiebert and Mark W. Meyer state that, â€Å"[there are] more negative [gender] stereotypes for men than for women.† This idea doesn’t seem to have a great amount of validity in our present society. Society set certain standards that men are supposed to live up to such as strength and confidence, which are more behavioral characteristics. Women seem to be more trapped than men by societies standards because they are supposed to live up to standards dealing with beauty and size, which are more physical characteristics These specific guidelines have be en set by society that are sometimes unattainable for a majority of women. The women that follow the specific criteria are greatly respected, and the ones that try and be innovative usually are criticized if not disliked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie The Graduate depicts a story about an older woman named Mrs. Robinson who is tired with her marriage and sex life and decides to spice up her life a bit with a different man. She notices a youthful man named Benjamin Braddock who just graduated from college and is very inexperienced sexually. She decides to seduce the young man, and does it quite successfully even though she is a married woman with a daughter the same age as Benjamin. Most mothers would consider Mrs. Robinson’s situation as inappropriate because it does not send the traditional image to her daughter of what is right for women to do. While trying to seduce Benjamin, Mrs.

Rocking Horse Winner and The Destructors Essay -- Graham Greene D.H. L

Rocking Horse Winner and The Destructors There are many differences and similarities between Graham Greene’s â€Å"The Destructors† and D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner.† One general difference is that in â€Å"The Destructors† the setting is in Great Britain, after the bombing had happened during World War 1, when the buildings were destroyed. The setting of â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner† is a suburban community located on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. This one distinct difference affects the entire background of each story. The setting of â€Å"The Destructors† brings mood and feeling into the story were ass the setting of â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner† is just a general setting which could be changed and would not have a significant affect on the story as a whole. One general similarity between the two stories is that they both have a young boy as the main character, but the use of this character is very different in each story. The boy in â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner† is more innocent and unknowing of the evil the world can hold, he also hasn’t reached the rebellion stage of adolescence. In the other story â€Å"The Destructors† you have â€Å"T† who comes from a high class English family but is forced into poverty by the war, but he has already begun his rebellion against what is â€Å"good.† The similarities and differences between money, class, and family values in the stories are much more significant because they have more affect on each story and on the reader. One of the key differences between â€Å"...

Computers And Strategic Games :: Technology Thinking Papers

Computers and Strategic Games We all know that computers can help a jumbo jet land safely in the worst of weather, aid astronauts in complex maneuvers in space, guide missiles accurately over vast stretches of land, and assist doctors and physicians in creating images of the interior of the human body. We are lucky and pleased that computers can perform these functions for us. But in doing them, computers show no intelligence, but merely carry out lengthy complex calculations while serving as our obedient helpers. Yet the question of whether computers can think, whether they are able to show any true intelligence has been a controversial one from the day humans first realized the full potential of computers. Exactly what intelligence is, how it comes about, and how we test for it have become issues central to computer science and, more specifically, to artificial intelligence. In searching for a domain in which to study these issues, many scientists have selected the field of strategic games. Strategic games requ ire what is generally understood to a high level of intelligence, and through these games, researchers hope to measure the full potential of computers as thinking machines (Levy & Newborn 1). From the beginning, some have argued that computers would never be good at strategic games until humans themselves understood how they themselves played and then modeled computers to play the same way. Most computer scientists felt that humans carried out highly selective searches, and programmers initially set out to have their programs do the same. It was believed that special-purpose computer languages in which gaming concepts could be easily expressed were necessary. There were some that argued that although human intuition could not be programmed, it was required for top-level play. Computers have improved gradually over the years from the point of barely making legal moves to the current state of being world-class players. On the surface, they do not seem to imitate the human thought process, but upon closer examination, one begins to sense that they do. How exactly do computers play strategic games? The best way of answering this question is to look at how computers play the g ame of chess, as this game in order to be mastered requires what we consider to be the highest level of intelligence. Among all the strategic games, the game of chess has been studied the most by AI researchers with the objective of making chess-playing machines that can defeat the best human players.

