Personal Statement Accounting and Finance Essay

With the character of composure, steadiness and fortitude, I never give up. During middle school, I wasn’t deeply attracted to accountancy until having read the book _Corporate Finance_ written by Stephen A. Ross. It brought me to a completely new world with many different ways and modes of thinking, making me feel wonders of the major’s macro-function and micro-details. Consequently, my damnedest and savvy sent me to the commercial college of Renmin University of China in which my specialized field was accountancy. Three years of professional study has inspired my strong and unique sense of accounting, not to mention how prudential and careful I am in pursuing my bachelor degree. The enormous pressure in this first-class campus with fierce competition stimulated me to strive for a better future instead of keeping stagnant. Without compromising to difficulties, I made every effort to improve and strengthen myself in all aspects. Active participation in class and plenty of time spent in the library finally earned for me the â€Å"Excellent Student†Ã£â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Second Prize Scholarship† and so on. Apart from my personal effort, as monitor, I also attempted and organized many class activities, such as mock interview where I divided my classmates into two groups, one group acting as the interviewer, the other as interviewee. During my ï ¼Å'I coordinated different parts of our class, our class gained the honor of University-level Excellent Class in 2013. The advanced accounting courses will strengthen my foundation in accounting and help to prepare me for my future career in company controllership. The outstanding faculty, along with the excellent selection of courses available within your program will equip me with the latest accounting theories and practices and allow me to obtain my professional goals. I know that I am now fully qualified and prepared to take on this challenge. I strongly believe that my passion in the accounting and future career, my courage in facing challenges and my strong ability to adapt and solve problems have fully prepared me for your esteemed university.

Funding in Issaquah School District

The responsibility for managing the finances of Issaquah School District lies with the superintendent and the School Board, although it is regulated by state law and is under instructions from the Superintendent of Public Instruction. There are guidelines for budgeting, accounting and financial reporting, which all district schools must follow. School districts plan and formulate a budget before the start of the school year. The budget is formed in accordance to the stipulations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The finance department handles money related functions like budgeting, accounting, payroll and benefits, purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, inventory control and asset management. The school district also includes several individual businesses like transport business, food service business, and a child care business. All these are operated on the lines of business model, to ensure accountability and proper use of public funds. In July 2004, a Policy Governance system was introduced by the school board, requiring routine reports on the status and developments occurring in every aspect of district operation. The financial monitoring reports are reviewed several times a year, by the school board. The setting of the school budget requires about a year’s time, and its working is always done for the subsequent year. It requires a four-month time for the completing of the preliminary works like receiving directions for budget setting from Superintendent, legislature, and administrators beginning to work on the budget process. Another four-month period is also required for the drafting of the budget and finalizing the budget, respectively. Apart from gifts and grants received, Issaquah gets less in funding. There are three sources of funding for school districts; namely the federal, state and local taxes. Issaquah gets less funding from all three sources, compared to any other districts. The Issaquah school district ranks 272nd in the revenue per pupil, among the districts in the state. It must be noted here that there are only 296 districts in the state in 2006-07. However many people consider Issaquah as a rich district, unaware of the realities and effects of the lesser funding. School funding is an important agenda debated in Washington’s State legislative and budget panning sessions. In 2006-07, Issaquah received only about $395,000 in federal Title I funding which is aimed at remedial reading programs for the disadvantaged students. This should be compared with other King County districts which get even millions in this fund. The fact that a significant population of Issaquah is considerably affluent, is attributed as the cause for the low funding. In the 1970s, when education was equalized, some districts like Everett and Northshore paid higher salaries to their teachers. Today the state pays about $2000 more per year to an Everett teacher, when compared to an Issaquah teacher. In terms of local funding too, Issaquah treads behind several other districts due to gap in levy authority. Issaquah would collect $6. 4 million more each year if it had the levy authority similar to that of Bellevue, or collected $9. 2 million more per year if it had the levy authority of Mercer Island. In Issaquah, the under-funding of special education by the state is estimated to be around $2. 5 million per year, which is adjusted by local levy dollars. As the local levy dollars cannot be used for supporting other classroom programs, all the students are affected. It is estimated that the under-funding of special education by the Washington State is nearly $200 million per year. On September 30, 2004, about twelve school districts joined together and filed a case against the state for failing to provide the necessary funds for the special education programs. The courts have ruled that Washington State is obliged to fully fund the basic and special education in the district schools.

