Simultaneous interpreting Essay Example for Free

Simultaneous interpreting Essay These first two instances of overlap happen quickly and without need for Ð ° resolution. Then, Ð ° third instance of overlapping talk begins, all three are talking, and to intervene. The Student offers back-channel responses, the Interpreter begins translating and then the Professor begins to speak. Suddenly there are three speakers. For Ð ° moment, all three are talking. And, at this point, the Interpreter says wait-Ð °-minute to the Student. The Student immediately shifts his gaze from the Professor to the Interpreter. As he sees the gesture, the Students hands go down to his lap, Ð ° turn-ending signal in ASL (Baker 1977), and he makes no further attempt to speak. When the Student stops, the Interpreter begins interpreting for the Professor, and she goes on talking At first glance, it might seem that the Interpreter stopped the Professor merely because she is the teacher and therefore more powerful while the Student is Ð ° student and thus powerless. But as Tannen (1987) argues, the notion of power is metaphoric when applied to interaction and discourse: І suggest that there are many different kinds’ of power and influence that are interrelated and have varied manifestations. When people are taking different roles, it may not be the case that one has power and one doesnt, but that they have different kinds of power, and they are exercising it in different ways. While the Interpreter may have made his decision based on greater authority or status of the Professor, upon closer inspection, Ð ° number of factors may have contributed to the Interpreters decision to stop the Student. First, the topic was initiated by the Professor, and it is clear that she is not finished talking about it, given her persistence in raising it and her elaboration of it. Second, when the Professor begins to talk about chunking, she says this word the same way both times. There is stress on the first syllable, as well as Ð ° rising and then falling tone. When said as CHUNKing, in English, the tone carries an additional message of heres what І want to talk about next. This is an example of how contextualization cues work ( Gumperz 1982). Third, in playback interviews, the Professor and the Student explain their perspectives on the overlapping talk and the Interpreters choice. The Student began explaining when he saw himself sign SAME. The Student: І said SAME because І wanted to talk about the same thing! Chunking and І was glad she brought it up. І didnt really understand it and hadnt remembered to asked her about it. І wanted her to talk about it. At some level the Interpreter knew that the Student needed to know what the Professor thought; it is what all students come to professors to hear. Although, by virtue of the situation, the Professor has Ð ° more powerful status, the Students own words make it clear that he would prefer to be stopped, so that he can fulfill his expectation of receiving advice and information. It is for this information that he came to her office. The Professor explains her perspective: When І am talking about chunking І think І clearly feel that what І have to say takes priority. And І want to get it out. [The Interpreter] starts talking but І dont want to hear it. І think І am not sure whether [the Student] was trying to take Ð ° turn or give Ð ° back channel but І am going to treat it like Ð ° back channel because І want to keep talking. І wasnt ready to yield the floor. Thus, the Professor was unwilling to give up her turn and perhaps would have insisted that she be allowed to go on speaking. The accumulating dataher persistence on the topic, her contextualization cues, and her status-become Ð ° cumulative force that must have had some impact on the Interpreters decision. Thus, in some ways, the Interpreters decision was not only Ð ° judicious one to make; it was, perhaps, the only one the Interpreter could have made as part of this triad. Overlapping talk and the decision to stop Ð ° speaker come about for complex social reasons within specific contexts and interpreters act instinctively on this knowledge. Ignoring Ð ° Turn Next, І move to examples of overlapping talk where the Interpreter makes Ð ° decision either to momentarily ignore one speakers overlapping talk and interpret it later or to ignore the talk altogether. Momentarily ignoring Ð ° turn forces the Interpreter to hold Ð ° span of speech in memory (if able) until an opportunity presents itself to interpret what was said. Holding Ð ° span of speech and recalling it later happens for several reasons: (1) an interpreter perceives that the talk is not critical at the moment; (2) the overlapping talk is short, simple, and easy to remember; or (3) an interpreter can predict that one speaker is either finishing or will finish soon. When interpreters ignore Ð ° speakers input, they generally do so because they decide that the talk is unimportant at this moment, that it may be contributed again, or that they simply cannot process that piece of language while they are interpreting. In this segment, at the third line, the same occurrence that made the Interpreter stop Ð ° speaker previously now has Ð ° different outcome: the z Professor speaks, the Student speaks, and the Interpreter is interpreting; all three are speaking. This time the Interpreter does not render an interpretation of the Professors talk. Interpreters sometimes have to ignore one of the overlapping utterances. There are two kind’s of talks that they can ignore and not affect the outcome too drastically. one kind of talk is back-channel responses, brief spurts of talk that indicate that listeners are paying attention, or agreeing, or providing other non-content responses, such as, mm-hmm, sure, or OH-І-SEE (ASL). The other kind is also brief but contains more message content. For instance, yes, І can do it and no, І doubt it are brief, yet they include agreement, disagreement, or Ð ° proposition. Interpreters can, or have to, ignore these two kinds of talk for two basic reasons. First, it is not physically possible to hear or see two speakers and be talking yourself, all at the same time. The complexity of the talk that is being interpreted demands an interpreters full attention. Second, inserting overlapping talk could surprise the speaker who is already talking and that speaker will stop because the stream of thought is interrupted. The next segment demonstrates more of the unique possibilities of interpreted events. The Student responds to something the Professor has said, and his response is not interpreted. The Professor sees the Student make Ð ° gesture that gives agrees with her message, and it seems to communicate directly with her. Finally, interpreters sometimes make decisions to ignore overlapping talk momentarily, and when they are ready to interpret, they no longer remember it. When this happens, interpreters have an option to offer Ð ° turn to the speaker whose talk was ignored. Interpreters can say something like, Do you want to say something? or they can take Ð ° turn to say that the other speaker tried to say something. For example, an interpreter might say Excuse me, theres Ð ° question In this meeting, the Interpreter does not ignore overlapping talk momentarily and offer Ð ° turn to one of the speakers However, the Interpreter does offer turns at talk for reasons other than overlapping talk.