No Link Between Autism and Vaccination

According to the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association, autism is a developmental disability, manifesting itself before the age of three, and resulting from a disorder of the central nervous system.   The developmental disability is diagnosed with the use of specific criteria for impairments in the areas of communication, basic social interaction, the interests of affected individuals, and their imagination as well as activities.   Autistic children are known to be slow at basic processes like language acquisition that healthy children are known to learn quickly (â€Å"Autism†). The causes of autism are controversial, which is why it is possible for people to formulate a host of theories on the causes of this developmental disability (â€Å"Autism†).   A British study published in February 1998 was misinterpreted by countless people who believed that the data provided proof that the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine was responsible for autism in children.   The study was conducted by a team of thirteen scientists with Dr. Andrew Wakefield of Oxford University as the team leader. After it was discovered that parents had begun to fear the MMR vaccine because a debate had been waged with regards to the data presented in their study, ten of the thirteen authors of the study report made the following statement which was published on the BBC website: â€Å"We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism, as the data were insufficient† (Jackson). The demand for vaccination fell in the United Kingdom after the data in the above mentioned study had been misunderstood, and the misinterpreted information had been publicized.   This meant that children could no longer be protected from measles, mumps, and rubella.   In point of  fact, it was found that a significant number of families had entirely given up on the idea of vaccination for their children. Some parents had opted for single vaccines rather than the MMR at the time, but health organizations and the UK government warned that even single vaccines put children at risk (Burke).   What is more, even some doctors in the United States had begun to believe that the MMR vaccination was responsible for autism.   Globalization had spread the rumor overseas.   According to Dr. Mary Megson from Virginia, The segment of children with â€Å"regressive autism,† the form where children develop normally for a period of time then lose skills and sink into autism, most commonly at 18-24 months of age, is increasing at a phenomenal rate.   I am seeing several children in the same family affected, including in the last week four cases of â€Å"autistic regression† developing in four-year-old children after their MMR and DPT vaccination.   In the past, this was unheard of. The doctor from Virginia advised that the implementation of safe vaccine policies should become a first priority, seeing that vaccination cannot be kept away from children (Megson).   The doctor had believed that there was definitely a link between autism and vaccination.   As a matter of fact, many doctors believed what Dr. Megson had believed.   This is because the link between MMR vaccination and autism was that of â€Å"coincidental-timing.†Ã‚   In other words, the symptoms of autism began to occur around the same time as the vaccination. Hence, parents began to falsely believe that the vaccine was indeed responsible for autism.   Dr. Ken Haller, who works as a primary care pediatrician with the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital explained  the false belief thus: â€Å"When something terrible happens to a child, everyone wants a reason for it†¦Ã‚   As a physician, it's very difficult for me, when I see a kid who's diagnosed with autism or a seizure disorder, to say we have no idea why this happened.   But people want to grasp onto something; that's human nature. (Jackson)† The â€Å"insufficient† data in the study conducted by Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues could not find a link between autism and vaccination.   So, two different groups of investigators in the United States attempted to find out whether there was truly a link between autism and vaccination.   Dr. James A. Kaye and his colleagues at the Boston University used the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database to find out whether 254 boys suffering from autism in their study were actually suffering because of MMR vaccination. Dr. Loring Dales and her colleagues at the California Department of Health Services in Berkeley performed a similar study during the same time.   Both of these studies eventually showed that there is no link whatsoever between autism and vaccination.   The results of both of these studies actually showed that while the use of vaccination remained constant over time, the cases of autism increased dramatically among children without vaccination being responsible for the increase (Kubetin). Although it had already been clearly proven that there is definitely no link between autism and vaccination, the developed world where the debate on autism and vaccination had been waged was seeking a truly comprehensive study to show whether there really is a link between autism and vaccination, or not.   K. Madsen, A. Hvii, and M. Vestergaard report on exactly the kind of study that was being sought and finally conducted on Danish children: This is the most direct evaluation of whether MMR causes autism published to date. Though all epidemiological studies conducted in recent years have found no association between the MMR vaccine and onset of autism, design limitations have left some doubt about this issue.   