Reforms by the United Kingdom

The delivery of public services has always been directly connected with the stability of a country’s economy. The more stable the economy, the better the public services. In recent years, as the world slowly adjusted to the rise of global markets, many countries began transforming their public sector management (Hughes 2003).Today, management of public services is more flexible and market-based. It has moved from public administration to New Public Management (Hughes 2003). With this paradigm shift comes a shift in the role of government in society. It also redefines the relationship between government and its citizenry.Together with this new orientation of public service management is the need for reforms in the whole structure. These reforms are required to strengthen services in protection, education, recreation and care (Flynn 2002). The stronger economies of the world have taken steps towards these reforms. The United Kingdom is one of these stronger economies that have p rogressively taken the initiative for public service reforms.Major public service reforms began in the United Kingdom (UK) in the 1980’s under the Thatcher government (Hughes 2003). The following pages will try to explain the different reforms in UK’s public service management. It will address the bigger issues that surround it. It will identify the unique qualities of the UK reform programme and present the advantages they may achieve. Through these inferences, a more objective and balanced view of UK’s reform programme will be achieved.Response to the UK Public Sector ReformsThe United Kingdom’s initiative to reform their public service programme is mainly due to fitting of the services with the changing demands of the times. The rise of living standards, coupled with the growing diversity of citizenry calls for the change in public services (Prime Minister’s Office 2002).In the 1980’s, under the leadership of then PM Margaret Thatcher, th e first major steps to public reforms were taken. At the center of these reforms is the wide-spread initiative to privatize services (Flynn 2002). Towards the end of the decade, management of basic services, gas, water and electricity, were transferred under private control (Flynn 2002). Apart from these, four other major government controlled corporations also were given up to private enterprises.Privatization was not the only way to reform public service management. Soon after the turn-over of basic services to private control the central government and the National Health Services began outsourcing many of their functions and services.In 1997 however, under the leadership of PM Tony Blair, a new campaign was launched to further reform the public service management. Public services were believed to have been suffering from under-funding (Prime Minister’s Office 2002).However a strong economy is essential for the reforms. The Blair administration then began working on buildi ng a stronger, more stable economy.The ultimate objective of the 1997 reforms is to provide everyone with real opportunity and security (Prime Minister’s Office 2002). In three years time, the UK finally experienced a sort of rebirth within the public services. In 2000, health services and education have never been better. Reform plans did not end here. Long-term goals to uplift standards in the areas of transport, education, criminal justice system and health were designed.The road to these reforms has been tough. The setbacks and controversies are inevitable. There needs to be a genuine partnership between the government and people in the front line. The desire for reforms has propelled public service in the forefront of many political and social debates (Darwall 2005).One of the biggest concerns with the current reform programme lies in policy and communication confusion (Wintour, 2007). The government is clear with its vision for reforms. However, it does not provide a co herent framework for action (Darwall 2005). While the reforms are meant to increase efficiency, the citizens do not feel this happening.Modernized civil service is actually the consistent delivery of better services and getting the best value for public funds (Darwall 2005). The question lies on accountability for the use of these public funds. The UK’s public service history shows that bad decisions made create obligations and consequences across generations.Debates arise because of this very reason. While one group sees the necessity of spending to provide better public services, the other fears that much spending may not necessarily increase the level of efficiency in delivering these services (Douglas, Richardson, and Dobson 2003).The reforms brought about the founding of different agencies (Armstrong and Ford, 2000) to handle such use of public funds. However there is growing concern about the qualifications of people managing these agencies. Public servants are not nece ssarily managers. Improvement of efficiency requires a great deal of management (Darwall 2005). Even the best policies can easily crumble in the hands of those who are not fit to handle them.The growing impression about these newly established agencies then