Middle Class Societies Of America And England Essay

Middle Class Societies Of America And England - Essay Example Therefore Roosevelt became the first president to support the labor and assigned the government a direct role and duty to all the people. The new women's colleges were opened and there the female reformers were educated. These females who were white middle class young women handled the "problem " of Immigrant, who constituted "dark skinned" Italians, peasant Jews and immigrants from southeastern Europe. The middle class women were barred to possess the professional educational qualifications pursue Consumer's League, and "Americanizing" centers known as settlement houses. These organizations targeted to wipe off the corruption and vice bred by the men their career. So, the women formed into groups and had built themselves as associations to take active part in the public life. Some of the associations are Women's Trade Union League, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and the National. The women succeeded in their campaign to get the right to vote. But their battle of suffrage lasted for as long as from 1848 to 1920, in the year 1920 nineteenth amendment granted 26 million women, half of the nations population, the right to vote. The Fourteenth Amendment sanctioned the citizenship to the blacks. The Civil Rights Law of the 1960s was stepping stone for those who fought for America's promise of equal rights for all. The movement of women, for suffrage began at Seneca Falls. The American Society challenged severely the efforts of women that they cannot cross the threshold of men. But as the situation prolonged, the women got educated, and their movement turned out to be a respectable one. By 1910, the movement developed into a mass movement. In England too it was the same condition, the women were aggressive to sweep out their miseries and were carrying their movement for fundamental rights. In both the nations, by 1919, the Amendment Act was passed for women granting their right to vote. Detroit, the city was known as the "arsenal of Democracy" during the Second World War. The city of Detroit required a large number of labor who came from Africa. They were not given accommodation and like this the riots erupted which turned to be the bloodiest in the history of he nation. This racial conflict has begun very long past in 1863 and lasted till 1941. The racial riots have a long history in Detroit. There were about 200,000 black labors, constricted to sixty square blocks and compelled to live under dreadful sanitary conditions. Awfully the place was named as Paradise Valley while it was a hell for the inhabitants. There was an integrated amusement park. It was known as Belle Isle. This was the place where the Detroit riots began at this particular spot. The rumors still aggravated the situation and mainly because of the police sergeant spread some rumors regarding a women and her baby over the Belle Isle bridge, the black retaliated, looted, destroyed white owned stores, white skinned people were attacked without discrimination. Similar way white also retaliated in the same way. The situation continued without any holds, Detroit became practically a hellhole until Mayor Edward J. Jeffries called more than six thousand federal army troops was stationed throughout the Detroit city. Practically Detroit city was shutdown, streets deserted, schools deserted, no

American legal system Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American legal system - Coursework Example The main justification for capital punishment in the United States is the concept of future dangerousness. Also referred to as incapacitation, this validation for penalty is founded on the danger that a criminal will probably pose to the society in the future. The need by the state to guard its citizens from the danger that the criminal poses to society is the rationale for punishing someone based on their dangerousness. This means that the state decides to incapacitate a criminal in order to make certain that the offender does not commit another criminal act (Berry, n.d). Judicial ambitions on the side of a prosecutor and personal interests may shape the outcome of a capital case. This is because once on the bench, judges in most of the states are put through elections, frequently partisan, where their verdicts in capital cases can be, and frequently are, used in efforts to overthrow them. A judge may unfairly convict an offender to the death penalty not because the offender deserve s it but merely because he fears loosing his position. Moreover, upgrades to superior courts need political sponsorship and in some cases, electoral backing that is shaped by compelling proof that the judge is â€Å"tough on crime† as he or she handles capital cases. ... This is one of the reasons why the penalty should be abolished. Still focusing on the point of personal interests and selfish gains, most judges decide capital cases in a way that they will be safe. For instance, where the victim is of the same race with the juror, wherein most jurors are often predominately white, the juror will most probably vote for death penalty for the offender. Presumably, this decision of the jury is partly based on the likelihood of the defendant posing a threat to the juror, his family or his friends. This is a very personal move for the jury based not on justice but rather on selfish gains and personal protection. Evidence also suggest that these jurors are always conscious of this analysis whereby they constantly consider the race of the defendant and of the victim to decide the capital case (Berry, n.d). According to Petrie & Coverdill (2010), death sentences are more expected when the victim is female, when there is an associated offense, when several vi ctims are involved and when the victim is a stranger to the offender. Additionally, analyses suggest that several victim and crime attributes shape the decision of capital cases. These include higher victim age, sexual harassments, victims who were police officers, kidnappings, young victims, and the existence of codefendants. These and many other attributes shape the verdict of capital cases thus not adhering to the set laws and fairness. Due to this, the death penalty should be done away with since there is no sincerity in deciding the cases. As stated earlier, future dangerousness of the offender is the main justification as foundation for death penalty. However, the unquestionable

Electronic Tools as Distribution Channels

Electronic Tools as Distribution Channels Introduction Internet has been recognized as an effective tools which not only provide opportunities for hospitalities organization to present their products and services, but also a platform of getting customer feedbacks and comments. The Internet Distribution System plays a significant role in hospitality distribution channel. The internet has enabled organizations to perform both distribution and marketing communication activities online (Bowie and Buttle, 2011). Hotel webpage allow their guests to reserve and pay online and build a good communication with customer, they can put information and pictures to make their customer know more about this hotel. This research paper based upon the investigation into the importance of using electronic tools as distribution channels which made a significant contribution to Chinas economy. Bowie and Buttle (2011) summaries that a good internet distribution channel help hoteliers to make a better understanding of the different roles that the distribution and marketing communication play in the market mix and it provide time and place utilities or benefits to customers. And how will the different distributional influences on the sales of 5-star hotel in China. The definition of Distribution channels Hayes and Miller (2011) indicated that distribution channel is a source of business customers or a vehicle used to communicate with a source of customers. Distribution channel management is the process by which RMs target customers by promotion room sales among their various selling alternatives and, as a result, optimize revenues. The concept of a distribution channel is relatively simple, but in practice can be extremely complicated, especially for large organizations. The role of distribution is to help customers find information about products and to make purchasing easy. (Bowie and Buttle, 2004) Distribution channel is a hotels circulatory system which provide a steady flow of customers. A well-managed distribution system can make the difference between a market-share leader and a company struggling for survival. In the global market, electronic distribution techniques, and the perishable hospitality products have increased the importance of distribution. (Philip, 2014) Hospitality principals, especially larger companies, need intermediaries to distribute their product either solely or combined with other travel products in a package. Intermediaries sell the principals products customers and are normally paid by the principals. (Bowie and Buttle, 2011) The Development of electronic and hospitality distribution The origins of electronic distribution stemmed from the airlines internal inventory systems developed in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1976 SABRE established the first GDS, followed by Amadeus, Galileo and later World span. Until the early 1990s, hotel electronic channels of distribution were as described as a cosy status quo between the CRS and the GDS. Each system Cooperated, rather than competed, with each other, participants operated a closer user group and relationships were effectively linear, with each participant playing a mutually beneficial role. (OConnor, 2004) Spurred by the internet, electronic hotel distribution is increasingly user intimate, screen oriented, and content rich. (Carroll and Siguaw. 2003) Consequently, by 2005 an estimated 1 in 5 hotel bookings will be made online, up from 1 in 12 in 2002.( Carroll and Siguaw. 2003 ) With the continuing geometric growth of individual access to the Internet the volume of reservation coming directly to hotel from individual will increase dramatically in the next few years.(Hsu and Powers, 2002).Major hotel companies with thousands of bedrooms to fill in hundreds of locations need to use a wide range of distribution channels to reach their targeted customers.( Bowie and Buttle, 2011) The Trends of Distribution channels Leading into a discussion of the current distribution landscape, it would be appropriate to start with the hottest areas of growth: search engines, social media and mobile. These three technologies are the most influential in terms of sheer visits or growth rate in consumer usage. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) Social media: The phenomenon that is growing very quickly in recent times is the social media, and particularly the social networks that deal with travel. With the appearance of the internet, new types of intermediaries have emerged and many systems have established mutual connections. (Buhalis and Law, 2008) Facebook which is the leading social site has 750 million members with 70% outside the United States, and site usage is staggering with 50% of users logging on in any given day, each with 130 friends on average and spending approximately 30 minutes per day on the site. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) Search engines: The players that have achieved the greatest impact in the online travel booking spaces are the search engines (Kracht and Wang, 2010) Google or Yahoo generate millions of travel-related bookings every day and there are millions of new potential search engines enter this market. For example. the world of travel-specific search has recently become a major battleground with Googles acquisition of airfare engine ITA Software followed by the launch of Googles Hotel Place Ads and Hotel Finder products in July 2011.(Green and Lomanno, 2012) Mobile and Mobile APPs: A discussion of distribution is not complete without a significant reference to the importance of mobile. It is likely the single technology category that will most affect every aspect of distribution and yet, it is still largely in development. Many hotels have launched basic mobile-friendly websites, and have had enormous numbers of consumers download apps that assist with travel booking. For example, a discussion of distribution is not complete without a significant reference to the importance of mobile. It is likely the single technology category that will most affect every aspect of distribution and yet, it is still largely in development. Many hotels have launched basic mobile-friendly websites, and have had enormous numbers of consumers download apps that assist with travel booking. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) Travel Reviews This is currently one of the fastest growing phenomena. Webs such as TripAdvisor or igougo.com (Buhalis and Law, 2008) are already very mature sites and have almost become an obligatory stop for online travel buyers. According to a recent survey by Forrester Research, 30% of online travel buyers read the online advice of other travellers. (Antoni et al, 2013) The power of consumer review sites as a popular form of social media is gaining influence in travel. From the December 2011 spinoff of TripAdvisor (previously an Expedia company), and the emergence of new consumer review-oriented travel sites, it seems that they may create a new type of distribution channel that may be one part each social, inspiration and booking referral site. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) Overview of Electronic Distribution Channels The structure of the travel and tourism industry is continually evolving. There are different structures in different countries depending on the historical development of tourism. Although the vast majority of tourism intermediaries are small, independent organizations, a few major international companies have emerged with dominant market position. From hospitality perspective, intermediaries can be categorized under the following broad headings (Bowie and Buttle, 2011) Traditional distribution channels in the hotel industry: Travel agents: Travel agents are retail business that provide information, advice and booking for individual and group travel in both business and leisure market. The concept of a travel agency is well established in the travel market. They act as an intermediary between customers and principals such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies, attractions, entertainment, event and sporting venues. (Bowie and Buttle, 2011) GDS Global Distribution System: The GDSs were the first electronic channel, predating Brand.com and the OTAs by several decades. Typically, these systems were used by the broadly defined category of travel agents to book airlines and hotel rooms for their clients. While generally not accessible to the broader public at large, they were a relatively easy way to connect a potential customer with a hotel room. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) CRS/Voice: A Call centre is a central location phone bank, also called a central reservation office (Laura, 2011). Bookings through this channel have accounted for a declining share of both total room reservations and the revenue associated with those bookings for several years now. That decline is evident at both the national level and for each of the chain scale categories. While there has been a decline, the volume is still significant and only slightly less than the brand.com channel contribution. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) Property Direct/Other: Groups/meetings, contract business, rooming lists, and walk-ins are all the types of business that fall into this channel category. With this in mind, and knowing it has such a mix of business types, it makes this category the most difficult for the property or brand to manage without parsing it into its component parts by business segment. Due to the large amount of business transacted locally, it is still likely to be several years before any other channel overtakes property direct/other as the most widely utilized booking channel. Emerging Distribution Channels Online Travel Agencies (OTAs): OTA is an acronym for online travel agents, who have the same function as traditional physical travel agents, but the service is conveyed via the Internet. Unlike traditional travel agents, OTA specializes in offering vacation-planning sources and booking resources. (Yu, 2012) Of all the distribution channels the OTA opaque model is probably both the least financially understood model as well as the one that creates the most controversy. It is least financially understood because of the nature of the arrangement with the hotels that keeps the properties from knowing what the guest actually paid for the room. So while the properties know what room rate they receive from the vendor, the differential paid by the consumer on the upside remains unknown to the hotel. Brand.com (A hotels website): On average about 16% of all hotel room bookings are being made through either the brand or property website referred to in this study as brand.com. This number grew slightly in 2010 and has been on an upward track since the widespread use of the Internet about a decade ago. (Green and Lomanno, 2012) More and more hotel brands build their own websites and provide booking service on their home pages, which enables customers to be driven from OTAs to their own websites. (Yu, 2012) Mobile Apps: A recent study by BIA/Kelsey concluded that by the end of 2013 local businesses will be receiving three times the number of phone calls as they do currently because of the increase in mobile marketing and smart phone searches. The trend is emerging (Michael, 2012). Over the last five years, mobile has become closely correlated to local. People are looking for a restaurant nearby, a hotel nearby. The Wyndham hotel group has dedicated numbers on its 13 mobile websites, with a dedicated number assigned to every brand. Finally, the increase in call-centre volume has been noticeable (Keith, 2012). Mobile phones will be a great source of business, though this may present issues on the logistical end. If such issues arise, hotels will need more staff to take calls and, the call centre will need to be developed extensively (Harvet, 2012). The implement of Distribution Channel Since the GDS is a Distribution provides two key utilities or benefits to customer. Distribution makes hospitality products and services available when and where customer want them; there are known as time and place utilities, respectively. Online and traditional intermediaries, for example, travel agents and tour operators, help customers to find and choose hospitality and travel products. (Bowie and Buttle, 2011) For several years travel has been the most popular products sold online. The Internet is the perfect medium for selling travel products as it brings together a vast network of suppliers and a widely dispersed customer pool into a centralized market place. (OConnor, 2004) The structure of the travel and tourism industry is continually evolving. In Europe, change drives include the deregulation of air travel and the growth of Internet technology, which can deliver economies of scale and cost savings to the large tourism organization. From an accommodation providers perspecti ve, effective Internet marketing is based upon an understanding of how search engines work, recognizing the importance of destination links, development accessible and easy-to-use websites, developing effective booking engines, and the transparency of pricing. Numerous survey confirm that internet users depend upon search engines and directories when looking for information on the internet Search engines such as Google and Alta Vista Provide an indexed guide to website. Directories or website, grouped into categories such as business, a website needs to ensure that the domain name, destination, text copy. Page titles, description tag and Meta tags are designed to ensure that search engines and directories find the web pages. Optimizing ensure that search engines and directories find the web page. Optimizing easy accessibility for Internet searchers is clearly important for the hospitality brand. (Bowie and Buttle, 2004) The management of distribution channel The hospitality industry varies from other industries significantly due to the perishable and intangible nature of the hospitality service/product. (Bastakis, Buhalis, Butler, 2004) As Bowie and Buttle (2004) said because of the high commission fee which can be 8 present and the norm is 10 present, with certain hotels playing up to 30 present commission on specific products available during the low season and the cost of GDS which can be assumed a $100 per night room rate, the total deductions can be as much as $26.55 (Middleton, 2000), which only leaves $73.45 for hotel (although this dose include an internal company charge of $9 for the hotel chains CRS), some hospitality companies wish to reduce or eliminate. Hospitality companies see the Internet as a means of reducing distribution costs and enabling direct communication with consumers and customers. There can be significant hardware, software and human resources costs attached to developing and operating a direct-to-customer di stribution strategy. From an accommodation providers perspective, effective Internet marketing is based upon an understanding of how search engines work, recognizing the importance of destination links, developing links, developing accessible and easy-to-use website, developing effective booking engines, and the transparency of pricing.( Bowie and Buttle,2004 ) However, hospitality organization will loss of control of a key element in the marketing mix, which can lead to an unhealthy dependence upon intermediaries and it can be closer to the end user, taking ownership of the customer away from the hospitality organization. Reference http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062context=articles

