Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Introduction As an assistant manager for Skanska I have been asked by my manager to explain how fiscal and monetary policy decisions affect the business in which I work. To undertake this task I will provide explanation of the fiscal and monetary policies. I will also explain what interest rate is and what could be possible changes on it. Additionally, I will explain how both policies could make changes in employment level. Fiscal policy Economic climate is essential to be controlled within every single county because this helps control important activities within the particular country.All countries where economy is developed created and follow polices which ensure that money spent by government are used in an appropriate way. Those policies are known as fiscal and monetary policies. Fiscal Policy Fiscal policy could be defined as a legislation which was introduced by government to control the economy. The fiscal policy control and affects public taxation, public expenditure and bor rowing money. Fiscal policy includes direct and indirect taxation, public finances, public sector borrowing, pre-budget report and redistribution of income.The purpose of fiscal policy is to monitor, control and support economy as a whole. (Ref. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/f/fiscalpolicy. asp#ixzz1nhAdVG74) Taxation Taxation could be defines as a collection of money by government from their citizens and corporation businesses to found operational expenditure of the country. Changes in taxation would have a large influence on economy because amount of obtained money could be spent for different purposes or needs of the country. Taxation could be divided into two main types which are direct and indirect taxation. Ref. Book: Business level 3, Book Publisher: Edexcel Page: 300 Author John Bevan) Direct Taxation This particular type of taxes is paid by population and businesses on their income and profit. If the amount of income is higher than the higher will be direct tax which will have to be paid. Direct taxes could be collected by government in form of income tax, corporation tax, council tax, working tax, road tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty, national insurance (NI). (Ref. Class notes- Direct and Indirect taxation Lecturer- Brenda Horan Date- 06/02/2012) Income TaxIncome Tax rates 2011-12 by tax band and type of income Income tax is a main financial source for government to found activities of the country and public services. This is pay by anyone within the country who has an income. It is protected by legislation that organisations and individuals have to proof how much income was generated for each year. Income tax could be calculated in three ways which is 20, 40 and 50 percent. Additionally, there is a possibility of personal allowance which means that some people income is not taxable as they do not earned enough to pay income tax.This tax year the basic personal allowance or tax-free amount is ? 7,475. Furthermore, some peopl e may be entitled to a higher Personal Allowance if they have reached the age of 65 or over. (Ref. http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/incometax/basics. htm) †¢ National Insurance Contributions This is another form of tax which is based on income. National Insurance contribution also known as NI is paid by employees and employers to the government. NI is dependable on the amount of money which is earned by each party and whether people are employed or self-employed.Through National Insurance contributions employees are building up to entitlement for different social benefits if they have to. Additionally, NI building up a form of state pensions when employees would be retired. There is one restriction where people do not have to pay NI and this is when they reach retirement age. (Ref. http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/incometax/basics. htm) †¢ Corporation Tax Corporation tax is a form of tax which is based on taxable profits of all businesses. This is why organisations do their best to redu ce amount of corporation tax.The most common way to deduct the amount of corporation tax is to reinvest the profit into the further development of the business. (Ref. http://lexicon. ft. com/Term? term=corporation-tax) Indirect Taxation Indirect taxes are charged by government on producers or suppliers. The main aim of these taxes is to reduce pollution and improve the environment. The examples of indirect taxes are value added tax (VAT), excise duty, air passenger duty, insurance taxes such as car, home or pet insurance, TV licence or driving licence. (Ref. http://tutor2u. net/economics/revision-notes/as-marketfailure-indirect-taxation. tml) †¢ Value Added Tax (VAT) This type of tax is charged almost on all products or services provided by organisations. For instance businesses pay VAT for all products which are needed to manufacture the products and then VAT is paid by customers if they want to buy manufactured products. VAT could be charged into three different rates which a re standard rate 20%, reduced rate 5% and zero rated 0%. Standard rate is most common form of VAT and this is paid on almost all products or services unless they have been specified to reduce or zero rate.Reduced rate is depend on products it’s self and the circumstances of the sale. The most common example of reduced rate VAT are domestic fuel and power, installation of energy saving materials, sanitary hygiene goods or children’s car seats. Zero rated VAT is similar to the reduced rated VAT as is depend on products it’s self and the circumstances of the sale. The example of this type of VAT could be products or services such as food apart from the meals purchased in restaurants or hot takeaways, books and newspapers, children's clothes and shoes, public transport. (Ref. http://www. hmrc. gov. k/vat/start/introduction. htm) †¢ Excise Duty This is another form of indirect tax which is only paid for certain products on the market. Excise duty tax is added to the goods or services which might be luxuries, danger for environment and harmful for the health of population. The examples of products which include excise duty are tobacco, spirits and beers, oil or gambling. The government has introduced excise duty to increase