The invisible white privilege Essay Example for Free

The invisible white privilege Essay White people, from birth, automatically benefit from their light skin color, enjoying the privileges relating to child care, education, hygiene, careers, politics, etc. Compared to white people, people of color are at a distinct disadvantage. They are treated differently than white people, and they are the ones that suffer, not having this same privilege. In Peggy McIntosh’s article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, McIntosh describes how whites carry the invisible privilege. In society, white people are treated better than non-white people since segregation, beauty trends, political power, social connections, and street crime seem to be better for them. According to McIntosh, White Privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets granted to white people (McIntosh 1). They can enjoy special advantages that are beyond common advantages of people of color. White privilege is a social constructed phenomenon. Besides physical appearance, there is no biological difference between white people and the non-white people. It is society that distinguishes whites from people of color, and it tends to recognize all races besides those who are white. Living in a society of white dominance, whites are carefully taught to ignore the fact that white privilege puts them at an advantage. This is because, according to McIntosh, deconstruction of white privilege threatens the myths and ideas about this nation, and it challenges the notion of equal opportunity and meritocracy (McIntosh 2). There are many ways that white privilege still exists today. Here are five examples of white privilege I find out in my life. 1. White parents do not have to be worried about their kids being scared at school. I learned from the news that at Delavan-Darien High School, the American Diversity class divides students into whites and non-whites, and tell non-whites students, â€Å"you have been oppressed and you are still being oppressed†. 2. White women represent beauty and lead the trends. Speaking of this, why don’t we take a look at the proportion of white models in the 2013 New York Fashion Week? An official statistic shows that out of the 5,000 styles in last New York Fashion Week, around 80 percent were modeled by white women. Fewer than 1,000 styles were given to women of color (Dries 1). 3. White people occupy Congress. In Congress the total is 87 percent whites, which is divided into 85 percent in the House and 96 percent in the Senate (Portero 3). The voices of politicians of color are often drowned out in the politic sea of white dominance. 4. White people are able to achieve success more easily by using their connections. Because of belonging to the dominant group, white people have more connection than people of color do. Based on this, they are more likely to succeed. 5. Whites do not have to be worried about being shot one day on the street. A well-known example can be the Shooting of Trayvon Martin. Making a run to the store to get some refreshments for his brother and himself, Martin was shot and killed by the neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman because, according to Zimmerman, â€Å"he was very suspicious. † I think if Martin were a white guy, Zimmerman would not have seen him as a â€Å"real suspicious looking guy†. In society, people regard whites’ lives as morally neutral, normative, and ideal. Whites are elevated above people of color. Although I believe all racial groups are harmed in the long run by racism, white privilege still exists as a daily reality throughout every part of the structure in the United States. Work Cited Dries, Kate. New York Fashion Week Was Chock-Full of White Models. Again. Jezebel. N. p. , 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Welsey, MA: Wesley College Center for Research on Woman, 1988. Print. Portero, Ashley. Congress Still a White Male Lawyers Domain; Members More Religious Than Most Americans. International Business Times. N. p. , 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