Is Macbeth A Thoroughly Representative Character? :: essays research papers

Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some critics may contend that Macbeth is not a thoroughly representative character, yet through a close observation and understanding of the drama, it can be seen that any rational human being, given the identical situation, would have undergone the exact thought process and taken equal actions as did Macbeth. Macbeth was presented with a situation where he was forced to make an extreme decision. His driving ambition to become King of Scotland corrupted him and caused him to murder not only the king, but all those who had any ties to him. People may say that Macbeth was insane for doing this, yet others will agree that the common character would have done the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Given the situation, the ideal individual would have undergone the same alteration as did Macbeth. Presented with an equal degree an opportunity, one would have become very eager and anxious, thus carrying out the same criminal actions that Macbeth himself conveyed. A person, always eager to gain endowment, would jump at the chance to acquire that power as soon as possible, no matter what they had to do. This is the situation Macbeth was in. He was seeking the throne, and only wanted to find a faster way to obtain that authority, thus he killed, lied, and cheated his way to that place of honor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Readers may debate that Macbeth was indeed insane, thus leading the reader to believe that he was not representative of a typical human. This is true, yet any human can be insane, which further proves the validity that Macbeth was a common individual. Perhaps driven to insanity, no evidence exists to say that Macbeth was not ordinary, which means that he was not in any way different from the rest of humanity. What he did in the drama was no different than what anyone would have done given the position Macbeth was in. Conceivably an individual may not have murdered and become so very evil, however one would