amount of overall collected taxes but also to decrease the demand for particular products. (Ref. http://customs. hmrc. gov. uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp. ortal? _nfpb=true;_pageLabel=pageExcise_InfoGuides) †¢ Air Passenger Duty Air passenger duty is paid by airlines to the government for carriage passengers from UK airports. International booked passengers who are coming into the country are exempted to pay this duty. Since 2009 air passenger duty is paid by the amount of flies whereas use to it was charged by every single passenger. The changes amended in this type of taxation increased prices of airline tickets as organisations are forced to pay more taxes. The main purpose of collection of air pas senger duty is to raise extra funds to upport economy but also for environmental reasons. (Ref. Book: Business level 3, Book Publisher: Edexcel Page: 301 Author John Bevan) Public Finances Public finances could be referred as the amount of money which government pays for its expenditures through collection of taxes and borrowing. To support community within the country the government provides valuable activities such as security, education, transport and health support. Running the following activities might cost government millions so this is why appropriate amount of collected taxes is essential.Government have to balance overheads for different departments in appropriate way and ensure that money spent in certain area would benefit population and generate future return in the economy. (Ref. http://glossary. econguru. com/economic-term/public+finance http://www. etvotenow. org/financial-tips/public-finance-definition-know-your-environment-in-the-business-world-233. html) Public Se ctor Borrowing Public sector borrowing also known as a Public Sector Cash Requirement could be defined as an amount of money which government has to borrow from Bank of England to operate essential activities provided to the public.Public sector cash requirement occurs when the country does not collect enough finances to cover overheads of essential activities. If that would happen, then country will start going into the debt what would disadvantage economy and community as less money might be invested in public interest. (Ref. http://www. qfinance. com/dictionary/public-sector-borrowing-requirement) Impact of Fiscal policies on Skanska? Changes made within Fiscal policy would have a large impact on business operations. Skanska could be affected by any decisions made within these policies as any decisions could change the activities and revenues of the business.For instance, if government cut down the spending costs to build hospitals or motorways then Skanska will lose contracts, w hich simply means there would not be projects undertaken by my organisation. This situation would be reflected in the release of employees as the organisation might not be able to afford to maintain workforce. Additionally, this would affect the manufacturing organisations as they would not be able to supply Skanska with their products and therefore less money will be generated and flowed into the economy.How does Fiscal policy affect Skanska? Skanska operates in construction industry so any changes in fiscal policy would affect overall operation of this business. Skanska as a one of leading construction organisations in the United Kingdom would be affected by positive or negative outcome. For instance, if government would change income tax band from taxation element for higher then this would benefit this organisation as there would be a possibility to pay lower amount of taxes by Skanska.The example could be that if government increase the income tax band of 50% from 150,000 to 20 0,000 then my chosen organisation would generate higher revenue as even if they would achieve revenue of 180,000 the business will under the 40% of income tax band. The effect of changes in this fiscal policy could create more profit for Skanska so owners, stakeholders and employees might benefit from this fact as higher amount of money obtained by the business could be shared into these parties. Additionally, the result of fewer taxes paid by my organisation would nathnelo investors and owners to reinvest extra income in the business.Reinvestment of generated profit would be equalised to the expansion of Skanska what might create new jobs for employees due to further investments. Changes in public sector borrowing would also affect Skanska because if government would not collect enough taxes than it automatically decrease amount of possible spending’s into the economy. In the past the government applied Golden Rule of public borrowing which state that it should never be borr owed more than 40% of overall income from economy. Due to recession in United Kingdom the government has to break this rule to reduce possibility of bank collapse.In 2010 the government decided to introduce Fiscal Responsibility Act which is about limiting the amount of government borrowing. This act is mended to stop the country to follow into the debt. Due to breaking Golden Rule decision my chosen organisation had better opportunities to undertake any projects as more money were flowing into the economy. (Ref. Book: Business level 3, Book Publisher: Edexcel Page: 301 Author John Bevan) Monetary Policy Monetary policy is interlinked to fiscal policy and it was created by the government to support and control an economy activities.Monetary policy influence aggregate demand, employment level, money supply, the interest rate that is offered by central bank and the level exchange rate within the country. In the United Kingdom the central bank is the Bank of England which is in charge of interest and exchange rates or money supply. Additionally, the Bank of England is responsible for the amount of money that banks need to keep in the vault which is also known as bank reserves. The purpose of monetary policy is to control and stabilize overall economy within the country. (Ref. http://www. nvestopedia. com/terms/m/monetarypolicy. asp#ixzz1oQuE0cW4) Aggregate Demand Aggregate Demand could be defined as the total demand for provided goods and services produced within the economy over a certain period of time. Aggregate demand is considered as the sum of consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports. Aggregate demand has a large influence on the economy as a whole because its increase or decrease would generate positive or negative outcomes in the economy. (Ref. http://finance-dictionary. com/definition/a/aggregate-demand/) Interest RateInterest rate could be defined as the amount of percentage charged by lender usually banks to the borrower. The perce ntage of interest rate is based on the annual basis also known as Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and this is dependable on the value of borrowed money or assets. The example of borrowed assets could be cash, beneficial goods of consumers and large assets such as vehicles or premises. If the interest rate is low then there is frequent possibility of larger investments as the businesses do not have to pay back much more than it was borrowed from the bank. Ref. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/i/interestrate. asp#axzz1oRT2mwKL) Employment Level Employment level could be defined as the population who is currently working and this is presented in form of percentage. The level of employment is very important factor to be considered by government because through this aspect the taxes are collected which could be reinvested into the economy. Employment level is affected by monetary policy because if inflation level would increase then more likely the wages of employees would be higher.The overall result from this situation could be that the employer might reduce workforce to cut down cost which possibly would decrease aggregate demand due to less people would have confidence in spending money. (Ref. http://www. economicshelp. org/blog/453/unemployment/definition-of-full-employment/) Impact of Monetary policies on Skanska The changes in monetary policy would have a large influence on my chosen business because changes amended in these policies could have knock-on effect in my organization.For instance, changes of the interest rate for lower could lead to the situation where Skanska might invest in latest machinery as interest rate on this purchase will be lower so the business would save money if the make a purchase in this period. Additionally, low interest rate might create situation where population would be less likely to make a savings due to low interest which they could receive. If population would not be interested in saving then they would prefer to spend the money which they earn so the economy would benefit as the aggregate demand would increase.How does Monetary policy affect Skanska? Implementation of monetary policy could affect industry within my chosen business operates. Through increase or decrease of interest rates Skanska would be affected by the changes in demand of provided services by population. For instance, if government would decrease the level of interest rate than this might stimulate higher aggregate demand because people would have more money to spent. If population have a confidence to spend money than my chosen business is more likely to convince potential customers to make the purchase.Additionally, lower interest rate would attract Skanska for new investments due to low interests which need to be paid back. This is also easier for construction industry to find new invertors all over the world as in this period investors are able to generate large return of invested finances. If government and central bank would decide to raise interest rate than this would disadvantage my chosen organisation as opposite effect which most likely would reduce aggregate demand and inflation. Employment level would be affected by changes in monetary policy which could create different situations within operation of Skanska.Government do their best to keep inflation at 2% which means that economy would be stable and wages would be increase by similar level. Low raise of inflation would means that employees have a job security due to steady costs of business. For instance, if inflation would drastically rise then wages would increase too so as a result business might not be able to afford workforce due to too high overheads. (Ref. http://tutor2u. net/economics/content/topics/ad_as/ad-as_notes. htm) How fiscal and monetary policy would help Skanska to achieve its objectives.Skanska committed their selves to outperform business in the management of the environment, health ; safety and the engagement with the commu nities they work in as well as the project performance and profitability. The achievement of main aims is depended on the legislations of government. Through changes in fiscal policy my chosen organisation would be able to generate outcome which would benefit the business and the productivity of economy. For instance, if inflation increased due to raise of aggregate demand than increased spending would most probably decrease national debt at least in short term.Also decrease of income tax would increase the amount of available organisational income which might increase the aggregate demand. Appropriate changes in fiscal policy could create significantly impact the national income and therefore have immediate effect on the economy. Another benefit which Skanska could obtain from changes in fiscal policy is higher profitability and motivation of workforce if taxes on wages would be decreased. Additionally, if higher amount of people and organizations would earn more than automatically the government would collect more taxes such as VAT or income tax.Growth of economy would also means that government would spend less money for different types of benefits which support unemployment community. (Ref. http://12chunso. wordpress. com/2011/05/11/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fiscal-policy/ http://library. thinkquest. org/19110/english/advantag/index. html http://www. economicshelp. org/macroeconomics/fiscal-policy/fiscal_policy. html) On the other hand, Fiscal policy have great influence on businesses operation so government have to ensure that amended changes do not affect the organisations in the way that they would not be able to operate.For instance if government would increase the income tax as too high level than organisation would not be interested in feather operations as too much amount of taxes which will have to be paid to government would be seen as not reasonable and the organisations might be closed