Singapore tourism vulnerable to climate change

Singapore tourism vulnerable to climate change Conclusion The overall aim of this research is to understand the ways in which tourism in Singapore is vulnerable to climate change. Predicting climate change is complex but even more complex is predicting how people will respond to that change (Perry, 2005, 94). Therefore, tourists, who are major players in this tourism business, are exceptionally crucial. This study employs tourists perceptions and opinions as well as statistical data from government sources in understanding how tourism in Singapore may be affected under predicted climate change scenarios in the coming decades. Three research objectives were developed for addressing this aim as mentioned in the introduction. In this concluding chapter, summary of the results for each of these objectives would be highlighted. Objective one: To document the nature climate as a resource for tourism in Singapore Atmospheric weather conditions may impact tourist demand, participation, experiences and satisfaction (de Freitas, 2003; Yu et al, 2009). Singapores â€Å"hot and sunny† weather condition and all-year-round sunshine acts as a huge impetus attracting tourists. The significance of climate among other factors was revealed in the survey and confirmed the findings by Hamilton, et al (2005) that weather and climate can act as both push and pull factors. Despite acknowledging that climate is an important resource for tourism in Singapore, this study made an interesting finding that weather did not prove to be the ultimate choice affecting tourists decision to Sentosa. Attractions in the destination was consistently ranked first when respondents were asked the importance of factors relevant to their visit to a country for tourism as well as the most important factor affecting their decision in visiting Sentosa. With attractions being the most important factor affecting tourists choice to Sentosa, there is high possibility that Sentosa may be chosen in spite of the likely bad weather. Tourists indicate that they would likely substitute beach tourism for other activities such as indoor sightseeing attractions within Sentosa which are not weather dependent. Hence visitation to Sentosa is unlikely to be affected because of the diverse types of attractions Sentosa provides. This indirectly points to a bigger picture that for destinations attracting mostly day visitors, climate change may have smaller implications, since potential visitors are more likely to change plans or adapt to the on-site weather conditions (Aylen et al., 2005). Objective two: To estimate future effects and risks on the tourism sector under direct predicted climate change scenarios The tourism sector in Singapore generates more than S$12 billion in tourism receipts yearly and employs about 60% of the workforce in Singapore (MOM, 2009; MTI, 2009). Given the increasing importance of the tourism industry to the economy, it is critical to understand the implications of climate change for the industry. Climate change has the potential modify tourist demand and travel patterns (Scott et al., 2004). Although climate change may bring about new opportunities for some countries, Singapore would most likely be faced with more challenges. Firstly, with global warming, Singapore may become too hot and humid for comfort. Secondly, with the climate of other regions and countries changing for the better, the need for a winter escape to warm climate countries diminishes. In addition, the study investigated the reactions of tourists behaviour to the possible direct impact of climate change that might most probably impact Singapore in the coming years. Increasing rainfall days would most likely result in a decrease in days of stay with tourists indicating that they would still choose to come to Singapore but avoiding that heavy rainfall periods. On the other hand, in the case of an increase in temperature or rainfall events which are highly unpredictable, it seems that tourists would more likely accept and plan their activities to suit these random weather conditions. These fairly negative results demonstrate the need for the sector to look into ways that can improve the attractiveness and competitiveness of Singapore as a tourist destination. Studies have shown that tourists are capable of adapting and changing their travel behaviours when facing uncertainties and unexpected factors. Stewart Vogt (1999) suggest that tourism plans often were changed, especially regarding on-site activities. Therefore, what is most important is the initial motivation of attracting tourists to Singapore. Singapore must prove herself as a worthy destination with many alternative activities that is available for visitors facing extreme hot weather or sudden rainfall due to the changing climate. With Singapores tourism industry being highly diversified without favouring any particular type of tourism, there is a balance of both indoor and outdoor attractions to provide visitors satisfactory tourism experiences even under uncertain weather conditions. In addition, statistics show that shopping, is one of the main motives of tourists coming to Singapore as well as a high revenue earning sector, with Orchard Road being the most visited site in Singapore. Thus, if shopping which is non-weather dependent, is one of the main attractions motivating tourists to Singapore, it seem possible that climate change may have little impact in changing tourists minds about visiting Singapore. Objective three: To discuss mitigation policies employed or suggested by the UNWTO access the consequences of employing these strategies in Singapore Two mitigation strategies are reviewed: encouraging short-haul destinations and market climate policy instruments which includes taxation. Singapore is a small island state with only the Southeast Asian region being within its short-haul destination. Thus, promoting short-haul destination as a mitigation strategy may lead to detrimental economic consequences for Singapore as a result of vast lost of a significant potential share of tourists. Between the two strategies reviewed, the latter seems to be a more desirable. This is reflected in 75% of respondents expressing willingness to increase their spending on green facilities which includes fuel efficient aeroplane. They believe that it is their social and environmental responsibility to spend a little more for the sake of the environment. Although mitigation strategies for the tourism industry may not be welcomed by both tourism operators and tourists as they are likely to result in an increase in cost of travel or inconvenience, thus reducing competitiveness, they are deemed essential. Unlike natural disasters or terrorist attacks, climate change is not just a short-term effect that could then be quickly forgotten. As King concludes aptly â€Å"In my view, climate change is the most severe problem we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism† (2004: 176). Therefore, the need for mitigation strategies in Singapore to reduce the trend of future climate change impacts is a pressing necessity.

