Running Speed in Dinosaurs

Running Speed in Dinosaurs Introduction Dinosaurs refer to a wide set of animals that dominated vertebrates living on land for more than one hundred and sixty years since the end of Triassic era to the late Cretaceous era. The species of dinosaur began disappearing in the third incident of crustacean extinction event. According to reports from the fossils, avian developed from a group of dinosaurs called theropod in the Jurassic era (Paul 14). A few of the birds evaded this period including their descendants. Never the less, birds in some instances have been classified as dinosaurs.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Running Speed in Dinosaurs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These are a set of animals consisting of more than nine thousand avian and perciform fish. Several kinds of avian dinosaurs have been identified, ranging from those that fly to those that do not fly. Fossil remains belonging to dinosaurs have been excavated in all parts of the world. A few of the dinosaurs were carnivorous whilst others were herbivorous. Furthermore, some dinosaurs have been having two pedals, others with four pedals. Dinosaurs having two pedals assume the highest ultimate speed in running as opposed to those with four limbs. Never the less, some dinosaurs walking on fours sprint at a fast rate as opposed to their bipedal counterpartss. A case in point is the avian descendants which possess fast moving muscles of the upper arm which have evolved by time to form wings and can propel the dinosaur at very electrifying speeds especially under tension or when running after a prey. Most of the present day animals have their ancestral roots among the dinosaurs’ .The world’s main vertebrates that fly are the birds. In addition to this, most of the dinosaurs have been reduced in sizes and are said to make nests including laying eggs in the nests as well as flying at very high speeds. The first fossils were discovered in the n ineteenth century. Since the discovery, the remains have been preserved in various historic sites such as the museums. Every excavated remain has followed the same suite making museums rich of dinosaur remains. Dinosaurs have appeared in best-selling editorials as well as films expending their fast moving characteristics. New discoveries of the same have been aired by media on regular basis. More so, the eroding dinosaur image as ancient monster has attracted the use of ‘dinosaur’ into gaining entry into vernacular by describing anything that is obsolete, huge, tending towards extinction and slows in motion. Modern definition According to Phylogenic classification, dinosaurs refer to modern birds (Neortnithes), their recent ancestors’. Avian species have been characterized by presence of ostriches; these definitions encompass theropods, sauropodomorphs, ankylosaurians, stegosaurians, ceratopsians, and ornithopods (Paul 67). General description Dinosaurs can be de fined as land based archosaurian reptiles constituting of limbs erected below the body that existed during the end ofs Triassic and the end of Cretaceous periods. Most of antediluvian animals are purported to be dinosaurs (Paul 76). Dinosaurs constituted a large portion of animals living on land and which resembled mammals very closely.Advertising Looking for term paper on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other sets of animals were very small and limited to the size of a rodent or cat. However, Repenomamus giganticus fed on infant dinosaurs. Since 2008, various dinosaur species have been identified. One of the Dinosaurs was found to be living in aerial or marine environments despite the fact that some theropods with feathers could fly. This simply means that some of the spinosaurids constituted of temporal aquatic characteristics. Physiology Most people studying the origin and evolution processes among dinosa urs have given different opinions regarding thermal regulation which closely intertwines with speed in a given animal. Initially a hot discussion ensured with respect to the beasts ability to regulate the body temperatures. Currently studies have supported the fact that these eroding species existed in regions of low temperatures hence most of them had thermal regulatory mechanisms to counter the cooler climatic conditions. Hence, the argument concurs with those who asserted that the dinosaur’s ultimate speed during sprinting was very low; hence they were slow moving creatures. An example of this fossil is that of the polar bears found in Antarctica region. Discovery of avian fossils have also supported the thermal regulation concept among Neortnithes. The study of blood circulation among a set of avian dinosaurs is a true representation of all endothermic creatures. Theropods displayed an active lifestyle blood circulatory system that is characteristic of endothermic animals . Warm-bloodedness among many animals can result from various mechanisms. For example, Mammals and avian whose body sizes are average have been compared with endothermic dinosaurs. These birds make use of their energies to increase their body temperatures above that of the surrounding. Small sized avian have insulators in terms of presence of feathers and fat which aids in thermal regulation. Huge mammals like elephants, however, have a minute surface area compared to its volume which is in agreement with Halden’s principle. This feature enhances thermal regulation which resulting from the cooling of the body temperatures during hot seasons via flapping of the ears. This characteristic is important especially during running after a hunt. Dinosaurs speed The legs of human beings are up right with knees that are straight due to their vertical bodies that put the C.O .G (centre of gravity) in alignment with the socket of the hip. Since both the body and the head of the bipedal d inosaurs were kept level as well as ahead of the hips despite the long tail which countered the balance, the femur sloped in front in order to maintain the feet below COG.