Workshop Critique

Designing a more effective workshop is a daunting challenge to today’s fast moving world that exhibits dynamism in various aspects. As a result it poses a daunting challenge to the workshop organizers and planers especially when there are sensitive issues regarding to conflicts, interracial misunderstanding and poor communication among the participants. In this regard, designing and implementing workshop for the young persons who face challenging issues when they have been asked to work in a group such as Communication, language barriers, culture differences and conflicts, on which the participants wanted to improve on becomes a challenge. As a consequence, design for such a workshop it is deemed necessary to critically balance the goals of the participants and the learning and facilitating resources against the philosophy and objectives of designers (Barbazette, 2001). This aspect of workshop planning and implementation is a key principle to a successful workshop implementation that guarantees positive outcomes of the workshop which some planners usually neglect. In circumstances that balancing principle is neglected the planers usually dominate their design with their views and views of the participants obtained from surveys such as TNA for this case. Although in most cases in the process of workshop designing both planners and participant’s philosophical ands theoretical goals may be coherent in the sense that both aims at improving their educational process, the reality of the school environment can cause inappropriate planning and miscommunication in regard to workshop design. However, planers creativity, innovativeness and awareness can help arrive at a tangible workshop that participants can implement the skills, attitudes, behaviors and knowledge to their daily practices in their respective schools and groups. Therefore in designing an effective workshop the key domains that were considered are logistics, recourses and content. Rationale for Workshop Design The rationale for workshop design was informed greatly by logistics involved, content and the learning and teaching resources. The design was highly influenced by the TNA conducted which revealed that the students or participants had difficulties working in groups in terms of communication, language, barriers, conflicts and cultural differences. In this regard, the workshop was stimulated in away that it became a leaner centered. The logistics involved in the workshop design to a greater extend contributed to the success of the workshop. By summing up the aim of the logistics involved in the workshop design, the workshop was supposed to impact day-to-day group work tasks of the participants (Barbazette, 2001). The focus of the workshop was centered on the understanding the principles and process of effective group formation and functioning with respect to diversity. In order to ensure that the workshop materials are applied by workshop participants to their normal schooling life, the workshop plan utilized the following strategies: first, Individualization technique that used appropriate teaching technological resources to present individualized learning materials to the participants like reference to special links on the internet because we recognize that every participant has quite a bit to learn. Second, Time was sufficiently allocated that facilitated absorption of principles and by most participants. Third, the school support â€Å"buy in† was also central to the plan as the school had to buy in the value of the workshop by permitting workshop to be conducted and students to participate. And the fourth aspect, was the selection of learning materials â€Å"Take to class materials† that are relevant to content and participants. However, despite the logistics involved in planning for the workshop effective learning during workshop proceeding is determined by quality and concern of faculty, peer group, and effective content and pedagogy. These factors are addressed by content, instructional approach and resources used in the following section. The content instructional approach was largely drawn from Kolb learning cycle (see figure 1) that utilized participant’s experiential knowledge as learning resource. Kolb learning cycle model (Kolb, 1984) emphasizes the use of learners experience to build new content. This approach is very important in learning and teaching undertakings especially to students in the sense that facilitator induces reflective aspect to learners in order for it to become a process and routine to develop learners. Kolb learning cycle comprise of four phases: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation, which must be adhered to in order to attain meaningful learning. By adhering to these four stages, the participants were able to reflect on their experience to formulate concepts which can be applied to their future situations relating to group work. The new participant’s behavior is tested out by exposing him or her to new situation or previous situations and comparing the effectiveness of learning outcome. For instance, in this case speed ball was reintroduced to participants after learning and revealed that group competency has been gained evident by reduction in task performance time for 17seconds to 1 second. Briefly the four phases of Kolb’s cycle are significant in enhancing learning and skills long term skills that the workshop participants can apply to real life situation. For instance, Concrete experience phase involves ‘doing’ aspect that drive for process and content of workshop through materials. The use of interactive games in workshop like speedball, this enhances experience on the past of participants. Reflective observation is the participant’s qualities and judgments of events and discussion of the learning process with peers (Cranton, 1995; Trotman, 2000; Gordon, 2002). As a result, participants were able to reflect on their training at the workshop and at the same time normal school learning situation this enable the students to have confidence with their colleagues and mitigate painful learning experiences. To enhance a meaningful reflection of the participants keep their journals or a log. Importantly, reflection aspect is vital mechanism to promote learning and professional development. Abstract conceptualization helps learners to plan better future activities added to their reflection of their personal experience by being informed by educated theories. In this context, Educational theories were major drawn from luck man’s model of learn development, forming, worming, storming and performing. While at the same time the Taylor’s set of 16 guiding principles of effective groups was utilized see [table 1] (Taylor, 1996). Through educational information added to the students own reflection, enables the participants to integrate theories and the analysis of the past actions to draw conclusion about their group work practices. Active experimentation is the final and actualization phase according to Kolb cycle of learning in the sense that it enables the work shop participants to use conclusion drawn about present actions from Abstract conceptualization phase as a basis to plan changes to their group work performance, the Active experimentation phase is vital because it generates concrete experience to the participants thereby forming knowledge base to inform, educate others and develop effective group interactive skills. Moreover, the attained concrete experience serve as a platform on which the participants of the work shop can review and reflect to form conclusion about the effectives of the outcomes. The content emphasis was drawn from Turkman’s Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and ending model (see figure 1). These four distinct stages were emphasized on because the students complaint on their difficulties they do experience during working in groups greatly lie in the misunderstanding of the critical process of effective group formation and functioning. The content planned was aimed at covering and teaching the participants how to form, storm, norm, perform and adjourn the group once it is through with the task assigned. The group forming stage the emphasis was on the group leader role was stressed since there is little agreement from the team other than leader guidance and direction. Moreover, the many questions relating to objectives, purpose and individual concerns should be answered by the leader, while the members can engage in system testing to understand it better. Therefore, the forming phase entirely is dependant on the leader’s directives. The second phase of storming, the members may experience difficulties in decision making and struggle for positions. As a result, these struggles cause increase of purpose clarity but plenty of uncertainties may also persist. Therefore, the workshop participants were informed to be tolerant with different views of members disregarding their ethnic, gender or race, and try as much as possible to reach an agreeable compromise in line with their goals to avoid emotions distract their progress (Farbstein, 2003). The workshop participants were informed that if they successful undergo the first two phases, then the third stage of norming will come in automatically with ease in decision making and agreement amongst the members. Moreover, the group shall have strong unity, commitment and respect for the leader. Thereafter, the team moves to performance stage where the team shall be more strategically aware of why it is doing what it is doing due to shared vision without strict supervision or leader direction. As a result, the team shall have ambitions to over achieve their goals, easy conflict and disagreement solving and the group shall work with less instructions and directives, while the leader’s role shall only be streamlined to delegate and oversee the performance. Then lastly, the group can adjourn as the last stage when the task has been accomplished successfully. The participants were informed the joy and fulfillment of adjourning stage rests on group dissolution when everyone move to do other things or assignments feeling good about what's been achieved. Therefore, group member ought to strive to have a happy ending by facilitating a successful group formation and functioning in their school learning activities. In addition to Turkman’s model of group formation and performing, Taylor’s 16 principles of effective group performance were included in the content since they guide and help group running normally. These included: Testing inferences and assumptions, Sharing all relevant information, Focusing on interests as opposed to positions, Agreeing on what important words mean, Being specific when referring to anything like using examples like Peterson and not you, Disagreeing openly with any member of the group, Make statements and then invite questions and comments and Explaining the reasons behind questions, actions and statements. Additionally, jointly designing ways to test disagreements and solutions, Discussing undiscussable issues, Keeping discussions focused, there should be no taking of cheap shots as they may distract the group, All members are expected to be participating in all phases of the group processes, Exchange relevant information with non-group members, Make decisions by consensus, Doing self-critiques. These principles are vital and useful to group as they offer guidelines to successful group functioning and performance. Workshop resources were carefully selected since the learning resources can be turned into a factor with a positive impact (Farbstein, 2003; Kieren, 2005; Smith, 1998). The challenge towards meeting sufficient workshop resources was funding or financial limitation to avail the necessary resources to the participants such as handouts on principles of effective group performance and the Turkman’s model of group forming, storming, norming and performing. Despite financial limitation, there was use of relevant text books, reference to important websites for information regarding effective group functioning and use of charts was widely used. In addition to that, the participants were requested to write a position paper in rejection or support of the pedagogical innovations used in the workshop. Workshop outcomes The workshop outcome from my observation, it was very good and the team was able to communicate with each other, they have followed exactly the Tuchman’s model of team development, forming, storming, and norming, performing, and then ending. Moreover, I observed that the conflict on the norming stage was not obvious because the number of the team members were few; therefore they were able to overcome their conflict so easily. Additionally, during the activity, I noticed that some students showed leadership skills and some were just followers and listeners. The major theory that can be used to explain this show of behavior is goal setting and reinforcement theories. This is in the sense that the participants were able to set their personal goals that motivated and spurred their behavior and need to achieve. While on the other hand, the facilitators were able to reinforce positively the participants especially by use of extrinsic motivators. As a result, the survey results obtained from students showed that they all liked a lot the workshop (Kirkpatrick, 1994). Recommendations for improvements The workshop was successful but needed more aspects and issues to be looked at or incorporated. For instance, during facilitation there is need to integrate workshop design with more academic theory and application in sense that they are interwoven to have it deliver skills and knowledge at its best. The making of this linkage can help to continue the momentum from the participants’ experience. However, there is need to revolve around more personal theory around participants responses to the experience and less of academic theories. Furthermore, there is need to allocate sufficient time to maximize the outcomes of the activity by considering its implications and impacts of day-to-day participants academic undertaking. And finally, learning and teaching resources ought to have more attention paid to and proper resources mobilization to even include handouts to help participants with application outside the workshop. Lastly, the TNA need to be clearer and all inclusive to include wide views of stakeholders. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has looked at the workshop design and implementation with insight to its outcomes. The success of the workshop demonstrate the fact that technical competency at any organization is not enough, but rather the interpersonal skills that facilitates individuals development of effective work relationships. In order to attain that, there was collaborative approach to design and implement the workshop to meet the needs from various participants’ perspectives. As a result, the workshop was able to successfully transfer of learning to behavior because: first, participants improved their communication skills demonstrated by reduction in speedball exercise time from 17 seconds to 1 second. This also indicates that Participants had attained an increase in self-awareness in relation to body language, tone of voice and active listening. Moreover, the participants showed that they were less aggressive and more assertive in relation to their approach while interacting with their peers. Secondly, the participants gained insight into behavior of self and others. Therefore, the participant developed a sense to appreciate others’ cultural, racial and ethnic differences and was able to adapt necessary communication styles aimed at improving their interpersonal relations.

Scholarly vs Popular Writing

Scholarly versus popular writing among accounting articles through various different resources. Researching the popular Wikipedia. com, an internet website and the Walden library to do a comparison of articles for credibility. Wikipedia. com is not a scholarly resource, on the basis that â€Å"Scholarly writing is usually confined to journals or textbooks, which are more difficult to find in the market place and are usually read by academics. † In an article by ProQuest (2001): â€Å"a publication is considered scholarly if it is authored by academics for a target audience that is mainly academic†, which would then seem to exclude Wikipedia.com from being a scholarly resource. In conclusion, I think it is safe to conclude that with the above mentioned points Wikipedia. com is not a scholarly resource. Wikipedis. com is also not a credible resource for the following reasons. One being that the site can be changed by anyone and that persons credentials can be unknown, irr elevant or nonexistent. The sources or references listed for which the information is based on can be invalid, lack relevance or reliability. A second reason would be what was written may not necessarily had been for academic or professional audiences.Because it is unclear how many other theories were exhausted from consideration, and ideas expressed could be based entirely on biased or opinion. Lastly I would say uncertainty of the accuracy of information provided. In example, dates can be out dated, erroneous, or not based on the facts. All the before mentioned are contributing factors to why I believe Wikipedia. com is not a credible resource. It is permissible to use a non-scholarly resources depending on the quality of the resource used and topic you’re researching.Should I ever be presented with the inability to find a peer reviewed article, I would retreat to the next best thing a highly respected trade publication. Like if I was writing about insurance I would use and accepted trade publication in the insurance industry. Although it might not be scholarly, or as quality as a scholarly article may be, they can sometimes be credible. A credible resource through the internet for the use in the field of management: http://mdpi. com/journal/jrfm. On this site you will find this journal on risk and financial management, which are both under the general umbrella of management.The site not only includes varying topics in management with peer reviewed articles based on in depth research but it also is based on theoretical concepts for academics with practical applications in mind. When determining if the resource I am using biased in its information or viewpoints I would have to ask the following questions. Can the writer benefit from expressing a particular viewpoint? Can the writer benefit by suppressing specific information? Is the information supported by other credible resources? Does the resource support a prejudice or a particular stereo type? Any of these could suggest a resource is biased.

Cultural Expectation of Media essays

Cultural Expectation of Media essays This essay is based on many of my own observations and does not reflect the opionions of any particular person/persons, organization, group,etc. This essay was created from personal introspection and by observing different forms of media I lead a discussion group for preparation of this review. The group focused on cultural expectations and the media and discussed an overview of media influence. The focus of the groups discussion was that media uses specific gender roles and stereotypes in an attempt to persuade the public to accept their beliefs. The main idea behind the group discussion was that forms of media such as television and print display various meanings and images that are directed to specifics groups in society. The groups discussion generally focused on the advertisements, T.V. shows, music, and print material such as books and magazines that targeted men and women. The argument that the group stressed was that media uses symbolism and underlying motives to convey m essages, sell products, and create idealistic settings that are stereotypically misleading and untrue. As a group, we had a collarborative effort. Each question allowed the group to explore the aspects of gender stereotypes in different ways. Miriam Whites article about gender roles and the fishery. The most important idea that we gained from Whites article is that stereotypes of women have existed for many years in Newfoundland due to government and industry involvement in the fishery. Men were the providers and the women stayed home and took care of the household. Modernization of the fishery segregated women as governments tried to keep men fishing and women onshore in the fish plants. Actually, the government and fishing industry saw women as a consumers instead of individuals that were capable of successfully providing for their family. Whites article mentions advertisements. This was a f...