This historical cohort included all Danish children born between 1991 and 1998 when prevalence rates for autism and autistic spectrum disorders were increasing.   Because of the thoroughness of the Danish system of registration, ascertainment of vaccination status and health problems was remarkably accurate and complete.   Since the cohort was composed of the entire population, both vaccinated and unvaccinated children had the same risk of autism prior to exposure to the vaccine.   Nearly all children were accounted for at the end of the study period.   Specialists using the same diagnostic classification system made the diagnosis of autism in a uniform manner. No doubt, this was the comprehensive study with ‘sufficient data’ that parents were seeking the results of.   The design of the study was virtually immaculate.   Most importantly, the study showed once again that there was no difference in the risk of autism in the children that were vaccinated verses those that were not vaccinated.   Moreover, the cases considered as part of the study were not clustered at any point after the immunization.   Madsen et al. report that the registry data that was used did not contain information on children that were suffering from developmental regression.   Hence, the issue that there might be children who show vulnerability to vaccination, could not be ruled out.   If there is a group of such children, the risk for vaccinated  children would be greater than 1.   However, the opposite turned out to be true – that is, there is definitely no risk of autism in children especially because of vaccination. Because the size of the sample of children studied was extraordinarily large, and there was no evidence to show that there is a link between autism and vaccination, Madsen et al. concluded that parents should fearlessly continue to vaccinate their children in order to avoid future outbreaks of disease.   Given that parents had previously only trusted false interpretations of the British study that had seemed to show a link between autism and vaccination, it is now time to give up the false belief entirely.   Science is based on real facts, which is why we all trust scientific information. We have been shown through several studies that there is certainly no link between autism and vaccination.   There have been more studies of the same kind with the same results that we have not discussed.   Future studies may similarly show that there is no link between autism and vaccination.   Even so, parents cannot keep their children from immunization waiting for future studies of the same kind, churning out the same results.   The future of children is at stake without vaccination.   The scientific evidence that has been found thus far is sufficient. Works Cited â€Å"Autism.† (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism. (4 April 2007). Burke, Maria. â€Å"Every parent's choice? Autism and vaccination — the jury's out.† Chemistry and Industry (2002, February 18). Jackson, Harry Jr. â€Å"Debate on autism and vaccination started after British medical study.† St. Louis Post-Dispatch (2004, May 28). Kubetin, Sally Koch. â€Å"MMR Vaccination Not Tied to Rise in Autism Rate.† Clinical Psychiatry News (2001, July 1). Madson, K., A. Hvii, and M. Vestergaard. â€Å"There is little evidence that combined vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella is associated with autism.† Evidence-Based Mental Health (2003, May 1). Megson, Mary. â€Å"Autism and Vaccinations.† The Weston A. Price Foundation (2004, March 16). Retrieved from http://www.westonaprice.org/children/index.html. (3 April 2007).         

Our Enviorment

The earths population is growing every day. Every second, on average, five children are born somewhere on the earth. This is a growing rate of 10,000 new births per hour, 90 million per year. The world population is currently 5. 8 billion. The current growth rate is 1. 7%, if this continues the population will double in 41 years. The largest populated country is China, and this is by a land sweep. The United States is third in population, India being second. O-zone Depletion is the ozone levels in the stratosphere over the South Pole that are dropping precipitously during September and October every year at the end of the, polar winter. This has been happening since 1960 and maybe earlier just unnoticed. The largest ozone hole was reported in Antarctica in 1997. Approximately 10% of all stratospheric ozone was destroyed in 1997. The loss of ozone is in result of UV reaching the earth in result of one million more skin cancers. The extremely cold winters in Antartica, that cause ice crystals are also a factor in the depletion. Human on Earth release many chlorine-containing molecules into the ozone that are harmful. These things are very persistent and they keep destroying our ozone. Global warming is said to accelerate if the ozone was restored. When one environmental factor is destroyed, another is affected. Burning fossil fuel, agriculture, deforestation, and Industrial processes are all factors in global warming. Many anthropogantic gases cause global warming such as, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Acid Rain is the deposition of wet acidic solution or dry acidic particles from the air. Air pollutants, including mospheric acids that can be transported long distance are all known as acid rain. The air pollutants are said to be affecting the lakes in North America and destroying many forests. Acid Rain also destroys many monuments and buildings. There are many different hazardous things affecting our environment. Many people only look at the murder, deaths, and pollution here on earth that are visible. What people fail to notice is there are many hazards happening to our earth that can not be seen.

