Monday, December 30, 2019

Code Of Ethics And State Board Counseling Laws - 920 Words

Professional counselors and their staff are exposed to sensitive client information and records. The helpful receptionist and whose privilege videos, show how to apply both the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (ACA Code of Ethics) and state board counseling laws to common ethical scenarios. The content explores aspects designed to call attention to favorable and unfavorable skills and techniques in handling such matters. These two videos demonstrate the limitations of confidentiality and privileged information. As a professional counselor one is expected to uphold the principles of confidentiality and privilege according to the ACA Code of Ethics and state laws. One may conclude that the helpful receptionist video shows clear violations of confidentiality. While the whose privilege video indicates the significance of insuring that counselors comprehend state laws and ethics codes pertaining to confidentiality and privilege. Furthermore, counseling professionals are held accountable for violating ethics codes and state laws as well as training staff on informed consent. In the helpful receptionist video, the receptionist violates the principle of confidentiality by disclosing private information without informed consent. When the client s husband asked if she is in her counseling session the receptionist confirms the client s presence. By doing so, she violates confidentiality because she is supposed to protect the client s whereabouts to the bestShow MoreRelatedEthical Vignette Essay773 Words   |  4 Pagespaper I will discuss the ethical vignette as it deals with confidentiality and ethical dilemmas that counselor’s face. I will reflect on a video presentation as well as the North Carolina rules and regulation and the ACA Code of Ethics as it relates to confidentiality and ethics. I will explain why confidentiality is important and what the rules says about it. This will help me and others to become a better counselor. Ethical Vignette Summary As I began to read and listen to the materialRead MoreEthical Vigette1224 Words   |  5 Pageswithin the counseling relationship and environment. Discussed content between the client and therapist is strictly prohibited for others outside of this relationship to disclose. Materials such as an informed consent form, explains how confidential information, will be managed. For the counseling profession, this document involves and agrees that communication is kept in confidence by the counselor and private. The communication that is discussed cannot be used as evidence in court, by state and federalRead MoreConfidentiality : Confidentiality And Confidentiality1161 Words   |  5 Pagesparts of counseling. Counselors and clients view confidentiality as an unspoken given, it is sometimes not discussed but expected. Counselors should always explain to a client reasons in which they may be required to break confidentiality. Confidentiality laws can vary from state to state so a counsel or should always be aware and up to date on those laws depending on which state they are practicing in. Some states, like South Carolina, have adopted the ACA Code of Ethics as their own code. CounselorsRead MoreFederal Administrative Law And The Department Of Education1185 Words   |  5 PagesA major accomplishment in administrative law occurred in 1946 when the House and Senate passed the Administrative Protection Act (APA), which outlined the formation of agencies funded by Congress (Gedid, 2013, p. 246, para 2). Through the use of the APA, congress delegated tasks to agencies by establishing the goals and purpose for each agency. The creation of agencies provided a consistency in laws and regulations with legislative power punishable by the judicial system. In the event an agencyRead MoreThe American Counseling Association ( Aca ) Essay1276 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Counseling Association (ACA) developed the code of ethics with six principles in mind that they th ought were the foundation for ethical behavior and decision making: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity and veracity (American Counseling Association, 2014). This lead to the six different purposes for the code of ethics. First, it sets ethical obligations and ethical guidance for professional counselors (American Counseling Association, 2014). Second, it recognizesRead MoreEthical Issues Associated Within The Clinical Counseling Profession Essay1580 Words   |  7 Pageswill discuss a fictitious case vignette that encompasses ethical issues associated within the Clinical counseling profession. There will be at least four of the nine sections of the ACA Code of Ethics that will be covered within the context of this case. In consideration of each of these ethical breaches there will be dialog on the nature of the ethical issue or violation, where the ACA ethical code applies, ramifications of the ethical issue or violation of both parties, and with supplement ary supportRead MoreTest Anxiety And Performance That Indicate A Relationship Between Anxiety, Preparation And Test Performance927 Words   |  4 Pagesschool counseling programs to indicate the future success of their students. The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) is a comprehensive standardized test often taken prior to the graduate students completion of their program of study. It is designed to assess counseling students’ knowledge of counseling information viewed as important by counselor preparation programs (CCE, n.d.,). This examination consists of eight common core curricular areas complying with Counseling for AccreditationRead MoreEthics and Licensed Professional Counselor1175 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ PCN-505 Scenario Analysis Assignment Directions: Read the scenarios below. For each scenario, provide a 75-150 word response to each question. Use the ACA and NAADAC Codes of Ethics and other scholarly resources to support your responses. You must provide at least one citation to support your response for each scenario. Though APA format is not required for your answers, citations and references should be presented in accordance with APA guidelines. 1. Barbara is a licensed professional counselorRead MoreThe American Counseling Association Code Of Ethics1318 Words   |  6 Pagesresponse to a video discussing the issues of confidentiality, privilege, reporting, and duty to warn. This paper looks at these issues and their explanations in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics as well as the Georgia State Board of Professional Counselor’s ethical guidelines and provides a commentary on the laws. It was found that these issues are not always black and white, but there is some debate on these issues. Confidentiality is both an ethical and a legal responsibility yetRead MoreEthical Decision Making For Professional Counselors1526 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract In the counseling profession, situations may be come about in the areas of ethical, professional, or legal concerns. New Counselors can become frustrated by the lack of dilemmas they can face in the field of mental health. Counselors must take into consideration the ethical, professional, and legal considerations they can or may encounter. Counselors use the ACA guide as rule book of professional standards of moral duty and obligation. The Ethics guide provides a frame work that centers