Free Essays on Cognitive Science And AI

Recently, the media has spent an increasing amount of broadcast time on new technology. The focus of high-tech media has been aimed at the flurry of advances concerning artificial intelligence (AI). What is artificial intelligence and what is the media talking about? Are these technologies beneficial to our society or mere novelties among business and marketing professionals? Medical facilities, police departments, and manufacturing plants have all been changed by AI but how? These questions and many others are the concern of the general public brought about by the lack of education concerning rapidly advancing computer technology. Artificial intelligence is defined as the ability of a machine to think for itself. Scientists and theorists continue to debate if computers will actually be able to think for themselves at one point (Patterson 7). The generally accepted theory is that computers do and will think more in the future. AI has grown rapidly in the last ten years chiefly because of the advances in computer architecture. The term artificial intelligence was actually coined in 1956 by a group of scientists having their first meeting on the topic (Patterson 6). Early attempts at AI were neural networks modeled after the ones in the human brain. Success was minimal at best because of the lack of computer technology needed to calculate such large equations. AI is achieved using a number of different methods. The more popular implementations comprise neural networks, chaos engineering, fuzzy logic, knowledge based systems, and expert systems. Using any one of the aforementioned design structures requires a specialized computer system. For example, Anderson Consulting applies a knowledge based system to commercial loan officers using multimedia (Hedburg 121). Their system requires a fast IBM desktop computer. Other systems may require even more horsepower using exotic computers or workstations. Even more exotic is the software that i... Free Essays on Cognitive Science And AI Free Essays on Cognitive Science And AI Recently, the media has spent an increasing amount of broadcast time on new technology. The focus of high-tech media has been aimed at the flurry of advances concerning artificial intelligence (AI). What is artificial intelligence and what is the media talking about? Are these technologies beneficial to our society or mere novelties among business and marketing professionals? Medical facilities, police departments, and manufacturing plants have all been changed by AI but how? These questions and many others are the concern of the general public brought about by the lack of education concerning rapidly advancing computer technology. Artificial intelligence is defined as the ability of a machine to think for itself. Scientists and theorists continue to debate if computers will actually be able to think for themselves at one point (Patterson 7). The generally accepted theory is that computers do and will think more in the future. AI has grown rapidly in the last ten years chiefly because of the advances in computer architecture. The term artificial intelligence was actually coined in 1956 by a group of scientists having their first meeting on the topic (Patterson 6). Early attempts at AI were neural networks modeled after the ones in the human brain. Success was minimal at best because of the lack of computer technology needed to calculate such large equations. AI is achieved using a number of different methods. The more popular implementations comprise neural networks, chaos engineering, fuzzy logic, knowledge based systems, and expert systems. Using any one of the aforementioned design structures requires a specialized computer system. For example, Anderson Consulting applies a knowledge based system to commercial loan officers using multimedia (Hedburg 121). Their system requires a fast IBM desktop computer. Other systems may require even more horsepower using exotic computers or workstations. Even more exotic is the software that i...

The Definition of Listening and How to Do It Well

The Definition of Listening and How to Do It Well Listening is the active process of receiving and responding to spoken (and sometimes unspoken) messages. It is one of the subjects studied in the field of language arts and in the discipline of conversation analysis. Listening is not just hearing what the other party in the conversation has to say. Listening means taking a vigorous, human interest in  what is being told us, said poet  Alice Duer Miller. You can  listen like a blank wall  or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer. Elements and Levels of Listening Author Marvin Gottlieb cites four elements of good listening: Attention- the focused perception of both visual and verbal stimuliHearing- the physiological act of opening the gates to your earsUnderstanding- assigning meaning to the messages receivedRemembering- the  storing  of meaningful information (Managing Group Process. Praeger, 2003) He also cites four levels of listening: acknowledging, sympathizing, paraphrasing, and empathizing. The four levels of listening range from passive to interactive when considered separately. However, the most effective listeners are able to project all four levels at the same time. That means they show theyre paying attention, they show interest, and they convey they are working to understand the speakers message. Active Listening An active listener not only pays attention but withholds judgment during the speakers turn and reflects on whats being said. S.I. Hayakawa notes in The Use and Misuse of Language that an active listener is curious about and open to the speakers views, wants to understand his or her points, and so asks questions to clarify whats being said. An unbiased listener ensures that the questions are neutral, without skepticism or hostility. [L]istening does not mean simply maintaining a polite silence while you are rehearsing in your mind the speech you are going to make the next time you can grab a conversational opening. Nor does listening mean waiting alertly for the flaws in the other fellows argument so that later you can mow him down, Hayakawa said. Listening means trying to see the problem the way the speaker sees it- which means not sympathy, which is feeling for him, but empathy, which is experiencing with him. Listening requires entering actively and imaginatively into the other fellows situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own. This is not always an easy task. (How to Attend a Conference in The Use and Misuse of Language. Fawcett Premier, 1962) Impediments to Listening A basic communication loop has a message going from a sender to a receiver and feedback (such as acknowledgment of understanding, e.g., a nod) going from the receiver to the speaker. A lot can get in the way of a message being received, including distraction or fatigue on the part of the listener, the receiver prejudging the speakers argument or information, or a lack of context or commonality to be able to understand the message. Difficulty in hearing the speaker could also be an impediment, though thats not always the fault of the listener. Too much jargon on the part of the speaker can also impede the message. "Listening" to Other Cues When communicating, body language (including cultural cues) and tone of voice can also relay information to the listener, so in-person communication can send more layers of information about the topic being relayed than a voice-only means or a text-only method. The receiver, of course, has to be able to properly interpret the nonverbal signs to avoid subtext misunderstandings. Keys to Effective Listening Here are a dozen tips to being an effective active listener: Maintain eye contact with the speaker if possible.Pay attention and listen for ideas.Find areas of interest.Judge content, not delivery.Dont interrupt, and be patient.Hold back your points or counterpoints.Resist distractions.Pay attention to nonverbal information.Keep your mind open, and be flexible.Ask questions during pauses and give feedback.Listen with empathy to try and see the speakers viewpoint.Anticipate, summarize, weigh the evidence, and look between the lines.

Covering Letter (Jobs) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Covering Letter (Jobs) - Essay Example As I am a graduate in International Accounting from the Shanghai Maritime University, I have knowledge of the key accounting processes along with their legal requirements and managerial applications. I have also completed one year Pre-Master Program on International Finance and Business from Renmin University of China. This program helped me to develop business communication skills and understand the global business standards better. I am quite comfortable in a multicultural environment and appreciate the essence of globalization from a practical point of view. I am fluent in both English and Mandarin, and the university life at Keele has helped me to develop ample team spirit and research skills. Last but not least, I have job experience at Dong Xing Stock Company, Beijing through the internship programs conducted by Shanghai Maritime University. Here, I acquired practical knowledge of stock market analysis and various accounting operations. I am looking forward to optimally utilize and implement my academic knowledge and professional experience so that I can embark on a winning career in financial management. I am available from Monday to Friday (full time) for an interview and I will be greatly obliged if I am given a full time opportunity at your organization. Hope for a positive response from

Finances Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Finances - Assignment Example This is where the knowledge of budgeting and finances come in as one needs to be able to figure out the needs of the hospital and prioritize them in order starting with what is needed the most going down and use this knowledge together with the budget they have been given to spend to determine the best way to utilize the money that has been handed to them What Has Been Your Exposure to Your Organization’s financial statements? Who In Your Organization Might Provide You with Your Organization’s Financial Statements? What Is This Information Used For? The amount of exposure to the organization’s financial statements has mostly occurred from the budgeting and shopping activities that are done for medical supplies when the time for replenishing the available stock arises. During this period, the hospital present us (the nurses) with the amount of money that they are able to provide for these activities and using the size of the budget, one is able to determine whether the hospital’s financial status has improved, remained the same or even dwindled since the last time such an activity took place (Paul, 2008). If a hospital has done well then the size of the budget is more likely to increase while no change in the budget may mean there is no change in their finances either and so on. There are a number of individuals that present the nurses with the financial statements of the organization who include the Program administrators and ward managers during budgeting and the chief financers when a review of the annual expend iture takes place. These statements are used to show the gains and losses that have been incurred during the year as well as budget for the next batch of medical supplies that are needed. The accounting system affects the different parts of the organization as a whole as it deals with the organization’s entire financial flow. Firstly, it will affect the speed with which

Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Data Analysis - Essay Example these variables in each institution, variables in clued job knowledge, communication and English skills, quality of work, cooperation, punctuality and attendance, productivity and initiative. All these variables are important to an organization and will determine the profitability and productivity of an organization, an organization that employs workers with required job knowledge, good communication skills and computer skills are much more likely to have competitive advantage over the others, also these organization will increase their productivity which means that less inputs will be needed in terms of labor hours top accomplish certain tasks, as a result the organization will tend to record higher profits. Using the data collected we use a scale to quantify this data and determine the institution that records higher values for each variable, the higher the value means that the institution is more efficient in providing these skills to their students. This information will help these institutions to improve on their weaknesses and also it will be important to employing organizations whereby they will be in a position to choose the best institution to undertake training. The first step was to prepare a questionnaire that would be appropriate in collecting required data, the aim of this study was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each organization in training students, therefore the questionnaire had to include measures of the job knowledge, productivity, communication and other personal qualities. The questionnaire was pretested to rectify any biasness and when the questionnaires were ready they were given to the respondents. The population was then identified in order to determine the sample size. The population used in this study was the organizations whose training sites were the three training institutes which amounted to 37 organizations. A random sample of 50 respondents was selected from the organizations and questionnaires were emailed.