The Uncontrolled Ambition of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth

The Uncontrolled Ambition of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth      Ã‚   There is basically uncontrolled ambition throughout William Shakespeare's tragic drama Macbeth. In this essay we will explore numerous examples of this on the part of the two protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.    Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that the protagonist's ambition was not the usual narrow, personal ambition:    He has admitted to a vaulting ambition. We have no other evidence of personal ambition except, possibly, his own word in this speech. Onrushing events crowd the thought out of his mind and out of our view. We do have ample evidence of his ambition for his family, ambition for a son who might succeed him. [. . .] We think normally of ambition as a personal thing, but it is not always so. Macbeth's stupendous imagination, as revealed later in the play, gives him a breadth of vision altogether out of keeping with a narrow, personal ambition. (50-51) Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare explains the place of ambition in this tragedy:    The danger of ambition is well described; and I know not whether it may not be said in defence of some parts which now seem improbable, that, in Shakespeare's time, it was necessary to warn credulity against vain and illusive predictions. The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, b... ...iion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.    Johnson, Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.   

Virgin and Child with Four Angels by Gerard David Essay -- Paintings A

Virgin and Child with Four Angels by Gerard David The Virgin and Child with Four Angels was painted by Gerard David in about 1510, right in the middle of the Renaissance. The painting is rectangular in shape and appears to be about two feet long by maybe a foot and a half wide. It is oil painted on wood and it looks to be in very good condition. The painting is an image, as its title suggests, of the Virgin with the infant baby Jesus. This, of course, was a very common subject during the renaissance and for years before and after it. There are countless paintings of the Virgin and Child from that time period, probably because of the power and influence of the church at the time. People were much more involved in the church and, therefore, the subjects they painted or requested to be painted were typically religious themes. Many also felt that by commemorating such religious figures it might even help them gain a spot in heaven. In any case, in this particular version of the Virgin and Child there are also four angels in the scene - two who are flying above the Virgin holding a crown over her heard, and two who are sitting on either side of her playing instruments. Beyond her there is a large archway that opens into a landscape with a view of some grass and trees, some architecture, and some mountains in the far distance. The virgin is wearing a red garb and the baby Jesus is barely draped in some white cloth. That, of course, is a basic description at a quick glance. In examining the painting further, it becomes obvious that this is prime example of Renaissance painting. To begin with, the composition is completely balanced, almost symmetrical. The four angels are placed evenly around the Virgin, with two on each side. On one side an angel plays a harp and is balanced by an angel on the other side, strumming some type of guitar. The two flying above Mary are basically in the same position. Even the church in the background seems to be matched with a mountain in the distance. The columns and archway that border the painting are, in fact, completely symmetrical. And the Virgin and Child are in the center. It is, again, a beautifully balanced composition, typical of the Renaissance. The composition is also completely filled, but not overcrowded. Even with the flying angels, the painting appears rational; ... ...ead, which can also be seen on the wings of both of the angels holding it. Then again, that goldish hugh is seen in the instruments that then angels on both sides of Mary are playing. Blues and greens are used in a balanced manner throughout as well. On one side, the angel playing the harp is dressed in a light blue that is similar to the blue of the sky. The other angel is dressed in green, like the greens used in the trees and grass of the landscape beyond. The way these colors are painted, too, is very much in the style of the Renaissance. There is no visible brushstroke whatsoever. The entire painting is smooth, almost as if it wasn't really painted. This, too, adds to the realistic effect of the painting. The influence of the Italian Renaissance can clearly be seen in this painting by Gerard David. The composition is balanced; illusionism through perspective creates a recession in space; detailed modeling and shading make the painting appear realistic and human; vibrant colors are spread throughout; and a smooth, brushless texture adds to that realistic appearance. This work demonstrates the beauty and detail that was brought to if during the Renaissance.

