Recent orders
The Sarbanes Oxley Act
The Sarbanes Oxley Act is a United States federal act which was brought into existence from 30th July, 2002 as a result of several corporate and accounting scandals. This law enhanced the standards of U.S. public company boards and accounting firms and this law was not applicable to the private companies initially. This legislation was first applied to the health care industry in America and had long term implications for corporate governance and accounting reforms not only for public companies but also for the private and non-profit healthcare organizations. Sarbanes Oxley Act has put greater responsibility on the senior management and board of directors of hospitals and other health care organizations to comply with ethical practices and failure to do so will result in severe undermining of the health care provider’s eligibility for compliance credit. The sentencing guideline amendments which impacted the senior management of health care are:
The directors and senior management are responsible to practice and have an oversight of ethical practices in the organization. They must take leadership actively. Small organizations will act no differently from large organizations and they are also required to be committed to the ethical conduct and compliance with the law.
The governing authority is responsible for training senior officials, identifying and assessing the areas of risk and providing sufficient authority to the compliance officers to carry out their responsibilities.
Individuals in the organization will be assigned with operational responsibilities on daily basis and will be provided with adequate resources to carry out their duties.
The organization will be sentenced if the senior management is found to be involved in illegal activities and the organization fails to self report its misconduct in any form, in timely manner.
Failure of an organization to adhere to the industry regulations is weighed against its capability to do so and penalty is imposed accordingly.
The failure to detect or prevent an instant offence will not result in immediate sentence for the organization but if the misconduct is found to occur frequently, it means that the organization has failed to take reasonable steps to meet the requirements of guidelines.
The guidelines impose a mandatory fine on those organizations who fail to take effective steps in order to adhere to ethical conduct and compliance with the guidelines.
The new sentencing guidelines have made this very clear that not only the public companies but private and non-profit health care organizations also require financial scrutiny. The allegations of executive abuses on Health Midwest and Allina Health System are an example that financial control is not limited only to the public companies, but non-profit organizations also fall under purview of it. In fact non-profit and private companies may avoid sentencing by proactively holding their financial officers to the higher standards of Sarbanes Oxley Act. In order to comply with the act, organizations are required to exercise internal control on financial information released to government agencies and create an audit committee comprising of all independent directors where the committee will be directly responsible for the appointment and payment of the outside auditor and at least one financial expert must be there in the committee. The director of the committee is liable to receive payments only for his services offered to the committee and he can not have any material relationship with the company. The committee is responsible to establish accounting standards, investigate and regulate them as per the requirement. The committee must also have a mechanism to receive and respond to complaints of auditing and accounting matters and it must conduct regular corporate governance trainings so as to streamline corporate lines of reporting. The Sarbanes Oxley Act has successfully tightened the financial control over the health care organizations so that the corporate and accounting malpractices can be curbed down and a powerful check can be imposed on the frauds in the health care industry. The appointment of an independent auditor particularly in a health care organization is very critical because any deviation of actual reimbursement from the bill charged by the health care service provider may result in government audit and retroactive adjustments in financial books. Many health care organizations have started complying with Sarbanes Oxley Act by forming committee comprising of independent auditors who are not the executives of the organization and also the Chief Financial Officer are required to verify and certify organization’s Medicare cost reports in order to maintain internal financial control. The act requires the senior management to certify their internal control mechanisms and severe criminal penalties will be imposed in case it is found that false certifications have been filed. The report filed must be complete and accurate and any failure to do so will be considered as breach of law. Civil penalties along with criminal penalties have also been increased which include an expanded statute of limitations for securities fraud claims and protection through federal bankruptcy laws which will clearly declare that the organization is not in position to discharge any settlement in bankruptcy occurring due to securities related transactions. Because of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, many states avoid loans from nonprofit organization to its directors, employees or any other corporation if the directors or other employees hold a substantial financial interest in the organization. All these legislations have made the reach of Sarbanes Oxley Act much broader and have enabled it to evaluate the completeness of financial statements of a company.