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Etisalat

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Etisalat Emirates Telecommunication Corporation Etisalat was founded in 1976 as a joint-stock company between International Aeradio Limited, a British Company, and local partners. In 1983 the ownership structure changed United Arab Emirates government held a 60% share in the company and the remaining 40% were publicly traded. In 1991 the UAE central government issued Federal Law No. 1, which gave the corporation the right to provide the telecommunications wired and wireless services in the country and between UAE and other countries. It also gave the firm the right to issue licenses for owning, importing, manufacturing, using or operating telecommunication equipment. This practically gave Etisalat both regulatory and control powers, which completed the monopoly of the telecom giant in the UAE. In order to safeguard the countrys economic development, the law made provisions for the development of the telecommunication sector in the country. The increase of exchange lines from 36,000 in 1976 to more than 737,000 in 1998 was one of the important indicators of Etisalat networks growth and development. An important milestone was Etisalats commencement of international operations in January 2001, when under the brand name of Ufone it started operating out of Islamabad. Today Etisalat stands 140th among the Financial Times Top 500 Corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization, and is ranked by The Middle East magazine as the 6th largest company in the Middle East in terms of capitalization and revenues. The Corporation is the largest contributor outside the oil sector to development programmes of the UAE Federal Etisalat has also won accolades from across the region for its nationalization programme Etisalat Building in Abu Dhabi, UAE In addition to its telecommunication services provider and carrier units, Etisalat incorporates a number of additional non-telecom business units under the umbrella of Etisalat Services Holding LLC. These units support the companys operations and even provide services to other operators and organizations, namely: training and consultancy services(Etisalat Academy, SIM/smart card manufacturing and payment solutions (Ebtikar), data clearing house services (EDCH), peering/voice and data transit (Emirates Internet Exchange EMIX), call center Etisalat is a major investor in Thuraya (34.5%), a satellite geo-mobile communication systems provider. In 2006 Etisalat started a major restructuring program that resulted in the de-merger of many of its non-core business units operating under the telecoms centralized and direct management; core services were consolidated and streamlined, reflecting the companys shift from a technology-driven telecom to a customer-focused services provider. As part of the program, Etisalat has launched a re-branding campaign, releasing a new corporate logo and identity in May 2006. The restructuring culminated in the incorporation of Etisalat Services Holding LLC, which as of 2008 oversees the operation of Etisalats non-telecom business units with huge success stories . Etisalat International Investments Etisalat International Investments is the business unit of Etisalat that operates outside the UAE and manages the corporations stakes in telecommunications carriers in Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The International Investments unit also manages Etisalats minor stakes in other telecommunications services providers, such as Sudatel (a mobile, fixed and Internet services provider in Sudan), and Qtel (Qatar-based telecommunications services provider). Mobily Saudi Arabia One of Etisalats first international investments was the bid to become the second mobile services operator in Saudi Arabia. Etihad Etisalat, a consortium led by Etisalat, won the 2G GSM license by offering USD $3.25 billion. Currently operating under the brand name Mobily, Etihad Etisalat offers Saudi Arabia subscribers conventional and 3.5G mobile telephony services, and has floated shares on the Saudi stock market. PTCL Pakistan Among the acquisitions of Etisalat in 2005 was a 26% management stake in Pakistan Telecommunications (PTCL) that was put on sale by the Government of Pakistan as part of a large privatization initiative. In order to outbid competitors (which included Singapore Telecommunications and China Mobile), Etisalat offered USD $2.56 billion for the stake. According to some analysts, the telecom has overpaid, as the bid went far beyond the estimated USD $2 billion value of the package. Etisalat Egypt In July 2006, a consortium led by Etisalat was granted the rights to develop Egypts third mobile network, with a winning bid of 16.7 billion Egyptian pounds (EUR à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.29 billion euro). The venture, Etisalat Egypt, competes with existing service providers Vodafone and Mobinil. On September 12, 2006, it was announced that the network would be built by Ericsson of Sweden, and Huawei of China, at a cost of approximately USD $1.2 billion. In 2007, at the Comms MEA Awards ceremony Etisalat was presented with the Best New Entrant award for its Egyptian operations. Award winners were selected by a panel of experts from KPMG, the Arab Advisors Group and Oliver Wyman, Dubai. Canar Sudan Etisalat is one of the founding partner companies of Canar Telecom, a fixed-line telecom services operator. In September 2007 Etisalat has raised its stake in Canar from 37% to 82% at an estimated cost of AED 584.17 million (USD $159 million). Canar was launched on November 27, 2005. The operator is reported to use NGN and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) technologies for its voice, data, internet and multimedia services. Canar is one of the first operators in Africa to use an NGN network core. EMTS Nigeria Etisalat signed an agreement to acquire 40% of and manage Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services, Nigerias fifth GSM operator. It is now operating with about 5 million Subscribers, and recently signed an agreement with Main One cable company to launch one of the first major broadband service in Nigeria. Zantel Tanzania In January 1999, Etisalat acquired a stake in Zanzibar Telecom (a Tanzania-based mobile operator) for USD $2.4 million (AED 8.8 million) and has subsequently increased the stake by 17% in July 2007. Since then, Zantel has introduced telcom services that are typical for the African region, such as mobile banking services for customers without access to banking facilities (Zpesa Mobile Banking). Atlantique Telecom/Moov West Africa In Africa, Etisalat acquired 50% of Atlantique Telecoms shares in April 2005. Based in the Ivory Coast, AT owns mobile operators in Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Central African Republic, Gabon and Ivory Coast. In 2007, Etisalat increased its shares in AT to 70% and again in May 2008, to 82%. AT group subscribers totaled 2.9 million at the end of 2007, which is a 107% increase from the previous year. Ivory Coast: Moov, is currently Ivory Coasts third-largest cell-phone operator with a 1.5 million customer base. In 2008 Moov Ivory Coast introduced the first nationwide cell-phone coverage, based on Thuraya satellite access technology. It is the first time that such a service has been offered in sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa. It was expected that the expanded coverage introduced by the satellite service would help boost Moovs customer base and even overtake France Telecoms unit Orange as the top telecom services provider in the country. Benin: Etisalat operates in Benin under the Moov brand. On 24 October 2007 the government of Benin has reassigned Telecels operating license to Etisalat. In February 2008, His Excellency Dr. Boni Yayi, President of Benin, honoured Etisalat chairman, Mohammad Hassan Omran during a ceremony to celebrate Etisalats efforts in developing and promoting the telecommunications sector in Benin. XL Axiata Indonesia Indonesia-based mobile services operator PT XL Axiata (formerly PT Excelcomindo Pratama) is Etisalats first acquisition in the Far East. In December 2007 Etisalat took a 15.97% stake after paying USD $438 million (AED 1.6 billion). At the time of the acquisition XL had 15 million mobile subscribers. Etisalat Afghanistan Etisalat Afghanistan is a newly established GSM operator, 100% owned by Etisalat. It was established in