Explore How Black People Are Differently Treated by the Criminal Justice System Essay Example for Free

Explore How Black People Are Differently Treated by the Criminal Justice System Essay Racial prejudice is not unique to modern day society, it has been with us for a long time, this has been coupled with the belief that certain racial groups are less intelligent, or backward compared to white European stock, nowhere is this more true than in the criminal justice system. In 1869 Francis Galton published a book called Hereditary Genius this contained a chapter called The Comparative Worth of Different Races which considered that black Americans were genetically inferior to white Americans. Galton stated that blacks scored on average 15 IQ points below whites. (Coleman 1987) We can see that within the field of criminal justice, and with Galtons work considered that black people were bound to be treated differently due to a belief born out of misunderstanding of the nature of culture and individual personality differences, the hereditary argument has never been scientifically proved or disproved. The 1991 census showed that 5. 5% of the population were from an ethnic origin, with 1. 6% of these being black from an Afro-Caribbean background. It was reported that a higher amount of the ethnic minorities was of younger people than in the general population, and it can be seen that this alone could be a reason for the proportionately higher level of blacks in the criminal justice system , going on the grounds that in the indigenous population it is the younger generation, those aged 14-25 years that commit the vast majority of crime. Crime by ethnic minorities, and in particular young black males can also be seen to be a social situation, and may be a product of sheer logistics. Many new immigrant families move into what is perceived as a high crime area, particularly inner city areas, where housing may be cheaper and unemployment is higher than at a national level. These areas may receive more police attention than richer areas and therefore the new immigrant families come to the attention of the police more than those in more rural areas. xenophobia may also cause the police to over react when dealing with black families. A study by Goreman Coleman (1982) looking at personality and attitudes within the British police force, showed that the average police constable was indeed racist. They asked in the study for police officers to write a short essay, some of the comments were vigorously racist, comments such as, Certain members of the coloured population that l have met are OK but the majority of youths of the West Indian community are savage ignorant vicious thieving bastards , . most of them are just dirty , over 50% of trouble is caused by niggers , smelly backward people who will never change (Coleman 1987). In the last 10 years most public agencies, including the police force, have formed equal opportunities policies, these apply not only to recruitment but also to the way people are treated, and is especially needed in the criminal justice system where there are disproportionately more blacks than whites in the prison system in comparison to the size of the black population in society as a whole. It was reported in 1982 that black people made up 18% of the prison population, but only accounted for 5% of the general population. The figures are worse for Afro-Caribbean males, 1% of the population, but 11% of the prison population. (Home Office 1982). During the 1980s it became apparent that blacks were more likely to be stopped by the police. The British Crime Survey in 1988 found that 14% of Asians, 15% of whites, but 20% of Afro-Caribbeans reported being stopped by the police in the preceding year (Skogan 1990) The British Crime Survey also reported that there was some evidence that crimes detected by the police and those reported by the public seemed to have a racial bias. Blacks and Asians also complained more than whites about the way they were treated once arrested by the police (Skogan 1990). On the subject of arrest it seems also that blacks are treated differently in this process. A survey by the PSI (Policy Studies Institute) in 1983 found that blacks were disproportionately arrested, they found that 5% of the population of London were black, but 17% of those arrested in London were black. Further studies by Walker (1988) (1989) support these findings. Landau Nathan (1983) reported that there is evidence to suggest that blacks will be cautioned less than whites, a white youngster is four times more likely to receive a caution than a black juvenile. Also black juveniles are more likely to be remanded in custody than whit or Asian teenagers. Walker (1988) also showed that black juveniles are twice as likely to appear at crown court than whites. A Home Office Statistical Bulletin (1986) showed that blacks in prison were more likely to have less previous convictions than white men in similar circumstances, the figure for whites was 62%, Afro-Caribbeans 48% and for Asians 20%. The main finding from these and many other statistics is that black people are dealt with, whether as suspects, offenders or defendants, in a highly disproportionate way, it can also be seen that they are treated more harshly than their white counterparts at virtually every stage of the criminal justice process. It is therefore not surprising that black people have less faith in the police and criminal justice system than white British people. David Smith (1994) argues that the main group in society has a degree of power, seen to be unique and special in relation to religious, social and cultural traditions of the particular society, thus creating an unequal legal system that is biased against ethnic minorities. This can be seen to be the stem from which racial disparities may emerge in the British legal system and criminal process, and may explain why black people are treated differently by the criminal justice system. He (Smith) further argues that the law is a national institution and part of a national identity that is born out of centuries of tradition, and therefore unless changed does not take account of relatively recent immigration of ethnic minorities to this country. It can be argued that there are two main reasons for blacks being disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system, firstly that they commit more crime, and secondly that they are treated in a different and possibly harsher way, so as to be over represented in the criminal justice system. Research in the USA has shown that crime is in fact higher amongst blacks (Wilbanks 1987). This view has been criticised, for example by Reiner (1993) stating that to exclude external variables that effect such findings is almost impossible. Reiner (1989 1993) concluded that it is the way in which black people are treated differently from white people in our criminal justice system that created the disproportionate levels of minorities in the process, although he concedes that this is far from conclusive. Smith (1994) criticises Reiner for this view, believing that Reiner is contradicting himself, with little evidence, suggesting that it is treatment that cause high black representation in the criminal justice system, but stating that this may not be believed by some, and is in fact inconclusive. It is true that blacks are over represented in the criminal justice process, what is not clear is, why. Whether we like to think it or not there is still a great deal of racial prejudice in this country, and this alone feeds societies morals and thus its policing and criminal law, this prejudice and discrimination therefore makes it difficult for minorities to gain employment, especially in times of high unemployment and recession. This can lead to feelings of rejection, lack of self-esteem, poverty, lack of self-respect and insecurity. Blacks, as mentioned above, often live in the poorest areas of the cities and therefore come to the attention of the police far more than white youths, parents may also find it difficult to exercise control over their children in areas where social control is at its lowest. Whatever the reason for higher black crime, whether a statistical wrong, or innate criminality, for which there is little support, it is clear we will never get at the real reason that blacks are treated differently by the criminal justice system, too many people would have too much to lose by finding an answer. 1,407 words. REFERENCES. Coleman, A. (1987) Facts, Fallacies and Frauds in Psychology. London: Unwin Hyman. Galton, F. (1869) Hereditary Genius, an enquiry into its laws and consequences (2 ed. 1978) London: Friedmann. Coleman, A. Goreman, L.. (1982) Conservatism, Dogmatism, and authoritarianism in British police officers. Sociology, 16, 1-11. Landau, s. Nathan, g. (1983) Selecting Delinquents for Cautioning in the London Metropolitan Area. British Journal of Criminology. 23, (2): 128-48. Reiner, R. (1989) Chief Constables. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reiner, R. (1993) Race, Crime Justice, Models of Interpretation. IN L, Gelsthorpe, W, McWilliam (Eds) Minority Ethnic Groups and the Criminal Justice System. Cambridge: Cambridge Institute of Criminology. Skogan, W. (1990) The Police and Public in England and Wales, A British Crime Survey Report. Home Office Research Study no: 117. London: HMSO. Smith, D. (1994) Race, Crime and Criminal Justice. IN Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Maguire, M. ; Morgan, R. Reiner, R. (Eds) Oxford: Claenden Press. Walker, M. (1988) The Court Disposal of Young Males by Race in London 1983. British Journal of Criminology: 28, (4) 441-59. Walker, M. (1989) The Court Disposal and remands of White, Afro-Caribbean and Asian Men(London 1983). British Journal of Criminology. 29. (4), 353-67. Wilbanks, W. (1987) The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System. USA: Brooks/Cole.

Intel in China Essay Example for Free

Intel in China Essay Mr. Tang and Mr. Li are the participants of an interesting incident in the Beijing’s division of Intel China that can be analyzed with the help of some important Chinese concepts like face, hierarchy and preservation of social harmony. Mr. Tang is the new manager of the marketing programs of Intel China in Beijing, and has a background of Western education and years of working experience in the United States. Mr. Li is a young but skilful account manager, enthusiastic and assertive, who has been carrying on the project of creating a manual of tips for software vendors for two months and plans to carry it on till its completion. After taking over Beijing’s Intel division Mr. Tang decides to study the work of each employee and to make changes where necessary. One of his adjustments involves Mr. Li’s project. Since Mr. Tang considers this task extremely time-consuming and unsuited for an inexperienced employee, he decides to discontinue his project and assign him to a more appropriated one. He asks Qing Chen (Mr. Li’s supervisor) to inform him of his resolution, but Mr. Li opposes firmly to this change, asserting that his superior is not being respectful. Analyzing the situation we can see that there are several Chinese communication patterns which play an important role and influence these people behaviour. Mr. Tang uses an intermediary (Miss Chen) to communicate the problem to his employee, and this is a common strategy in China. He avoids direct confrontation with Mr. Li, and this is an act that aims to safe face for both of them. However with his response, Mr. Li is causing Mr. Tang to lose face, he is endangering his authority and his ability to control and guide his employees. It’s clear that Mr. Tang is acting in the best interest of his company, and his power shouldn’t be questioned. In fact, in Chinese business context is very unusual to see an employee reacting like Mr. Li, questioning a boss’ decision and showing dissent. But, even so, Mr. Tang shouldn’t fire him, given Mr. Li’s important role in the company and the number of guanxi he has established with other firms’ managers. Regarding Miss Chen, her lack of authority and of immediate response to Mr. Li’s critics is probably caused by her inexperience in managerial positions. In their next meeting Mr. Tang should try to make him understand the reason of his decision, without forgetting to start by praising his work and his efforts. Chinese people are very concerned about reputation and the need to be respected by others, so to avoid both Mr. Tang and Mr. Li to feel embarrassed and lose face, the best solution is for Mr. Li to accept Mr. Tang’s decision. This act, that implies giving face, will be very appreciated by Mr. Tang, who in the future will not forget to reward his employee. In China preserving the social harmony plays an important role when doing business, and Mr. Li should try to shape his working attitude according to this concept, that is also part of the Intel philosophy. In conclusion, I find myself completely in accordance with Mr. Tang managerial style, he acted like a pure Chinese, not as an expatriate. Actually, given Mr. Li’s excessive response, it looks like he is the one who has been influenced by Western ideas.