down. This would create negative outcome for economy b ecause if businesses will be closed down then unemployment would increase and more money government will have to spend to support those people and no taxes at all would be collected as organisations would abandon from operations.Additionally, changes in direct taxation or government spending may take considerable time because of both political and moral reasons. For instance, taxing rich people more than the others might be seen as unfair treatment for parties who are charged higher. (Ref. http://12chunso. wordpress. com/2011/05/11/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fiscal-policy/ How monetary policy would help Skanska to achieve its objectives. http://www. ehow. com/facts_5796267_benefits-policy-over-fiscal-policy_. html) ConclusionOverall, I have described what fiscal and monetary policies are and what is involved in those aspects. Also I have explained how does policies affect my chosen organisations and what out6come could be generated through changes in both policies. The fiscal a nd monetary policies are closely interlinked to each other. Fiscal and monetary policies are very important to be managed in an appropriate manner by government because wrong changes would not only affect businesses within the country but also the economy as a whole will be affected.Bibliography AuthorPageDate John Bevan Book- Business level 3 Page: 300-305 Publisher: Edexcel Class notes- Direct and Indirect taxation Lecturer- Brenda Horan Date- 06/02/2012 http://www. investopedia. com/terms/f/fiscalpolicy. asp#ixzz1nhAdVG74 http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/incometax/basics. htm http://lexicon. ft. com/Term? term=corporation-tax http://tutor2u. net/economics/revision-notes/as-marketfailure-indirect-taxation. html http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/vat/start/introduction. htm http://customs. hmrc. gov. k/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp. portal? _nfpb=true;_pageLabel=pageExcise_InfoGuides http://glossary. econguru. com/economic-term/public+finance http://www. etvotenow. org/financial-tips/p ublic-finance-definition-know-your-environment-in-the-business-world-233. html http://www. qfinance. com/dictionary/public-sector-borrowing-requirement http://www. investopedia. com/terms/m/monetarypolicy. asp#ixzz1oQuE0cW4 http://finance-dictionary. com/definition/a/aggregate-demand/ http://www. investopedia. com/terms/i/interestrate. asp#axzz1oRT2mwKL Fiscal and Monetary Policy TOMAS L. OLFATO ANSWERS TO GROUP 4 EXAM ECON 204 (NOTE: ANSWERS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW) PART I. (5 points each) A. An increase in government spending will shift the IS curve to left increasing output with higher interest rate. [pic] Expansionary monetary policy or Contractionary monetary policy. a) To maintain the same level of output, what monetary policy should BSP implement? ANSWER: EXPANSIONARY MONETARY POLICY (Increasing money supply lowers interest rate) b) To maintain the same level of interest rate, what monetary policy should BSP implement?ANSWER: CONTRACTIONARY MONETARY POLICY (Reducing money supply results to an increase in interest rate) B. An inflationary gap occurs when aggregate demand exceeds aggregate supply at full employment level of output. When there is increased spending and availability of money are high, prices start to rise resulting to an inflationary gap. What fiscal policy (Expansionary or Restrictive) should the government implement to dampen growth an d lower inflationary pressures(5 points). ANSWER: RESTRICTIVE FISCAL POLICY (Racing taxes or cutting government spending to dampen GDP(Aggregate Demand) growth and lower inflationary ressures) [pic] C. A Deflationary gap occurs when aggregate supply exceeds aggregate demands at full employment level of output. The opposite of Inflation, deflation has the side effect of increased unemployment which can lead to economic depression. What fiscal policy (Expansionary or Restrictive) can government implement to stop severe deflation(5 points). ANSWER: EXPANSIONARY FISCAL POLICY ( Increasing government purchases, decrease in taxes and/or increase in transfer payments closes a recessionary gap, stimulate the economy and decreases the unemployment rate) pic] PART II. (2 points each) True or False: FALSE 1. The Keynesian school of thought is based on the premise that free markets can regulate themselves alone, free of any human intervention. There is an invisible hand that moves market toward s a natural equilibrium, without the requirement of an intervention. TRUE2. Keynesian economic models stress the fact that government intervention is absolutely necessary to ensure growth and economic stability. The government has the very important job of smoothing out the business cycle bumps.TRUE3. In the Goods market, an increase in interest rate will result to a decrease in Money Demand while a decrease interest rate will result to an increase in Money Demand. TRUE4. In the financial market, an increase in interest rate will increase Money Supply while a decrease in interest rate will decrease Money Supply TRUE5. In liquidity trap, people are indifferent as to how much money or how many bonds they hold, so they are willing to hold fewer bonds and more money (more liquid) at the same nominal interest rate.The money supply will increase but the effect on the nominal interest rate remains zero. All the additional money is held as idle balances and equilibrium is unchanged. FALSE6. Disposable Income excludes both the negative impact of taxes and positive impact of transfer payments. FALSE7. Transfer payments decreases disposable income TRUE8. Fiscal neutrality creates a condition where demand is neither stimulated nor diminished by taxation and government spending. TRUE9. Crowding out effect happens when expansionary fiscal policy causes interest rates to rise, thereby reducing the investment or spending.If an increase in government spending and/or a decrease in tax leads to a budget deficit and this deficit is financed by increased borrowing, this creates demand for money and loanable funds. This will increase interest rates leading to a reduction in private consumption or investment. FALSE10. Expansionary fiscal policy increases national saving thereby reducing the supply of loanable funds and raising the equilibrium of the interest rate. PART III. (5 points each) 1. A monetary policy wherein the government steps on the break. RESTRICTIVE MONETARY POLICY 2. A policy that focuses on controlling price and interest rates.MONETARY POLICY 3. The most popular policy instrument. OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS 4. A monetary policy instrument in which BSP have no total control. DISCOUNT RATE 5. When the government wants to reduce the money supply in open market, it has to. SELL BONDS TO THE PUBLIC PART IV. (10 points) If the government wants to solve the issue on economic growth by increasing the money supply, what should be the effect on interest rate, investment, and consumption? ^MONEY SUPPLY, v INTEREST RATE, ^INVESTMENT, ^ CONSUMPTION Please email your answers to [email  protected] com with copy to [email  protected] com and [email  protected] com THANKS