Homeostatic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeostatic - Essay Example For a single cell to work, the conditions must be stable. For example, if the water content of the body is too high or low i.e. high or low osmotic pressure would make the cells either shrink or swell leading to cellular death and a vicious cycle leading to tissue destruction and so on. Similarly cellular enzymes require an optimum and stable pH for them to work and degrade food products to simple carbohydrates, fats and amino acids for the body to produce energy. These are just two of many examples of why the human body needs stable internal environment (Brodie, 2005). 2.1 Identify and describe the components required for a homeostatic feedback mechanism. As mentioned earlier, the human body is composed of many systems and these systems work in coordination with each other in order for it to work normally. These systems require stable internal conditions and whenever these internal conditions are disturbed; there is a feedback system which acts immediately to get this disturbed inte rnal environment back to normal. This feedback system includes mainly of receptors in some areas which when sense in disturbance in the normal conditions activate immediately and send signal to the appropriate centres (Guyton, 2011). These signals could be transmitted through 1) Nerve cells e.g. vagus nerve sending signal to the brain and control heart rate 2) hormones e.g. renin which is released by kidneys either when there is a disturbance in the blood pressure due to water content of the body. Renin ten causes the formation of angiotensin 1 and 2 and control water content of urine. Hormones and nerve cells have a major role in this feedback mechanism. Hormones such as adrenaline, insulin, thyroxin and acetylcholine are some of the major hormones in homeostatic feedback mechanism in controlling heart rate, blood sugar levels, metabolism and many other functions. Nerve cells on the other hand provide feedback mechanism by transmitting signals directly to the brain which then trans mits signals back by nerve cells again to appropriate centres or causes the release of hormones to bring the body back to stability. Nerve cells also act by sending signals to the endocrine or exocrine glands present at certain locations in the body and cause direct release of hormones or other secretions (Guyton, 2011). 3.1 Describe the mechanisms involved in body temperature regulation. Regulation of body temperature is one of the most important homeostatic functions of the body as all the bodily enzymes and other systems require an optimum temperature i.e.98.6f to work normally. This most important function is performed by the temperature regulation centre present in the Hypothalamus in the brain. Whenever an increase or decrease in the body temperature is detected by the receptors present in peripheral regions of the body, immediate signals are transmitted to the hypothalamus which then sends signals to all the parts of the body for its regulations. In case of an increased inter nal temperature the hypothalamus sends signals to the peripheral blood vessels located mainly in the skin which dilate causing more blood to flow through them leading to heat loss and decreased metabolism to decrease heat production. Also, there is immediate activation of sweat glands located in the skin and excessive production of sweat causes loss of

Indian religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Indian religion - Essay Example Especially the Indian women always try to preserve their practice in a pure Indian traditional way. Indian women have very important role in maintain puja which Hindus name it as Dharma (University of California). In Indian religion Rajput women are famous when it is about regular religious practices especially â€Å"home puja†. Rajput women main objective is to become a good wife, a wife which is protector of her husband, as this is one major religious consideration which Indian women maintain specifically. In Indian religion especially in Hinduism women maintain entail fasting, which is to gain Shiv’s blessing. This is weekly activity which unmarried women perform to attain a holy partner under the blessing of Shiv. This is also maintained by married women to serve their husbands in pious manner. A special fasting is maintained on Monday, which is an important religious day in Hinduism consideration (University of California). University of California. "Religion and Protection." 2004. www.publishing.cdlib.org. 26 September 2012

The Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Nazism in Germany Research Paper

The Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Nazism in Germany - Research Paper Example The allies crafting the treaty at the Paris Peace Conference were more interested in punishing Germany than securing long lasting peace. Ironically, the Treaty of Versailles was intended to make sure Germany was rendered too weak to wage war but due to its restrictive nature served to enrage and embolden factions within the beaten nation which fanned the flames of an emerging fanaticism. Germany not only lost massive amounts of land, economic sanctions caused severe hardships to a people trying to recover from the devastation of war. The worldwide depression in the 1930’s worsened the already desperate situation. In addition, German’s greatly resented foreign troops occupying parts of their country. The German government was weakened as a consequence of the ill conceived Treaty of Versailles which allowed for a fanatical form of fascism led by Adolph Hitler to flourish in Germany following World War I. (Henig, 2010). These issues, which were instigated by the Treaty of Versailles, caused Germany to again become aggressive against its neighboring countries which started WWII. The Treaty of Versailles was designed specifically to weaken Germany in many vital areas. Large sections of German territory were taken away and given to surrounding countries. France and Poland especially received lands that had been important to the Germany economy. Germany also lost all of its worldwide outposts to various allied nations. The new country of Austria was carved from previously held German lands as was the former Czechoslovakia, now called the Czech Republic. The allies were given all of Germany’s mercantile marine ships, another severe blow to the German economy. On top of that, the Treaty required Germany to construct civilian and war ships for selected Allied countries. The Treaty also placed stringent restrictions on the Germany’s capacity to defend itself or to wage war. Germany was not permitted to possess heavy guns, tanks, armored cars, u -boats, Zepplins or airplanes, no air force of any type was allowed. The defeated nation could keep no more than one hundred thousand troops in its army and fifteen thousand sailors in its navy. Germany was forbidden by the Treaty to import materials used for war and was made to pay steep reparations to the Allied nations as well as to the territories it ceded. All types of valuables were seized to make these payments such as precious metals, building materials, vehicles and ships. On top of that cash payments were mandated on an annual basis for years to come. The Treaty also greatly diluted Germany’s transportation system. It gave control of Germany’s railroads to Poland and placed Germany’s river system, an important transportation artery at that time, under foreign management. Poland also gained free use of Germany’s northern ports. (Bell, 1986) Though the Treaty of Versailles accomplished its intended purpose by crippling Germany’s military an d economy ensuring it too weak to wage war, this tactic caused the next great world war just 20 years later. The Allied delegation in Paris assumed they had been successful in both ending the â€Å"war to end all wars† and preventing Germany from ever again waging war against its neighbors in Europe. They were tragically mistaken. The Treaty contained strong language but weak enforcement characteristics. Many military and political leaders understood this from its inception and predicted the horrific consequences. The Treaty was â€Å"the peace to end peace†

Indian religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Indian religion - Essay Example Especially the Indian women always try to preserve their practice in a pure Indian traditional way. Indian women have very important role in maintain puja which Hindus name it as Dharma (University of California). In Indian religion Rajput women are famous when it is about regular religious practices especially â€Å"home puja†. Rajput women main objective is to become a good wife, a wife which is protector of her husband, as this is one major religious consideration which Indian women maintain specifically. In Indian religion especially in Hinduism women maintain entail fasting, which is to gain Shiv’s blessing. This is weekly activity which unmarried women perform to attain a holy partner under the blessing of Shiv. This is also maintained by married women to serve their husbands in pious manner. A special fasting is maintained on Monday, which is an important religious day in Hinduism consideration (University of California). University of California. "Religion and Protection." 2004. www.publishing.cdlib.org. 26 September 2012

The role of congress in monitoring events in Iraq Essay Example for Free

The role of congress in monitoring events in Iraq Essay The war against Iraq was perpetrated by the US and the UK with the UN playing passive and reluctant role. The attack has provoked protests all over the globe including in the US and the UK with many groups as well as individual condemning the attack and terming it as unwarranted. Furthermore, the attack was carried out without the approval of the security council. The attack has earned the US more foes than friends especially in the Muslim world. It has also served to fuel animosity against Americas efforts to institute a democratic government in those who view these efforts as interferences in the affairs of the country as a denial of Iraq’s sovereignty . This has led to rebellion against the authorities in Iraq as well as increasing the threat of terrorist attack on America. The Bush presidency and administration seems to believe that the way towards peace is through war and violence especially returning fire with fire. This notion can be at best misguided and at worst catastrophic. It is therefore imperative that the congress recognizes its duty as an organ and act to check any excuses on the part of the government as well as developing solutions that will lead to the reduction of rebellion and consequently the terrorist attacks within Iraq. This section will look at the possible role of congress in ensuring that the tension between Iraq and the US/UK subsides and also allow the US to shed the image of a ‘big bully’ interfering with the affair of a sovereign state. It is worth noting that at this juncture that the congress ahs made some good moves like giving 97 million dollars to support a program pushing for change of regime. This was a step in the right direction, however, this need to be sustained and increased. This organization offers some suggestions for your consideration, ladies and gentlemen. Pursue the Truth. The congress has a responsibility of seeking to reveal the truth so that decisions are based purely on sound intelligence. One of the biggest mistakes that the congress and the media have made was allowing themselves to be fed on misinformation and to act upon that misinformation without making due effort to seek the confirmation of the relevant intelligence agencies. The 2003 invasion on Iraq was based upon unsubstantiated reports that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Other reports allegedly justifying the invasion include Saddam-Osama association and that the war was welcome by the Iraqi citizens. The general feeling is that the congress did not do enough to get to the truth of those reports by the Bush administration . With the benefit of hindsight we know that all these reports were false. The congress has an obligation to launch a full congressional inquiry in order to give the American people the truth because America is founded on truth which we believe will set us free . It follows then that the congress needs to be at the forefront of finding facts before endorsing sensitive decisions regarding the events in post Saddam Iraq. Support the Iraq liberation act- when the bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, there were some well intentioned proposals that included developing a program that would support a transition to democracy. Even though Saddam Hussein was to be the removed from power without the use of military force, all is not lost and the congress could pursue some of the proposals like financing activities that promote democracy in Iraq. By now it should be clear that the U. S cannot continue having soldiers in Iraq because it is not sustainable. The congress should support those measures aimed at recalling US soldiers out of Iraq and allowing the transition government to run the affairs of Iraq. Right now that sounds dangerous but in the end it will prove less costly than maintaining US soldiers in Iraq. The congress had earlier passed an act to give 97 million dollars for the purpose of supporting regime change. The Act also suggested that those suffering from Saddam’s regime’s brutalities be assisted. Emphasize on empowering the transition government’s capacity to deal with internal insurgence. This can be done through the training of military personnel as well as giving financial support to this government for reconstruction. This is sustainable because only Iraq will be able to fully end the problems it is facing. Much of the terrorist attacks within Iraq are just an extension of a rebellion against the Bush administration. This suggests that the perpetrators of the internal insurgence are still fighting the US by fighting against the US assisted governments. However the reduction of US occupation will shift the focus somehow. Play a more active role in holding the administration accountable. The congress has in the past been accused of being the puppets of President George Bush. A congressman has been named for his role in spreading hearsay that led to the congress’ endorsement of the invasion on Iraq. However the congress is still strategically placed to provide leadership and help check the excesses of the current administration. There are some obviously bad mistakes that the Bush administration has made in the entire affair. However the voice of the congress has not been heard as it should have in efforts to lead the country in the right direction. Now that Saddam is gone and Iraq more than ever requires level headed support which the US can provide, the congress ought to speak on matters regarding the nature of support and the quantity to be given. All in all the congress should be seen playing a more active role in providing checks and balances to the administration. Last but not least is a collective request for all the members of congress to act in accordance to pure conscience. There have been cases in the past especially before the invasion when the congress has been less than active in fulfilling its constitutional role. Instead of initiating a full congressional inquiry, many of the congressmen decided to shut up and not do anything to hold the administration accountable even when they new all was not well. Decisions regarding Iraq’s progress need to be made by exercising discretion and oversight as well. Holding open discussions is what allows for prudent decisions as well as bringing the truth to the surface. As leaders we have a solemn duty to ensure that all future decisions are never again to be based on false impressions. This organization that should the congress abide by the above suggestions, then it can begin to help shape the outcome of what has been an sensitive but costly issue to the whole of America. Thank you.