May 2006 after the UAE telecom won the license to operate the fourth mobile services provider in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Etisalats bid for the license was USD $1.2 billion (AED 4.4 billion) and services were launched in August 2007. Etisalat Afghanistan operates out of Kabul and as of March 3, 2010, the company has achieved 24 per cent market share in 27 provinces of Afghanistan. Etisalat Sri Lanka Etisalat acquired the Sri Lankan Operation of Millicom International Cellular (MIC), Tigo (Sri Lanka) on 16 October 2009. The acquisition was completed with a total enterprise value of 207 Million US$, out of which 155 Million US$ was in cash. Tigo (Sri Lanka) under the then brand name CELLTEL started operations in June 1989 on a Motorola TACS system and was the first cellular operator in Sri Lanka as well as South Asia. In January 2007, Millicom replaced the local CELLTEL brand with Tigo, their international brand. In February 2010, Tigo was rebranded as Etisalat. It competes with international operators like Dialog Telekom (Telekom Malaysia), Mobitel (Sri Lanka Telecom), Hutch (Hutchison) and Airtel (Bharti Airtel), using technologies GSM/EDGE and hopes to launch UMTS/HSDPA services over 900/1800 and 2100 MHz in 2011. Etisalat India In 2009 Etisalat has announced that its Indian unit, erstwhile Swan Telecom (owned by Dynamix Balwas Realty and Reliance Communications), headquartered in Mumbai, is renamed to Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd Telecom Renamed Etisalat Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. The business unit has been awarded Unified Services Access License in 15 circles Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. In April 2010 Etisalat began signal testing in Chennai [IND 922], Delhi NCR [IND 913], Maharashtra Goa [IND 919], Mumbai [IND 916] and Gujarat[IND 914]. In May 2010, Etisalat was in talks to buy 25% stake in Reliance Communications, but the deal was not finalised. In 2010, following the $39 billion 2G spectrum scam, Etisalat DB, the Indian subsidiary of the company, was stopped from buying a stake in a Chennai-based company due to objections raised by the Indias home ministry(MHA). Etisalat DB was not allowed to buy back the 5.27 per cent stake held by Chennai-based Genex Exim Ventures since the home ministry raised objections based largely on security concerns. The MHA had pointed out four issues that needed to be resolved before allowing the company to come into Etisalat DB, a company that got scarce 2G spectrum at allegedly throwaway prices, First, vice-chairman Shahid Balwa should not be involved in the operations of the company in any capacity, because of his connections with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, second, the MHA raised objections about the commercial relationship between the Dubai-based Etisalat Group and Chinas Huawei. The MHA suspects, Huawei has links with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army the countrys military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces and has the capacity to manipulate equipment supply, third, it raised objections about Etisalats presence in Pakistan and its connection with Pakistans intelligence agency ISI. Etisalat owns a 26% stake in Pakistan Telecommunications and has a subscriber base of 3 million in Afghanistan and fourth, the MHA has also expressed concerns about the telecom surveillance software Etisalat had used in a Blackberry service it had introduced in the UAE and recommended that the company should not be allowed to offer Blackberry services in India. b) Social; technological: Etisalat Etisalat UAE is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and includes three regional offices Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Northern Emirates. Etisalat Company is owned by the UAE government and it is stipulated law that state, with seven out of 11 of the Board of Directors being government representatives, including the Chairman. Abu Dhabi Region Key positions: Etisalat Chairman: Mohamed Hassan Omran Etisalat A/CEO: Nasser Bin Abood Senior Vice President Marketing: Khalifa Al Forah Al Shamsi Group Senior Vice President corporate Communications: Ahmed Bin Ali Corporate Governance The General Assembly The General Assembly is composed of all shareholders of the Corporation. The General Assembly is entrusted with approving the Boards Annual Report on the Corporations activities and financial position during the preceding financial year. The Assembly is also entrusted with approving the report of the external auditors, discussing and approving the balance sheet and the profit and loss account for the previous financial year, appointing external auditors and approving the Boards recommendations regarding the allocation of profit. The General Assembly exercises all powers of the Corporation within the limits of the law and the Articles of Association. The Board of Directors The Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) is managed by a Board of Directors presided over by the Chairman and consists of eleven members, including the Chairman, seven of whom are appointed by Presidential Decree to represent the Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates, and the remaining Four elected by the 40% non-government shareholders of the Corporation. The term of the Board of Directors is three years, as applicable to each group of members according to the date of their appointment or election. The Board of Directors carries out the Corporations business and for that purpose, exercises all powers of the Corporation, except those reserved by Law or the Articles of Association for the General Assembly of the Corporation. The Executive Committee The Executive Committee is appointed by the Board of Directors in accordance with Section 20 of the Articles of Association. It is empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Board and/ or to make certain recommendations to it concerning particular matters. The Executive Committees functions and powers include organizational matters of the Corporation (such as overseeing statutory, organizational and employment matters and Corporate performance), planning and development (overseeing development plans and projects, and approval of the budget prior to submission to the Board), operations (reviews efficiency of service and lays down policies concerning investments of surplus funds), projects (sets the terms for the project agreements, approves relevant tenders over AED 50 million, and approves project overruns and variations over AED 10 million), procurement (approves purchases over AED 50 million), and investments (including international Investments and expansion projects). The Audit Committee Communicate Entertain Inform c) Internet services The number of Etisalats Internet subscribers reportedly stands at 1.02 million.[42] Some of the Internet services for home users that Etisalat offers include: 3G Mobile Internet access Broadband Internet services (Al Shamil[43] and eLife[44]) Prepaid and post-paid dialup Internet access Etisalat also operates iZone, a system of Wi-FI hotspots in central locations, such as shopping malls, restaurants, and sheesha cafes. iZone can be accessed by either purchasing prepaid cards (AED 15/hour, USD $4.5/hour), or if using an existing account with the operator (AED 3/hour for dial-up account holders, or AED 10/hour for broadband users). Dial-up and ISDN Internet access services are billed by the hour, whereas the domestic and residential cable and DSL connections have a fixed monthly rate depending on speed. Other Internet links, aimed at business users, have traffic utilization plans and relatively high rates when exceeding the allocated bandwidth quota. This has caused bad publicity for Etisalat and is a major source of criticism. Internet censorship Page Blocked Notice Etisalat operates an Internet content filtering system that blocks access to web resources. The web resources are claimed to be controversial or offensive (i.e. sexually explicit content, certain political and religious websites, anonymizers and proxies) or harmful (i.e. numeric IP addresses, known phishing or malicious websites, botnet command servers). The use of content filtering is mandated by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the United Arab Emirates. The type of content that is restricted by Etisalat includes: Pornography, nudity and sexually explicit content. The entire Israel country code