Reference:-
HYPERLINK “http://www.eapdlaw.com/files/News/bedbaa26a58a4af885858cc423b55cb9/Presentation/NewsAttachment/b00d49fb-5358-4197-bb8b8d84e6dd238f/media.282.pdf”http://www.eapdlaw.com/files/News/bedbaa26a58a4af885858cc423b55cb9/Presentation/NewsAttachment/b00d49fb-5358-4197-bb8b8d84e6dd238f/media.282.pdf
HYPERLINK “http://mosessinger.com/articles/files/NYLJ-Potential%20Impact%20of%20Sarbanes-Oxley.pdf”http://mosessinger.com/articles/files/NYLJ-Potential%20Impact%20of%20Sarbanes-Oxley.pdf
HYPERLINK “http://www.greatboards.org/newsletter/2010/Great-Boards-reprint-Sarbanes-Oxley-and-quality-Spring-2010.pdf”http://www.greatboards.org/newsletter/2010/Great-Boards-reprint-Sarbanes-Oxley-and-quality-Spring-2010.pdf
The role that benefits plays depends a great deal
The role that benefits plays depends a great deal on the demographics and culture of a company. The value of benefits increases as the age of the workforce increases. Try and think of what other demographics will influence the value of benefits in the future?
Solution:
The benefits to the workforce refer to the reward of their working in the organization. The benefits can depend upon the demographic and the cultural aspect of the company. The demographic characteristics of an employee include the age, gender, qualification etc. The value of benefits increases as the age of the workforce increases. That is the there are more benefits at the old age such as gratuity, retirement benefits etc. The other characteristics namely gender and educational qualification also affects the benefits to the employee in the future.
The gender discrimination is done for the benefits attainment by the employee; the females are given more benefits than males. There is a special quota in every organization which requires the hiring of female employees. Apart from these special benefits in the form of health insurance, maternity leaves, compensation etc. are attached with the gender. The educational qualification is another demographic factor on the basis of which the benefits can differ. The higher the educationthe higher will be the benefits. All these factors do affect the value of the benefits in the future course of time.
Reference:
HYPERLINK “https://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&prmdo=1&biw=1366&bih=629&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Max+Muller%22&sa=X&ei=v9S9T_TQDoanrAepv73YCg&ved=0CFcQ9Ag”Max Muller, HYPERLINK “http://books.google.co.in/books?id=GIIPHoMtw4AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=HR&hl=en&sa=X&ei=v9S9T_TQDoanrAepv73YCg&ved=0CFYQ6AEwAg” o “The Manager’s Guide to HR: Hiring, Firing, Performance Evaluations, Documentation, Benefits, and Everything Else You Need to Know”The Manager’s Guide to HR, 2009.
The Role of Women in society
Name
Professor
Course
Date
Poetry
The Role of Women in society
The life of women is a topic, which encounters a lot of interest. Their status and roles in education, the work place and family need to be known. Women are also involved in issues related to movements and social formations, which empower their lives. The economy of many countries is improving due to the successful efforts of women in various sectors. The sectors which they have shown progress in education, the military, work place, politics, and health, among others. Without the active participation of women in society, the world would not be as it is today (Naraghi-Anderlini, 2001, 45).
This paper seeks to give an analysis of the roles, which women have, in different sectors of the economy, all over the world.
Analysis of women’s role in different societies
In any society, the role of women is on a daily basis changing .Women hold their own unique status and this means that they have rights, which are based on proprietary, as well as personal rights. They also have disabilities, duties and liabilities in their lives. Compared to men, they are viewed as being inferior, but this is a stereotype, which must be changed (Naraghi-Anderlini, 2001, 48). Luckily, women are being recognized for the active role they have in every society. Today, women are dealing with conflicting issues, such as career and family. They are taking control over their workplace and home agendas. In the United States, government, families and businesses are embracing women’s changing roles in society. Women are now entitled to work place benefits, such as medical and family leave. Certain processes have to be followed in order to ensure women are accorded the status that they deserve (Deustch, 2007, 127).
Women are playing a great role in the military by engaging in combat as well as other military positions. Take an example of the United States military, and you will that there are many women, who are enrolled. Some decades ago, women could not fight during combat and their role was to take care of wounded soldiers. Now, they are the ones in the battle front together with the males.
In building the economy, women are not being left behind as they are involved in countless projects. In the United States, they contribute around 35% of the total Gross Domestic Product. They are found working in sectors such as agriculture and business, among others. Others have ventured into entrepreneurship and have started businesses that earn the economy billions of dollars (Albright, 2005, 90). Without them, the economy will not be as successful as it is today. Women are now being included in the federal budget whereby, funds are being set aside for activities which seeks to empower them even more.