Economic Analysis of Australia

Economic Analysis of Australia Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Analyzing Performance of Production Output Performance Trends Measures taken by Government to achieve Economic Performance Labor Market Analysis Unemployment Measure taken by Government to achieve full employment Price Level Analysis Inflation Trend Causes of Inflation Government measures for achievement of Stability in Price Conclusion References Introduction Australian economy has been encountering growth which generally emphasizes on low level from claiming unemployment, holding inflation, and low debt obligation for open and a stable solid monetary framework. For quite a while that is around 2012, Australia has been encountering nonstop monetary development for quite some time calculated as 2 decades which is reportedly increasing with 3.5 percent per year. Various assets and energy demand needs has been increasing with a rapid pace from the developing from Asia and China by working on a practical idea of creating a channel that easily carries on with the purpose of investing interest in the resources and at the same time growing them within the commodity. In this essay, monetary execution also known as economic performance of Australia will analysed and various studies will be carried out to get a deeper knowledge of it. Analyzing Performance of Production Output It has been quite a while during 2013, when the Gross Domestic Product of Australia was reported to be a whooping US $ 1560.60 billion. The quality from claiming Gross Domestic Product over Australia has been known to represent 2.52 % share within the worldwide economy. A normal expansion of about US $ 348 billion was reported in the year i.e. 2004 but it reached an astounding level of $ 1560. 60 in earlier years. Concerned illustrations marked a low reach of US $ 18. 60 billion (Zambrano, 2008). Regardless of the monetary tightness and strictness inside the economy, there is degree to the Gross Domestic Product with raise in additional concerns dealing with an idea of raise in economy with the raise in mineral reserves and its exports. (Fig 1: GDP of Australia 2004- 2013) (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2014) Performance Trends Those economy about Australia need been recognized similarly as a standout amongst the greatest capital economy crosswise over the globe. It need been computed that the Gross Domestic Product for Australia for quite a while in 2013 arrived dependently upon US $ 1. 5 trillion. Those downright riches of Australia need been computed toward US$ 6. 4 trillion. In the quite a while i.e. around 2012, its been distinguished concerning twelfth greatest national economy crosswise over those globe Toward the count about nominal amount of Gross Domestic Product. It may be additionally positioned at seventh rank toward the proper estimation for Gross Domestic Product following settling on alterations clinched alongside PPP. This need been computed similarly as 1. 7 % of the worldwide economy Australia is coming under the mark of rank nineteenth constantly the biggest exporter furthermore shipping over the globe (BBC News, 2014). Those administration segment from claiming Australia dominates the w hole economy of Australia that comprises of 68 percentage of the whole Gross Domestic Product. Those stock trade about Australia that is in Sydney need been positioned toward nine rank crosswise over the globe for admiration to promotion for market. (Fig 2: Australian Exports in the year 2006 across the globe) (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2014) Measures taken by Government to achieve Economic Performance In place to guarantee that economy of Australia sits tight great crosswise over those worldwide economy, legislature need to be been a number for activities to incitement about financial development same time providing for sufficient level for help of the worth of effort surroundings too (Zambrano, 2008). Those administration need presently been keeping tabs upon authorities should work greatly for making previous ventures work furthermore divisions about science and various engineering organization should exist on the check list to furthermore enhance the region in order to make smoother moving towards advancement by performing various tasks and doing certain researches. Labor Market Analysis The background about Australia has been known to remain developing during an unfaltering position for quite a while around the year 2003. The rate from claiming unemployment has been known to setting off by the rate of 6 percent and is continuing to slow down till the present time. (BBC News, 2014). The patterns clinched alongside unemployment from claiming specific states alternately locales might not influence the experience of Labour market crosswise over the whole range about Australia. Sydney should bring more level rate for unemployment in examination for different zones or locales. However, despite the fact that those rate for unemployment need been low Since the time that the end about money related crisis, those unemployment rate for different created nations need aid still easier. This states that there is at present extent for Australia to enhance this rate. Unemployment Unemployment will be a state during which people who need aid eager to worth of effort come up short to search for proper occupations. This may greatly prove to be an unfriendly condition that not only have enormous effect on the lifestyle for people yet it proves to be a hazard on the whole economy also. Clinched alongside attention with those sorts from claiming unemployment, it has been seen that the most of the Australian population dives through issues claiming cyclical unemployment (Rogers, 2013). This hazardous process usually takes place when the whole economy may be at a level of decrement. It may also be caused when there is a decline in the demand of nominal goods that prove to be bringing an increment in the economy. Australia is known to be suffering from confronting issues as big as structural unemployment. Measure taken by Government to achieve full employment For admiration to the issue from claiming unemployment, the legislature of Australia need o produce a frictional arrangement working towards good of the citizens (Bremner, 2007). This specific approach should focus with reducing activities that basically causes diminishment of societies. It can be done by claiming strict qualities for connection with points of interest instead of complaining about unemployment. A centralised data of skilled people and various companies should be made to enhance the job and employment process. This particular idea usage has been proving fruitful to labourers and workers that need aid while searching for occupations to an animated. Price Level Analysis Inflation Trend Those rate of inflation for the year2014 in the second quarter has been computed toward 3 percentage (BBC News, 