top-level domain (.il) Certain media-sharing websites Anti-Islamic websites. Websites criticizing the United Arab Emirates (such as UAEprison and Arab Times) Anonymous proxy sites (such as vtunnel, pzeg, etc.), Gay and Lesbian Rights websites (such as Gaydar, Mogenic etc.) Numerical IP address links (for example, http://10.11.1.1/),Voice over IP services providers websites (such as Skype, Vonage) There are claims that Etisalat breaks the rules of net neutrality by throttling peer-to-peer, gaming and other types of network traffic in order to reduce the load on its oversubscribed international links. The effect of this interference is most noticeable during weekends or periods of high network use. The overall efficiency of the country-wide content filtering is unclear, as many of the technologically savvy users have discovered tools and methods to bypass the content filter, such as using Tor. BlackBerry In July 2009, Etisalat pushed an update to BlackBerry devices operating on the telecoms national network, citing performance improvements. However, it was later discovered that the update contained eavesdropping software, developed by the US-based software development company SS8, which specializes in electronic surveillance. It is reported that the software enabled the company to monitor and forward communications on BlackBerry devices to their servers.[48][49] Research in Motion, BlackBerrys developer, acknowledged[50] that the patch was a form of spyware, and issued a removal patch on July 20. On December 27, 2009, both Etisalat and Du (telco) have been mandated by the UAE telecom regulator to start filtering BlackBerry users web access and block illegal content. Due to concerns with the security and the provisioning of legal interception for Blackberry non-voice services, on 1 Aug 2010, the Telecommunication Regularity Authority of the UAE instructed Etisalat that all Blackberry e-mail, internet and messenger functions must be suspended on 1 Oct 2010 d) The Operating Structure of the Corporation In 2009 Etisalat implemented a group structure to manage its international expansion strategy, protect value from the Corporations United Arab Emirates operations, secure value creation from its seventeen international operations, and to gain the trust of its stakeholders by putting in place a solid structure and governance and adherence to best practices. At the level of the United Arab Emirates, the Group organization structure features two autonomous Operating Units: Etisalat UAE Unit (which is entrusted with provisioning Licensed Telecom Services in the United Arab Emirates);and the Etisalat Services Unit (a wholly owned holding company entrusted with providing certain non-core, non-telecom services to the Corporation, as well as to third parties). The Group exercises and sets its various activities and responsibilities and sets its key corporate policies, prepares plans, and monitors the operational and financial performance of its operating companies, and reports the same to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee on a regular basis. e) Consolidated income statement before the year ended 31 December 2009 Consolidated statement of comprehensive income a) DU History The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006. The company has invested AED 2.4 billion in 2009 and added 1 million active mobile subscribers in 2009, bringing its subscriber base to 3.48 million. du offers fixed and mobile telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses, and carrier services for businesses. On February 11, 2007, du launched its own mobile service with call tariffs almost identical to those of Etisalat, thus eliminating any possibility of price competition between the two providers. Subscribers to du mobile services can be identified by the dialing prefix 055 b) Social; technological: DU Chief Executive Officer Osman Sultan Chief Financial Officer Mark Shuttleworth Chief Commercial Officer Farid Faraidooni Chief Technology Officer Yatinder Mahajan Chief Human Resources and Corporate Services Officer Fahad Al Hassawi Chief Strategy and Investments Officer Raghu Venkataraman Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Ananda Bose du is committed to operating according to global best-practice throughout all aspects of its business. While the company has continued to achieve exceptional results, the world has witnessed significant challenges against a backdrop of the financial crisis. The need for commitment to good governance has never been greater. du has operated under a strong corporate governance culture, since the company was founded. The board of directors Leading our corporate governance efforts is a Board of nine Directors, chaired by Ahmad Bin Byat, which meets on a quarterly basis. Meetings are structured to allow open discussion. All directors participate in discussing the strategy, trading and financial performance and risk management of the Company. In line with ESCA and international guidelines, the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive du board and committees In addition, the company has a number of Board Committees, including the Audit Compliance Committee, Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and an Investment Committee, which are responsible for monitoring, reviewing and making recommendations for their respective areas. audit compliance committee The Audit Compliance Committee consists of three directors and meets quarterly. The internal audit function of du has a direct reporting line into the Audit Compliance Committee. This committee is responsible for reviewing dus results and financial statements, reviewing the activities of internal auditors and monitoring compliance with statutory requirements. Audit compliance committee members: Ziad Galadari (Chairman) Younis Al Khoori Fadel Al Ali Remuneration and nomination committee The Remuneration and Nomination Committee meets as required and consists of three directors and is responsible for the assessment and recommendation of policy on executive remuneration and packages for individual executive directors. Remuneration and nomination committee members: Waleed Al Muhairi (Chairman) Abdulhamid Saeed Abdulla Al Shamsi Investment committee The investment committee, which is not an ESCA requirement, consists of four directors. Its main function is to evaluate the companys investment plans to ensure that shareholders will see an appropriate return on investment. It meets a minimum of four times per year. Investment committee members: Eissa Al Suwaidi (Chairman) Ahmad Bin Byat Jassem Al Zaabi Fadel Al Ali c) Key management decisions -DU Censorship: Unlawful websites Users who tried to access a blocked web page were initially redirected to dus first block page. As rendered in the Opera web browser In March 2008, Du began selectively blocking VOIP traffic, preventing customers from using the computer-to-phone functionality of VOIP systems. The blocking is justified on the grounds that computer-to-phone VOIP services are illegal under UAE telecom law. Both of the telecoms providers in the UAE derive a large proportion of their income from expatriates making expensive international calls to their home countries. However, a specific exemption in the telecom law permits the use of VOIP for computer-to-computer calls, and so it is still possible to access VOIP websites, download VOIP software, set up accounts and use the software to make computer-to-computer calls, both audio and video. If a computer-to-phone call is attempted, it will typically fail to connect unless a VPN is used (see below). On April 14, 2008, du started instituting the same widespread censorship of the web that has been practiced by Etisalat for some years. Any attempt to access content deemed inappropriate by the UAE censor results in a blocked page. As well as pornography, blocking includes blogs, forums and news articles that are critical of the UAE, as well as a proportion of sites that seem to be accidentally blocked as they have no obviously In March 2008, Du began selectively blocking VOIP traffic, preventing customers from using the computer-to-phone functionality of VOIP systems. The blocking is justified on the grounds that computer-to-phone VOIP services are illegal under UAE telecom law. Both of the telecoms providers in the UAE derive a large proportion of their income from expatriates making expensive international calls to their home countries. However, a specific exemption in the telecom