Doe Season

Doe Season In the short story Doe season, David Kaplan creates a character named Andrea, who would rather be called Andy. Doe Season is not simply a story about a young girl’s hunting trip with her father and friends. During the few days that Andy is on the hunting trip, she takes an incredible journey trying to find out who she really is. Usually, hunting deer is an event reserved for young men and their fathers. Yet, it is through this outing that Andy experiences a rite of passage into womanhood. All through her life Andy has acknowledged herself as being able to relate to male figures and being more similar to her father than her mother.Andy is a young girl who enters the world of a boy's rite of passage to adulthood, experiences an internal journey through the group’s teasing, the killing of the doe, and the transformation of changing from Andy to Andrea. As Andy reflects on past journeys, the family trip to the beach stands out in her mind. She is very uncomfortab le with her feminine side. Unlike her mother, Andy and her father were both nervous in the ocean. Her mother swam and splashed with animal-like delight while her father smiling shyly, held his white arms above the waist-deep water as if afraid to get them wet (513).Andy associates more readily with her father. The naturalness of womanhood only makes Andy uncomfortable. After her mother’s top falls down in the ocean, Andy is embarrassed and quickly looks around to see if anyone has noticed (514). â€Å"The nipples like two dark eyes,† symbolizes Andy’s feelings that being feminine is similar to being grotesque instead of having elegant and beautiful qualities. Yet, this whole time Andy is unconcerned if anyone has noticed how foolish her father must look in the water trying to stay dry (514).In the beginning of the story, there is emphasis on the woods always remaining the same. The woods stretch inevitably and offer a sense of security and safety. Even while hun ting, the same woods lead back toward home where Andy’s mother is waiting for them. She is there and we are here, the thought satisfied Andy (511). When Mac, Charlie’s son, mentions to Andy that Canada is nearby, Andy rejects the idea. These same woods could not possibly go to a foreign country that is not part of home. Just as Andy is emerging into a new person, the woods around her are no longer the same s they were when she originally left home by the end of the journey. Both Charlie and Mac do not like, nor understand the idea that Andy is coming along on their hunting trip to the Pennsylvania countryside. Charlie continually questioning Andy’s father: Charlie Spoon was driving. â€Å"I don’t understand why she’s coming,† he said to her father. â€Å"How old is she anyway—eight? † â€Å"Nine,† her father replied. â€Å"She’s small for her age. † â€Å"So—nine. What’s the difference? Sheâ €™ll just add to the noise and get tired besides† (511). This goes to show that Charlie does not believe that girls or women should go hunting.He does not think that Andy is capable of keeping up with the men, this is very stereotypical. Culture has changed and it is now acceptable for women to go hunting and do outdoor activities. There are many women and girls who go hunting with their fathers in today’s world, but there are still men that think it’s a man’s job. Andy’s father does not see a problem with Andy going hanging with the guys. He sticks up for her every time Charlie and Mac ask why she’s coming with. When Charlie repeatedly stated that he didn’t understand why she was coming, Andy’s father says, â€Å"She can walk me to death.And she’ll bring good luck, you’ll see† (511). He is okay with Andy coming along because she wants too. He sees no difference between him and Andy going hunting than Ch arlie and Mac. Doe Season ends with Andy watching â€Å"her father’s knife sliced thickly from chest to bell to crotch† (521). When Andy’s father begins to gut the deer, Andy has an epiphany. She realizes that, no matter how much she tries, she cannot become part of the male society. She then runs away from everyone. This gesture of turning her back and fleeing from her male companions shows that she finally accepts the fact that she is different from men.The transformation within her is already complete. Then she listens to the sound of the wind which aptly reminds her of the â€Å"terrible, now inevitable sea† (521). The sea now becomes inevitable, owing to the fact the she recognizes she can no longer deny her true identity. She turns from the woods. Which suddenly became strange to her, to the calling ocean, heeding her real destiny- that of becoming a woman. Work Cited Kaplan, David Michael. Doe Season. Literature. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writ ing. EdLaurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 511-521. Print. Doe Season Doe Season In the short story Doe season, David Kaplan creates a character named Andrea, who would rather be called Andy. Doe Season is not simply a story about a young girl’s hunting trip with her father and friends. During the few days that Andy is on the hunting trip, she takes an incredible journey trying to find out who she really is. Usually, hunting deer is an event reserved for young men and their fathers. Yet, it is through this outing that Andy experiences a rite of passage into womanhood. All through her life Andy has acknowledged herself as being able to relate to male figures and being more similar to her father than her mother.Andy is a young girl who enters the world of a boy's rite of passage to adulthood, experiences an internal journey through the group’s teasing, the killing of the doe, and the transformation of changing from Andy to Andrea. As Andy reflects on past journeys, the family trip to the beach stands out in her mind. She is very uncomfortab le with her feminine side. Unlike her mother, Andy and her father were both nervous in the ocean. Her mother swam and splashed with animal-like delight while her father smiling shyly, held his white arms above the waist-deep water as if afraid to get them wet (513).Andy associates more readily with her father. The naturalness of womanhood only makes Andy uncomfortable. After her mother’s top falls down in the ocean, Andy is embarrassed and quickly looks around to see if anyone has noticed (514). â€Å"The nipples like two dark eyes,† symbolizes Andy’s feelings that being feminine is similar to being grotesque instead of having elegant and beautiful qualities. Yet, this whole time Andy is unconcerned if anyone has noticed how foolish her father must look in the water trying to stay dry (514).In the beginning of the story, there is emphasis on the woods always remaining the same. The woods stretch inevitably and offer a sense of security and safety. Even while hun ting, the same woods lead back toward home where Andy’s mother is waiting for them. She is there and we are here, the thought satisfied Andy (511). When Mac, Charlie’s son, mentions to Andy that Canada is nearby, Andy rejects the idea. These same woods could not possibly go to a foreign country that is not part of home. Just as Andy is emerging into a new person, the woods around her are no longer the same s they were when she originally left home by the end of the journey. Both Charlie and Mac do not like, nor understand the idea that Andy is coming along on their hunting trip to the Pennsylvania countryside. Charlie continually questioning Andy’s father: Charlie Spoon was driving. â€Å"I don’t understand why she’s coming,† he said to her father. â€Å"How old is she anyway—eight? † â€Å"Nine,† her father replied. â€Å"She’s small for her age. † â€Å"So—nine. What’s the difference? Sheâ €™ll just add to the noise and get tired besides† (511). This goes to show that Charlie does not believe that girls or women should go hunting.He does not think that Andy is capable of keeping up with the men, this is very stereotypical. Culture has changed and it is now acceptable for women to go hunting and do outdoor activities. There are many women and girls who go hunting with their fathers in today’s world, but there are still men that think it’s a man’s job. Andy’s father does not see a problem with Andy going hanging with the guys. He sticks up for her every time Charlie and Mac ask why she’s coming with. When Charlie repeatedly stated that he didn’t understand why she was coming, Andy’s father says, â€Å"She can walk me to death.And she’ll bring good luck, you’ll see† (511). He is okay with Andy coming along because she wants too. He sees no difference between him and Andy going hunting than Ch arlie and Mac. Doe Season ends with Andy watching â€Å"her father’s knife sliced thickly from chest to bell to crotch† (521). When Andy’s father begins to gut the deer, Andy has an epiphany. She realizes that, no matter how much she tries, she cannot become part of the male society. She then runs away from everyone. This gesture of turning her back and fleeing from her male companions shows that she finally accepts the fact that she is different from men.The transformation within her is already complete. Then she listens to the sound of the wind which aptly reminds her of the â€Å"terrible, now inevitable sea† (521). The sea now becomes inevitable, owing to the fact the she recognizes she can no longer deny her true identity. She turns from the woods. Which suddenly became strange to her, to the calling ocean, heeding her real destiny- that of becoming a woman. Work Cited Kaplan, David Michael. Doe Season. Literature. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writ ing. EdLaurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 511-521. Print.