Small local grocery store: disadvatages in metropolitan area

Small local grocery store: disadvatages in metropolitan area EST1 Task 1 Being a small, local grocery store chain in a major metropolitan area is daunting. National and regional chains are regularly putting out of business small stores owned by local companies. This reason, along with the at large social responsibility taking hold of consumers requires all companies to adjust their organizations from solely a profit-seeking motivation to being socially and ethically understanding in their business outlook. Company Q recently closed two stores in higher-crime-rate areas. Those closures where attributed to the consistently negative balance sheets of those stores. If these stores in higher-crime areas were not making a profit, what is the reason they were losing money? To take a socially responsible approach to all of our store locations will mean understanding our customers. For example, if a store in a predominately-Jewish neighborhood is selling non-kosher items we could expect these items to not be sold in the same volume as kosher items. Taking a Jewish-centric approach to a stores marketing in a Jewish neighborhood makes good business and ethical sense. When we understand our costumers and their communities, we understand that business flourishes where society thrives. Company Q, after many years of customer requests, began to offer a limited selection of health-conscience and organic products in all of their stores. Offering organic and other health-conscience offerings in response to customer demand is a positive step in forming a social contract with our customers instead of merely offering them what we feel they need. Understanding our customers means providing them what they want and what they need. Offering high margin products to customers who have neither the financial ability to afford the higher costs associated with those products, nor have a desire to purchase these products will not help Company Qs bottom line. Product choices must be targeted to the consumer. Ethnic foods must be endemic to the neighborhood their being offered in. Marketing of stores in cultural or racially specific communities must be stocked with products that meet the needs of those people. It takes very little effort to understand our customers, but that little effort can be the difference between a store being successful or failing. Insuring that Company Qs stores differentiate themselves in the marketplace will help give the company a competitive edge in these tough economic times. Company Qs current policy of disposing of day-old products is a perfect example of missing a great public relations and corporate social responsibility opportunity. When asked by the areas food bank to donate product that would otherwise be thrown away, management declined. Employees concerned management over lost revenue through possible fraud and theft instead of donating the food. The first concern with this issue is understanding its costs and actual or perceived benefits. Company Q will write-off any product that needs to be disposed off due to exceeding the expiration date. The products are disposed of in a dumpster and that is the end of the products usefulness in Company Qs current viewpoint. The company, if paying by weight or volume, will incur greater disposal rates from the waste removal company for disposing of the unsellable product instead of donating it to the local food bank. The second concern with not donating product that would otherwise be thrown away is employees attitudes. If weve communicated to our employees that we will not be socially conscience to those people in need in our community, what does that say to our employees since they are also a part of the local community. In our digitally connected society it would be foolhardy to not expect a socially aware employee to film the disposal of food that we may not be able to sell but which could be given away and used by those in need. The potential negative feedback of such an event for a small chain like Company Q cannot be overstated. The above concern dealt with not just the direct financial costs to our company but the possible social capital loss that we find in our current position. Thankfully, Company Q doesnt need to expend much in the way of financial or employee effort to make a considerable difference in our store neighborhood community respect. One delivery van can be used to pick-up the product that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the workday and transported by the stores supervisor to the local food bank. The food would be unloaded by food bank staff while the Company Q supervisor could discuss with the food bank managers the impact that those donations will have on the community. The marginal time spent loading and travelling to the local food bank is a minor inconvenience for the storeowner at worst and a major public relations benefit for not only the local store but also Company Q in general. We could also expect a reduction in our waste removal services since less product will be thro wn away. â€Å"The point is to attract customers wanting to make a difference in society through their purchasing† (Bronn, 2001, p.2). The intrinsic and extrinsic benefits for not only Company Q management but also storeowners and store employees alike, clearly proves the need for a socially conscience corporate attitude. References Bronn, P.S., Vironi, A.B. (2001). Corporate social responsibility and cause related marketing: an overview. International Journal of Advertising, 2. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http://www.basisboekmvo.nl/files/cause-related.pdf

Conflict in August Wilsons Fences and How it Affects the Work Essay ex

Fences, by August Wilson, is a drama that focuses on the characteristics of black life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. The first conflict in this play develops between Troy and his 34-year old son Lyons. This conflict is introduced when Lyons appears at the house on Troy?s payday to borrow 10 dollars, an occurrence that is common at the Maxson household. Although Troy knows that he will let Lyons have the money, he harasses Lyons over the issue saying, ?...The only time I see this nigger is when he wants something. That?s the only time I see him.? The source of this conflict lies in Troy?s experiences and attitude toward the black cause. Troy is the victim of a generation with limited opportunities in the industrial world and toils everyday to support his family and stay on top of his struggle for survival. Troy has come to believe, from his experiences, that blacks cannot get something for nothing and that life does not owe blacks anything. Due to this, Toy ?fences in? everything that he loves to protect his possessions from the monster of society. Thus there is a symbolization of Troy building a physical fence in the yard but building an emotional fence of protection around his family and friends. He believes that blacks owe it to themselves to make an honest, hard-earned living and that is the only way to survive. Troy states sarcastically that Lyans is blowing his... ... and Rosa will do regarding their relationship. The couple face each other here and admit truths that they have seldom ever talked about and Rosa stands up to Troy realizing that he is imperfect and full of flaws. This conflict jeopardizes Troy and Rosa?s relationship and digs a whole in which they never truly overcome. This conflict emphasizes Troy?s weakness and Rosa?s strength and dignity. In the drama Fences ,by August Wilson, Their is much conflict entangling a black family living in the twentieth century. This conflict involves Troy trying to live his life through his sons, Lyans and Cory, while trying to keep them from making the same mistakes in life that he did. Also, there is conflict including Troy and his young daughter Raynell. By looking at the root of this conflict, one can better grasp the contribution it makes to the drama.

The Life Of Edgar Allen Poe :: essays research papers

The Life of Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe, the greatest American teller of mystery and suspense tales in the 19th century was a tormented artist. He struggled to become the accomplished author he is known as today. Poe is now acclaimed as one of America's greatest writers, but in his own unhappy lifetime, he struggled to make ends meet. When he was 17, Poe entered the University of Virginia. Allan, his step father, gave Poe only a small allowance, and the young man soon began owing money. He gambled and ran into greater debt. By the end of the year he owed 2,500 dollars. He was nervous and unstable, and he began to drink. Despite his frequenting liquor, he could never hold it well. He would easily become ill from the alcohol. Allan angrily withdrew Poe from school, and a few months later Poe left home. For the next four years Poe struggled to earn a living as a writer. He returned to Mrs. Clemm's home and submitted stories to magazines. His first success came in 1833, when he entered a short-story contest and won a prize of 50 dollars for the story "MS. Found in a Bottle." By 1835 he was the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. He married his cousin Virginia, who was only 13, and Mrs. Clemm stayed with the couple. The Poes had no children. This success would not last. Poe's stories, poems, and criticism in the magazine, The Southern Literary Messenger soon attracted attention, and he looked for wider opportunities, not a good choice. From 1837 to 1839 he tried free-lance writing in New York City and Philadelphia but earned very little. Again he tried editing. His work was praised, but he was still paid little. His efforts to organize his own magazine were unsuccessful. For the next two years he turned again to free-lance writing.