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Against Raising Minimum Wage Essay - 1499 Words

Against Raising Minimum Wage People everywhere are voicing out that we need to increase minimum wage, again. They say that an increase will have a minor impact on jobs but there are no facts to back them up. The impact of raising minimum wage has been studied since the beginning, and has been concluded that raising minimum wage hurts the poor, and helps the rich. Raising minimum wage takes away jobs; especially the low-skilled and young worker, keeps people on welfare, and also encourages high school students to drop out. When you look at the facts, is it really worth raising minimum wage? All credible research has come to the same conclusions, and these I will discuss with you. Poverty will rise When minimum wage is raised,†¦show more content†¦First one is Reader’s Digest. This is the most widely read magazine in the world, and has been around for quite awhile, but they have recently filed bankruptcy and are going out of business. Next is Blockbuster. Blockbuster was the national leading video rental business for 20 years. They are hoping to keep their internet business alive, but their 6,000 stores are closing. Say you have an estimate of 30 people working per store, that is 18,000 jobs lost right there, just through Blockbuster. Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group is going out of business because they can’t compete with Hertz and Avis Budget car rental companies. Hertz and Avis Budget are currently fighting to buy Dollar Thrifty, so hopefully no lost jobs there. T-mobile, a U.S. mobile wireless provider is also going out of business. They are rated number four, in the American market for cellular providers. Moody’s Cooperation, which is an invest or service, is well over 100 years old, and going out of business. There is talk that BP will go out of business after the loss they suffered over the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. So far that’s just speculation, but also a good possibility. They lost quite a bit of credibility over the oil spill incident. Zale’s Corporation, which is one of the earliest jewelry retailers in the U.S. They were also one of the first to let you buy items on credit. RadioShack is one of the oldest retailers in the U.S. There is speculation that Best buy is trying to buy them out, so hopefullyShow MoreRelatedTodays Social And Economic Inequality Is A Matter People1343 Words   |  6 Pagesupper class Americans and those who are middle class or below poverty level. In Krugman’s essay â€Å"Confronting Inequality† he addresses the need for change, and has several concepts for how to bring about equality. I agree with several of Krugman’s key ideas in his essay such as; hig her taxes on the rich, raising the minimum wage, and unions. One of the main controversial points in Krugman’s essay is raising taxes on the rich. I agree with his views on this because a lot of the money the upperRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Change 1151 Words   |  5 Pagesthe topic of minimum wage. With president Obama’s increase in the minimum wage to 10.10$ per hour people, both economists and politicians alike, have been debating whether raising the bar is a smart idea. At a time when the country the country’s inflation continues to rise at a steady pace and Americans are constantly working to feed their families, some economists know that a raise in the minimum wage would help elevate some of the difficulty. The last time the federal minimum wage was raised wasRead MoreThe Minimum Wage War, By Barbara Ehrenreich And The Article938 Words   |  4 Pageslike these arise in both the story Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich and the article â€Å"The Minimum-Wage War† by Rol ling Stone. At first glance, these writings may seem unrelated; However, the themes of minimum wage and work ethic go hand-in-hand with respect to these texts. These writings express the correlation that working a minimum wage job and having a strong work ethic does not always result in enough money to pay for the cost of living. Consequently, unskilledRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Act Of 20071607 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction In 1938, the first national minimum wage laws in the United States were passed as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which served as â€Å"a floor below wages,† to reduce poverty and to ensure that economic growth is shared across the workforce. Today, many people who work for companies that pay at or near the minimum wage and remain near or below the poverty level rely on government health and food security and income programs to supplementRead MoreShould The Minimum Wage Be Increased?1169 Words   |  5 Pageslarge scale over the State of Michigan’s plans to increase the minimum wage from seven dollars and fifty cents to ten dollars. Although increasing the minimum wage may seem beneficial to some, possibly stimulating the economy or increasing the standard of living for those who live below the poverty line, when looking at the economic issue through a larger lens and placing it into its context, one finds that by increasing the minimum wage, not only is the Stat e of Michigan not addressing the most criticalRead MoreThe Impact Of National Minimum Wage On South Africa s Income Inequality Essay1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe impact national minimum wage would have on South Africa’s income inequality should it be implemented. South Africa is still considered one of the countries which still consist of high income inequality. Economists argue that inequality is the most unavoidable part of the economic development and that it continues to increase in developing countries due to economic growth (Keeton, 2014). Inequality is a problem in countries such as South Africa, because it shifts the attention from bigger andRead MoreThe United States Systemic Process Of Waging For Labor1402 Words   |  6 Pagesresearch in this essay primarily focuses on the United States systemic process of waging for labor. Raising the minimum wage is currently one of the biggest issues in the economy today where most economists are at a bias. This minimum hourly wage has been through an array of changes that have led us to a high raise of $10 come 2018. I chose this topic because I strongly believe in an equal income for all part-time workers. Even though we were previously informed that Hawai‘i’s minimum is suppose d toRead MoreJames Madison s Federalist Paper1269 Words   |  6 PagesIn James Madison’s federalist paper he begins by telling the reader what his intentions are for writing the essay. He wants the citizens to understand the structure of this suggested government, and how it makes liberty attainable. Madison believes that each individual branch should be independent and in order for this to be possible no one branch should overpower another. He explains that the only way for that to happen is if the citizens vote for the president, the legislators, and judges. MadisonRead MoreThe American Dream : Dead, Alive, Or On Hold By Brandon King953 Words   |  4 Pagesin search for work — especially if they don’t have a job ready for them. Years ago, after American slaves gained their freedom and we’re allowed to work and live like anyone else, a change happened in our economy. Barack Obama says it best in his essay, A More Perfect Union. He sates that â€Å"[ he’s] gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. [He is] married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slave owners — an inheritanceRead MoreRaising The Minimum Wage?2447 Words   |  10 PagesThe minimum wage is defined as the lowest compensation, by law, which an employer may pay his or her employees. In the United States, this monetary value is set by a collection of laws on the federal, state, and local levels. While state and local governments may choose to observe a higher minimum wage than the national minimum wage, the federal government ultimately controls the income of the nation’s lowest-earning employees. At the federal level, the minimum wage was last raised in 2009, from