In most movements of peace, taking place all over the world, women are playing a role, which is active. They have formed organizations, which ensure that issues affecting society are known, and solutions found. In the United States, Susan Rice is an example of a woman who occupies a job which was initially meant for men. She is an appointed ambassador to the United Nations. This shows that women are occupying jobs that are of great value (Albright, 2005, 90).
Women have an extremely crucial role to play as mothers, and thus the reason why they express authority of a moral nature. The roles, which have been traditionally set up for them, are being removed. They are now taking over many leadership positions in various sectors of the economy. While doing this they are not ignoring their motherly duties, as family values are still upheld by them. Many mothers are now working and providing for their families as others climb up the corporate ladder. Many companies are coming up with policies, which ensure that working mothers are accommodated at the work place. Some companies offer day care centers for working mothers. This is a good step in ensuring that traditional motherly roles are not abandoned (Deustch, 2007, 123). This day’s, women are ensuring that they find opportunities whereby, they ensure that their families are well catered for. They make sure that their families’ basic needs are taken care off and satisfied.
Different roles in the public sector are being occupied by women, for example, the German Chancellor, is a woman who is respected by, many people (Deustch, 2007, 110). They are playing an active role in politics by running in elections. It has been found out through research, that women are more likely to implement change when they are in leadership, as compared to men. In many countries women were not allowed to vote, but the situation has changed and they are more active in this process. They are aware that they have the power to influence their lives by voting for policies, which improve their lives.
Women are taking over the roles of men in the workplace, due to the positions, which they occupy. Some roles are traditionally believed to be for men, but women are now in charge of such responsibilities and occupations. The gender stereotypes, which are of a traditional nature, are being ignored, as women are now aware of their rights. In countries like Africa, women are the ones meant to provide for the family’s needs. They are viewed as providers and they have a burden of excess work load and stress (Deustch, 2007, 120).
Minor roles are being played by women in policy making and negotiations, which are of a formal nature. This varies depending on the location where the different women are situated at. (Deustch, 2007, 122). Women need to become aggressive, in order to ensure that they are well represented by the electorate. Once they are in leadership positions, they can address the issues, which face other women.
In the health sector, women are also taking an active role by ensuring that they benefit from its rewards. The caring nature of women contributes to their success, especially in the medical practice, as nurses, doctors and care givers. Many women are obtaining good grades and joining medical schools all over the world (Proctor, 2005, 65). Women are practicing in the different fields of medicine, such as dentistry, cosmetic surgery, neuro surgery, among others. In developing countries, women are making sure that their health needs are being addressed. Pregnant women are being made aware of how to protect themselves from diseases, such as AIDS, malaria, among others.
In the sector of education, women are more than ever making sure they obtain the highest levels of education. Most of them are being awarded doctorate degrees in various educational fields such as psychology, business, and medicine, among others. They know the benefits of education, thus making sure that they obtain the degrees (Proctor, 2005, 67). In the University of California, majority of the doctorate students undertaking business courses are women. This is a great step in improving women’s role in the educational sector.
Conclusion
In conclusion women are essential in every society and their needs have to be known. Today, women are taking charge of the roles, which men have. They are not being left behind, as they are contributing to the success of their families, as well as their careers. The role of women in society is beneficial in many ways, and more ought to be done to improve their lives. Women have shown their great achievements in sectors such as health, economics, military, and peace, among others. They ensure that the society develops and they are not being left behind when this is taking place.
Bibliography
Deustch, F. Undoing gender. Gender and Society, 21, (2007): 106-127. Print.
Fenstermaker, S. & West, C. Doing gender, doing difference: Inequality, power, and institutional change. New York, NY; Routledge, 2002. Print.
Filetti, J. S. From Lizzie Borden to Lorena Bobbitt: Violent Women and Gendered Justice. Journal of American Culture, 35, 3 (2001):471–484. Print.
Naraghi-Anderlini, Sanam. Women, peace and security: A preliminary audit from the Beijing Platform for Action to Security Council Resolution 1325 and beyond. London: International Alert, 2001.Print.
Proctor. Charlene. The Women’s book of Empowerment. New York: The Goddess Network Press, 2005.Print.
Albright, Madeleine. Madam Secretary: A Memoir. New York: Miramax, 2005.Print.