Goethe - a Literary Genius

Goethe - a Literary Genius Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the most important German literary figure of modern times and is often compared to Shakespeare and Dante. He was a poet, dramatist, director, novelist, scientist, critic, artist and statesman during what was known as the Romantic period of European arts. Even today many writers, philosophers and musicians draw inspiration from his ideas and his plays open to wide audiences in theatres. The Goethe Institut is Germanys national institute for promoting German culture around the world. In German speaking countries Goethe’s works are so prominent they have been referred to as classics since the end of the 18th century. Goethe was born in Frankfurt (Main) but spent most of his life in the city of Weimar, where he was ennobled in 1782. He spoke many different languages and travelled great distances throughout his life. In the face of the quantity and quality of his oeuvre it is tough to compare him to other contemporary artists. Already in his lifetime he managed to become an acclaimed writer, publishing internationally bestselling novels and dramas such as â€Å"Die Leiden des jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther, 1774) and Faustâ€Å" (1808). Goethe was already a celebrated author at the age of 25, which made explain some of the (erotic) escapades he supposedly engaged in. But erotic topics also found their way into his writing, which in a time coined by rigorous views on sexuality was nothing short of revolutionary. Goethe also played an important role in the â€Å"Sturm und Drang† movement and published some acclaimed scientific work such as â€Å"The Metamorphosis of Plants† and the â€Å"Theory of Color†. The later built on Newton’s work on color, with Goethe asserting that what we see as a specific color depends on the object we see, the light, and our perception. He studied the psychological attributes of color and our subjective ways of seeing them, as well as complementary colors. In so doing, he improved our understanding of color vision. Besides, writing, researching, and practicing law, Goethe sat on several councils for the Duke of Saxe-Weimar during his time there. As a well-travelled man, Goethe enjoyed interesting encounters and friendships with some of his contemporaries. One of those exceptional relationships was the one he shared with Friedrich Schiller. In the last 15 years of Schiller’s life, both men formed a close friendship and even worked together. In 1812 Goethe met Beethoven, who in reference to that encounter later stated: â€Å"Goethe – he lives and wants us all to live with him. It is for that reason that he can be composed.â€Å" Goethe Influence on Literature and Music Goethe had an enormous influence on German literature and music, which sometimes meant he turned up as a fictional character in works of other authors. While he had more of an oblique impact on the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche and Herrmann Hesse, Thomas Mann brings Goethe to life in his novel â€Å"The Beloved returns – Lotte in Weimar† (1940). In the 1970s, German author Ulrich Plenzdorf wrote an interesting take on Goethe’s works. In â€Å"The new Sorrows of Young W.† he brought Goethe’s famous Werther story to the German Democratic Republic of his own time. Very fond of music himself, Goethe inspired countless composers and musicians. In particular, the 19th century saw many of Goethe’s poems turned into musical works. Composers such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny Hensel, and Robert and Clara Schumann set his poems to music.

Advantages of the UK Membership in the EUass Assignment

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Principle Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principle Management - Essay Example As the essay discusses culture of an organization is said to be strong when the staff respond to the stimulus and it is weak when there is no alignment with the corporate values. Culture is one great key to success. Different views are found on the classification of corporate cultures but those of Handy have been most widely cited. His method of organizational culture links it to organizational structure. According to him, culture can be grouped under four types – power culture, task culture, role culture, and people culture. This paper declares that power culture is an ideal means to map and understand the values of an organization. Power in any organization is usually concentrated in a few pairs of hands. Power culture control radiates from the centre like a web and reaches the staff through the rays. Very few rules and procedures are available and communication is normally direct and verbal. This culture can be found in small businesses culture entrepreneurial organizations. Like minded people are chose to remain in close proximity to the centre. They group takes calculated risks and being cohesive, they react promptly to internal culture external threats. This type of culture does not affect group or project work as the group is normally cohesive and the central figure is autocratic. In a Role culture, people have clearly defined authorities within a defined structure. Role cultures are highly formalized. They are bound with regulations and paperwork. These organizations form hierarchical bureaucracie s and are like a pyramid in structure.