2014). In the case of Australia, those rate of inflation contributes in the assessment of a fact that the climb in the price of a commodity that has to be beard and paid by a normal purchaser. Products like tobacco and alcohol have seen a price rise in some of the considerable years that have passed. (Fig 3: Inflation Trends in Australia) (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2014) Causes of Inflation The principle foundation behind sudden rise in inflation is because of sudden cost increment in raw petroleum that in the end prompts a value rise in vitality charges and foreign merchandise (Bremner, 2007). Other reasons that had been recognized are basically concerned with expanded costs for import, expansion in the rate of backhanded taxes, and increasing rate of labour toward government Government measures for achievement of Stability in Price There comes a point when there is an event of negative pattern inside inflation, there would possibilities that there will a chance to be a decrease in the trade rates. This is on account of the brokers will start those deal of cash that will prompt a diminishing scenario in the exchange rates. This is the reason why legislature of Australia initiates drifting trade rates that serves for reversing once again the real level from claiming interest. Conclusion The economy of Australia has been experiencing regular growth and featuring low level of unemployment, containing inflation, very low debt of public and a stable and strong financial system. The economy of Australia has been identified as one of the biggest capital economy across the globe. It has been calculated that the GDP of Australia for the year 2013 has reached up to US $ 1.5 trillion. In consideration with the types of unemployment, it has been seen that the Australian population mostly goes through issues of cyclical unemployment. With respect to the issue of unemployment, the government of Australia has generated a frictional policy. References BBC News. (2014). Korean economy growing at fastest rate since 2007. BBC South Korea. Bremner, C. (2007). Top 150 city destinations: South Korea leads the way. Euromonitor International. Office for National Statistics. (2014). Gross Domestic Product: Preliminary Estimate, Q1 2014. Rogers, S. (2013). Deficit, national debt and government borrowing how has it changed since 1946?. The Guardian. Zambrano, J. (2008). World's Most Economically Powerful Cities. Forbes.      Economic Analysis of Australia Economic Analysis of Australia Australia has had a good track record of prudent fiscal policy, strong macroeconomic management and performance, and good financial regulation over the years but most importantly all through the global economic crisis. In fact compared to other OECD countries it’s weathered the current crisis extraordinarily well. In 2012 the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Australia accounted for 2.45% of the world economy at 1520.60 billion US dollars. Since 2008 its economy has grown by 14.3%. If we take a look at Australia’s GDP per capita, the biggest rally is in 2009 if you measure it in US dollars. Where growth since 2007 is 42% compared to 24% using nominal Australian dollars. If we take inflation into account and look at Real GDP, which is a more realistic view as it’s used to define the standard of living; Australia has increased by 5% since 2007. Relative to the UKs decline by 6% during the same period, this is an outstanding result. Growth of Australia GDP per capita (2007=100)    2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Real (A$) 97.4 100.0 100.5 110.1 101.3 102.2 104.1 105.4 Nominal (A$) 93.3 100.0 107.1 107.0 114.0 119.6 121.1 124.4 Nominal (US$) 83.3 100.0 108.8 101.0 125.0 147.2 149.6 142.6 Data source: IMF Australia’s economy is dominated by its services sector, yet its economic success is based on its abundance of agricultural and mineral resources. Mining, including oil and gas, accounts for 60% of Australia’s exports and over 10% of its Gross Domestic Product. Source: Australian Government, Dept. of foreign affairs Australia’s close proximity to China and its strong demand for commodities has also helped with the mining sectors rapid growth in the last 10 years. The expansion in the mining sector has had a knock on effect to other related sectors which have grown rapidly on the back of it mining equipment, technology and services (METS), education exports, construction and financial services. Australia’s terms of trade rose to an historic high in to 2011 mainly due to high global prices for its exports such as Iron ore and coal. Australia acknowledges and it’s been well documented that the mining boom is over its peak and mining related investment is expected to fall dramatically. Therefore, Australia is building a sophisticated services export, converting its natural advantages in mining and agriculture into a wider knowledge-based, diversified and service-oriented economy. Although some sectors unrelated to mining have struggled with Australia’s strong exchange rate, unemployment, albeit edging higher , remains at a low level, inflation is within targets and public debt is low relative to other OECD countries. Over the medium term the biggest external risk to the Australian economy is a slowdown in growth in China and a related fall in commodity prices. As outlined in the table below over 50% of its exports were shipped to China, Japan and Korea in 2012-2013, if demand from these markets were to fall dramatically it could be detrimental to the Australian economy. Australias main export destinations 2012-13 (e) (f) 1 China 31.60% 2 Japan 18.80% 3 Republic of Korea 7.70% 4 India 4.60% 5 United States 3.60% Source: Australian Government, Dept. of foreign affairs Between 2008 and 2013 the Australian government took a number of steps to boost trade and investment, among these they reduced taxes on imports and simplified the screening process for foreign direct investment. Because of these alterations to policy Australia is 4th in OECD for ease of trade and investment flows, behind only the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium. As pointed out by Brian Aitken, IMF Mission Chief to Australia- â€Å"Australia’s flexible exchange rate provides a buffer against shocks and the authorities have both monetary and fiscal policy space to react if the outlook deteriorates â€Å" (Australia on Path to Broader-based Growth, IMF Survey, February 12, 2014). The government aims to reach a fiscal surplus over the medium term and have put strategies in place to do so. Which will put them in a position to take the necessary steps; they believe, to counter act damage to their economy. As noted above, Australia has a flexible exchange rate which means that the Reserve Bank (RBA) is able to react to shocks in the market by altering its independent monetary policy. As outlined in the graph below its exchange rate main trend has been growth since 2008/2009 with a slight decline in value recently. This strong exchange rate has boosted household income because of cheaper imports however it has had an adverse effect on the international competitiveness of manufacturing firms – particularly the car sector, education and tourism sectors. All that said, as outlined in the OECD Economic Survey 2012; â€Å"The Stronger exchange rates together with capital-goods investment have increased imports and thus widened the current account deficit.