law permits the use of VOIP for computer-to-computer calls, and so it is still possible to access VOIP websites, download VOIP software, set up accounts and use the software to make computer-to-computer calls, both audio and video. If a computer-to-phone call is attempted, it will typically fail to connect unless a VPN is used (see below). On April 14, 2008, du started instituting the same widespread censorship of the web that has been practised by Etisalat for some years. Any attempt to access content deemed inappropriate by the UAE censor results in a blocked page. As well as pornography, blocking includes blogs, forums and news articles that are critical of the UAE, as well as a proportion of sites that seem to be accidentally blocked as they have no obviously controversial content. d) Operational changes-DU Achieved record revenues of AED5.3 billion and profits of AED528 million in 2009 Added over 1 million active mobile subscribers, bringing total to 3.5 million at year end Exceeded mobile market share target, reaching 32% in third year of operation Invested AED2.4 billion on network and infrastructure development in 2009 to enhance capacity and coverage Continued to provide innovation, value for money and performance to all our customers Well positioned to achieve long term growth and sustainable profitability Listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) under the ticker code: du Date of listing: 22nd April 2006 Net profit at 31st December 2009: AED528mln Earnings per share: 0.066 du is an integrated telecom service provider, offering customers throughout the UAE the best in quality, innovation, and competitive pricing. During 2009 it added more than 1 million active mobile subscribers, proving that we have established ourselves as the operator of choice for the majority of new subscribers in the UAE market. DU offered fixed and mobile telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses, and carrier services for businesses. du is a rapidly-growing enterprise, with close to 2,000 staff, from over 60 countries, working to enhance and expand our range of service offerings. This wide variety of personnel allows us to mirror the rich cultural diversity of our nation, while being able to serve our customers in a number of different languages. Over 50% of senior management team and customer-facing staff are UAE nationals. Du is committed to provide opportunities for quality talent in a cosmopolitan working environment. e) Financial -DU Full Year 2010 results analysis Revenue Growth (AED Millions) Mobile Fixed Subscriber Growth (Thousands) Press Release du Announces Full Year 2010 Results Revenues exceed AED 7 billion with a 32% increase for the full year 2010 Net profit before royalty exceeds AED 1.2 billion with a 132% increase Dubai, 3 March 2011 Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010, showing record revenues, and continued healthy customer additions. Highlights for the full year 2010: 856,000 net active1 mobile customers added during the year, taking the total at yearend to 4.3 million. Revenues reached AED 7,074 million, a 32% increase versus 2009 (AED 5,339 million). Gross margin grew by 31% year on year to AED 4,601 million versus 2009 (AED 3,507million). EBITDA2 grew 90% to AED 2,018 million versus 2009 (AED 1,064 million). Net profit before royalty increased by 132% year on year to AED 1,226 million versus2009 (AED 528 million). Net profit after royalty increased to AED 1,310 million from AED 264 million in 2009,following the announcement by UAE Federal Government that the royalty rate for the Company commences from 1 January 2010 and that royalty rate for the year ended 31December 2010 is 15%.3million). Task 3 Etisalat STRENGTHS Etisalat is a monopoly shared by DU in telecommunications which allows no competition whereby maximizing profits Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) is majority-owned by the Ministry of Communications (60%), with the remaining shares publicly-traded on the national stock exchange and held by UAE nationals. This report outlines the companys recent activities and corporate strategy Etisalat is a company established worldwide Etisalat is well developed company with wider penetration in UAE Etisalat weakness Etisalat investments globally is not direct hence they dont have direct control over these investments; hence they only get dividends which means they are a passive player not an active player. This will limit etisalats growth to advance in terms of commercials Etisalat is a monopoly

The Potential Users Of Financial Accounting Information Accounting Essay

The Potential Users Of Financial Accounting Information Accounting Essay The users are an important component in accounting systems, and play a key role in usefulness of financial accounting information. Financial accounting is a term usually applied to external reporting by providing information about the financial position of a business to a wide range of users in making economic decisions (Weetman, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to review the relationships between the potential users and actual users of financial accounting information and the relevancy evidence to current practice. A variety of different arguments have been put forward about this issue. The paper has been divided into five parts. It first gives a brief overview of who the potential users of financial accounting information are. Secondly, it deals with the actual users of the information. It then goes on to how useful of financial accounting information is and looks at how strong is the evidence that they use information in the ways predicted. Finally, the reason why the potential users may not be actual users of financial accounting information is carried out. The potential users of financial accounting information Financial accounting aims to allow users to understand the economic activity of the company (Stolowy, et al., 2010). For a limited liability company financial statements would contain balance sheet, profit and loss account, statement of recognized gains and losses and cash flow statement (Weetman, 2011). Without users, financial accounting information will lost its role. According to FASB (2010), the objective of financial reporting is to provide useful financial information for existing and potential users to make economic decisions. There are several users who are interested in financial accounting information. Atrill and Mclaney (2008) stated that the purpose of financial information to be used and the person financial information to be given must be clear. By definition and different needs from each other, it could define as internal users such as managers and external users which include owners, lenders, government, employees, competitors, customers, community, and suppliers (IA SC, 1989). General purpose financial statements expected accounting information which would be of interest to a wide range of user groups (FASB, 2010), see appendix 1. Therefore, everyone could be the potential users of financial accounting information as long as there is a need for the information. Actual users of the financial accounting information From the internal management view, it has been argued that the main users of accounting information about an organization could be those who manage the company every day, such as managers (Weetman, 2011). A Statement of Basic Accounting Theory (ASOBAT) did not declare any particular user group such as investors to be primary users. Instead, it has been asserted that useful information was required for both internal and external purpose. Classified users of accounting information into two broad groups: external users which include present and potential investors, creditors, employees, stock exchanges, governmental units and customers on contrast with internal management. However, According to FASB (2010), the primary users of financial accounting information refer to existing and potential investors, lenders, and other creditors. They need entities reporting information provided indirectly. As actual users are contained in the potential users, see appendix 2, if they have same interes ts in the financial accounting information, the actual users might include managers, lenders, suppliers, customers, competitors, employees, government and community (Britton and Waterston, 2006). Similar conclusion has been argued by Atrill and McLaney (2008), Perks (2007) and Weetman (2011). The usefulness of financial accounting