is that they do not do not speed up delivery of services. On the contrary, these agencies, while under the supervision of less experienced managers, slow down the process of public service.In fact the popular notion about these agencies is that they rather make collaboration and cooperation more difficult. The formation of these agencies is one of the most debated issues concerning the reforms.Ethical issues are also being raised against the reforms. The shift of public service towards a market based orientation makes the definition of boundaries between what is public and what is private more difficult (Public Administration Select Committee 2002).Interface between public sector and private enterprise is becoming more evident. P rivate businesses are becoming more involved in providing public services. More and more then, ethical concerns are raised.There is growing clamor to cultivate and strengthen the ethical considerations in public service management. It is important to ensure that ethics are not lost or put aside, especially at a time when services are being delivered in new ways by new providers (Public Administration Select Committee 2002).In public service there should always be a way to check impartiality, accountability, trust, equity and probity. This is the key to keeping the ethical considerations in public service management whilst implementing its reforms.From the time of PM Thatcher in the 1980’s to the reform programme of PM Blair in 1997, the UK public sector has underwent alterations both in policy and implementation. However caution has been taken. Reforms have been worked on reforms slowly. Unrestrained expansion usually results in policy failure (Lane 1993). Both the government and its citizenry agree.There is no doubt that reforms are a welcome idea for everyone. The promise of better services being delivered more efficiently and consistently can be actualized (Public Administration Select Committee 2002). The government is confident about their plan. The have laid down the strategies to achieve them. Even then, the citizenry is skeptical. There are many issues surrounding these reforms.The government admits there are hurdles along the way of reforms. The journey towards better services is long and hard. But the government has a strategy. It addresses the questions of improving national standards, devolution of responsibility, increasing flexibility and providing better choices (Prime Minister’s Office 2002).The citizens are waiting patiently. So far, reforms have been implemented but the issues still remain. Somehow the general impression is that the strategies set by government are not being translated into actual action (Public Administration S elect Committee 2002).Some improvement in the areas of education and health has been achieved. The question is, is it enough to address the growing demands of society?The citizenry of UK sees very little results from the reforms. They seem to pale in comparison with the growing demands of an ever evolving society. Successful reforms are transformational. This only means that the impact of these reforms should be strong enough to affect all areas of life.Unique Qualities of UK Public Sector Reforms  While the UK’s reforms remains heavily debated and scrutinized, there is no doubt that it is one of the most dynamic. In public service history, the UK programme has been one of the most studied. Many parallelisms have been made on the reforms. Many other similar programmes have been initiated based on its working history.The reforms are based on the three important E’s in public service management. They are economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. This is one unique charac teristic of the UK programme.The wide-spread privatization instituted by the Thatcher administration applied this premise (Flynn 2002) in all the transactions. Before the Cable and Wireless turn-over in 1981, a comprehensive study on its advantages was conducted to prove its viability under these three considerations.Apart from this unique way of assessing possible changes in servicing, the programme has proven to be very resilient. It has withstood challenge in the past. And it continues to withstand challenges today. Even the strongest challenge against its agenda control and policy review (Parsons 1995) could not deter the progression of its reforms.In fact it is this very same resiliency that brought about a big improvement in health care. The persistence in the area of health reforms provided increase in health care workers by at least 40,000 in seven years.There are two working concepts of the UK Public Sector Reform Programme, the â€Å"best value review† and â€Å"co mprehensive performance assessment† (Harris, 2003). These two working concepts provide a basis for check and balance of the reforms.This is unique to the programme. It also sets the tone on how reforms should be made. The UK government works very closely with organizations like Reform to objectively assess the veracity of the reforms. It is through studies conducted by organizations like Reform that insures that equity and environmental impact are not overlooked in the formulation of reforms.