Essay 1 Cause and Effect Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

1 Cause and Effect - Essay Example However, children are the social segment that has been very badly affected by TV. TV has influenced the lifestyles and priorities of children in the current times in varied ways. Watching too much TV badly impacts the health of children, makes them vulnerable to violent programs and shows, and negatively influences their academic performance. TV has an unhealthy effect on the life of young children as it encourages a sedentary lifestyle and prevents them from participating in sports and outdoor activities. It is a fact that people do often get addicted to TV programs and remain glued to the TV screen to seek entertainment and fun. In that context, children are more susceptible to getting addicted to TV, as they are impressionable and are unable to understand the bad effects of TV. Hence, TV encourages children to lead a sedentary life and many a times they end up becoming ‘couch potatoes’. The time which the children could have spent engaging in sports and outdoor activities gets mostly hijacked by the ubiquitous TV. The current times have seen a flooding of the households by gadgets like video games, PCs and TV, which collectively encourage a sedentary style of living. The thing that needs to be understood is that TV makes an important part of this baggage. TV not only makes children skip activity and exerc ise, but combined to varied other compatible gadgets like video games and home video players; TV makes them get addicted to a sedentary mode of living. Thereby, this sedentary lifestyle to a great extent promoted by TV gets reflected in the poor health of children. Children addicted to TV often tend to be vulnerable to random snacking and evince obesity. This trend often gives way to chronic diseases and health issues amongst children. Hence, there is no doubt that unreasonable TV viewership does has a bad impact on the health of children TV also compromises the psychological health of children by getting them exposed to programs and

Ethic Essay Essay Example for Free

Ethic Essay Essay Assume that Mark pledge to look after his sister’s son while she goes to the grocery store to buy some food. Instead, he goes to a computer shop to play poker in the internet. Supposedly, Mark should find another person to baby-sit the son of his sister. This is the moral responsibility of Mark for his obligations to the child and his mother. Secondly, Mark’s sister has also a moral responsibility in circumstances when it would be right to ethically commend or hold responsible Mark for his actions. If Mark failed to find a baby-sitter, he is morally responsible for the failure of his sister to buy some food in the grocery store. Mark’s actions are reflected to moral agents. Agents are reflects to situations and intensions of actions (Q1 Q2). I found my self altruistic to other people. If I have something (i. e. some money, food, clothes, etc. ), I intend to give it to other people. I didn’t count those things but I just want to help other people even at small things. Altruism in ethical concept in psychology is the purposeful pursuit of welfare of other people and/or public interest. In layman’s term, the concept of altruism is the unselfishness of one person for the welfare of other people (other than his/her family). I find it odd since I’m attracted towards helping other people like beggars and street people and charities rather than giving help my family’s lives (Q3 Q4). The top three values I have are being altruistic, kind, and serious. I think these values came from my family and the culture we have. I also think that being altruistic and kind are some of the professional ethics in psychology that are most compatible with my personal values. The notion of psychological egoism I believed is the notion where people are inspired by self-interest and concerns to others for the reason that this kindness will be returned back to them and will benefit them. (ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT, 2002). Conversely, this is only a viewpoint of how things are but not what is expected to happen or ought to be (Q5 Q6). References ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT. (2002) American Psychological Association.