information Most of users treat the financial statements as the main source of financial information. According to IASB (1989), it assumes that if financial statements meet the needs of investors, it will also meet the needs of most other users (Weetman, 2011). The usefulness of accounting information is under premise of its high qualitative characteristics. There are four main qualitative characteristics which are described as relevance, reliability, comparability and understandability. However, only if the information actually makes a change in users decisions could define it as relevance Framework (1989). Also accounting information should be material and the benefits of providing the information should outweigh the costs (Atrill and Mclaney, 2008). The purpose of financial statements is not meant to meet all the users needs (FASB, 2010). It is possible to prepare the financial statements for general purpose which will have some interests for all users. For instance, as investors provide risk capital to the company, the provision of financial statements meets both investors and other users who are interested in estimating risks (Stolowy, et al., 2010). These financial reports are valuable for users who have no bargaining power and no significant economic influence in organizations (Elliott and Elliott, 2009). It has been asserted that general purpose financial statements tend to focus on the primary users which included the owners, long-term lenders and creditors. The interests of primary users might overlap with the interests of other user groups. Therefore, this could satisfy most users needs for financial accounting information (Weetman, 2011). The financial statements, which treat owners, lenders and creditors as primary use rs, could provide useful financial accounting information for the existence of users. use information in the ways predicted The financial accounting information could help users to make decisions and reduce uncertainty over the financial position and performance of the business. For example, to help availability of funds to pay owners a return, to repay loans, to reward employees (Atrill and Mclaney, 2008). It has been claimed that accounting information cannot meets all of the needs of each of the various user groups (FASB, 2010). Atrill and Mclaney (2008) stated that Different groups of users have different value and needs. However, user groups desire to know more accounting information as possible. Conflict between user groups is likely happen during business processing. For instance, managers they have close involvement with the business, they have access to a wide range of information and most might be confidential in company (Weetman, 2011). They know more internal information about the current and future situation of the company than outside investors. This could be defined as information asymmetry (Scott, 2009). Investor might make wrong decision based on inaccurate information provided by managers, so they want to know more information besides the financial statements. It is further contended that there are several user groups they want to meet specific needs directly from the business, such as governments, HM Revenue and Customs, and managers and directors. Lenders are usually given much more information than is included in published financial statements, including forecast information, monthly breakdowns and cash budgets (Perks, 2007). To have everything to be included in a companys financial statements is unrealistic (Perks, 2007). Financial accounting information is presented as the form of highly summarized financial statements. The main problem with the financial information needs of the user groups are that most want to know predict the future. Shareholders, creditors, lenders and employees all want to know what the companys future prospects are. But most of information in financial statements has already happened (Stice and Stice, 2006). Many users concerned how valuable the past information was and the reliability of business future forecast. Therefore, it is not possible for a company to publish exactly the information that everyone wants. The information is designed on the behalf of focus on shareholders and creditors (Perks, 2007) There is no similar substitute for the information provided by the financial statements. Thus, if users cannot gather the required information form the financial statements. It is often unavailable to them. Other sources of information concerning the financial health of a business are normally much less useful. As a result, the evidence is not strong enough for the user groups to use information in the way predicated and it is normally very difficult to assess the impact of accounting on decision-making (Atrill and Mclaney, 2008) potential users may not be actual users of financial information As Young (2006) claimed some of the actual users were multiple, conflicting, inconsistent, and uneducated. These users are unreliable and limited knowledge about financial accounting information and its process. FASB (2010) have conducted a new concept of the financial statement user-a rational economic decision-maker. It means that the decisions of interest are rational, if statements can be connected to the forecast of future cash flows, it could be said rational decision makers need it. Users can be seen more as hypothetical readers of financial statements than as actual users, because they need particular types of information (Young, 2006). Moreover, the conflicting needs of users and limited information provided in reports might cause potential users cannot find information useful to them (Atrill and McLaney, 2008). Therefore, the potential users might not be the actual users of financial accounting information, a portion of potential users could be. Conclusion In conclusion, the current paper has reviewed the users of financial accounting information. The question posed at the outset of this paper was to examine the reasons why the potential users may not be actual users of financial accounting information and relevancy evidence to practice. It has been seen that different users have different needs, even financial statements focus on primary users to provide useful information. However, it could not achieve the expected level and cannot meet all users needs. It may therefore be concluded from the above discussion that the actual users are a portion of potential users. Potential users might not be actual users of financial accounting information. Appendix 1 The relationship between potential users and actual users: Potential users Actual users Primary users Appendix 2 Users and their information needs (FASB,2010) Investors. The providers of risk capital and their advisers are concerned with the risk inherent in, and return provided by, their investments. They need information to help them determine whether they should buy, hold or sell. Shareholders are also interested in information which enables them to assess the ability of the entity to pay dividends. Employees. Employees and their representative groups are interested in information about the stability and profitability of their employers. They are also interested in information which enables them to assess the ability of the entity to provide remuneration, retirement benefits and employment opportunities. Lenders. Lenders are interested in information that enables them to determine whether their loans, and the interest attaching to them, will be paid when due. Suppliers and other trade creditors. Suppliers and other creditors are interested in information that enables them to determine whether amounts owing to them will be paid when due. Trade creditors are likely to be interested in an entity over a shorter period than lenders unless they are dependent upon the continuation of the entity as a major customer. Customers. Customers have an interest in information about the continuance of an entity, especially when they have a long-term involvement with, or are dependent on, the entity. Governments and their agencies. Governments and their agencies are interested in the allocation of resources and, therefore, the activities of entities. They also require information in order to regulate the activities of entities, determine taxation policies and as the basis for national income and similar statistics. Public. Entities affect members of the public in a variety of ways. For example, entities may make a substantial contribution to the local economy in many ways including the number of people they employ and their patronage of local suppliers. Financial statements may assist the public by providing information about the trends and recent developments in the prosperity of the entity and the range of its activities.