General and Application Controls in Information Technology

Information Technology has answered our many problems. It has made the life of individuals, groups and organization very easy compared to the former years where technology was something in dreams or on paper. Information Technology is referred to the various sophisticated and state of the art technology like computers that help us to manage our businesses (Senn, 2003).The most important part of the business for example is their huge amounts of data, the problem of storing them and then retrieving them for a useful purpose. Companies realize that data should never be treated as a useless collection of numbers, no matter how old they are. They also came to an appreciation that data can be used to give the companies the competitive edge they need, especially after they became conscious about the â€Å"marketing paradigm†.The Information Technology helps these companies to create, process, store, protect, transmit and retrieve data (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). Besides these, Informat ion technology has helped give impetus to the globalization process. It has reduced the world to a global village where the communication problem is no more an issue, especially after the advent of the internet. Now you can even make calls using the internet. All you need is a microphone and speakers to talk to anyone, at any time sitting anywhere in the world.The companies also realize that there processes (that take place within their organization to come up with their products) have become more cost effective (Senn, 2003). This has allowed business to efficiently utilize their resources and probably the most important one (which is usually saved at the end of the process) is the time. Through technology, companies are able to enhance the quality of their products and processes.BACKGROUNDGeneral Control of the Information Technology aids to guarantee the consistency of the data. This means that the data being produced is showing the performance of the system that you have installe d, and that it is producing the desired results. It ensures that the machine is working perfectly fine. You can then check upon your business process if there is an anomaly or inconsistency in your data. You can be sure of the right data for the wrong processes.Thus you can improve upon your business processes to correct your data. General Control of Information Technology usually encompasses the environmental control (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). This means that you understand the extent of the outside environment or the system beyond the boundary of your system and clearly out of your hands does shape your business in a certain way. But in what way does it affect you depends on the various environmental control you have at hand.USES AND IMPLICATIONSThe General Control also focuses on the different management changes that are brought within the business system or environment. Changes are a verily a very stressful task with in the organization.Information Technology helps to make sure t hat the changes brought therein is acceptable with the norms, organizational culture and the rules and regulations of the business itself (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). During the life of the business, many programs (complex or simples) are written to help businesses achieve their desired results.For example a company may find itself in the need of a Data Base Management Systems or a Data Warehouse. They may either purchase it or they may build it themselves. In both the cases, the company needs to mould the coding to suit their business requirements. It helps the source code’s reliability within the program.Businesses work on projects. For advanced business and for businesses that care to expand in the long run, find themselves in the need of developing software or systems. On the other hand, software houses whose main business is to develop and sell customer’s customized softwares goes through a complex life cycle to design, develop, test, implement and maintain the softw are.General Control helps to achieve that too. It helps to simplify the whole cycle which may extend to a number of years depending on the size and complexity of the software (Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2007).