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Running Speed in Dinosaurs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This organization is however extremely represented in birds with short tails whose femoral bones are close to the horizontal line on walking so as to maintain the feet and knees a distant enough in front, hence during running, birds femur tends to strongly swing towards the back as opposed to the front (Martin 57). Two sets of dinosaurs namely the sauropods and the stegosaurs developed elephantine biased towards straighter-jointed columnar limbs. The knee structure was reorganized in that it maintained wholly articulated upright. More so, the mobility of the ankle was reduced whilst the hind limbs were kept short. This adaptation restrained the body fr om being pushed in to actual running irrespective of the size. For instance, young elephants always run at a slower pace as opposed to their parents in that at least one foot is always stack to the ground during high speed running. Dinosaurs with straight limbs should have been much slower in running than elephants whose speed is equal to or less than 15 meters per minute or 25kilometres per hour (Paul 245). Neither, is it an issue to ascertain that medium and small dinosaurs bearing lengthy, slender flexed hind limbs would run at similar speed to galloping mammals and terrestrial birds whose speed is between forty to sixty kilometers per hour. Challenges have been experienced in attempts to find out the highest speed in which heavy weight dinosaurs can attain. Some electronic technologies have claimed that tyrannosauras dinosaurs could attain a highest speed of approximately forty kilometers per hour equal to elephants of the same size which is the human beings sprinting speed. Sin ce large tyrannosaurus had better running adaptations as opposed to elephants, there lacks a likelihood of this kind of creatures having been slow, furthermore, some individuals indicates that enormous theropods capability to run was twice that of similar sized elephants and that this speed was equivalent to that of the non-thorough bred horses and rhinos. Till date, the electronic analysis of dinosaurs locomotion processes in addition to storage of energy in the already stretched tendons of the limbs and springing resonance effect of the tail and torso. Neither, has it occurred that the capability of the programs used in finding out the speed could successfully ascertain extreme animals’ performance as well as estimate the modalities on which extreme dinosaurs which include the supersaurapods were able to maintain an upright posture with minimal movements irrespective of their huge bodies.Advertising Looking for term paper on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is very important to note, however, this query has lacked answers for many decades (Lockley 12). It is even more depressing to think about all this mystery since track-ways indicate that the vast surapods were terrestrial never the less, their appearance looks irregular and their weight cannot give support to elephants whose speed is low and which bears a small body size. The supersaurapods needed super muscles and power to run across Mesozoic lands. They also needed pretty adaptations like well built fiber muscles as well as tendons that have already been tensed to undergo evolution so as to enhance movement. If their muscles were pre-tensed then it is obvious that the huge dinosaurs might have very high running speed as opposed to computer analysis results. General Anatomy and Speed The heads of the dinosaurs ranged from delicate structures to well formed structures. The sinuses or nasal passages were well constructed something that was very popular with the archosaurs. Most dinosaurs maintained prominent orbital openings, where as in others the opening was nearly closed off. As opposed to other mammals that consist of prominent face muscles, and just like avian and reptiles, dinosaurs did not have muscles of the head thus the skin was in direct contact with the skull. This adaptation makes it easier for head restoration in dinosaurs as opposed to other mammals. The outside nares are located in distant place from their nose despite the extent of the nasal cavity which extends in the exterior. Among some set of sauropods, the nasal cavity have been found extended in the anterior part of the skull, over the sockets of the eyes. Previously, it was said that this adaptation enhanced snorkeling of the dinosaurs during submerging. Recently it has been purported that retracted nasal cavities evolved so that it can protect them from irritation as they fed on cactus. Most of the vegetation constituted of soft vegetation and this adaptation really helped the dino saurs. The flabby nasal cavity extended interiorly such that nares on the exterior were positioned in normally close to the snouts tip. Nothing can proof that dinosaurs had proboscis. The skin that covers huge cavities in the orbits anterior of most of the dinosaurs smoothly extended to the exterior. The muscles of the jaw also protruded outside the cavities of the skull of the orbital