Friday, December 13, 2019

International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Free Essays

string(43) " create significant comparative advantage\." INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR II (1089) Individual Paper Review By Diana Kovacheva ID 0752805 I. Abstract This paper has the purpose to review the seven articles and parts of books stated in class and evaluate them with the help of 3 criteria. Firstly, the three chosen criteria are going to be defined. We will write a custom essay sample on International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then a brief summary of each article or book chapter is going to be made followed by an evaluation according to the mentioned criteria. . II. The Criteria * Currency This criteria is supposed to define if the information in the article is current, not only by stating when it was published, but also by analyzing if this is from importance for the purpose/outcome of the article. This criterion might be very important when evaluating factual information, because new findings constantly emerge. However, for some type of information, currency is not an issue. * Objectivity This criterion is supposed to check if the information presented is mostly based of facts or it just expresses personal opinion. Important for the evaluation is to examine whether the claims are logical and credible and if there is evidence for that. * Relevance for practitioners Here it is important to evaluate if the information given in the article could be of use for the audience it is meant for. For this paper, under â€Å"audience† is meant people who deal with the issue of international human resource management and organizational behavior. III. Global Managers: no longer men alone The article of Nancy Adler explores the changing role of women in management position and traces the evolution of the perceptions of the female role and that of diversity in the context of successful global management. The introduction to the topic stresses on the fact that the traditional judgment for one’s skills and abilities based on gender is increasing the opportunity costs for the companies. Due to the global intensified competition, it is becoming more and more crucial for a company’s success to recognize a potential talent regardless of its gender. This has led to an increasing number of female representatives to be found in top leading position. Following this trend, questions about the difference in the management style of both genders have arisen. Furthermore, no consensus has been reached on the issue if male and female managers act differently or they are just perceived to do so. For the better understanding of this issue, a table with a set of six questions – three behavior- vs. hree perceptual-based, two descriptive vs. four evaluating, was presented. In it individual assumptions showed different dimensions of â€Å"difference†, some people stating just that both type of managers are similar or different, and others evaluating the difference as inferior or superior. It was criticized the fact, that most of the assumptions are based on perceptions and not on real observations, due to the fact that still not so many women are to be found in higher positions. After further reclassification of the questions, four approaches were presented about increasing the number of women in global management positions: 1) Identifying with men’s approaches to managing internationally : Here management by men is conceived to be superior to that by women and women try adopt their manner of managing; 2) Denying difference : this approach assumes that there are no differences, there is only one way to manage and both male and female managers are treated identically; 3) Identifying with women’s approaches to managing internationally : here the difference between the two gender is agreed upon, but also the women’s superiority in managing because of the typical characteristics of the female gender and their increasing importance in doing business globally; 4) Creating synergy : this approach stresses on the contribution and synergies of the combined management styles ‘ The article also presents the evolution of organizational culture and classifies it into 5 stages: 1) Homogenous culture: in this first stage it is mainly the historical-conditioned dominance of men in leading roles. This is possible only when no internal or external pressure is present and diversity is irrelevant; 2) Single-culture dominance: identifying with men – since the 60s, equality on the two genders was promoted which led to an increased number of women in domestic and low-level position; 3) Denial of differences: the stress here is not on the gender, but on excellent performers. However, the identical treatment of women like men led to many women in top positions resigning because of the unsatisfactory conditions; 4) Accepting differences: companies recognized and appreciated the different between the genders and the importance of tolerating women’s approach for market segments dominated by women; 5) Leveraging differences: the increased global competition since the beginning of the 20th century has led to the recognition of the importance of diversity and diversity-based learning and innovation. As a conclusion, the evolution of the role women has played over time was briefly summarized again, stressing on the shift from quantitative to qualitative measures. The authors mentions that still only few companies have reached the last level and recommends a more open discussion about the importance of diversity. * Currency : the article was published in 2002 and most of the sources are from the 90s; furthermore, the last trends discussed has started with the beginning of the century and so, are still current; * Objectivity: the statements made are mostly based on research on a global level and a logical relationship between the arguments and the stages presented in obvious * Relevance for practitioners: the topic is of high relevance and importance for practitioner. The issue presented in the article in increasingly discussed globally and represents a crucial part in the modern understanding of management. IV. Creating Values with Diverse Teams in Global Management The central issue in this article is how to create value with global diverse teams and the obstacles that arise using such teams. There teams are believed to have a lot of potential and be able to create significant comparative advantage. You read "International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior" in category "Essay examples" However, in practice this is usually not the case because of misunderstandings and lack of interaction between the various cultures. On the other hand, exactly the cultural differences are believed to create value due to the multi-sided approach and innovative solutions they can generate. According to the article, global teams were divided into three performance