† In the IMFs Article IV the economists are noted to believe that â€Å"despite some recent depreciation , Australia’s exchange rate is still moderately overvalued and is weighing down non-mining activity. â€Å" Unlike most OECD countries the Australian Banking Sector has continued to perform well, has kept pre crisis profits through 2008 to date, and continued to be rated favourably by international rating agencies, current rating AAA. Their exposure to the stressed banking sector in Euro zone is low and the Australian governments’ priority is to help preserve the banking sector as this will aid them in accessing international capital markets with relative ease. In February 2012 the government implemented a deposit guarantee scheme for all bank deposits up to 250,000 AUS dollars which will fully protect 99% of deposits in any Australian bank. Over the last 12 months Australia has seen an upsurge in the housing markets, mainly concentrated in the major cities where house prices rose by 10%,the highest yearly growth in four years. This in turn has led to an upsurge in the construction sector, which had previously been weak. However, it is not envisaged that construction of new homes will meet demand which could attribute further to house price acceleration. Household credit has remained moderate; however, Australian government and banks need to learn from its peer’s mistakes in OECD and guard against the effect a sudden drop in house price which could mean a reduction in consumer confidence and an impact on economic activity. Some point to Australia’s tax system as a major contributor to the house price surge, record low interest rates are being paid on savings and very attractive tax concessions being offered to property investors such as negative gearing and capital gains discount. However high taxes and charges on new homes, a difficult planning process and the urban consolidation policies are driving costs higher, which in turn is helping to further inflate house prices. That said, despite growth in the housing market being largest since 2009, there had been a decline in housing prices in 2011 2012 totaling 4.2% similar to the decline in 2008, so an increase was expected by most .The labour market is also effecting house prices with unempolyemnt rising and people moving mainly to the cities to get empolyment, a factor which is attributing to both house price and rental market increases. Another contributing factor is Australias population growth and immgration. In 2009 the popluation grew by 2%, over half of this was net migration alone. On the back of demand for new homes economists expect an increase in the construction sector in 2014 to help boost economic growth. Already Australia has seen an increase in the approval of residential homes, January alone seen an increase of almost 7%, which puts the annual growth rate at 34.6%. Australia’s unemployment rate climbed to a 10 year high in January 2014 6%, a 2% increase since 2008 that said it is low compared to other OECD countries which are still feeling the effects of the Global Financial Crisis. In the recent IMF Article IV report WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief economist John Nicolau said of these figures that the states economy remains buoyant despite the jump in unemployment. Weve got employment growth of around 16,500 new full-time jobs in this last month alone, coupled with 9,000 the month prior, he said. â€Å"That’s the strongest two-month period of employment growth in this state for six years (abc.net.au, 13th March 2014). Unemployment Rate 2008 – 2014 Unemployment Rate versus other Economies This year already new jobs have been generated and filled, approx. 50,000 in February, but the unemployment rate of 6% remains static as there was a 0.2% rise in the proportion of people in work or looking for it the participation rate now stands at 64.8%. February 2014 marked the 15th consecutive month where unemployment grew less than the size of the labour force. The inflation rate in Australia has remained relatively low in recent years (table below), down from 4.4% in 2008. This is consistent with the central bank’s objective of an average inflation rate of between 2% and 3% a year. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) expects that inflation will stay at or below this until at least mid-2015, with wage growth forecast to remain contained. Historical Inflation Rates (2008 – 2014) Year mar Jun sep dec Ann 2013 2.5% 2.4% 2.2% 2.7% 2.5% 2012 1.6% 1.2% 2% 2.2% 1.7% 2011 3.3% 3.5% 3.4% 3% 3.3% 2010 2.9% 3.1% 2.9% 2.8% 2.9% 2009 2.4% 1.4% 1.2% 2.1% 1.7% 2008 4.3% 4.4% 5% 3.7% 4.4% Source:rateinflation.com Last year, 2013, Australias inflation rate moderate to around 2.2% 2.5%, and has been broadly stable since, reflecting ongoing strength in the Australian dollar, broad-based competitive pressures within the domestic economy and subdued growth in costs. The absence of high inflationary pressures is another aid so the government can alter monetary policy as and when it needs to in order to help guard the economy against risks. The Australian cash rate fell from 7% in 2008 in response to the Global Economic Crisis; the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates by 4% between September 2008 and February 2009 in response to the slowdown of their economy – an effect of the Global Financial Crisis. RBA cut interest rates again in 2012 in response a worsening outlook to the global economy and signs of their own weakening labour market. The cash rate now stands at 2.50%, the lowest on record. However, this is expected to edge higher this year as growth is expected to strengthen helped by the low interest rates and inflation is expected to stay within target of 2%-3%. In the long run an increase in interest rates could help the spiraling house prices in the major cities come back to more realistic valuations. A new government was voted into Australia in September 2013 and they are preparing for their first budget in May. The budget deficit for 2012 – 2013 was 2.6% of GDP an increase from 1.3% in 2008- 2009. Top of the new government’s agenda is to tackle public debt, and they are being very vocal in pointing the finger of blame at their predecessors. Of the 17 top surveyed IMF countries, Labour left us with the fastest growth in spending of anyone in the world and they left us with the third highest growth in debt of anyone in the top 17,( Mr Hockey, Treasurer, abc.net.au,13th March 2014) Their aim is to return their budget to surplus