Challenges of Harmonization of Accounting System

QUESTION: Discuss the challenges of harmonization of accounting system. Accounting Standards are the statements of code of practice of the regulatory accounting bodies that are to be observed in the preparation and presentation of financial statements. The Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is comprised of a large group of individual accounting standards. Accounting Standards in other words can be stated as rules which govern the preparation of financial statements. They are the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Where by accounting practices are the actual used practices by accountants.They are influenced by Accounting Standards, which govern the preparation of financial reports. Harmonization of accounting standards† can be defined as the continuous process of ensuring that the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are formulated, aligned and updated to international best practices (GAAPs in other countries) with suitable modifications and fine t uning considering the domestic conditions. Harmonization is the process of increasing compatibility of accounting practices by setting bounds on their degree of variation.Harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries are prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure† (Haskins et al. 1996:29). According to Wolk et al. described harmonization of Accounting Standards as â€Å"the co-ordination or similarity among the various sets of national Accounting Standards and methods and formats of financial reporting†. (Kleekamper et al. , 2002) Kleekamperet al. xplain, that the aim of the international harmonization process of Accounting Standards is to reduce or overcome differences world-wide, in order to reach a better international Comparability of financial statements. International accounting harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries are prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure† (Haskins et al. 1996:29).This harmonization is needed due to the globalization of businesses and services and increase in cross-border investments and borrowings and academicians, regulators and governments have been constantly striving to harmonize the local/domestic Accounting Standards(AS), also referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with the International Accounting Standards (IAS) issued by the UK based International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) (formerly the International Accounting Standards Committee-IASC).The IASB has been trying to harmonize international accounting principles since 1973. Further, the IASB and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) have been join tly working on harmonization since July 1995, and in May 2000 the IOSCO finished its review of the IAS and recommended usage of certain IAS, supplemented with reconciliation, disclosure and interpretations. Some benefits of harmonization of accounting practices is as follows * It ensures reliable and high quality financial reporting and disclosures. In certain cases, it can prove to be crucial to the economic and financial development of a country * It enables a systematic review and evaluation of the performance of a multinational company having subsidiaries and associates in various countries wherein each country has its own set of GAAP * It makes the comparison of the performance of a company against its domestic and international peers easier and more meaningful * It is a precursor for accessing international capital markets which can, in turn, reduce the capital cost and consequently, improve the performance of a company * Multinational companies, the multinational companies be nefit from closer harmonization for the following reasons a) Access to international finance is easier, the international financial markets understand the financial information presented to them more easily. If the information is provided on a consistent basis between companies irrespective of their country of origin. b) Improved management control, in a business operating in several countries management control is improved. Internal financial information is more easily prepared on consistent basis if externally required financial information is required on a uniform basis. c) Consolidation of financial statement is easier ) A reduction of auditing cost due to harmonized accounting practices and standards. e) A transfer of accounting staff across national borders would be easier f) It would be easier to comply with reporting requirements of overseas stock exchanges. g) Appraisals of foreign entities for take over and mergers would be more straightforward. * International economic gr oupings, international groupings like EU (European Union) could work more effectively if there were international harmonization of accounting policies. Part of the function of international groupings is go make cross-border trade easier. Similar to accounting regulation would help this process. Government of developing countries would save time and money if they would adopt international standards and, if these were used internally, governments of developing countries could attempt to control the activities of foreign multinational companies in their own country. These companies could not hide behind foreign accounting practices which are difficult to understand. * Tax authorities, it will be easier to calculate the tax liability of investors, including multinationals who receive income from overseas sources. * Large accounting and auditing firms would benefit as accounting and auditing would be much easier if similar accounting practices existed throughout the world.Despite the imp ortance of harmonizing accounting standards, there still challenges facing harmonization of accounting standards between the member countries using IFRS (international financial reporting standard) and also between United States using US GAAP. These challenges are brought about different tax laws, different culture, different legal requirement, nationalism and different needs of financial statements. Speaking of harmonization we should put in consideration of International accounting standard board (IASB) based in UK and Financial accounting standard board (FASB) based in US. The  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) is the independent,  accounting standard-setting body of the  IFRS Foundation.The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001 as the successor to the  International Accounting