categories: * The destroyers: those team usually underperform because of mutual mistrust and lack of collaboration * The equalizers: by suppressing the differences, these teams are just performing on average in order for the business to keep going * The creators: here the potential of a global teams is fully taken advantage of and cost and time are saved while coming up with new and innovative products at the same time As stated in the article, the success of the creators? team was due to the use of the three principles of mapping, bridging and integrating (MBI). * Mapping to understand the differences: i. e. understanding the reasons that lead to the different approach of the team members. This principle includes the following steps: define the territory (identification of the crucial differences), draw the map ( assessment of members` characteristics), assess the terrain ( using the map generated in the prev ious step in order to identify future potential dynamics), develop cartographers ( mapping alone is not enough for high performance, incorporating the knowledge is what makes difference). Bridging to Communicate Across Differences: here of great importance in the well-functioning communication within the team, the latest define in the article as â€Å"sending and receiving meaning as it was intended†. Three steps are included in this principle : prepare the ground ( â€Å"motivation to communication†¦ and confidence to overcome any differences† are considered to be crucial, keyword here is also self-management), decenter : build to the other shore ( adapting one? s behavior and thinking to the other’s one, without judgment), recenter: span the bridge ( in contrast to the previous step, here essential is the building of a new basis of interaction after the differences are already known). Integrating to Leverage Differences: the final principle in order to ma nage diversity consist of the following steps: managing participation for basic leverage with the help of tools and techniques that can facilitate the interaction and include all the members, resolving disagreement ( also hidden ones) to increase leverage and building on ideas for optional leverage, where everybody should be given the chance to take part and to express their ideas. In conclusion, the article states that the MBI principles are just a prescription, and not a guarantee of success. Furthermore, a separate approach for each team should be applied since each team and its potential is unique. Last but not least, the article concludes with the statement that global teams hide great potential, but it takes time and effort in order for it to be exploited. However, global teams belong inevitable to the future and so, the sooner managers try to use differences and not to avoid them, the better their companies will be performing * Currency: The topic is quite current nowadays. It has been discussed for a large degree in the recent years and it is also going to be a leading issue in the years to come. Also, due to the high degree of unsatisfactory performance of such teams, the topic is going to be further analyzed till some form of advance has been found. Objectivity: The arguments presented are following a certain, easily-traceable scheme, with logical relationships and empirical supported information. The logical transition from one stage to another is solidly explained. * Relevance for practitioners: this is highly important topics for practitioners. Because of the effects o f increasing globalization and the more free movement of people on a global level, work in diverse teams has become a major issue for managers. Especially the fact, that in such teams a huge potential is hidden, makes the article very attractive for this audience. V. Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe : an Introduction to the project GLOBE The article of House et al. ntroduces and gives a more detailed description of the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) research program as well as the motives that hide behind the idea. The aim of the survey is to identify how and to what extend could cultural-specific attributes have an influence on effective leadership. The need for a deeper understanding of the influence of culture on management and leadership styles has arisen for various reasons. Apart from its practical relevance, nowadays it is also highly important to know in what way one should conduct business in a dif ferent cultural environment. In addition to that, factors, not taken into consideration in the existing theories ( e. g. eligion, ethnic background) could play a key role in identifying new relationships. Literature on this issue shows an established connection between culture and leadership styles. However, different points of view also exist. According to the article, some believe that historical background inevitably has an impact on the degree of cooperation and commitment. On the other hand, some aspects of leadership are thought to be universal in practice. The GLOBE research consists of several phases and different methods are being used in order to study the relationship between societal and organizational culture, as well as organizational leadership. Its team is represented by the Principal Investigator (who is author of the article), Co-Principal Investigators and Country Co-Investigators (CCIs), who have a specific knowledge of the examined cultures and are able to interpret the results in a proper way and context. As stated in the article, the main goal behind the idea for the GLOBE project was to develop an empirically-tested theory which examines the impact of different cultural variables on effective leadership. Of course, this was achieved with the help of numerous sub-questions, which studied different aspects of the acceptance of leader behavior. The following phases were used in the research: Phase 1 – development of research instruments (societal and organizational measures of culture) ; * Phase 2 – assessment of nine relevant dimensions and testing the hypotheses made; additional measures of ethnic, social, political and economic background were also included; * Phase 3 – impact and effectiveness of leadership styles, culture-specific and organization-specific aspects; long-term effects on the organization; In order to conduct the research, unanimous definitions of the examined factors were needed. A consensus was reached about the definition of â€Å"an organizational leadership† and â€Å"a leader†. However, it was not so easy to give a definition for â€Å"culture†. As House et al. states in the article, the chosen variables were â€Å"indicators of shared modal values of collectivist† (House et al, 2002, p. 5) The studied nice dimensions were: Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Societal and In-Group Collectivism, Gender Egalitarianism, Assertiveness ( reflecting the Hofstede dimensions), Future Orientation ( Kluckhohn Strodtbeck ), Performance Orientations ( Mcclelland ) and Human Orientation ( Kluckhohn Strodtbeck ) . The empirical research identified six of those nine dimensions that could be generalized for different cultures. The results were not presented in the article with further details but a reference to another article of the same author was made. The integrated theory in the areas of leadership, values/belief, implicit motivation and organizational form and effectiveness that hides behind the GlOBE model is based on various propositions about the relationships between cultural values, leaders’ actions, organizational and societal