sockets. Snakes constituted fangs that were trimmed sharply. Amphibians on the other hand had teeth that could be seen upon closure of the lips. The amphibians also did not have muscles that covered the mouth cavity. This adaptation seems to be satisfactory to many of the sauropods and theropods (Lockley 78). One distinct species is the spinosaurs whose arrangement resembles that of a crocodile with the front teeth spaced widely in different sockets. Hence this set of dinosaurs might have lacked lips and their ugly lips left uncovered on closure of the jaws. Ornithischians came up with embryonic teeth . In therizinosaurs and Ornithischians the beak was based on the anterior of the mouth where as in theropods including most of the avian the teeth were replaced by the beak. Most of the birds with beaks do not have lips and cheeks .Never the less; condors have diminished mouths due to the fact that their side jaws are protected by elastic tissues of the cheek which vary from muscles of the cheek covering side teeth. For sauropods and Ornithischians the side teeth were always inset, the surrounding cavities constituted smooth surfaces including the foramen which extending the soft tissues. This implies that the well structured elastic cheeks enveloped the side teeth. This adaptation is clearly spelt out in Ornithischians and the tissues of the cheeks some which underwent ossification especially among the ankysaurs where cheeks protruded towards the beak. The dinosaurs trunk vertebrae moved in various directions such as the dorsal convex or the straight line that varied from feeble to strong (Strickberger 57). The nature in which dinosaurs articulated more so during ossification of the tendons of the spinal meant that their backs were more stiff as opposed to those of lizards as well as other mammals though dinosaurs trunk vertebrae were not jointed. Dinosaur ribs seemed to be more perpendicular yet this varied from one dinosaur to another. The hips and the stomachs of the carnivorous theropods were tiny indicating the diminished digestive system and also their running abilities. Large carnivorous dinosaurs could fast during hunger and porch for prey afterwards hence their stomachs remained hollow during the time of hunting. On the other hand, herbivorous dinosaurs had enlarged hips and bellies which extended to the very extreme in that it adversely affected the fattest dinosaurs. The ankylosaurs shoulder blades were more warped along the extended axis so that it fits on the abrupt change from shoulders which were narrow to the bulged abdomen. The muscles of the trunk were made light and this adaptation enhanced their movement. The gastrointestinal system was made flexible to aid in swallowing of food. The tail and the hip inclined con the same line as they appeared in vertebral of the trunk. Amongst the sauropods and therizinosaurs, the tail and hip were upwardly flexed with respect to the vertebrae of the trunk. This enabled the trunk to be clutched strongly anchored upwards whilst the tail and hips maintained a horizontal plane thus an upright posture of the head was increased where as the dinosaurs ability to run on the hind limbs was maintained. Since most of this animal’s weight concentrated on their hind limbs apart from the tail which acted to counter the weight of the body, most the dinosaurs reared upwards including those whose forelimbs were longer than hind limbs. Assessing the speed of Dinosaur A critical aspect to note in finding out the power and speed of dinosaurs is limb muscles mass, which constitutes a bigger perc entage of the sum of mass in the high speed mammals as opposed to slow speed mammals (Paul 45). Lack of muscles on dinosaur fossils has made it difficult to accurately ascertain the exact speed of dinosaur, the best that can be done is just but finding an approximate figure which has had discrepancies from one researcher to another. The complicated muscles of the limbs of the existing mammals find their roots in the history of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs preserved the plain structure reptile muscles which are prominent till date. For instance, the main muscle which are still visible in most dinosaurs and reptiles but lacking in mammals and avian are caudofemoralis tail based muscles that aided in pulling the legs backwards at the time of propulsive stroke. Despite the fact the exact muscle dinosaur sizes cannot be identified, their comparative sizes amid various sets can be estimated. A case in point is the hips of the reptiles which consists of an undersized ilium in that the muscles of t highs are forced to be narrow restricting their size. The extended iliac of the mammals and avian hold a powerful and broad group of muscles of the thigh (Paul 56). The ancient prosauropods and herreraurs ilium was undersized hence must have consisted of very tiny muscles of the thigh. Some of the dinosaurs had deep and extended ilium holding a very large group of muscles of the thigh promoting sustaining power. To some of the dinosaurs the trend was very extreme. On the other hand, tyrannosaurids and ornithomimids which belong to the family of ostriches consisted of large pelvis demonstrating the presence of distinctively enormous muscles of the legs with the ability to produce enough power during high speed propelling. Longer hips were observed in ceratopsid dinosaurs which enhanced large hind limb muscles which promoted the fast fending off of the muscles. Surprising the large ilium lacked in saurapod dinosaur. This is due to the fact that this kind of dinosaurs did not have to