Standards Committee  (IASC). It is responsible for developing  International Financial Reporting Standards  (the new name for  International Accounting Standards  issued afte r 2001), and promoting the use and application of these standards. The  Financial Accounting Standards Board  (FASB) is a private,  not-for-profit organization  whose primary purpose is to develop generally accepted accounting principles  (GAAP) within the  United States  in the public's interest. The  Securities and Exchange Commission  (SEC) designated the FASB as the organization responsible for setting accounting standards for public companies in the U. S.It was created in 1973, replacing the  Committee on Accounting Procedure  (CAP) and the  Accounting Principles Board  (APB) of the  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants  (AICPA). The FASB's mission is â€Å"to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. † To achieve this, FASB has five goals. * Improve the usefulness of financial reporting by focusing on the primary characteristics of relevance and reliability, and on the qualities of comparability and consistency. * Keep standards current to reflect changes in methods of doing business and in the economy. Consider promptly any significant areas of deficiency in financial reporting that might be improved through standard setting. * Promote  international convergence of accounting standards  concurrent with improving the quality of financial reporting. * Improve common understanding of the nature and purposes of information in financial reports. The two boards have been making efforts to harmonize the accounting principles, as of September 2011, there was a push to harmonize, or integrate, the accounting standards of the United States, which operates under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with International Accounting Standards (IAS).The rationale is that it would level the playing field for global businesses by providing regulators, auditors and decis ion-makers (investors) uniform information based on the same accounting methodologies. Supporters believe that this would improve accountability, reduce international transactional and exchange rate risks and improve information transfer to enhance economic policy decision-making. The difference between IAS and US GAAP is that the former is more principle based and the later is rule based. The following are Challenges to harmonization of accounting systems. Licensing and Enforcement, Individual accountants, CPAs and tax lawyers worldwide would need to comply with and obtain licensing through an internationally accepted rules-making body. If he international body lacks enforcement authority, there is no prosecutorial authority for breaking international laws. However, if the international body does have prosecutorial authority over a U. S. citizen, there would arise jurisdictional and constitutional issues regarding the rights of an international body's rights to prosecute an America n under international law. Finally, issues arise from the perspective of U. S. -only based businesses regarding forced compliance IASB standards are principles-based. Thus the countries that have rules-based standards are expected to experience considerable difficulty in harmonization of their standards with IFRS. There are challenges that IASB and nations adopting IFRS need to address in the coming days.One big challenge for countries adopting IFRS is the shortage of manpower and more particularly, IFRS-trained manpower. For case in point, with just six months to go before China’s listed companies adopt IFRS, demand for accountants is rising and could run into millions in the coming years, if the new standards are rolled out for all of the country’s companies and not just the listed ones. Accountants say that the challenge for China, as it scrambles to meet the accounting shift deadline, will lie in getting its over-1,100 listed companies to establish the appropriate financial reporting systems and in training enough qualified accountants by January. The risk is that some of these companies may fail to make the transition on time.Estimates reveal that China has a shortfall of 300,000 qualified accountants and is likely to require a further three million over the coming years to keep pace with its current rate of economic growth Difference purpose of financial reporting, in some countries the purpose is solely for tax assessment, while others it is for investor decision making, Different legal systems, these prevent the development of certain accounting practices and restrict options available. The Accounting world can be divided into â€Å"those countries which have a ‘legalistic’ orientation toward accounting and those with a ‘non legalistic’ orientation† (Nobes et al. , 1997:8). The non-legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use common law. In Common law countries, Accounting does not depend upon law. Accountants (professional organizations) arrange accounting rules. Hence, it is the private sector, which determines Accounting and not the law (Choi et al. , 2002). The task of the legal system is to give an answer to a specific case rather than to formulate general rules for the future (Choi et al. 2002). The legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use the so called code (or codified) law. In contrary to the common law, the codified law system needs to develop rules in detail for the Accounting and financial reporting (Nobes, 1994). This means that â€Å"Accounting rules are incorporated into national law and tend to be highly prescriptive and procedural† (Choi et al. , 2002:43). In these countries the role of law is to describe behavior, which isconsidered to be acceptable in the society (Choi et al. , 2002). Different user groups, countries have different ideas about who the relevant user groups and their respective importance.In USA investor and credit groups are given prominence, while in Europe employees enjoy a higher profile. Provider of finance, there three main sources for external capital are shareholders, banks and government (Hill, 1999). It varies from country to country, which of these three provides most of the financial capital to companies. In countries like Germany and Italy banks provide companies with capital. In countries like England and the United States shareholders provide companies with capital. The government is the provider of capital in countries like France and Sweden. (Hill,1999) This diversity of capital providers means that Accounting