Relationship Between Poverty and Employment

Relationship Between Poverty and Employment The social problem I have chosen to focus on is poverty, but specifically the lack of access to adequate employment and the obstacles people living in poverty might encounter. For this particular social issue, I have decided to compare and contrast the United States with Australia. Taking a closer look at this problem, I am going to focus on the more specific issues pertaining to this concern, which include, the lack of access impoverished individuals in rural or remote communities face when it comes to employment, as well as the difficulties individuals living in urban communities encounter. Some of these obstacles consist of, limited access to needed transportation, lack of sufficient means to acquire or obtain access to technology, such as computers and the internet; lack of essential hygiene necessities and other resources, such as the proper attire required for employment, and most people living in poverty lack the essential skills and knowledge needed for adequate employment. T hese problems are faced by impoverished people living in both the United States and Australia, because generally speaking and for comparison purposes, they are similar when it comes to their development, economy, industrial level and social problems. Even though these two countries are very well developed, poverty continues to be an issue, especially when dealing with employment, unemployment or lack of adequate employment. Due to the disadvantages mentioned above, people continue to remain in poverty and at a social disadvantage, because their social mobility is hindered. The social problem I chose, problems individuals living in poverty face when trying to find adequate employment, is a big problem in todays society because of the lack of employment and financial hardships that are occurring. Finding employment is a particular problem for impoverished people because individuals living in poverty typically lack access to living essentials such as clean water, food, housing, health care and education; these essentials are also the necessities when trying to get employed. I chose this social problem because, for employment purposes, individuals need access to a computer with internet and a printer, proper attire, necessary hygiene items, transportation and skills, however, people living in poverty lack most or all of these things. In our societys mind, we think individuals who do not have a job and who are living in poverty as just lazy or that it is their fault, however, in this paper I am going to discuss the problems they face and the reason why gett ing a job is not so easy for them. Also, this problem is not just affecting Americans; it is affecting individuals all over the world. There are many countries that have populations living in poverty and have different social/economic classes like the United States has, however, I think this problem is different in developing countries compared to developed countries or countries that have adequate economic resources. For my purposes, I wanted to compare this social problem between countries that were similar, so I chose to research this problem in the United States and Australia and find the similarities and differences between the two. I think there countries are comparable because they are of similar economic standing and they are a developed nation, and like the United States, they have individuals who are living in poverty along with other inhabitants who are doing financially well. This social problem of poor lacking access to employment in the United States has been going on all throughout history, but I believe has gotten worse after the economy began to decline. For my purposes, I am interested in the lack of access to resources that are essential to getting a job, when getting a job means improving their current situation in an honest way. They kind of poverty I am referring to is relative poverty, which is where someone lack resources that many people take for granted (S201 lecture 1/18/11). This problem affects any individual living in poverty regardless if they live in cities or away from the city. In World War II, populations and jobs moved away from the city and into the suburbs, which resulted in job loss for individuals living in the city and causing them to become poor (S201 lecture 1/20/11). This action had major implications that are still taking place today, where people cannot afford housing, which is a huge part to getting a job because employe rs need a permanent address for employees, and as learned in class, approximately 500,000 people are homeless on any given day (S201 lecture 1/20/11). Also, if they cannot afford a place to live, chances are they cannot afford a vehicle and they have access to public transportation at a relatively low cost, however, as mentioned the majority of decent jobs are in the suburbs, which is not typically serviced by public transportation. Public transportation also is not always reliable, which could result in them being late to work and getting fired because of it. These problems were encountered by Barbara Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed, where she had a difficult time finding and affording a place to stay and she relied heavily on her car. Another resource people in poverty lack is access to computers. When applying for a job, employers require a resume, references and sometimes a cover letter, which all need to be typed and printed or emailed, which cannot be done without a computer an d a printer. Also, some jobs only post openings online and some require an applicant to fill out an application online, which requires a computer and internet access. Without these resources, individuals cannot even get past the first step when applying for a job. There are public libraries which are available to everyone, however, an individual would need a way to get there, money to print or copy documents, and computer access is sometimes limited to 30 minutes, which is not enough time to complete everything. Individuals living in poverty lack many employment resources, one of these things is proper attire for a job interview. Interviewers are looking for someone who dresses well and is presentable, some require business professional or business casual, this type of clothing is expensive and not something an impoverished individual can afford, so here is just another employment element that stops them from getting employed. To go along with proper clothing, employers want someone who is clean and does not smell, which is a difficult thing to do when individuals do not have adequate water access and cannot afford the basics such as soap and tooth paste. In Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich experienced these problems first hand when she had to buy clothing or had to wear worn out clothing to work or for an interview; sometimes she could not afford to wash her clothes, so she wore dirty, smelly clothes to work. When it comes to education, chances are that people living in poverty did not receive adequate education and also lack some basic employment skills (S201 lecture 1/25/11). Most employers require a high school diploma or GED, and without that it is impossible to get a good job. Another component is having some essential skills, which include good communication and experience working on computers and with computer programs, which poor people lack because they have not had much professional interaction and as mentioned earlier, they lack