Cezanne’s Apple Notes and Quotes Essay

Schapiro’s psychoanalytic approach, that is, his search for the underlying meaning and relevance to the painting, * Thesis: While Schapiro’s argument shows a well-considered analysis of the artist’s life as a source of interpretation of Cezanne’s work, much of it is based on suggestion and fantasy. As in all historical interpretation, Cezanne’s work should be viewed within the context of the artist’s historical and biographical framework, but with a formalist analysis of the works that enables the viewer to interpreted not only their personal value, but their intended communication. riticism of Cezanne’s art cannot and, I believe, should not be limited by critical schools of thought. Also, though perhaps it has been the nature of critics to make vastly differentiating interpretations of Cezanne’s work, both forms of analysis add to the richness of the dialogue that can expand one’s preconceived notions of the work and widen the scope of understanding and perspective. Contrary to views of critics such as Roger Fry whose formalist analysis deduces Cezanne’s works as only a problem of form and color, Schapiro seeks more symbolist meaning within the subject matter chosen by the artist. * Schapiro argues that the objects placed within the still-life display â€Å"a game of an introverted personality who has found for his art of representation an objective sphere in which he feels self-sufficient, masterful, free from disturbing other spheres. Schapiro believes that fruit is never the theme, rather, they are a symbol of his emotion and personal concerns. * Schapiro makes the case against a purely formal interpretation: â€Å"It might be supposed that in still-life painting the meaning of the work is merely the sum of the denotation of the separate parts, yet there may be connotations and a comprehensive quality arising from the combined objects and made more visible and moving through the artistic conception. †¦ (i. e. black clock 1870, still w. compotier 79-82, blue vase 83-85, still w. cupid 95, or pples and oranges 95) There is in still like a unity of things like the unity of a scene of action, one must recognize the context of the objects in reality, their connection with a mood or interest or type of occasion. (24) * Cannot look at these as purely sexual, an element in a painting serves more than one function. Apples could be chosen means of emotional detachment and self-control, the fruit providing an objective field of colors, and sensuous richness lacking in his earlier passionate art and not fully realized in his later nude paintings. Sexual displacement could be an unconscious factor. Certainly, Cezanne has a strange relationship with the human figure in his earlier works. In his early works, sexual gratification is directly displayed or implied. A modern Olympia (1873), Bacchanal, and his other pictures of the nudes show that he could not convey his feeling for women without anxiety. In his painting of the nude woman, where he does not produce an old work, he is most often constrained or violent. there is no middle ground of simple enjoyment. In Leda and the Swan, the writer argues that it is a striking instance of the defusing of a sexual theme through replacement of a figure by still-life objects. Cezanne’s fruit is not yet fully part of human life. Suspended between nature and use, it exists as if for contemplation alone. (25) In Cezanne’s painting of landscape, too, and sometimes of the human being, we recognize the same distinctive distance from action and desire. He seems to realize a philosopher’s concept of aesthetic perception as a pure will-less knowing. * The still-life objects bring to awareness the complexity of the phenomenal and the subtle interplay of perception and artifice in representation. (19) Still-life eng ages the painter in a steady looking that discloses new and elusive aspects of the stable object. At first commonplace, it may becomes in the course of that contemplation a mystery, a source of metaphysical wonder. (20) Still-life calls out a response to an implied human presence. The represented objects, in their relation to us, acquire meanings from the desires they satisfy as well as from their analogies and relations to the human body†¦ They are a symbol or heraldry of a way of life. (23) * Yet, though the nature of the Apples seems to deserve far richer analysis of simple line and form, the use of apples as a restraint of Cezanne’s â€Å"morbid fantasies† (29), seems to evoke some fantastical properties of its own. * Apple as a displaced erotic interest? Apple has erotic sense–symbol of love, an attribute of Venus and a ritual object in marriage ceremonies. The apple is a natural analogue of ripe human beauty (6). Philostatus, Greek writer of 200 AD, describes a painting of Cupids gathering apples in a garden of Venus, which serve as the source of Titian’s painting of the cult of Venus, and indirectly Rubens’ picture of putti carrying a parland of the fruit. * Apples (1875) For Cezanne, the apple is equivalent to the human figure. He could project typical relations of human beings as well as qualities of the larger visible world–solitude, contact, accord, conflict, serenity, abundance and luxury–and even states of elation and enjoyment. * In passing from the painting of fantasies to the discipline of observation, Cezanne made of color–the principle of art allied to sensuality and pathos in romantic painting but underdeveloped in his own early pictures of passion–the beautiful substance of stable, solid object-forms and a deeply coherent structure of the composition. It is extremely doubtful that he could have reached his goal had he followed Delacroix in his choice of subjects. But in the self-chastening process, the painting of still-life–as latent symbol and intimate tangible reality–was, perhaps more than his other themes, a bridge between his earlier and his later art. (33)

Avoiding Future Frauds with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example for Free