19th-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom Essay -- European History

19th-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom Professor comments: In this paper, the student synthesizes several sources about nineteenth-century medicine and medical education into a focused and coherent essay that provides information about aspects of this topic especially relevant to understanding Lydgate's position in Middlemarch: the differences among physicians, apothecaries, and surgeons, both in terms of training and duties on the one hand, social status on the other; the processes by which someone obtained a medical education and became a licensed practitioner; and the differences in English, Scottish, and French training. In doing so, the student displays an awareness of the importance of the contextual material for more than merely factual purposes, and she employs a principle of selection, concentrating on material that will facilitate her interpretation of Lydgate's role in the novel--especially in the connection between medical and political reform--in a separate essay. Nineteenth-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom At the turn of the nineteenth century, medicine was hardly the enlightened profession it is today. Medical practices were often barbaric, employing methods that had been used for centuries, yielding little or no results and often killing the patient with a different affliction than the original ailment. Leeching (or blood letting), purgation, poor liquid diets, and cold water dousing were common practices as late as the 1850's. Even after newer, more effective methods of medical treatment had been introduced, many of the physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries hesitated to use them. Fearing the loss of their reputations, they hung on to superstitious beliefs, doubting the effectiveness of su... ...l student: surrounded by books, a model of human skull at his elbow, he labored over his studies with gravity and decorum late in to the night" (Peterson 40). Because of the efforts of the enlightened few, and because of the discoveries happening in other European countries, the United Kingdom was finally able to give the medical profession the much desired respect and reform that it needed, making medicine a profession to be revered and a source of pride to all those who practiced it. Works Cited Peterson, M. Jeanne. The Medical Profession in Mid-Victorian London. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: U of California P, 1978. Pfeiffer, Carl J. The Art and Practice of Western Medicine in the Early Nineteenth Century. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 1985. Youngson, A.J. The Scientific Revolution in Victorian Medicine. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1979. 19th-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom Essay -- European History 19th-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom Professor comments: In this paper, the student synthesizes several sources about nineteenth-century medicine and medical education into a focused and coherent essay that provides information about aspects of this topic especially relevant to understanding Lydgate's position in Middlemarch: the differences among physicians, apothecaries, and surgeons, both in terms of training and duties on the one hand, social status on the other; the processes by which someone obtained a medical education and became a licensed practitioner; and the differences in English, Scottish, and French training. In doing so, the student displays an awareness of the importance of the contextual material for more than merely factual purposes, and she employs a principle of selection, concentrating on material that will facilitate her interpretation of Lydgate's role in the novel--especially in the connection between medical and political reform--in a separate essay. Nineteenth-Century Medicine in the United Kingdom At the turn of the nineteenth century, medicine was hardly the enlightened profession it is today. Medical practices were often barbaric, employing methods that had been used for centuries, yielding little or no results and often killing the patient with a different affliction than the original ailment. Leeching (or blood letting), purgation, poor liquid diets, and cold water dousing were common practices as late as the 1850's. Even after newer, more effective methods of medical treatment had been introduced, many of the physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries hesitated to use them. Fearing the loss of their reputations, they hung on to superstitious beliefs, doubting the effectiveness of su... ...l student: surrounded by books, a model of human skull at his elbow, he labored over his studies with gravity and decorum late in to the night" (Peterson 40). Because of the efforts of the enlightened few, and because of the discoveries happening in other European countries, the United Kingdom was finally able to give the medical profession the much desired respect and reform that it needed, making medicine a profession to be revered and a source of pride to all those who practiced it. Works Cited Peterson, M. Jeanne. The Medical Profession in Mid-Victorian London. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: U of California P, 1978. Pfeiffer, Carl J. The Art and Practice of Western Medicine in the Early Nineteenth Century. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland, 1985. Youngson, A.J. The Scientific Revolution in Victorian Medicine. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1979.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Veterans :: Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

As with many other diseases, early detection and treatment of mental disorders are key components to rehabilitation and a cure. The prognosis for a better quality of life for veterans suffering with PTSD is increased through early intervention. The VA has developed the Seamless Transition program for the target group of soldiers that served in Iraq and Afghanistan (Currey, 2007). The focus of the program is to deliver the highest level of care in a timely manner, according to Dr. Roswell, M.D. (Currey, 2007). A holistic approach is taken by social workers to treat the whole person and not just the symptoms. Social work practice often requires advocating and navigating for clients within bureaucratic systems. New soldiers entering the war are at risk of being exposed to trauma, which increases the chance of being diagnosed with PTSD. Other target groups at heightened risk for PTSD are those required to serve multiple deployments and female service members. According to the NADCP (2007) 1 in 5 veterans report symptoms of a mental disorder. These figures can be utilized to predict and implement future treatment needs and funding requirements. Streamlining the application process, by allowing timely access to benefits, can result in reduced benefit necessities. A policy which improves access to benefits for veterans is supported by veteran’s organizations everywhere. A recent change in the policy removes the requirement for veterans to submit written documentation of a stressful event during military service. The most critical support for this change is that of U.S. politicians who make policy decisions. President Obama, in his speech on July 10, 2011, expressed his support for veterans, specifically those suffering with PTSD. He understands the plight of soldiers of war, whether in combat or non-combat, being affected by the war’s trauma. President Obama understood the necessity for new policy as the old policy prevented many of those with PTSD from receiving the care they needed. As stated by the President â€Å"I don’t think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for claims applications† (The White House, 2010). The Texas Veteran Commission, realizing the growing number of vete rans with PTSD, is optimistic in its view that the new policies will allow this vulnerable group easier access to benefits (Cervantes, 2010). B. Christopher Frueh, a professor of psychology and director of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii, is not a supporter of the rule change.