culture, strategic organizational contingencies and leader’s effectiveness and his acceptance by others. Currency: The GLOBE project began in the mid-90s and so, the data analyzed has been collected also towards that time, which makes them considerably current. Furthermore, the topic is of great relevance and this would remain so also in the future. Many current studies are also based on the GLOBE project, which means that the information and data it provides are considered to be up-to-date. * Objectivity: The research has been conducted in several phases, also with the usage of different methods, which means that the results presented could be considered for highly reliable. Also, the logical connection between the arguments and the main points discussed are easy to follow and well-grounded. * Relevance for practitioners: Leadership is also one of the main issues of the new century. Due to the fact that business is conducted worldwide and one and the same company is expanding to new and foreign markets, the problem of effective leadership has been worrying many managers. This is why this article provide an important and relevant information for managers and leaders. VI. Cultural Acumen for the Global Manager: Lessons from Project GLOBE The article by Javidan House focuses on cultural similarities and a difference among many of the countries examined in the GLOBE project, discusses the results and explains their implications for global managers. Globalization itself in considered to be bringing many opportunities, but with respect to cultures, it also brings many challenges. As stated in the article: â€Å"Being global is not just about where you do business. It is also about how you do it. † ( Javidan House, 2001, p. 292). As an introduction to the topic, the authors mention the drivers and results of globalization and their impact on international business. Nowadays different cultures come more and more often in contact with each other and business is becoming more global than ever. The main drivers for that are considered to be the increasing trade between nations, internet, foreign direct investments and various mergers and acquisitions. As a result of that, collision of different cultures in the business life has become something common. From this, however, could not be concluded that cultural differences diminish. Quite the opposite, major problems and misunderstandings arise from the lack of awareness for the various cultural values and practices. This is why the importance of a competent global leader is becoming crucial. His role was even rated the most important factor for business success in a survey of Fortune 500. An expert in international business is required to accustom and take into consideration differences as well as to consider the ideas and opinion of the partners he is doing business with. Because of the mentioned above, the authors stress the importance of the GLOBE project as a guide for managers in international business. With the help of the nine dimensions (already mentioned in the previous article as well), the derived results could be used for better understanding of cultural similarities and differences. In the articles the nine dimensions are briefly explained and the results of cultural practices are shortly presented: * Assertiveness – explained as the extent to which a self-confident and assertive behavior is tolerated. Here high score the U. S. , Austria and Spain; low – Sweden, New Zealand respectively, the last being thought to prefer cooperation over competition. * Future Orientation – the inclination for planning and investing in the future. As highly future-oriented appear Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands. On the contrary, Russia, Argentina and Italy are characterized with shorter planning horizon * Gender Differentiation – the emphasize on garner role differences; As paying less importance on gender appear Hungary, Poland and Denmark. , where more women could be found on higher positions. On the other hand, in South Korea, Egypt and China men enjoy higher social status. * Uncertainty Avoidance – in Sweden and Germany more attention is paid to orderliness and structure, whereas in Russia, Greece and Venezuela people are more tolerant towards uncertainty. * Power Distance – here high rank Russia, Thailand and Spain, where superiors are granted greater power and obedience. In countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, however, there is less differentiation in the hierarchical structure. Institutional emphasis on collectivism versus individualism – individual performance counts more in countries like Greece, Italy and Argentina. Cooperation and collective good is more important in Sweden, South Korea and Japan, where because of historical reasons people tend to help and rely on each other for their â€Å"survival†. * In-group collectivism- in Iran, India and China belonging to a group is of great importance. In contract, in Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand people do not feel obliged to the others belonging to their groups. * Performance Orientation – in Singapore, Hong Kong and the U. S. results show a high interest in development and training. In countries like Russia, Italy and Argentina people pay more attention to loyalty and tradition than performance and competition * Humane orientation – in Malaysia, Ireland and the Philippines support of each other is highly valued, whereas in Germany, France and Singapore people are more interested in power and material gains. As the authors point out, the results of the GLOBE project provide information managers can rely on when confronted with cross-cultural communication. Because of the high sensitivity of each culture, for successful negotiations it is crucial to be aware of some cultural differences in the other country, concerning direct language and punctuality, contract horizon, hierarchy etc. As a further advantage of the project, the author point out the high reliability that the findings provide. All in all, the GLOBE provides guidance and help for the global managers and enhances their cultural acumen. Currency: As already mentioned by the evaluation of the previ ous article, the information that the GLOBE project provides and the possible areas of its implication are a topical relevance and high interest. Furthermore, the problem discussed in the article in a global problem at the moment and will probably be in the next decades. * Objectivity: Data for the research has been gathered in several phases, also with the usage of different methods, which means that the results presented could be considered for highly reliable. Arguments are logically connected and relationships between the results of the project and the problem discussed are supported. Relevance for practitioners: Since globalization brings so many opportunities and doing business abroad always includes minimum a collision of two different cultures, the impact of culture on the business and negotiation process has been of high relevance for practitioners Because the article provides important information in this matter, it could be used as a guide with real-life related tips. VII . Culture: the neglected concept The book chapter â€Å"Culture: the neglected concept† has as main issue the prediction of behavioral differences across cultures. At the beginning the role of culture is discussed as a tool for cross-cultural comparison, as well as the different aspects that culture, social system and society imply. However, no clear conclusion was