College is not for Everyone Essay

Where is the fault in a person who discovers their dreams prior to their collegiate degree? The reason behind people taking tertiary education is to have a firmer background when undertaking future tasks. Simply saying, college is to help a person retain a focus until and beyond graduation. There are privileges in having a college degree. One of which is to ease the search of finding jobs. Another is that the specialization courses broaden the perspective of a student. There are also emotional and social benefits along with the diploma. The best of these is to have the bragging rights that he or she graduated with a degree, perhaps with honors. Unfortunately, this can only get a person so far. At least, realistically, in this day and age, wherein employment is a task in itself and the economy is not even as helpful. What is required today is practicality in everything one does. One of the biggest issues in mind is when college is a logical solution to the seemingly impoverished country. Education is the key, as the cliche goes. But is education only attained within the four walls and high ceilings of a school? I would like to believe differently. For all those who are taking up their college degrees, and for those who are living the â€Å"bums† life, always reconsider if college is truly the best option for you. For a lot of people, perhaps it is. But the same is not always true for everyone. The reason behind this claim is that there are certain individuals who cannot take in all the class lessons unless practically applied. A person may need guidance in the real world, but the guidance does not always come from a person with a higher educational attainment and a certificate that affirms that. Practicality is the new realistic approach to any person’s lifestyle today. It is about efficiency. This means fewer costs for greater productivity. With this in mind, and the argument at hand, college is not for everyone. To support this point, it is important that one recognizes three important reasons. For certain individuals, college is a waste of time. It is a waste of money. It is a waste of a viable dream. A regular degree will take a person more or less three years, depending on the school, before the diploma is handed over. That is, of course, if the student is deserving to be handed one in the first place. The years a student takes and endures to receive a sheet of paper that tells them that they are worth hiring can be a very tiring task for a lot of people. This is most important to those who are not happy where they are. Some students, who have had dreams to build a small business before progressing it to become big enough to make them rich, are usually those who are persuaded or inwardly forced to go into college by their parents. True, there are high expectations. But there is also the cliche that people love saying: This is my life. This is not to say that students should speak back to their parents, especially if it is unjustifiable. It is standing firm when what you believe in is the real thing for you. After your graduation, the usual jobs you would get is most likely related to your training. But that could very much make you unhappy. For four years, you could have been doing what you like the most and reaping income from it. A little support from your parents would not have been bad either. But after graduating a course you do not have your heart into, after all those years of surpassing the challenges of faculties and family members, you might not find the prize worth the effort. When attending college, they would always say that you are receiving quality education. That is almost the same as saying that you should be as intellectual as the value you pay professors and mentors to stand by your side and guide you through those grueling hours. Unfortunately, the connotation behind quality does not always go through both directions. The teacher might have been a doctorate holder, but could not teach well. There are also instances where in the student simply did not understand. The teaching skills did not match the learning skills. With that, money is wasted. â€Å"Quality Education† no longer comes cheaply. The amount that could have been rendered to more important needs such as food, bills, and rent went to an institution, and not the intellectual capacity of a student. Not that he or she immediately needs one. There are students who are really gifted with their respective needs that they are better off without the formal education. Informal education comes cheaper and more hands-on, which more likely allows a person to learn. Theories will not aid a student unless there is a visible application of all the lessons. Memorization will only bombard many terminologies into a student that he or she may never use again. If you really do not have your heart into what you are doing, then it is a total waste to begin with. The money, as they say, will go down the drain. It is not just about having your heart into what you are doing, but also having what you are doing in your heart. You have to love what you are doing to enjoy it, and to feel a sense of achievement. There will be a sense of pride in exchange of doubts and regrets. When what you want comes from the heart, that dream could not be wrong. The sentimentality could not go wrong. If you are happy about it, and that others are not hurt by it, then it is not wrong. If in your heart, you believe that college is really something that is not for you, then there are other alternatives. You can prove those who think otherwise that you can make a living without the formal education or the diploma at the end of it all. If there is something that you would want to do, and you have the determination to see it through, then stopping you would only suppress you. Simultaneously, it is a call for an inevitable failure, and nobody wants to fail where their heart lies. If you want art, go take short course. You can also learn by self study and participation in art groups. If you want to sing, take lessons. But also have something on the side. It is important to broaden your options, but to remain at a focal point. It can be more difficult to work without a degree. But if you really want to become rich, whichever avenue you choose to get there, you will. It does not have to involve a college degree. College might not be for you. It is not as if you are a lesser person than those who received their diplomas the long extensive way. You can think about it as accelerating through those years that you can work, earn and become rich without all that. It is not as if it is something to be embarrassed about. It is to save time, money and heart. As philosophers say, it simply is. I say immerse yourself.