Quiz Essay Questions Economics

CHAPTER 12 Fiscal Policy A. Short-Answer, Essays, and Problems 1. Give a brief definition of fiscal policy? What are its economic goals? 2. What is the Council of Economic Advisers? 3. â€Å"The Employment Act of 1946 is no more than a vague and ill-defined commitment by the Federal government to assist in the achievement of full employment. † Do you agree? Explain. 4. Explain the effect of a discretionary cut in taxes of $40 billion on the economy when the economy’s marginal propensity to consume is . 75.By how much is output likely to expand if the economy is operating in the horizontal range of its aggregate supply curve and there are no complications to this fiscal policy? How does this discretionary fiscal policy differ from a discretionary increase in government spending of $40 billion? 5. Explain the effect of a discretionary increase in government spending of $50 billion on the economy when the economy’s marginal propensity to consume is . 75. By how much is output likely to expand if the economy is operating in the horizontal range of its aggregate supply curve and there are no complications to this fiscal policy? . Explain the aspects of expansionary and contractionary fiscal policy. During which phases of the business cycle would each be appropriate? 7. Differentiate between discretionary fiscal policy and nondiscretionary or built-in stabilization policy. 8. Describe two ways the Federal government can finance a deficit and explain which would have the more expansionary effect. 9. Describe two ways the Federal government could retire debt in the event of a budget surplus and explain which would have the most contractionary impact. 10. What is the anti-inflationary or contractionary effect of a budget surplus? 11.Explain how a small budget surplus could actually be somewhat expansionary rather than contractionary. 197 Chapter 12 New 12. Comment on the statement: â€Å"Increasing government spending is preferred to a cut in taxes when the U. S. government seeks to fight a recession. † 13. Explain what is meant by a built-in stabilizer and give two examples. 14. â€Å"The more progressive a tax system, the greater is the economy’s built-in stability. † Explain this statement for both recessionary and peak phases of the business cycle. 15. Explain how the below graph illustrates the built-in stability of a progressive tax structure. 6. In Year 1, the full-employment budget showed a deficit of about $100 billion and the actual budget showed a deficit of $150 billion one year. In Year 2, the full employment budget showed a deficit of about $125 billion and the actual budget showed a deficit of $150 billion. Based on these data, what can be concluded about the direction of fiscal policy? 17. What is the difference between the actual deficit, the full-employment deficit, and the cyclical deficit? 18. What does the â€Å"full-employment budget† measure and of what significance is this co ncept? 19.Complete the table below by stating whether the direction of discretionary fiscal policy was contractionary (C), expansionary (E), or neither (N), given the hypothetical budget data for an economy. 198 Fiscal Policy (2) (3) Actual budget deficit (–) or Full-employment budget Yearsurplus (+)deficit (–) or surplus (+) fiscal policy 1 2 3 4 5 6 – 3. 9% – 4. 5 – 4. 7 – 3. 9 – 2. 9 – 2. 2 – 2. 1% – 2. 6 – 3. 0 – 2. 6 – 2. 0 – 1. 9 (1) (4) Direction of _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ 20. In what fundamental way do the spending-taxation decisions of government differ from the consumption-saving plans of households?Why is this difference significant? New 21. Comment on the statement: â€Å"Discretionary fiscal policy offers an ideal approach to dealing with the nation’s economic problems. It is without problems, criticisms, or complications. † New 22. Explain the six probl ems, criticisms, or complications that arise in the implementation of fiscal policy. New 23. Explain the problems giving rise to this statement: â€Å"You would think the government would want to do something to improve economic conditions when the economy is in trouble, but the government is slow to act. New 24. How do expectations about the future by households and businesses affect the effectiveness of fiscal policy? Cite examples. 25. â€Å"If economic forecasting was a more exact science, the business cycle could be entirely corrected by fiscal measures. † Do you agree? 26. Explain the crowding-out effect. 27. Using the below graph, illustrate the possible impact of a crowding-out effect of a fiscal policy by drawing in the relevant aggregate demand shifts. Label and explain any shifts in the demand curve shown. 199 Chapter 12 28.Explain how the net-export effect would reduce the effectiveness of fiscal policy. New 29. What fiscal policy is most likely to be invoked dur ing a period of recession and high unemployment? A period of rapid inflation? What political, investment, and international problems might the U. S. Congress encounter in enacting these policies and putting them into effect? 30. (Last Word) What is the purpose of the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators? 31. (Last Word) Why is the index of leading economic indicators a composite index of ten economic statistics and not just one? 00 Fiscal Policy B. Answers to Short-Answer, Essays, and Problems 1. Give a brief definition of fiscal policy? What are its economic goals? Fiscal policy is the use of the federal budget to achieve full employment, control inflation, and stimulate economic growth. The changes to the federal budget can be made through increases or decreases in government spending or through increases or decreases in tax revenues. [text: E p. 214; MA p. 214]. 2. What is the Council of Economic Advisers?The Council of Economic Advisors is responsible f or assisting and advising the president on economic affairs. One of its principal responsibilities is to prepare an annual report for the president that is submitted to Congress that describes the state of the economy and recommends economic policies to achieve full employment, control inflation, and encourage economic growth. [text: E pp. 214-215; MA pp. 214-215]. 3. â€Å"The Employment Act of 1946 is no more than a vague and ill-defined commitment by the Federal government to assist in the achievement of full employment. Do you agree? Explain. To agree with this statement does not diminish the importance of the Employment Act of 1946. The Constitution has also been called vague and ill-defined, but that does not diminish its importance. This act committed the Federal government to following policies which would attempt to stabilize prices and promote full employment and established the CEA and JEC to assist in this task. While specific policies were not outlined, the intention o f the act is clear it is a responsibility of the Federal government to assist in this effort.That had not been an explicit on-going policy before 1946. [text: E p. 214; MA p. 214] 4. Explain the effect of a discretionary cut in taxes of $40 billion on the economy when the economy’s marginal propensity to consume is . 75. By how much is output likely to expand if the economy is operating in the horizontal range of its aggregate supply curve and there are no complications to this fiscal policy? How does this discretionary fiscal policy differ from a discretionary increase in government spending of $40 billion? If MPC is . 75, the multiplier is 4.A tax cut of $40 billion will result in initial increase in consumption of $30 billion (. 75 ? $40 billion). This initial increase in spending will ultimately result in an increase in consumption spending of $120 billion because of the multiplier process. In contrast, an initial increase in government spending of $40 billion will ultima tely increase consumer spending by $160 billion (4 ? $40) because none of the initial increase is siphoned off as savings as would be the case with a $40 billion tax cut. [text: E pp. 215-216; MA pp. 215-216] 5.Explain the effect of a discretionary increase in government spending of $50 billion on the economy when the economy’s marginal propensity to consume is . 75. By how much is output likely to expand if the economy is operating in the horizontal range of its aggregate supply curve and there are no complications to this fiscal policy? If MPC is . 75, the multiplier is 4. An initial increase of $50 billion government spending will result in a total increase in output of $200 billion. [text: E pp. 215-216; MA pp. 215-216] 6. Explain the aspects of expansionary and contractionary fiscal policy.During which phases of the business cycle would each be appropriate? 201 Chapter 12 Expansionary fiscal policy refers to increases in government spending or decreases in taxes or both, so that the net effect on aggregate demand is an increase in net government spending. Contractionary fiscal policy is the opposite: an increase in taxes or decrease in government spending or both, so that the net effect on aggregate demand is a decrease in net government spending. Expansionary policy would most likely be used during a recession (or trough) phase.A contractionary policy would most likely be employed near the peak of the business cycle as the economy reaches full-employment GDP and the potential for inflation accelerates. [text: E pp. 215-217; MA pp. 215-217] 7. Differentiate between discretionary fiscal policy and nondiscretionary or built-in stabilization policy. Discretionary fiscal policy is the deliberate manipulation of taxes and government spending by the Congress to alter real domestic output and employment, to control inflation, and to stimulate economic growth during a particular period of time.Nondiscretionary fiscal policy, on the other hand, is the chang e in government expenditures or taxes which occurs automatically as a result of existing laws. In particular, personal income taxes have progressive rates and will slow spending and inflation as GDP expands; when GDP declines, taxes will decrease by a more than proportionate amount allowing incomes and spending to decline at a slower rate than GDP. There are also many transfer payment programs which become effective when incomes decline or unemployment occurs to reduce the decline in disposable income.Conversely, these programs automatically are reduced when the economy expands and unemployment declines and spending increases. [text: E pp. 215, 219-220; MA pp. 215, 219-220] 8. Describe two ways the Federal government can finance a deficit and explain which would have the more expansionary effect. The government can borrow money from the private sector in which case it will be competing with private business borrowers for funds. If planned investment spending is â€Å"crowded out,â €  the impact of expansionary deficits will be offset by the decline in investment spending.The government can also finance a deficit by issuing new money which essentially means that the Federal Reserve has financed the deficit. This type of financing would be more expansionary than borrowing from the private sector. [text: E pp. 217-218; MA pp. 217-218] 9. Describe two ways the Federal government could retire debt in the event of a budget surplus and explain which would have the most contractionary impact. The government could use a budget surplus to pay off existing debt which would â€Å"recycle† funds back into the economy and potentially offset the decline in government spending.Alternatively, the government could impound the surplus funds, or allow them to stand idle, which means these funds are not injected into the economy and would have a more contractionary effect than the first alternative. [text: E p. 218; MA p. 218] 10. What is the anti-inflationary or contra ctionary effect of a budget surplus? The anti-inflation effect of a budget surplus depends on what the government does with the surplus. The budget surpluses may be used for debt reduction. In this case, bonds 202 Fiscal Policy are bought back by the government and money is pumped back into the economy.Interest rate will tend to fall, and this may increase consumer and investment spending, thus offsetting some of the contractionary effect of the budget surplus. The government may also impound funds (not spend them). This action will be more contractionary because it actually removes spending from the economy that would have been spent otherwise. [text: E p. 218; MA p. 218] 11. Explain how a small budget surplus could actually be somewhat expansionary rather than contractionary. This could be the unlikely result of what the government decides to do with the surplus.If it is used to retire existing debt, then the surplus is pumped right back into the economy and with the multiplier ef fect this additional liquid wealth in the hands of individuals could lead to an increase in aggregate demand and GDP. [text: E p. 218; MA p. 218] New 12. Comment on the statement: â€Å"Increasing government spending is preferred to a cut in taxes when the U. S. government seeks to fight a recession. † The statement is a normative one. Either action, increased government spending or taxation, can be use to fight a recession. The policy choice will depend on the preferences of the individual.Those individuals who want to fight a recession with an increase in government spending may want to preserve the size of government in the economy and have specific government programs they would like to see funded. Those individuals who prefer a tax cut may want to reduce the size of government and give people more money and the freedom to spend it as they chose. [text: E p. 218; MA p. 218] 13. Explain what is meant by a built-in stabilizer and give two examples. Built-in stabilizers are changes in tax revenues or government spending which occur automatically during different phases of the business cycle.For example, the progressive income tax will dampen any expansion of aggregate demand in the recovery peak phases; and will dampen any decline in income and aggregate demand during a recession as taxes are automatically reduced by a greater proportion than the decline in personal income. There are also government spending programs which increase during recessionary periods automatically as incomes decline or are lost. The so-called â€Å"safety net† programs include unemployment compensation, welfare programs, and food stamp spending.These spending programs are automatically reduced during a recovery peak phase which would dampen aggregate demand and inflationary pressures automatically. [text: E pp. 218-219; MA pp. 218-219] 14. â€Å"The more progressive a tax system, the greater is the economy’s built-in stability. † Explain this statement for both recessionary and peak phases of the business cycle. A progressive tax would take a progressively greater proportion