reach at on how to differentiate cultures. Furthermore, the author mentions also that there is a huge diversity within major nations (e. g. Japan, UK, the Netherlands) and also that there are many conflicts within nations. As next, with the help of key studies, the author tries to develop a conceptual framework which would help to identify variables with which cultures could be differentiated. Different studies using economic development factors, or ecological and sociopolitical indicators were discussed, but in both cases there were criticism and inconsistent findings. A positive contribution was considered the work of Hofstede in his book â€Å"Culture’s consequences†. He has analyzed a large scale data bank and on this basis has developed a model how to compare countries. He has classified them into four dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism and masculinity- femininity. Of course, that model is considered to be just one possibility in finding differences among on a country level. Hofstede’s study was criticized on various basis, but still the data used covers a substantial global sample. Furthermore, conformity is identified in the definition of culture by Hofstede and Rohner. However, it has been pointed out that the core values of Hofstede are applicable to national cultures and not individuals, and as still, they are average results. The Chinese Culture Connection pointed out the necessity to discount cultural bias from the results Hofstede came with. The results of their research overlapped to a great extend with those of Hofstede (three out of four factors). In addition to that, another variable was also proposed which led later on to the supplement of a fifth dimension. Another study by Schwarz was reviewing earlier history and defined three needs as essential: biological needs, social coordination needs, and the survival and welfare needs. This study was more analyzing the meaning different people put into values and it focused more on individuals rather than countries. However, the results were seen as a more detailed version than those of Hofstede. Furthermore, Trompenaars examined value dilemmas across nations. He proposed seven dimensions, some of them very close to the ones of Hofstede plus conservatism-egalitarian commitment and loyal involvement – utilitarian involvement. In the last part of the chapter a step-wise approach towards identifying a useful conceptual framework was adopted. Firstly, a search for universal aspects of social behavior, mainly used by social anthropologists and psychologist, has been discussed. In this place universals are further divided into simple, variform and functional ones, the first two mainly used by ‘etic’ analysis of human behavior and the third one- in ‘emic’ analysis. The last one (emic analysis) is considered for the most reliable method for making generalizations on a local level. In this first step also the four elementary forms of social relations by Fiske are mentioned : ‘communal sharing’ , ’authority ranking’ (these two similar to two of the Hofstede’s dimensions) , ‘equality matching’ ( i. e. parties relate on the basis of equal contribution) and ‘market pricing’ (i. e. people use their comparative advantages over the others). The second step mentioned is the dilemma about the cultural causation of human behavior. A problematic point here is to determine if the research question is to be examined at the individual- or at the culture- level (the so called levels of analysis). The article proposed several different approached by different researchers. Furthermore, Smith and Schwartz (1997) proposed the following dimensions: autonomy vs. embeddedness and equality vs. ierarchy, which resemble again some of the Hofstede’s dimensions (namely individualism-collectivism and power distance), but u sing the updated results from some more recent studies. Then the authors introduce a further division of collectivism according to the context it is meant: in a hierarchical or egalitarian one. According to Parsons and Shils there is also another pair of concept: universalism and particularism. The first is describing the equal distribution of justice and the second – the subjective desire to associate with somebody. The final part of the chapter comes back to the major issue if values of people serve as a sufficient orientation point when cultures are being compared. Behavior is also mentioned to play an important role in this matter. Different studies are offering different approaches and assumptions concerning those variables and it is also presumed that this is a potential future field of further research. * Currency: Concerning this criterion, this chapter might be classified as a bit old. A reason for that is not only the publication year (1998), but also because many of the studies and data used for it are already dating to even earlier. As it is quite well-known, the new century brought with itself many new directions for the futures and the impact of globalization on culture-related issues changes every now and then. * Objectivity: In this chapter various authors and research results are mentioned, however with the criticism that some of the researches conducted do not based on a solid and reliable data. The different concepts are relationships between concepts and studies are explained, but due to the large number of studies and various explanations, the comprehensiveness sometimes goes lost and this might lead to losing the logic of the argument. * Relevance for practitioners: the approach in this chapter is more theoretical relevant than practical. Many studies are discussed, which are based on different approaches and research fields. However, less practical applicability in real business life has been detected. VIII. Theoretical Basis: Intercultural Communication and Cooperation The article of Thomas begins with a discussion about culture and its meaning. He compares it with a ‘system of orientation’ that creates a sense of belonging among the members of the same culture due to its specific features. Moreover, based on the usage of the same symbols and meanings, people can identify that they belong to the same group. However, in the socialization process it often happens that we are confronted with an unfamiliar behavior. Here a crucial point is what orientation signals to use when two persons from different cultures are in a conflict situation. A good example of the different approaches of Germans and Americans is given – the first handing more customer-oriented and the second caring more about technical perfection. Those examples lead to the conclusion that some general cultural standards exists that can explain why different cultures act differently and the same situation. Furthermore, domain-specific cultural standards also exist, which are bound to a specific context. Lastly, another study indicates also the existence cultural-specific behavior patterns. The main use of cultural standards in that they provide a helping hand for orientating and explain why the partner behaves unfamiliar. The knowledge of other culture standards can be very important by interpersonal negotiating and cooperating. In addition to national culture, the concept of corporate culture also exists and it is highly influenced by the first one. In an organization, many factors, such as the industry the company in operating in and other job-related factors have an impact on the behavior of its members/employees and thus they can also form a â€Å"common language† and values. It is suggested that