m ove fast. This is the same issue with the elephants which lacked huge muscles beneath the knees due the fact that the limbs in which the shank muscles support immobile and short. This was true of stegosauras and sauropods. Fast moving animals constitute a huge stack of shank muscles that manipulate the extended long, movable limbs through the tendons. For bipedal dinosaur such as avian, huge collection of limbs that resemble the drumstick muscles beneath the knee anchoring on enemial like projections in front of the joints of the knees. Bringing back dinosaurs entirely makes their surface contours to be so simple in that their tails, limbs, and legs into to tubes that are simplified tubes and smoothing above the body topography. Among the saurapods, the neck vertebra protuberance, were prominent on the necks as they appear in giraffes. Since the oesophagus and the trachea of sauropods well held up amidst the necks and their cervical ribs, the lower part of their necks should have be en flattened. As opposed to two legged dinosaurs, four legged dinosaurs are huge with enormous body weights. The dinosaur’s skeletons were adapted to bearing heavy loads as opposed to running. The 3-toed two legged dinosaurs used to walk on twos. This is what the cursorial dinosaurs adaptation to running. This feature is important and it has been well brought gout gin the modern avian which are ancestors of coelurosaurian. Digitigrades features enhance the length of the limbs since the metatarsal bones contribute to the length of the leg increasing the animals COG. An example is the limbs of human being which are used for jumping or running, during running, the runners sprint on their toes. Estimating the Maximum Running Speed of Dinosaurs William Sellers and Phillip Manning attempted to find out the maximum running speed of dinosaurs using robot. In their finding they noted that multiple body simulations by use of approaches such as evolutionary robots seem to give steadfast estimates of the highest speeds attained by dinosaurs (Strickberger 87). For instance, multibody simulations, with minor variations in patterns of muscle activation as well as starting conditions resulted to constant estimates. The ultimate running speed in animals is very technical and poses a lot of challenges in estimating this parameter. This is because as far one might try to estimate using an animal on pace, the animal might not run as fast as it could run. Furthermore most of the estimated values of the running speed of animals are given with regard to the observation findings which were conducted under compromising situations. The ultimate speed of running among dinosaurs differs from one species to another. Whereas the situation may deem to be straight forward in humans in that the two hundred meter sprint may be above or below 0.1 of a second the maximum speed attained can exceed the normal speed by 12m/s. The situation in humans is apt for well known athletes with well b uilt muscles as opposed to the estimations (Paul 67). The above estimates concur with the biochemical techniques which estimate eighteen meters per second among ostriches and thirteen meters per second for emu. The differences in the mass of muscles affects the maximum speed and these changes have a great influence on the average speed of the dinosaurs. Another method of measuring the highest speed attained by the dinosaurs is by estimation the loading capacity of the bones and the value compared to the speed of the animals whose speed is known. Conclusion All in all, dinosaurs were ancient reptiles that existed during the reptile’s period. These creatures dominated the planet hundreds and hundreds of years ago and faded way as time went by and until now we can only see the fossils. Dinosaurs were terrestrial reptiles whose locomotion was on an erect posture. The most unique thing about the dinosaurs was the structure of their distinct hips that caused their hind limbs to pro trude beneath their bodies and not spread out from the sides (Martin 56). When these animals evolved from ancient archosaurs, they were pedaling on twos but evolved to quadric-pedals. The evolution of muscles and the hip structure an adaptation that has enhanced its locomotion and other characteristics. Dinosaurs have been purported to have been the ancient reptiles that ran at a lightning speed (Lockley 78). However, there lacks a clear evidence to ascertain this claim. Some of scientists have tried to estimate the maximum running speed of these animals using conventional robotic instrument with no success. Dinosaurs have evolved from time and time and from the distinct creatures birds, crocodiles have emerged. In evaluating the speed and power is the mass of the muscles of the limb (Martin 67). Despite the fact that the exact mass of the muscles of limb cannot be determined due to the absence of the muscles on the fossils, their comparative size amid various groups can be produced . Scientist has tried estimating the maximum speed of dinosaurs. Approximating the speeds of dinosaurs differ from one method of estimation to another. For instance, some scientists have argued that young children might out do their counterpart in running. The various methods of evaluating the ultimate speed that can be achieved by dinosaurs are the same techniques which can be put to task in evaluating the speed of the animals in today’s world. For instance, the dinosaurs walking speed range between four to six kilometers per hour to six kilometers the ultimate running speed has been purported to range between thirty seven to eighty seven kilometers per hour. The ultimate speed which has been said to be the maximum speed of the dinosaurs is the current speed of the fastest terrestrial Animals. This speed differs from one species to another and it is also dependant on the approach used. Each approach used has its own confounding factors that yield different results. Lockley, Martin. Tracking Dinosaurs: a New Look at an Ancient World. Denver: CUP achive, 1991.Print Martin, Anthony. Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs. London: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. Print Paul, Gregory. The Field Guides. New York: Princeton University Press, 2010.Print Strickberger, Monroe. Evolution. New York: Jones Bartlett Learning, 2005.Print