and maintain a budget surplus going forward; to do this a huge cut in spending will be needed. As highlighted in the IMFs article IV; â€Å"If tax revenue is held at its average level over the last decade, the resulting budget deficit in 2023/24 would reach 2 percent of GDP. Reaching the government’s budget surplus target would thus require cutting spending by around 3 percent of GDP, either by reducing net non-social spending or by putting in place policy measures to contain increases in social spending†( IMF Article IV, 2014) Consumer confidence has been low, Consumer spending was held back in 2013 because of uncertainty around the government election in that September, high household debt, and uncertainty in the economy. In the year to June 2013 retail sales growth rates were at their lowest rate in 51 years, rising just 2.5% from the previous year. Because of this consumers have increased their saving rates since 2007 and reduced their demand for loans. Although household debt is high, Australian households seem to be able to meet this debt with only 1% non-preforming house loans and 50% of owner occupiers repaying ahead of their mortgage schedule. Compared to other OECD countries tax to GDP in Australia is low. Since 1965 Australia has ranked in the bottom third of OECD countries and in 2010 it ranked fifth lowest over all. Tax-to-GDP ratio for OECD countries, 2010 Source: OECD Revenue Statistics, 2012. Of the OECD countries Australia also has the third lowest level of taxation on personal income which includes social security taxes and taxes on payroll. Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Australia Source: tradingecomomics.com In 2008 tax revenues were steady at approx. 24% however as a result of the Global Economic crisis tax to GDP fell to approx. 20% in 2010 – 2011 since then total taxes have recovered one third of the lose but are still not back at 2008 level. Australia’s tax components are very similar to other OECD countries but with one major difference, Australia is one of two countries in OECD which do not levy social security taxes. Conclusion: Over all the Australian economy has performed very well since 2008, mainly because of its mining sector and related industries. The big challenge ahead is whether and how quickly it can adapt to mining construction falling. Home building and mining exports could help boost the economy and drive economic growth in the medium term. Now that the election is over and there is renewed demand for housing could be indicators of a boost consumer confidence and help the consumer start to spend again. If interest rates remain low this will help stimulate discretionary consumer spending and dwelling construction. Unemployment is still low at 6% compared to Australia’s OECD peers and new jobs are being generated, aided by a rise in demand for new housing. The main internal risk to the Australian economy is that the new government may be too aggressive in reducing government spending in their aim for budget surplus however this effect could be lessened by a further cut in interest rates. The main external risk to the economy as outlined already is Australia’s reliance on the Chinese market and commodity prices. Chinas growth rate is currently at approx. 7%, their government are implanting fiscal stimulus which should boost economic growth which will have a positive effect on the Australian economy as there will be continued demand for commodities to be exported to China. This may also affect the demand for housing in Australia as Chinese investors buy to rent, thus boosting the employment sector. The Australian banking sector is strong and both domestic and international markets have fate in it, it is one of only eight sovereigns globally to be rated AAA with a stable outlook by all the major credit rating agencies. This is a huge endorsement on the Australian Economy. If any shocks were to apply to the Australian Economy, its government are one of few globally that have the fiscal and monetary policy that will enable them to adapt very quickly. Australia’s economic performance to date has been the result of good structural reforms, demand for commodities and sound macroeconomic policies, hence the IMF forecasting â€Å"annual average GDP growth for Australia of 3.1% between 2013 and 2018 – the highest growth forecast among major advanced economies† (IMF, World Economic Outlook, April 2013). Bibliography IMF, Article IV Australia, 2013 OECD, Ecomonic Outlook Australia, 2012 Macrobusiness.com Tradingeconomics.com GFmag.com Reserve Bank Australia Business.nsu.gov.au Abc.net.au

The Coal War, by upton sinclair :: essays research papers

THE COAL WAR Book 1, The Social Chasm By: Upton Sinclair Upton Sinclair wrote The Coal War in 1976 being published by Colorado Associated University Press. Book One; "The Social Chasm," contained 69 pages while the entirety of The Coal War had 399 pages with two other Books. "The Social Chasm" was easy to follow and had an intriguing beginning. The Coal War portrays many situations common to the people of the coal fields and those making an effort to improve its conditions. This sequential story takes place in Western City and Harrigan College, where Hal attends. Through Hal, the main character of Upton Sinclair's story, Sinclair reveals his optimism as Hal's determination to fight the coal and mine laborers. The idea of Hal working alone to see that the fields and mines improve shows a general optimistic view. The Social Chasm tells of the hole that has been dug between the social classes. Hal, a wealthy man that has come from a prosperous and classy family, has heard of the cruelty and chaos that has been taking place at the coal camps in North Valley. Hearing stories of corruption, beatings, and even murders, Hal is convinced that the laborers' treatment be acknowledged and somehow improved. All of Hal's family and friends and even his fiancà ©e, Jessie Arthur, think his troubles and efforts are nothing more than stirring up controversy and disorder. Hal's first plan to expose the North Valley mistreatment was to use a poor boy that had lived in the coal camps and knew of its harm and neglect, named Little Jerry. His father, Jerry, had been beaten by guards who had found out he was a union leader, and was left to die. He recovered eventually, but incidents such as these were common in the camps and Hal was going to make sure that Little Jerry told everyone who could stop such treat ment, particularly those attending the Arthur party. The boy, however, just aroused sympathy and compassion from the higher classed people. He was just an unfortunate boy whom Santa Clause had not visited, and so the classy people filled his stomach with food, his hands with toys, and his eyes with glorious sites as he was given a tour of the Arthur estate. Now, having the actual crimes exposed, Hal wished to see the number of people who wanted to help him in his efforts to improve the camps and fields increase.