access to computers, th erefore they do not have the required computer experience that well-paying jobs are looking for. This problem is not only an issue in America, it is an issue other places, a relatively comparable place is Australia. In Australia, poverty has always been around just like in the United States, and it has been increasing, which results in more people living in poverty and lacking access to resources that are needed for employment. During the 1990s, poverty increased from 11.3% to 13.0%, which then resulted in 60% of poor Australian families relying on government assistance as their main income in 2000, an increase from 46% in 1990 (Harding, 2002). There is not a set standard for how to measure poverty or a poverty line, but in 2000 when researching individuals who make 50% of the average household income, there were 3,274,000 individuals, 17.5%, living in poverty (The Bare Necessities, p.66). The key cause of poverty in Australia is unemployment, where from the 1990s to 2000, the unemployment rate increased which then led to an increase in the number of individuals living in poverty (Harding, 2002). In Australia, just like in the United States, lack of opportunities or resources such as shelter, ed ucation, transportation and housing is included in the definition of poverty; when individuals lack these resources, it hinders their ability for employment (Brokensha). A more specific definition of poverty is participation poverty, which involves lacking resources to participate in economic and social life or is defined by the inability to access certain resources that result in the inability to attain a decent level of wellbeing; an example of this is not having appropriate transportation (The Bare Necessities, p.40). Also like the U.S., Australia has been going through a recession, where the economy was weak along with the job market, resulting in an increased unemployment (The Bare Necessities, p.13). All areas in Australia are affected by poverty, but unemployment and poverty are more present in major cities because there are low employment opportunities for multiple reasons, one of them being businesses in the cities have shut down or relocated; housing in the slums of the ci ties is cheaper, so poor people tend to live in these areas, which causes them to lack access to adequate employment opportunities (The Bare Necessities, p.107). Individuals living in rural communities are also majorly affected by unemployment and poverty because they also lack access to the necessary resources for employment, for example, not being in walking distance of a lot of community services and not having some form of transportation (Brokensha). Also affecting their opportunities is low education levels, which is a continuous cycle because, often individuals whose families could not afford to send them to school lack the education levels to get a decent job, therefore they are unable to afford to send their children to school (Poverty and its Causes p.2). Like the U.S., Australia has government programs that provide assistance to low-income/poor individuals, but the majority of these programs are for children living in poverty, which excludes individuals without children th at live in poverty (Brokensha). These government assistance programs have improved over the last few years, but the main assistance program used to combat poverty, social security, provides payments that are lower than the poverty benchmark and the groups who face the highest probability of living in poverty, receive the lowest payments (The Bare Necessities). When comparing the U.S. and Australia, we can see that there are quite a few similarities, but there are some differences as well. A similarity between the United States and Australia in reference to the social problem of poor lacking access to employment resources was, they both went through a recession which lead to an increase in unemployment, resulting in an increase in poverty. I think they share this because countries do business together and when the economy takes a turn in one country, it affects other countries. In both places, the government is involved in this issue, by providing assistance to individuals who need it, but people in both places still lack the resources needed to obtain a job, like access to technology and transportation. They might share this because they are both well developed countries and to be well developed, government needs to be somewhat involved but they cannot solve everything. Another similarity in both countries is poverty mostly affects the inner cities, which is a consequence of job relocation/shutdown. I think this is so because as mentioned, both countries went through a change in industrialization, which affected business stability and location. With these similarities there are also differences, one of them being the poverty percentages; in the U.S. the poverty rate is 24%, in Australia it is 19% (The Bare Necessities, p.10). These percentages arent really that far apart and I think this is because both countries are well developed but have both went through economic changes that affected the people; this difference could be associated with economic situation in the countries before economic events. Another difference is how the poverty line is determined; in the U.S. it is determined by the standard of living and the lack of goods and services that mainstream society tends to take for granted, which is constantly being evaluated (Poverty in the United States). In Australia, there are different methods for determining this, but there is no agreed upon measure. Although the definitions vary, I think it is hard to define what poverty is because th ere are so many variables which make it hard to determine and pinpoint, so I think this difference just comes from different approaches to poverty. Another definition variance is in the U.S., when an individual lacks resources or access to resources need to better their lives is referred to as relative poverty; in Australia, this is referred to as participation poverty. These definitions are basically the same, just with different terms. I think they both have a term for this because individuals that lack the ability to improve their lives do not fit into the typical definition of poverty, but they do lack resources needed for employment and that are typically taken for granted. As mentioned earlier, cities are the areas mostly affected by poverty, but rural communities are also affected; in the U.S., minorities, who have migrated here, tend to live in cities and in Australia, indigenous people tend to live in rural areas. This difference could be from groups not wanting to mix with other groups. Another difference was post World War II, when jobs in America moved from the cities to the suburbs, which left a lot of people at a disadvantage, and after the war in Australia, there was an economic boom, which some of the poor did not take advantage of (Poverty in Australia). Throughout this paper I have explained the problems people living in poverty face when trying to find a job and getting hired, where they lack housing, education, technology, transportation, clothing and hygienic necessities. This problem affects people in the U.S. and in Australia, so this is not an isolated issue. With this information, it can be determined that people in poverty have little social mobility because they lack resources needed to better their lives. This is clearly a social problem that has been around a long time and has no signs of disappearing.