Racial Equality in Employment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Racial Equality in Employment - Coursework Example By 11th century the Normans became the rulers of England for many years. Hence, indeed, there is a Norman element in Britain. After the Normans stopped ruling England no other ethnic groups made significant inroads to Britain (Trevelyan). are spread over many countries in all the continents now. This is indeed a colonial legacy. Another colonial legacy is the influx of races from former colonies to Britain. While the Britons were in the colonies they were the ruling class and the Africans, Asians and the Caribbeans their subjects. However after the dismantling of the colonial empire, back in the country of their former masters, they became citizens. Citizenship meant a perception of legitimate right for equal rights with the fellow whites. This is the background to the tensions between the ethnic minorities in UK and the whites. The attitude expressed in the ditty, is not typical to the Anglo-Saxons, it was somewhat universal. The Jews generally believed that their special relation with Jehovah made them the superior. However they did not try to establish their biological superiority. But the Victorian Anglo-Saxons believed that they are racially superior, and qualities like literary taste, creativity and even honesty were inherited by them by virtue of bei... Page 3 were inherited by them by virtue of being born in that race. The deeply ingrained racial prejudices find expression in Shakespeare's, Othello and The Merchant of Venice, way back in the 16th century. The dark colour in popular Christian piety is associated with evil and the colour of Othello, the Moor, is the symbol of the evil in him while the white complexion of Desdemona is the epitome of guileless innocence. Shylock, the Jew, is the embodiment of evil of the race that killed Christ. While the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of all men were central to Christian faith (The New Revised Standard Version, Lk.11.2) only a minority seems to have understood. In Europe most people believed that nonwhite people lacked the qualities of intellect, mind and heart, which the white so abundantly possessed. This notion in Britain and North America focused more on the Anglo-Saxons as the best of the whites. Did this attitude of the whites to other races in the subliminal level determine the ir conduct to other races What is Equal Opportunity Arriving at the precise and generally accepted definition of equal opportunity is a formidable task. However, over Page 4 the years, the concept is achieving greater clarity and some kind of convergence is in the offing. Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an attitude attempting to provide equal access to a milieu or benefits, like education and training, job opportunities, medical care and access to social welfare assistance. This attitude underlies a genuine desire to empower groups that have, over the years, bore the brunt of discrimination. The groups who need to be uplifted are identified on the basis