The Spinning Mule Invention by Samuel Crompton

The Spinning Mule Invention by Samuel Crompton A spinning mule is a device that is an essential part of the textile industry. Invented in the 18th century  by Samual Crompton, the innovative machine spun textile fibers into yarn using an intermittent process that transformed the way yarn was manufactured, making the process much faster, easier- and more profitable. The History of Spinning Fiber into Yarn In early civilizations, yarn was spun using simple handheld tools: the distaff, which held the raw fiber material (such as wool, hemp, or cotton) and the spindle, onto which the twisted fibers were wound. The spinning wheel, a Middle-Eastern invention whose origins can be traced back as far as the 11th century, was the first step toward the mechanization of the textile spinning industry. The technology is thought to have traveled from Iran to India and was eventually introduced to Europe. The first illustration of the device dates from about 1270. The addition of a foot pedal has been credited to a workman from the town of Brunswick, located in the Saxony region of Germany in the year 1533. This allowed a spinner to power the wheel with one foot, leaving the hands free for spinning. Another 16th-century improvement was the flyer, which twisted the yarn as it was being spun, speeding up the process considerably. Europeans, however, were not the only ones to come up with innovations for spinning textiles. Water-powered spinning wheels were common in China as early as the 14th century. Samuel Crompton Puts a New Spin on Spinning Samuel Crompton was born in 1753 in Lancashire, England. After his father passed away, he helped support his family by spinning yarn. Soon enough, Crompton became all too familiar with the limitations of the industrial textile technology currently in use. He began to think of ways he could improve the process to make it faster and more efficient.  Crompton supported his research and development working as a violinist at the Bolton Theatre for pennies a show, plowing all of his wages into his realizing his invention. In 1779, Crompton was rewarded with an invention he called the spinning mule. The machine combined the moving carriage of the spinning jenny with the rollers of a water frame. The name mule was derived from the fact that like a mule- which is a cross between a horse and a donkey- his invention was also a hybrid. In the operation of a spinning mule, during the draw stroke, the roving (a long, narrow bunch of carded fibers) is pulled through and twisted; on the return, it is wrapped onto the spindle. Once perfected, the spinning mule gave the spinner great control over the weaving process, and many different types of yarn could be produced. In 1813, the mule was upgraded with the addition of a variable speed control invented by William Horrocks. The mule was a game changer for the textile industry: It could spin thread of much finer gauge, better quality, and at a higher volume than thread spun by hand- and the better the  thread, the higher the profit in the marketplace. The fine threads spun on the mule sold for at least three times the price of coarser threads. In addition, the mule could hold multiple spindles, which greatly increased output. Patent Troubles Many 18th-century inventors encountered difficulty over their patents and Crompton was no exception. In the more than five years it took Compton to invent and perfect his spinning mule, he failed to obtain a patent.  Seizing on the opportunity, famed industrialist Richard Arkwright  took out his own patent on the spinning mule, even though he hadnt had anything to do with its creation.   Crompton filed a complaint regarding his patent claim with the British Commons Committee in 1812. The committee concluded that the method of reward to an inventor, as generally accepted in the eighteenth century, was that the machine, etc., should be made public and that a subscription should be raised by those interested, as a reward to the inventor. Such a philosophy may have been practical in the days when inventions required little  capital  to develop, however, it was decidedly inadequate once the industrial  revolution got underway and investment capital became crucial to the development and production of any substantial technical improvement. Unfortunately for Crompton, British law lagged far behind the new paradigm of industrial progress.   Crompton was eventually able to prove the financial harm hed suffered by gathering evidence of all the factories that relied on his invention- more than four million spinning mules were in use at the time- for which hed received no compensation. Parliament agreed to a settlement of  £5,000 pounds. Crompton attempted to go into business with the funds he was finally awarded but his efforts were unsuccessful. He died in 1827.