Factors Affecting the Rate of Reaction Between Sodium Thiosulfate and E

Factors Affecting the Rate of Reaction Between Sodium Thiosulfate and Hydrochloric acid. Plan I will be conducting an experiment to find out if concentrating Thiosulfate and Hydrochloric Acid will effect the rate of reaction. I predict that the higher the concentration of the Thiosulfate, the quicker it will react with the Hydrochloric Acid. I will test: 20 Acid 20 Thio 0 Water 20 Acid 15 Thio 5 Water 20 Acid 10 Thio 10 Water 15 Acid 20 Thio 5 Water 10 Acid 20 Thio 10 Water The total volume of all the liquids will be kept the same. As will the temperature, conical glass, measuring cylinder and the cross on the piece of paper. I will ensure that all these are kept the same by doing all the experiments on the same day, not changing my equipment and the to...

Obesity Essay

Obesity is an eating disorder and a condition where your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or greater. It is genetic or it depends on your eating habits. This can affect your mental, psychological and physical health leaving you with inabilities to cope up with your daily life. The causes that affect people include lack of breath, having difficulties to sleep, increased sweating, snoring, inability to cope with sudden physical activity, feeling very tired and fatigued every day, and finally back pains.Some symptoms include high blood pressure, high cholesterol problems, heart diseases which lead to heart attacks and fatal strokes which can make you disabled are mainly caused by your inability to exercise . People may have lack of breath because when they breathe, they might not get back enough oxygen for it to go all parts of the body. They might have difficulty to sleep due to lack of breath, snore loudly since they get very tired easily. They get fatigued really easily because they donâ €™t have a lot of energy. They have back pains because they might need to walk a lot.They might have long term problems like high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart attacks and fatal strokes because of their eating habits and their inability to exercise. Obesity can be overcome through a technology called adjustable stomach band which is the safe process replacing stomach stapling as it is very unsafe. Gastric Banding is when they attach a band to your lower part of the torso and they tighten. This works because it triggers your senses not to eat food which makes you thinner and light. After the procedure, which tkes an hor to complete, the doctor can adjust the band so it keeps the size of your new smaller body.Gastric Balloon is a non-surgical way of overcoming obesity. The put a tiny balloon in your mouth and they make you drink a special liquid called â€Å"sterile saline fluid† to expand it. When the balloon is full it will float freely in your body. It takes about s ix months to complete as it is not as effective as gastric banding. This can also cause many health threat as mentioned above. Another process that can help overcome obesity is gastric stapling surgery. It works by them stapling 2 special staples which creates a small pouch where they put a gastric band according to the size you want your new body to be.This solves the problem because it help you to resist eating fat foods and tells your body to work out more. After the procedure, they remove the staples but the band still stays for two more weeks to ensure your body size remains the same. It is very unsafe as it has caused many fatalities as they staples came out and they stomach burst. This is also referred to as gastric stomach stapling. I chose gastric sleeve as it is safe compared to other processes used to lose weight and get rid of your weight pretty slowly compared to other procedures like gastric banding and stapling.It helps you lose the weight faster but is more expensive . It is less complicated rather than stapling your stomach through staples and ensure you out the staples in the correct position and place the band in the correct part and they make it the correct length depending on your weight and BMI. The Gastric Sleeve is used for people who have a BMI of more than 38. It is used to loose weight extra fast as it keeps only 25% of your original body size. The Neel Bagai 8. 4 (T3) procedure takes about a year and a half to complete. It solves the problem by losing 3/4 of your weight.Positive Impacts of Gastric Sleeve: It is safe to do as it is less complicated as they don’t have to cut anything or place anything You don’t need any special devices like a gastric band while the surgery is going on. Negative Effects of the Gastric Sleeve: This has many side effects like you start vomiting, diarrhea and dumping syndrome by becoming moody and your attitude starts to change. Effects: This affects the economy because it costs about US $10, 000 for the surgery but of you need to do gastric banding surgery afterwards, you need to pay an extra $7,000.You even need to take both medical and life insurance, which is optional. Doctors recommend it as it can have medical effects on you. This affects the world socially as you might have to take some time off work to see doctors biweekly for them to see if any problems have occurred with the gastric sleeve. He will even question you about you going through any side effects. After every two months, with the results, he will decide if the gastric sleeve will need to be removed from your torso.