The Educational Leave Problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Educational Leave Problem - Assignment Example The company is also facing a looming disaster with regard to racism charges, and if the company denies Jan Thornton an opportunity to pursue her studies that could land the company in troubled because the same denial will be used as a confirmation of companies racial allegations when such charges are brought to light. Like with the issue of Thornton, she only spend 5 minutes to travel from work to classes and on Tuesday and Thursday she will spend only 1 hour 20 minutes in class which will total to 1 hour 30 minutes in a day, and on Monday Wednesday and Friday she require 50 minutes for class and another 10 minutes for travelling which will sum to 1 hour per day which is very little time demanded and there can be no basis for denying that (Nkomo, Fottler, & McAfee, 2010). Roller makers’ cooperation should also pay for this workers tuition because if they have to keep performing they must invest in human resource. Another worker will be leaving in three years time and the compa ny should be investing in the worker within with experience of the company to replace her. When the company is hiring these workers there is nowhere shown to us that in their policies no worker should attend classes and they can not therefore deny you what they did not keep you informed about prior to them hiring you. And because we are told these two ladies are liked though not by many with regard to green and trusted it has a direct implication to the success of the company. Because of this wonderful job they are doing what keeps the company thriving, they should be appreciated by being send to school with tuition being paid in order for the company to fully exploit their potential (Nkomo, Fottler, & McAfee, 2010). The firm should also leave the purchasing manager to continue with his classes as he had been attending in his former company. If his tuition was being paid by the former company, the firm should continue paying it and if not they should not pay. The firm should also pa y on certain term because if they pay they will be setting precedence for other employee who will want their master’s program to be paid. If such trend continues the company will be thrown in to a disaster where they will have to pay huge amount towards employee’s education while the same employees are not working full time as they will need allowance of time for them to attend classes. The company should introduce a policy regarding education policy because they can not afford to be working informally with such a matter of great concerns (Snell & Bohlander, 2012). They have to set it because if they don’t the company will be thrown in to a crisis where each employee will raising demands regarding matters that are informal in reference to the precedents that the company have set. Policy is very important because the employee will be taking an employment on clear terms and the company will be able to easily foresee their future as things will have already been se t. This policy should have a provision specifying the qualification for one to be able to attend school on the companies’ tuition fee because the company should not just be paying tuition for everyone even for employees who are

Foreign Policy Conflict Between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians in Term Paper

Foreign Policy Conflict Between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians in 1790's - Term Paper Example In this environment, the two positions were antithetical and their opposition extended into the darkest corner of every issue, foreign policy included. Thomas Jefferson, the most well known proponent of Anti-Federalism, along with Alexander Hamilton, the most well known proponent of Federalism, often made their views clear in letters written to friends and associates. From these first-hand accounts, historians can piece together the political divides that fragmented early American politics, placing them in context and measuring the relevance of what they had to say to today’s heated discussions. Indeed, any study of 1790s American politics will reveal a deeply polarized discourse. In fact, one historian has remarked that today’s polarized politics is â€Å"mild by historical standards† (Rawls 89). Indeed, from its inception, American democracy saw the rise of fundamentally opposed political parties, in particular the Federalists and Anti-Federals. Just from the n ames ascribed to these political groups, one can tell that their beliefs were opposites on many levels. Deeply opposed convictions spurred vicious trading of barbs between politicians and newspapers, which we highly critical of their opponents (Daniel 6). However, as historians today note, the strength and productivity of American democracy â€Å"also comes from the parties† (Rawls 95). ... Anti-Federalists strongly opposed to the Constitution, believing that it gave too much power to a central governmental institution—a federal government. The president, whom they branded as a â€Å"military king,† they believed, would become a tyrant who would rule over â€Å"the lives, the liberties, and property of every citizen of America† with â€Å"uncontrolled power† (Marshall 251). This fear was based primarily on the ideal that liberties should not be swallowed up to build a more powerful, glorious nation. In arguing for a stronger federal government, the Federalists relied on two powerful arguments in favor of the Constitution: first, that Congress had no leverage against the empires of France, Britain, and Spain because it could not regulate foreign commerce, and second, that restrictions on Congress interfered with its basic duty to provide for a national defense (Marshall 234). Both of these arguments are germane to a nation’s foreign aff airs, which places the topic of foreign affairs central to the debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists raging in the 1790s. The most visible face of Federalism in the United States during this period was Alexander Hamilton, who took part in organizing a forceful defense of the Constitution in The Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays designed to convince the people of New York to ratify the new Constitution. After the Federalist movement, which was intended primarily to see the Constitution ratified (which it was in 1789), the Federalist Party emerged—guided by the policies of Hamilton in the early 1790s (Berkin 208). John Adams, the second President of the United States and only President elected from the Federalist platform, took office in 1789. The election of Adams and the rising