Law Enforcement Challenges Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Enforcement Challenges - Assignment Example Therefore, the law enforcing agencies are faced with challenges such as detection of crime and its evidence (Brenner, 2010). In any criminal justice investigation, the evidence is an extremely vital factor since it must be collected from the site of a detected crime, it must be preserved safely and should not be tampered with, and eventually, it should be examined immediately after collection. Thus, is such crime cases detecting the crime itself and collecting evidence that goes along with the crime is challenging since a number of criminals involved in these crimes always delete and clear data from their computers in order to completely destroy the evidence. In addition, others always modify the data so as to show some difference from the previous evidence of the crime. Time being an essential factor here, a number of investigations fail since twenty-four hours seem to be late to recover evidence from computers which have automatic wiping applications just in case a wrong key is pressed. However, for law enforcing agencies with special tools and experts who can easily access any data, whether deleted or tampered with, obtaining evidence is easy and effective so long they act faster. Precisely, in criminal justice, jurisdiction refers to the body or rather the authority which is handling a particular case. This extends to geographical demarcations and legal restrictions on the type of courts to hear different cases. In many states, a law enforcing agency has jurisdiction over criminal activities that take place in a particular geographic location where the agency has authority; location of a crime, the location of victim or perpetrator. Thus, overlapping jurisdiction refers to the jurisdiction that is exercised simultaneously by several courts within the same territory over similar subject matter. Moreover, it overlapping jurisdiction can also be referred to as a jurisdiction which is shared by more than one state over geographical boundaries.     Ã‚  

Why rebalancing could be a huge mistake Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why rebalancing could be a huge mistake - Article Example Likewise, as a stock market rises, the commensurate rate at which bonds will be available will be reduced; furthering the investment potential of the individual investor. Conversely, the author also indicates that during a declining stock market, the investor should seek to purchase stocks; with the assumption that they will be available at a reduced rate. In order to facilitate this, bonds can of course be sold as they will necessarily command a higher premium during such a time. Essentially, the author found no indication that rebalancing reduced risk over the long term. Naturally, the broader question that deserves to be answered is whether or not rebalancing is capable of reducing risk over the short term; and to this the author indicates that it does indeed. However, for the investor that is interested in maintaining an appropriate ratio of stocks to bonds and maximizing their earnings over a period of time, specifically with an interest in retirement savings, the act of rebalancing more than once per year is not backed by the research. Essentially, the author provided three distinct levels of advice within the article in question. The first of these is with respect to rebalancing a maximum of once per year. Secondly, the author indicates that subsequent rebalance is of a portfolio present diminishing returns of the long run; however they are capable of providing short-term benefits that is in fact the approach that the investor wishes to take. Finally, the author indicates that the long-standing tradition of understanding long-term investments as paramount to short-term gains is something that should be recognized with respect to the issue of rebalancing and whether or not stocks and bonds should be purchased for reconsidered during a particular market trend. Naturally, the desire to seek to avail oneself available opportunity encourages

Utilitarian Moral Theory Essay Example for Free

Utilitarian Moral Theory Essay Present in your own words the basic elements of a utilitarian moral theory. Utilitarianism is established as a theory promoting increasing utility and especially the happiness of as many people as possible. Utilitarian’s believe the function of morality as a social institution, is to advocate humans well-being by increasing welfare and decreasing damage. Thus, moral rules are regarded as a way to accomplish individual needs and meet social aims. The first basic element of a utilitarian moral theory is The Principle of Utility. In which, it’s important to understand that behaviours are considered correct when they foster happiness and wrong when they spread unhappiness. The public benefits of health care, research, medicine and so on should be maximised. The second element is A Theory of Value, in which utilitarians consider what is good as happiness, fulfilment of wants and ambitions and achieving conditions such as liberty, understanding, security, health and deep relationships with loved ones. Utilitarians tend to look into production of good as an innate value, which doesn’t differ among people. Hedonistic approaches conceive that only happiness can be inherently good, conversely pluralistic approaches believe that values other than happiness have worth such as personal victory, knowledge, friendship, autonomy, love and culture. Since the hedonistic and pluralistic approaches tend to clash, many utilitarians define good as being an object or substance that is subjectively coveted and wanted. The third element, Consequentialism means that actions are only seen as right when the results of actions are good not when the intent of actions is good. It doesn’t mean that future results should be foreseen, only that when judging the cause of an action it should be ensured that the consequence of that action endeavours to generate the best utilitarian conclusion. The last element is Impartiality which means all parties concerned in an action must be considered impartially. From a moral perspective people should receive unbiased judgement regardless of their gender, race and disabilities. This utlilitarian theory comes under general normative ethics. There are many elements of utilitarianism but the four described above are the most important ones and must be met for the sake of permitting a utilitarian theory.