of rising incomes during the peak phase of the business cycle which means it would dampen spending increases and aggregate demand which, in turn, reduces inflationary pressures.On the other hand, a progressive tax would take proportionately less away from declining incomes during a recessionary phase allowing disposable income to fall less rapidly than real GDP. Therefore, aggregate demand would decline less rapidly than GDP and the magnitude of the spending decline that might occur in the absence of the tax would be reduced. [text: E pp. 219-220; MA pp. 219-220] 203 Chapter 12 15. Explain how the below graph illustrates the built-in stability of a progressive tax structure. The graph illustrates how net taxes are negative as GDP declines which will add to aggregate demand.When GDP expands, tax revenues increase which dampens aggregate demand. [text: E pp. 219-22 0; MA pp. 219-220] 16. In Year 1, the full-employment budget showed a deficit of about $100 billion and the actual budget showed a deficit of $150 billion one year. In Year 2, the full employment budget showed a deficit of about $125 billion and the actual budget showed a deficit of $150 billion. Based on these data, what can be concluded about the direction of fiscal policy? Fiscal policy was expansionary because the full-employment budget deficit increased from one year to the next.The actual deficit is composed of the full-employment portion and the cyclical portion. The full-employment portion of the actual budget deficit rose from $100 to $150 billion. The cyclical portion is determined by taking the actual deficit and subtracting the cyclical portion from it. The cyclical portion of the actual deficit fell from $50 billion to $25 billion. The actual budget deficit did not change, but it does not provide a good indication of the direction of fiscal policy. Only the full-employm ent budget tells the direction of fiscal policy. text: E pp. 220-221; MA pp. 220-221] 17. What is the difference between the actual deficit, the full-employment deficit, and the cyclical deficit? The actual budget deficit for any year consists of the full-employment and the cyclical deficit. The full-employment deficit is the difference between government expenditures and tax collections which would occur if there were full employment output. The cyclical deficit is the portion of the actual deficit that arises because the economy is in recession and is produced by this downturn in the business cycle.During a recession, a cyclical deficit often occurs because tax revenues fall as incomes fall and government expenditures increase as more is spent for government transfer payments and other programs. The cyclical deficit occurs because of the operation of these automatic stabilizers. [text: E pp. 221-222; MA pp. 221-222] 18. What does the â€Å"full-employment budget† measure an d of what significance is this concept? The full-employment budget refers to the budget deficit or surplus that would result with existing tax and spending programs if the economy were operating at full-employment.In other words, tax revenues and government spending are estimated at the level that would result if full employment existed. 204 Fiscal Policy Some economists believe that the full-employment budgetary deficit or surplus is what should determine the expansionary or contractionary nature of fiscal policy rather than the actual budgetary deficit or surplus. If the full-employment budget is not in deficit, then expansionary fiscal policy is not being followed according to this view even if the actual budget is in deficit. text: E pp. 221-222; MA pp. 221-222] 19. Complete the table below by stating whether the direction of discretionary fiscal policy was contractionary (C), expansionary (E), or neither (N), given the hypothetical budget data for an economy. (2) (3) Actual bud get deficit (–) or Full-employment budget Yearsurplus (+)deficit (–) or surplus (+) fiscal policy 1 2 3 4 5 6 – 3. 9% – 4. 5 – 4. 7 – 3. 9 – 2. 9 – 2. 2 – 2. 1% – 2. 6 – 3. 0 – 2. 6 – 2. 0 – 1. 9 (1) (4) Direction of E E C C C [text: E pp. 221-222; MA pp. 221-222] 20.In what fundamental way do the spending-taxation decisions of government differ from the consumption-saving plans of households? Why is this difference significant? The spending-taxation decisions of government are made in a political environment in which the majority must be satisfied, or satisfied enough to continue to vote for its elected representatives. Furthermore, since the government does not have a limited lifespan and always has the ability to tax, deficit-spending and debt do not have the same significance to governments that they do to individual households.Households face a much more uncertain future with regar d to their power to raise revenue (income) and therefore must plan their spending and saving to coincide with their lifetime earnings expectations. The difference is significant because so many people try to draw an analogy between government spending policies and household spending plans when it is usually not appropriate to do so. [text: E pp. 223-224; MA pp. 223-224] New 21. Comment on the statement: â€Å"Discretionary fiscal policy offers an ideal approach to dealing with the nation’s economic problems. It is without problems, criticisms, or complications. Discretionary fiscal policy does offer government policymakers potential tools (changing taxes or government spending) to use for stimulating the economy during a recession or for contracting the economy during a period of high inflation. Fiscal policy, however, is not without its problems, criticisms, or complications. First, there are timing problems in getting it implemented at the right time so it will be effectiv e. Second, there are political problems in getting it accepted because it takes time to get the actions passed through Congress and signed by the President.Third, there are expectations problems because policies may be reversed in the future. Fourth, the taxing and spending decisions of the Federal government may be partially offset by the taxing and spending decisions of state and local governments. Fifth, some economists are concerned that expansionary fiscal policy that requires the Federal government to borrow money will raise interest rates and crowd out investment spending, thus reducing 205 Chapter 12 the expansionary effect of the fiscal policy. Sixth, there are complications arising from the connection of the domestic economy to the world economy.Aggregate demand shocks from abroad or a net export effect may increase or decrease the effectiveness of a given fiscal policy. [text: E pp. 223-225; MA pp. 223-225] New 22. Explain the six problems, criticisms, or complications th at arise in the implementation of fiscal policy. First there is a timing problem. Three lags are identified under the â€Å"timing problem† category. There is a lag in recognizing the phase of the business cycle; there is an administrative lag in deciding which policies to follow; there is an operational lag in terms of the impact of the policy once it is implemented.Second, there are political considerations in the adoption of fiscal policy. There is some evidence of a political business cycle where particular expansionary policies are followed in election years whether or not economic conditions merit them. Third, there is an expectations complication. If businesses and households expect that the fiscal policy will be reversed in the future, they may not change their behavior in the way that would be expected if the fiscal policy was permanent.Fourth, the taxing and spending decisions of state and local governments may counteract or reduce the effectiveness of fiscal policy decisions at the federal level. The U. S. government may enact an expansionary fiscal policy by increasing its budget deficit, but state and local governments often have to balance a budget and economic conditions may force them to adopt a contractionary policy that partially offset what the federal government is seeking to achieve.Fifth, there is concern about possible offsetting effects of government borrowing crowding out private spending that would occur in the absence of the government deficit; and an offsetting net export effect which partly counteracts expansionary policy or contractionary policy. Sixth, there are complications to domestic fiscal policy from the national economy’s connection to the world economy. Economic shock from abroad can have an effect on the nation’s imports and exports. The net export effect can reduce the intended effects of fiscal policy. text: E pp. 223-226; MA pp. 223-226] New 23. Explain the problems giving rise to this statement: â€Å"You would think the government would want to do something to improve economic conditions when the economy is in trouble, but the government is slow to act. † Fiscal policy is subject to timing problems. There are three timing lags that limit the speed with which fiscal policy can be enacted and effective. First, there is a lag in recognizing the phase of the business cycle to determine when the government might want to provide help.Second, there is an administrative lag in decision-making that involves deciding which specific policies should be adopted. Third, there is an operational lag because the adoption of policies takes time to have an effect on output and employment. [text: E p. 223; MA p. 223] New 24. How do expectations about the future by households and businesses affect the effectiveness of fiscal policy? Cite examples. If households or businesses expect that the fiscal policy changes are only temporary, they may not change their behavior in the expected way. For example, if tax cuts are enacted to stimulate consumer spending, some consumers may not change their 206 Fiscal Policy spending habits if they think the tax change is only temporary. In the future, they will have to pay more in taxes, so they might increase their saving. Similarly, businesses may not invest in new plants and equipment if they get a tax cut, if they expect taxes in the future to rise or the fiscal policy to be ineffective. [text: E pp. 223-224; MA pp. 223-224] 25. â€Å"If economic forecasting was a more exact science, the business cycle could be entirely corrected by fiscal measures. Do you agree? Exact forecasting, if possible, would still not solve all of the problems encountered in trying to correct the business cycle. There is also the problem of timing the enactment and application of fiscal policy, not to mention the coordination of monetary policy and international economic policies, or reduced private spending (â€Å"crowding out†). [text: E pp. 223-225; MA pp. 223-225] 26. Explain the crowding-out effect. The crowding-out effect is the notion that government borrowing to finance a deficit may crowd out or reduce private borrowing.To the extent that this occurs, the expansionary impact of fiscal policy is reduced because increased demand by the government is partially offset by reduced demand in private investment. [text: E pp. 224-225; MA pp. 224-225] 27. Using the below graph, illustrate the possible impact of a crowding-out effect of a fiscal policy by drawing in the relevant aggregate demand shifts. Label and explain any shifts in the demand curve shown. Expansionary fiscal policy increases demand from AD1 to AD2, but this crowds out some private investment spending that offsets the increase to some extent causing AD2 to decrease to AD3.See graph below. [text: E pp. 224-225; MA pp. 224-225] 28. Explain how the net-export effect would reduce the effectiveness of fiscal policy. 207 Chapter 12 If an expansionary fiscal pol icy brings with it higher interest rates, this could increase the demand for American dollars by foreign investors seeking to earn the higher U. S. returns. This appreciation of the dollar makes U. S. goods and services more expensive to foreigners and foreign imports less expensive to Americans. The net export category of ggregate demand will be reduced which would reduce the impact of expansionary fiscal policy. A contractionary fiscal policy could have the opposite effect causing net exports to increase that again reduces the desired effect of the contractionary fiscal policy. [text: E pp. 225-226; MA pp. 225-226] New 29. What fiscal policy is most likely to be invoked during a period of recession and high unemployment? A period of rapid inflation? What political, investment, and international problems might the U. S. Congress encounter in enacting these policies and putting them into effect?During recession and high unemployment, the government would most likely initiate an expa nsionary fiscal policy. A contractionary fiscal policy would most likely be called for during a period of rapid inflation, especially if it seems to be demand-pull inflation. Several problems are likely to arise in enacting either of these policies. Timing lags in recognition, implementation, and impact are one concern. Another has to do with political realities. A contractionary policy has many unpopular aspects to it because it calls for raising taxes and for cutting government spending.There are also unique problems associated with expansionary policy: crowding out is one potential result that would reduce the expansionary effect of the policy. In both cases, the net-export part of aggregate demand is likely to move in a direction that would tend to offset the policy. [text: E pp. 223-226; MA pp. 223-226] 30. (Last Word) What is the purpose of the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators? The index of leading indicators is a monthly index of economic statist ics that are used to forecast the direction of real GDP.Changes in the index provide an indication of the future direction of the economy and are useful to policy makers in developing responses to deteriorating conditions in the economy. The rule of thumb is that three successive decreases or increases in the index indicate a change of direction in the economy. [text: E p. 227; MA p. 227] 31. (Last Word) Why is the index of leading economic indicators a composite index of ten economic statistics and not just one? Each of the economic statistics used to prepare the index may increase or decrease in any month and thus give false or contradictory signals about the direction of the economy.It is less likely that all these economic indicators, taken together, will give as many false signals about the direction of the economy as one indicator will. Thus the composite index is more reliable than any one indicator. The composite index, however, is not infallible and can also give false indi cations about the direction of the economy because of changes in the structure of the economy or developments that are not covered by the indicators that make up the index. [text: E p. 227; MA p. 227] 208