The German World of Disappointment :: Essays Papers

The German World of Disappointment From the youngest child to the oldest man, everyone has experienced the unpleasant feeling of disappointment. Everyone has been to a place that was not all that they anticipated it to be. No one can say that someone has never somehow let them down. At one point or another, everyone has been disappointed in something they have purchased. And what child is not heart-broken when he learns there is no Santa Claus? Whether it is in a person, thing, place, or idea, disappointment can be the most devastating and hurtful feeling people face. Disappointment is an experience that the German people, especially, have had to live through. The German writer, Heinrich Boll, uses his story â€Å"Pale Anna† to illustrate the universal experience of disappointment, an experience his countrymen are very familiar with, through both literature and history. When a long-lost German soldier returns to his hometown five years after World War II has ended, he returns to a place that is familiar, but everyone he knows is gone. His new landlady constantly asks him if he knew her dead son. She talks endlessly about her dearly departed son’s life and shows him again and again all the pictures of her son. The final picture that was taken of the landlady’s son was of him at his job as a streetcar conductor. All the other occasions that the soldier had seen it he reminisced about his own time spent at that particular terminus. He remembers the pop stand, the trees, the villa with the golden lions, and especially a girl that he thought of often during the war that always boarded the streetcar at that terminus. The soldier never recognizes any of the people in the picture until he had been there for three weeks and then he sees the girl in the streetcar. The landlady tells him that the girl was her son’s fiancà ©e and th at she is living in the room next to his. Pale Anna is what they always call her because of her extremely white face, but her face was unrecognizably destroyed when she was thrown through a window by a bomb blast. The soldier returns to his room and tries unsuccessfully to imagine Anna’s face being anything else but beautiful, even with scars. He thinks about his past romances and remembers them as complete disappointments.

The Reputation of Othello Essay examples -- Othello essays

The Reputation of Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Where in the rankings does this Shakespearean tragedy stand? This essay will explore the answer to this question by considering professional literary commentary.    Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† ranks the play Othello quite high among the Bard’s tragedies:    Othello, written in 1604, is one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare’s â€Å"tragic period.† In splendor of language, and in the sheer power of the story, it belongs with the greatest. But some of its admirers find it too savage [. . .]. (131)    Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar in â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello† maintain that the popularity of this play has been consistent for about 400 years because    it treats emotions that are universal and persistent in human nature. Its characters do not exist on a plane far removed from ordinary life; we are not asked to witness the conflict of kings and conspirators beyond the experience of everyday people; we are not involved in the consequences of disasters on a cosmic scale; what we witness is a struggle between good and evil, the demonstration of love, tenderness, jealousy, and hate in terms that are humanly plausible. (126)    The realistic aspect of the play presents a full range of characters, a full range of emotions, a full range of motivations, a full range of actions – just as are present in real society. The down-to-earth, realistic consideration is very important to Othello’s enduring popularity.    The play is so quotable; consider Desdemona’s opening lines before the Council of Venice: â€Å"My noble father, / I do perceive here a divided duty,† or Othello’s last words: â€Å"Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.† Could the... ...d Nothing.† Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.    Heilman, Robert B. â€Å"The Role We Give Shakespeare.† Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.    Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt. from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.      