Migration: Pros and Cons :: essays research papers

Migration has been an on going phenomena from past to present. Individuals, families, or groups of people may leave a country voluntarily or involuntarily because of events: harsh environmental or economic conditions (disease, crop failure, excess population), religious persecution, "ethnic cleansing," war, genocide. Or they may be enslaved and taken to a foreign country. Migrants may seek better jobs, freedom, or to preserve their very lives. There is a wide spread perception shared by big business and the government that a country needs immigrants, first to take certain low paid jobs which the existing population decline to take, second, and more importantly, to overcome skill shortages in the country. Immigrants are then, seen as playing an important part in enabling the Government to achieve sustainable economic development. The effect of immigration on unemployment is negligible and that migrants create at least as many jobs as they fill. Migrants may increase unemployment in certain areas, but this is compensated by their raising the overall level of demand, like housing and household-related goods, needs etc. This promotes both a higher level and a wider range of goods and services produced, stimulating the economy and job growth. Migrants also bring new skills and experience to the recipient country. They help to reduce labor shortages for skilled personnel, and also attract international traders through their fore ign knowledge and language skills. Skilled migrants also do not earn a cost to government in education or training, because most migrants come in their youth (20-39), means that they pay the taxes that will help sustain ageing population (mostly in MEDC’s). One main problem is that the movement of skilled personnel from LEDC (developing countries) to MEDC (developed countries), termed the â€Å"brain drain†, can have a harmful effect on the donor countries, this emigration deprives the donor country of the skilled manpower that they need. Emigrants can however, assist their country of origin in various other ways: a) bank deposits – external accounts maintain in the donor country which are financial investments in the donor country economy. Migration: Pros and Cons :: essays research papers Migration has been an on going phenomena from past to present. Individuals, families, or groups of people may leave a country voluntarily or involuntarily because of events: harsh environmental or economic conditions (disease, crop failure, excess population), religious persecution, "ethnic cleansing," war, genocide. Or they may be enslaved and taken to a foreign country. Migrants may seek better jobs, freedom, or to preserve their very lives. There is a wide spread perception shared by big business and the government that a country needs immigrants, first to take certain low paid jobs which the existing population decline to take, second, and more importantly, to overcome skill shortages in the country. Immigrants are then, seen as playing an important part in enabling the Government to achieve sustainable economic development. The effect of immigration on unemployment is negligible and that migrants create at least as many jobs as they fill. Migrants may increase unemployment in certain areas, but this is compensated by their raising the overall level of demand, like housing and household-related goods, needs etc. This promotes both a higher level and a wider range of goods and services produced, stimulating the economy and job growth. Migrants also bring new skills and experience to the recipient country. They help to reduce labor shortages for skilled personnel, and also attract international traders through their fore ign knowledge and language skills. Skilled migrants also do not earn a cost to government in education or training, because most migrants come in their youth (20-39), means that they pay the taxes that will help sustain ageing population (mostly in MEDC’s). One main problem is that the movement of skilled personnel from LEDC (developing countries) to MEDC (developed countries), termed the â€Å"brain drain†, can have a harmful effect on the donor countries, this emigration deprives the donor country of the skilled manpower that they need. Emigrants can however, assist their country of origin in various other ways: a) bank deposits – external accounts maintain in the donor country which are financial investments in the donor country economy.

The Formulation of Accounting Standards

The Corporations Law which came into effect in January 1991, has made substantial changes to the way business is conducted in Australia. Previously some illegal practices are now legal, and some legal practices are now deemed to be illegal. Under the Corporations Law finical statements have to be made out in accordance to the various accounting standards. AASB 1024 and AASB 1013 are two such standards. Both these standards have been through a reform process over the last few years, and changes that have been made to them, have determined the level of compliance to the Corporations Law. The formulation of accounting standards is based on the premise that financial information should be available to users of these statements to enable them to make decisions about the allocation of scarce resources and in the evaluation of such decisions. The ASC is the sole administering body of the Corporations Law, and it is directly accountable to the Commonwealth Attorney-General and the Commonwealth Parliament. Prior to the changes of the Corporations Law in 1991, compliance with applicable Accounting Standards as not necessary, provided that the financial statements gave a true and fair view. Yet after 1991 changes, the compliance with the applicable Accounting Standards increased. Section 298(1) of the Corporations Law requires that ‘a companies directors shall ensure that the company†s financial statements for a financial year are made out in accordance with applicable accounting standards. † By the interaction of section 298(1) and 299(1), â€Å"where the accounts are made out in accordance with applicable accounting standards but do not otherwise give a true and fair view of the matters †¦ the directors must add such information and explanations as will give a true and fair view of those matters. † Under section 224 of the Australian Securities Commission Act 1989, saw the establishment of the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB). The AASB supports an accounting regulatory system whereby legislation provides a â€Å"framework under which accounting regulation can be developed and implemented by a thorough due process† AASB 1024 Consolidated Accounts is one such standard. AASB 1024 requires â€Å"the consolidation of companies which are controlled even if there is less than majority ownership. The effects of most intra-group transactions will then be eliminated a part of the consolidation process† (Henderson & Peirson 1994). A company is required to present consolidated accounts only when it is the parent entity of an economic entity which is a reporting entity. The consolidated accounts are comprised of a