corporate culture can be analyzed on the basis a three-level-model suggested by Schein. Those are: material and immaterial artefacts (easy to identify, but not to interpret their impact), values, norm and rules of behaviour (great influence) and basic assumption (vastly accepted values that help attain corporate goals). Thus, due to the daily interaction people in a corporation create their own subjective reality, based on the common values and social norms. So, as stated in the article, corporate culture is influenced by and influences national culture on the one side, and on the other, there are also subcultures formed within the corporate one. As a further point in the article the effects of internalization are discussed. Because of this phenomenon, the international atmosphere that is more often to find in many work places, cause that many different national cultures collide in an organization. Here an importance should also be paid to the industry the company is operating. The author mentions both the advantages and challenges of internalization and mentions that the inability to identify with the newly formed corporate culture can has a serious negative impact on the newly formed company. This is why the issue of the transition from the old to a new system has become a central concern for the leaders of such international corporations. The last part deals with cultural overlap, more precisely, the situation when two people with different cultures (values and understandings too) are supposed to work together. This difference can either improve the work together or threaten it. In the article four type of behavioural ruler are presented: either the own culture is considered for superior and the other party has to adapt or vice versa. The third option would be the one, where the two parties are too different in order to cooperate in any case. The best option, however, is when significant elements of the two cultures and combined and integrated into a new one. A Challenge in those rules is to gain more understanding about the cause-effect relationship of each other’s behaviour and also to have a deeper understanding about the own way of thinking and judgement and the reasons defining the way of perception of the other. New opportunities could be recognized and exploited only if a person is open for and interested in the different culture, and not taking right away the unfamiliar behaviour for one of lower rang. Obviously, none of the too extreme options (convergence or divergence) are good for the interaction. As stated in the article, differences should be recognized and acknowledged, and a gradual modification of the own, and adaptation to the other’s culture should follow. The next question that arises is: to what extend should that happen? As a conclusion it is said, that interculturality is only possible is one of the partners has a dominant role. However, he should also be able to understand and accept the other’s behaviour, be tolerant and respect it. This characteristic can be best developed by specialized trainings and intercultural coaching. * Currency: The book from with this chapter comes was published only in 2010, which is an obvious sign of its currency. Furthermore, the issue discussed in it is becoming more and more important with the ever increasing trend towards internalization. Objectivity: The chapter includes different theories, but no own empirical research. Many situations are given as an example for the stated arguments and those sound quite convincin g. Also for the issue discussed, probably observation of behavior in cultural overlap should also be more appropriate. * Relevance for practitioners: The topic is quite important for managers doing business abroad. Even if they are not aware of the fact, that cultural overlap can cause huge problems in negotiations or work together, the topic should be seriously taken by them. The main argument behind that is the fact that the majority of foreign ventures are not successful mainly due to misunderstandings between the parties. IX. The A, B, Cs of Acculturation This chapter is a review of both theory and empirical research concerning acculturation. The term of acculturation is defined here as â€Å"changes that occur as a result of continuous first-hand contact between individuals of different cultures† (Ward, 2001). Furthermore, it can be divided on the basis of various dimensions. In this chapter the focus falls on sojourners, immigrants and refugees on the one hand, and social identification, culture learning and stress and coping theoretical approaches, on the other. The first of the theoretical approaches – social identification- concerns the perception of oneself and others. This can be measured on two levels- on individual (focuses on how acculturation is defined and measured) or on group-level (interaction between a member and a foreigner of a community). Culture learning, on the other hand, blames for the cross cultural problems the ‘foreign’ parties and suggests that they should adapt to the culture-specific variables. The third approach defines the process of adapting as a series of stress-provoking situations, followed by attempts to cope with them. In a reversed order, those approaches constitute the three components of acculturation- affective, behavioral and cognitive, the so called A, B, Cs of acculturation. The question how to define adaptation has been mentioned as an important point. Many indices resulting from numerous researches have been proposed, each offering different approach and models. However, as common variables in all mentioned measures appear the psychological well-being/satisfaction and the effective relationships with representatives of the new culture. Furthermore, the author proposes two major categories for intercultural adaptation – psychological adjustment and sociocultural adaptation – that provide a good but still scarce overview. A model that combines the three theoretical approaches and the two aspects of cross-cultural adaptation is further introduced and described in details. On the cognitive side (social identification), three models are mentioned for fundamental changes of cultural identity: assimilation of the foreign culture, a middle position between assimilation and separatism (bicultural identity) and the perception of the host and home cultures as independent. The following findings were presented: younger immigrants tend to be more easily acculturated; men get accustomed quicker than women and second generation immigrants are more opened to adapt. In addition to that, demographic, educational and socioeconomic factor also have an impact on acculturation. However, a recommendation for further theory development has been because of the insufficiency and inconsistency of the existing ones. The next approach – cultural learning- focused on behavioral changes in connection with cultural interaction in order to gain useful skills to adapt. Social skills and social interaction has been mentioned as crucial. However, many barriers, may threaten the successful intercultural communication. For example, nonverbal forms, such as gestures, silence or facial expression, that have different meaning across cultures, may lead to even an insult without any purpose. These obstacles can be over masters with the help of cultural trainings, participation and intercultural friendships. Sociocultural adaptation could be facilitate with more culture-specific knowledge, it follows a learning curve and it is easier for sedentary groups. Of greatest importance