Unit 2 – the Developing Child

Unit 2 – The Developing Child D1) The main aspects of social development for Children aged 4 years are; * They like playing and socialising with other children as this helps progress things more like speech, confidence and social skills. * Take turns and share (most of the time); may still be rather bossy. * Seek out adult approval. So if they were to hurt themselves they would still go to an adult or when they are tired they would still go to an adult for comfort. * Understand and obeys simple rules (most of the time). Capable of feeling jealous, for example if you were to show another child more attention than another child, this child would become jealous and may show anger. * Begin to understand things more like, danger, feelings and reasons toward things. * Have more of an imagination, for example they may have imaginary friends and can make up stories. Children with learning disabilities might not reach these mile stones like children without disabilities. Childcare work ers need to plan for these children so that they can meet their individual needs.According to Tassoni, page 41, â€Å"For children, this area of development is important too, as they will want to play with other children and have to learn to share and be with others in group situations, such as in school. D2) The main aspects of social development for children aged 5 years are; * Now choose their friends, for example, they have certain friends they like to play with. * Takes turns, shares (sometimes) for example, when drawing and sharing pencil crayons. * Enjoys co-operative activities and also group play. * Says please and thank you when offered something to eat or drink. Shows kindness to other children, inviting them to play and being helpful. * Resolves conflicts before seeking adult help. * Carries on with conversation with adults and children. D3) One suitable method of observing the social development of children aged 5 years could be to carry out a time sample observation. This is used to record the time, interaction, who their socialising with, so I would write down the initials of the child they were socialising with, the activity like drawing or painting, and the comments that I would write about the whole observation.I could record this by taking photos and then storing them into the child’s personal records and development file so I could use this as evidence towards their development and social skills with other kids. I would carry this out for 5 minutes every half hour, during the course of the morning. D4) One advantage of this observation method would be that you are able to observe the child to find whether they are struggling with anything like a subject, and we are able to see if they’re not socialising very well or whether they are withdrawn.One disadvantage of this method is that the child maybe camera shy and may stop socialising and interacting once I start to take photos of the development that is taking place. This woul d affect the whole observation as there will be no progress being made so I would not be able to record anything. D5) A child’s social development may be affected by the transitions in their lives such as a family member, they may have bonded with, could have died and this would affect the child a lot.Such as, the child may start showing aggressive behaviour towards people and may get frustrated easier when they find a task difficult. This would make the child regress. A positive transition could be that if the parent or parents take their child to places such as play areas, the child would be able to socialise with other children and they will see their parent socialising with other parents. This would make the child to be more confident and help make friends easier. This would positively influence the child to socialise and interact with other children.D6) Snack and Meal times help support a child’s social development. It helps because the children are more likely to sit next to their friends. While they are eating they lunch, it is common that most children will tell each other what they have to eat and drink and if they have animal shaped biscuits they may play a little game like zoos, and this helps their imagination and social development. This is called associative play. D7) Inclusive practice means that everyone should be included into activities, no matter what their nationality is, or their sex or whether hey have disabilities. It is important to include everyone in activities because if someone was left out, it may make them feel unwanted, lonely, may make their confidence drop, they may show anger and it will also cause unwanted behaviour. Everyone should be included in activities as it helps make new friends, boost self-confidence and help them socialise better. All activities should meet the need of all children especially if there are any disabilities. C) If a child was in a nursery and a parent was to give birth to a baby, this ma y affect the child which is in nursery.It may affect them because the new born baby will be receiving a lot of attention so this may make the child in the nursery, feel left out as the child is used to being the only child and all the attention being on them. This will cause anger and the child may stop sharing things with other children and become selfish and the child may regress in everything they have accomplished, such as they could wet themselves, behaviour will become bad and they may also stop talking about issues.B1) When a child is moving house a practitioner can support the child in this transition by making it a fun process and a fun thing to be doing. The practitioner could ask what colours their bedroom is going to be, what they are going to have in it and where they want everything to be placed. Practitioners can even make their time at their setting as fun as it can be so it takes the situation of the child’s mind or they could even read them a story about mov ing house to help the child understand it is not always a bad process.B2) Observations can be used to identify individual needs. Observations are important to be carried out because it identifies if a child is struggling in a certain area for example, they may have problems with numbers like counting, spelling simple words, participating in group activities or trouble socialising. Once the problem is identified then the person observing can the deal with the problem and help the child where they are struggling. This is why it is important to observe each child separately and carefully.A*) It is important that practitioners understand, the pattern of development of children, from birth to 16 years because; at each age and stage there are different mile stones for them to reach. These are like goals that are set to be accomplished. The practitioners need to know this so they can help the child progress in what the child is capable of achieving. If the practitioner did not know the mil estones for each stage then the practitioner could be holding the child back or aiming to high for what they want the child to do.Also at each stage the child will show different behaviours and the practitioners need to know what they are, otherwise the practitioners might think it’s inappropriate. They might tell them of when the child is actually showing behaviours that are expected in a child of that age. The behaviour may be caused by learning disabilities, so the practitioner would need to know how to handle the situation appropriately, or even call in a professional to help the need of that child and help the child progress.A*) Routines are important for young children because it adds structure to their day. This helps because they like to know what is coming next so they don’t get confused. The main parts of the routine, e. g meal times, coming in in the mornings and home time, in a setting should be kept the same daily this could include, children coming in in the morning and hanging their coats and bags up straight away, then sitting down for circle time and share news with their friends for 15- 30 minutes, then they will have free time to do messy things or play what they want to play to socialise.Free time gives the children the opportunity to develop their physical skills and social skills. After free time they will be called for snack time. During snack time it is important for children to get the right nutrients for the energy they need and use. Then they will have free play again for about an hour and a half then it will be lunch time, then story time, then they would be told to go and get their coats and bags to go home. Then the children will be called out one by one when their parents can be seen.When I was in placement at a nursery I saw they had a set routine that met the needs of every child, this worked because the children were aware of what is going on and what is happening next. I saw that this also helped their behaviour because they knew what they were doing as soon as they came in. Therefor in the future when I work with children I will know that keeping to a set routine, helps get through the day easier, without any confusions or uncertainty and everyone including staff knows what their role is for the day. Penny Tassoni Childcare and Education Cache Level 2 Published by Heinemann 2007