consolidated profit and loss account and a consolidated balance sheet. This balance sheet includes all the entities controlled by the reporting entity at the end of the financial year. Compliance with AASB 1024 became mandatory for financial statements published on and after December 31, 1991. In 1991 changes were also made to definitions in the wording of AASB 1024. To remove the option to deconsolidate one or more subsidies of the reporting entity, The definition of ‘group accounts† was replaced by ‘consolidated accounts†. The Corporations Law also broadened the base of the ‘economic entity† to which consolidated accounting applies , no longer allowing other forms of ‘group accounting† reporting. In the Editorial of the Australian Financial Review on August 5, 1991, appeared the following paragraph: â€Å"The recently introduced standard on consolidations (AASB 1024) aims at producing a clear picture of the financial health of reporting companies. It will certainly catch a lot of off-balance sheet devices† The functions of consolidation or group accounting is not universally accepted. AASB 1024 and the relevant sections of the Corporations Law presume that the functions is to depict the affairs of an economic entity or group of companies. One would expect consolidated accounts to contain the data in separate accounts, but not including data which are not sourced nor excluding data which are. There is concern as to the utility of the consolidated financial statements. One such event, the $2. billion bail out of the State Bank of South Australia, confirmed the presence of doubt regarding the accounting data about groups. â€Å"The recent introduction of AASB 1024 ‘Consolidated Financial Statements† and the consequential amendments to the Corporations Law may play a significant role in determining off balance sheet financing, but these reforms have been long overdue and there still remains doubt as to their effectiveness† Prior to the changes, where the operations of a subsidiary were totally different from those of its parent company it was argued that it would be misleading to consolidate the accounts of the companies. One immediate way of establishing the impact of AASB 1024 on companies reporting practices would be, if investments, which formerly were not reported as subsidiaries, were reported as such after December 31, 1991. If compliance with AASB 1024 has had any impact on company reporting practices it could be expected that former associates as well as former subsidiaries for which separate sets of accounts were prepared, would now be included in the consolidated accounts. After AASB 1024 became effective, referencing was no longer made to parent and subsidiary companies, but rather to controlling entities. By this change in definition, resulting from the consolidation of an investment was taken as evidence that introduction of AASB 1024 has ‘influenced management†s choice of accounting policy. Consolidated accounts now give an accurate picture as to the profit and loss and provide more meaningful information for users of the accounts, however it would appear that there is substantial compliance with the consolidated accounts standard, yet little influence on the financial statements. The second standard to be examined is AASB 1013 ‘Accounting for Goodwill†. Goodwill probably is the most â€Å"intangible of intangibles because it is difficult to determine just exactly what it is† . In practice it has evolved to include everything contributing to an existing business†s advantages over a new one or anything that enhances a company†s earning potential. Goodwill defined is as an entity†s unidentifiable intangible assets. These assets that are unidentifiable include â€Å"loyal and efficient employees, an established clientele, suppliers †¦ and a good name and reputation. † (Henderson & Peirson 1994). Goodwill is measured as the difference between the price paid for an entity and the fair value of the identifiable net asset acquired. Fair value is defined as the ‘amount for which an assets could be exchanged between a knowledgeable, willing buyer and a knowledgeable, willing seller in an arm†s length transaction† . A distinction is drawn between internally generated goodwill and purchased goodwill. Both internally generated goodwill and purchased goodwill give rise to probable future economic benefits. However only the latter â€Å"is to be recognised as an assets because ‘internally generated goodwill is not usually capable of reliable measurement† â€Å". .† (Henderson & Peirson 1994). AASB 1013 was approved on April 18, 1988 and the purpose of this was in ‘regard to the acquisition of an entity, is to specify the manner of accounting for goodwill and discount on acquisition †¦ † . Prior to the dates before the goodwill standards were introduced, most preparers and their auditors â€Å"chose to ignore their professional responsibility to ensure compliance with the accounting standards. Prior to the introduction of the standard, little attempt was made to establish that the amount attributed to goodwill actually reflected unidentifiable assets. This meant the goodwill amounts was inflated by omission of valuable intangible assets. With the omission of these valuable intangible assets from the balance sheet therefore understates the net worth of the reporting entity. The introduction of an accounting standard regarding goodwill had the purpose of appropriate determination and achieving the proper recording of other acquired assets. Since the introduction of the standard, the recognition in the financial reports has reached ‘plague proportion†11 with accounting for intangibles reveals an increase in the numbers of companies recognising and amortising goodwill. It is now common place to see the recording of † †¦ brand names, software, patents and licences and even assets of a more nature like intellectual or sporting property† 11. AASB 1013 also served to minor service which was to reminder the reporting entity that the intangible assets, once recognised, attracted the same obligations as that of non-current assets, including depreciation and amortisation. Accounting for goodwill has always attracted interest, and all those involved with it have their own view on how it should be reported in the financial statements. â€Å"The failure of the community to accept readily a single concept of goodwill and to adopt the consequential accounting treatment can only be explained by the nature of the product we are considering – its† intangibility11 . Both AASB 1024 and AASB 1013 have received their criticism in the past, yet both of them have many positive aspects. Both these standard have changed management practices in the two fields. There is enough evidence for both standards to suggest that there is compliance with section 298(1) of the Corporations Law, yet in some cases this compliance is limited to the situation and the reporting entity. AASB 1013 has proven to be (prior to its introduction) a relatively large unknown quantity, now having all but changed, and with regard to AASB 1024, a more informed and detailed reports of corporate groups provide more meaningful information.