Avoiding Future Frauds with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay It is clear that the establishment of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act in 2002 was specific to reducing future financial fraud and imposing criminal penalties for publicly traded companies. What is not clear is whether or not the act has proved to be successful in its implementation and governance. The establishment of the act and subsequent amendments are intended to protect the public from fraud in the financial accounting of publicly traded corporations. In 2002, there were opinions both for and against the effectiveness of SOX. More than a decade later, there are still opinions on both sides of the debate. Criticism of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act The effectiveness of the Sarbanes-Oxley act has been highly criticized since its inception. One of the major contentions is that the Sarbanes-Oxley act has no provisions to differentiate the requirements for small publicly traded businesses from large conglomerates (that lead and often monopolize the marketplace). Publicly traded companies that are small in size may find the costs of compliance prohibitive to the future of their business (Coustan, 2004). Critics of SOX believe that this unnecessarily reduces the number of players in a competitive marketplace. The cost of compliance can be excessive for some smaller companies. Auditing expenses cause companies to seek private investment and become privately owned (San Antonio Express-News, 2007). Ten years ago, critics expressed â€Å"fears that small, publicly listed companies might not meet internal control reporting requirements without substantial additional expense; some may have to delist because of it. It could mean only larger companies will go public† (Coustan, 2004, p. 1). In recent years, this debate continues. Critics still express concerns â€Å"that Sarbanes-Oxley is overreaching and has placed unnecessary  restrictions on corporations that have and will continue to unduly inhibit corporate performance until they are removed† (Brite, 2013). Another major contention of critics is that the costs of compliance for outweigh the benefits in an international marketplace. Those against SOX feel that the costs outweigh the benefits and speak out in public forums stating that the â€Å"Sarbanes-Oxley has burdened the US financial market with costly rules and regulations that have reduced international competitiveness† (debate.org, 2014). There are those that openly share the opinion that the implementations of regulatory overkill through the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley act â€Å"wrongfully make the innocent suffer for the guilty† (Gilmore, 2013). The reporting requirements of SOX are specific to businesses in the United States. Unlike American business, international business does not have the same requirements. â€Å"Regulatory compliance opposes economic costs on organizations and can affect their competitive advantage† (Srinivasan, 2014, p. 44). Increasing the cost for American business decreases competitive advantage in the worldwide marketplace. In addition to cost and competitive advantage, the structure of the bill has also been called into question. The Court of Appeals recently found difficulty with the wording of the amended 18 USC, citing that â€Å"paragraph (b) of the statute includes the word â€Å"knowingly† while paragraph (c) does not† (Bishop, 2013). The opinions of the Court of Appeals lends to the public opinion expressed in published CPA perspectives that â€Å"SOX was a hastily assembled bill† (Moran, 2013). Involved and cumbersome requirements cause confusion and frustration for companies attempting to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley act even more than a decade after its implementation. Companies and lawmakers alike have had difficulty over the years with the interpretation of and compliance with the act. â€Å"SOX brought about many changes to the way public companies had to operate, and there was some question as to how these would stand up over time† (Moran, 2013). Positive Aspects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Despite complaints by critics, there are positive aspects of the Sarbanes-Oxley act that have withstood the test of time. Initial reactions have softened after smaller businesses were granted some relief in later amendments of the act. Larger businesses found that compliance with the act  increased investor confidence and contributions. In addition, the resultant increase in financial transparency has improved business relationships on many levels. First and foremost, there are many of the opinion that the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley act increased investor confidence and protection in the marketplace. â€Å"Does Sarbanes-Oxley prevent all bad actors from defrauding investors? No law could accomplish that. But it can and has deterred such activity† (Gillian, 2012, p. 1). Those in support of the Sarbanes-Oxley act agree that there is a positive side for investors and the businesses in which they invest. â€Å"A 2005 survey by the Financial Executives Research Foundation f ound that 83 percent of large company CFOs agreed that SOX had increased investor confidence, with 33 percent agreeing that it had reduced fraud† (Hanna, 2014, p. 2). With an increase in confidence and a perceived reduction of fraud, investors could more confidently make intelligent business decisions on the purchase and sale of publicly traded companies. Those on the positive side of the SOX act believe that the effects on small business have softened. Studies show that as companies become more accustomed to the costs of compliance, the expense decreases (San Antonio Express-News, 2007). In addition, the effects on smaller companies were ultimately deferred. â€Å"Audit standards also were modified in 2007, a change that reportedly reduced costs for many firms by 25 percent or more per year† (Hanna, 2014, p. 1). Although the costs of compliance decrease retained earnings, investors are more confident in the reliability of company reports (Gillian, 2012). â€Å"The cost of being a publicly traded company did cause some firms to go private, but research shows these were primarily organizations that were smaller, less liquid, and more fraud-prone† (Hanna, 2014, p. 1). These modifications of the act allowed more small businesses to remain competitive in the marketplace. Business relationships have also improved with increased transparency. The reduction of information asymmetry is a direct benefit to both the company and the investors. â€Å"Information asymmetry is a situation in which one party in a transaction has more or superior information compared to another† (Brite, 2013, p. 1). Periodic testing of internal controls required by SOX 404, increases transparency among internal and external stakeholders of the business. The American Institute of CPAs states on their website that â€Å"section 404B has led to improve financial reporting and greater  transparency† (American Institute of CPAs, 2006 – 2014). To evaluate the effectiveness of SOX in preventing future frauds, one must take into consideration the many different situations in which the legislation is applicable. Enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley act increases corporate responsibility and sets restrictions on auditor services. This certainly reduces the potential for fraud; however it does not eliminate it. From a business perspective, compliance is beneficial. The costs of implementing the requirements may be high; however the benefit of increased investor confidence in a publicly traded environment is higher. There are going to be situations in which fraud is inevitable. Fraudulent wrongdoers and companies will find loopholes and the recent Court of Appeals case is evidence of that fact. As with any law, this regulation will reduce the frequency of, but not prevent, purposeful future criminal activity. References American Institute of CPAs. (2006 – 2014). Section 404B of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. believe the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has failed? -believe-the-sarbanes-oxley-act-has-failed Gillian, K. (2012, July 24). It Enhanced Investor Protection.