Practices differ in order to satisfy needs of capital providers.In the case of shareholder ownership, (e. g. in the U. K. and the U. S. ), information disclosure will be more important than in countries, where capital is raised from banks or governments. This is explained by the fact that in the latter countries information will be transmitted more directly. (Radebaugh a nd Gray, 1997) It is impossible for a company to inform each shareholder with its specific information needs, because they are a big and unorganized group. Therefore financial statements in the US and UK are â€Å"oriented toward providing individual investors with the information they need to make decisions about purchasing or selling corporate stocks and bonds† (Hill, 1999:593).Tax laws, the key question here is to ask, how much taxation regulations determine Accounting measurements. In countries like the U. S. , U. K. and Netherlands there is no interplay between tax and Accounting law. When Accounting Standards are developed, the only focus is how to conduce the information function. Questions about taxation are not considered in those countries (Achleitner, 2000). In contrary, in nations as France and Germany, tax and Accounting Systems are ruled equal (Nobes and Parker, 2000). There is the principle of decisiveness in continental European countries. This means that the profit of the balance sheet is at the same time the foundation to snap income taxes (Achleitner, 2000).In Tanzania income tax act is in dis agreement with some accounting procedures like computation of depreciation, Bad debts and therefore disagree on how accountant compute organization profit and therefore in Tanzania should prepare to set of financial statement one for tax purposes and the other for other users of accounting information. Cultural differences result in objectives for accounting systems differing from country to country for example Islamic laws does not recognize the use of interest rate. The lack of strong accountancy bodies, many countries do not have strong independent accountancy or business bodies which would press for better standards and greater harmonization.Unique circumstances, some countries may be experiencing unusual circumstances which affect all aspects of everyday life an d impinge on the ability of companies to produce proper reports, for example hy perinflation, civil war, currency restriction. Nationalism is demonstrated in an unwillingness to accept another country’s standard. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the U. S. is responsible for setting accounting standards based primarily on â€Å"Federal securities laws and state CPA licensing laws. † All countries have specific securities laws, tax laws and banking and financial regulations that dictate accounting principles. Furthermore, in the United States, there are individual state laws that govern business, banking and insurance activities. Adopting international accounting standards would not only conflict with U. S. tatute law, but also constitutional law associated with â€Å"states' rights. † Stable Platform, Beginning in 2005, all 7,000 EU publicly traded companies are required to apply IFRS in the preparation of their consolidated financial statements. This represents yet another challenge as preparers of financial statements fro m Latvia to Portugal and from Poland to Sweden grapple with unfamiliar requirements. In preparation for this sweeping change, the IASB completed its â€Å"stable platform† of standards in March 2004. New and revised standards included five new IFRSs and 17 amended IASs, resulting from the IASB’s Improvements Project and Phase I of its Business Combinations Project.Some of the more significant revisions to IFRS that resulted from these projects include: * The LIFO method for costing inventories is no longer allowed; *   The concepts of â€Å"fundamental error† and â€Å"extraordinary items† are eliminated; *   Trading securities are now included in a larger defined category of financial instruments â€Å"at fair value through profit or loss† and entities may designate any financial asset or liability into this category (commonly referred to as â€Å"the fair value option†); *   Fair value hedge accounting may now be used more readily fo r a portfolio hedge of interest rate risk; *   Guidelines for share-based payments have been added;   The pooling-of-interests method for business combinations is no longer allowed; *   Goodwill is no longer amortized, and negative goodwill is not recorded in a business combination World wide acceptance, National accounting standards are highly politicized and there is often a natural tendency to place the interests of the national economy ahead of those of the global economy. Private sector businesses and professional accounting bodies also have a vested interest in accounting practices and financial reporting. Pressure from these groups to change or reject certain standards can carry a lot of weight with political decision makers. Adopting international financial standards is met with additional challenges in developing countries. They often lack the resources and infrastructure to adapt national legal and legislative frameworks in which to house the standards, making proper implementation difficult.Training and Retraining, When a country decides to harmonize with the international standards, its companies, accountants and auditors need to be retrained in the new standards and reporting procedures for financial statements. College and university programs in this field also have to undergo significant changes in order to educate new people entering the profession. Before any of this can happen, trainers and professors will require training so they can instruct professionals and students. This will require the development of new learning materials and curricula, new examinations for professional licensing and new accounting software and reporting systems. To further complicate matters, the adoption of harmonized standards has to be phased in, so for a number of years, two different systems are in operation. Such a omplex transition requires a lot of safety mechanisms to ensure it achieves uniform results. To sum up with, Harmonization of financial statem ent is very crucial for accounting profession and also for the global business growth especially for multinational companies which will now find easily in preparation of parent and subsidiary financial statement since have to be prepared according to IFRS. 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