for the last theoretical approach is the prediction of psychological adjustment. For the stress-and-coping approach cultural contact and change are crucial because they lead to the search of a response. Here also a recommendation for further research in the area has been made. In the conclusion the author mentions that concerning acculturation, the field of research is vast. The combination of theory and conducted research contributes to the better understanding of the issue, but it is still not universal. Cultural differences could easily be translated into assimilation discouragement and psychological and sociocultural problems. Even if great development in the area of acculturation has been witnessed, for the future more comprehensive and larger scale studies would be warmly welcomed. Currency: The chapter has been published in the beginning of the century, thus also marking the beginning of the century where borders have less and less meaning. The topic is also one that is highly discussed and many future researches will be directed towards the issue of accul turation. * Objectivity: The chapter represents a mix of various theories and empirical studies, the results of various relevant to the topic studies has been presented and so, this criteria could be considered as fully fulfilled. * Relevance for practitioners : No doubt the problem of acculturation and the impact on a global level is of high relevance for practitioners. Especially since borders has lost their meaning, nowadays people are moving all around the world, and consequently, are directly faced with the problem. References: Adler, N. : Global managers: no longer men alone. In : The international Journal of Human Resource Management, 2002, Vol. 13(5) (pp. 746-761) Distefano,J. , Maznevski, M. : Creating Values with Diverse Teams in Global Management. In : Organizational Dynamics, 2000, Vol. 19 (1) (pp. 45-63) House, R. , Javidan, M. , Hanges,P. , Dorfman, P. : Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe: an introduction to the project GLOBE. In: Journal of World Business, 2002, Vol. 37 (pp. 3-10) Javidan, M. , House, R. Cultural Acumen for the global manager: Lessons from project GLOBE. In: Organizational Dynamics, 2001, Vol. 29, (4) (pp. 289-305) Smith,P. B. , Bond, M. H. : Culture: the neglected concept. In: Social Psychology across Cultures, 1998, 2nd edition, Harlow, London, New York (pp. 38-69) Thomas, A. : T heoretical Basis of Intercultural Communication and Cooperation. In: Thomas, A. , Kinast, E. , Schroll-Machl: Handbook of intercultural Communication and Cooperation: Basics and Areas of Application, 2010, 1st edition, Vandenhoeck Ruprecht (17-52) Ward,C. : The A,B,Cs of Acculturation. In: Matsumoto (ed. ): The Handbook of Culture and Psychology, New York, 2001 How to cite International Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Demographic Transition and economic growth free essay sample

What Is demographic transition? How can demographics of a country have an Impact on Its economic growth? Let me first address the first part of this question, Demographic transition refers to a change in the development stage of the country as it transgresses from a pre-industrialized era to an industrialized. The major change witnessed in the country will be a distinctive decrease in the birth and the death rates. This transition is illustrated through a demographic transition model. The demographic transition model theory is based on an illustration demonstrated by demographer Warren Thompson; his illustration is based on an observation of birth and death rates in various industrialized countries over the last 200 years. Although a relation between the industrialization and population rate has been established, It cannot be said with certainty whether Industrialization leads to lower population or lower population leads to Industrialization. Therefore, It has been witnessed that as societies develop, they go from high birth and death rates to low ones. The demographic transition model illustrates that birth and death rates fluctuate but reach equilibrium eventually. Basically, the transition includes 4 elaborate stages. They are: Stage One (The Pre-longitudinal Stage): This is the most primitive stage. There is a high birth and death rates. Death rates are very high at this stage because of: 1 . Lack of knowledge of diseases; it prevention and cure. 2. Occasional food shortages. 3. Birth rates are high at this stage because of: 4. Low literacy rate 5. Absence of government policies that support small females 6. No of knowledge about birth control or family planning Moreover, In agricultural countries, farmers bear more children as more children meaner more working hand which substantiates more income. Also, In developing countries (mostly Hindu and Arab) and many African communities, they have a traditional belief that large families generate status. Countries in stage 1: Angola, Uganda Stage Two (The Industrial Revolution): In this stage there are a lot of births, however the death rate Is low. Ultimately this life expectancy are: 1. Improved food supplies 2. Better nutrition facilities 3. Improvements in medical and health expertise 4. Improved hygiene and sanitation 5. Safer water source. Countries in Stage 2: Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nigeria Stage Three (Post-Industrial Revolution) This is the stage at which there is a low death rate as well as a declining birth rate. Hence, there is a growth of population. Reasons for low birth rates: 1. Family planning 2. Better education 3. Low infant mortality rate Countries in Stage 3: Egypt, Costa Rica Stage Four: Stabilization This stage is characterized by stability. There is a low birth rate and a low death rate. The total population may be high but is balanced. In this stage, people live an industrialized way of life where there is a desire for smaller families and various birth control measures also widely available. Countries in Stage 4: Canada, Argentina, United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom and other European Countries. How can demographics of a country have an impact on its economic growth? Let me begin by defining what demography is. The word demo meaner people and graph meaner measurement. Demography is the study of the human population on the various categories. It includes the study of size, structure, and distribution of the population. Likewise, the word demographics is closely related to the word demography. Demographics are nothing but measurable statistics of a given population. Gender, ethnicity, employment status, income level, age group, literacy level, mortality rate, ethnicity, language and disabilities are commonly used demographic subsets of any region. These demographic subsets can have a significant effect on the economic growth of any nation. Moreover, we all know that human factor is the basic driver of the economy of any country. Let us examine some of these human demographic subsets and analyses their effect on the economy of a nation. Literacy Rate: develop a country also flourishes. Education fosters better Job opportunities which improve the GNP and per capita income of the country. Educated people are capable of utilizing their capabilities to the fullest; thereby making use of all the resources available. In a country where there is low literacy rate most of the people work as laborers in the primary sector of the economy but education helps move to the secondary sector as people hold respectable positions in the society as doctors, engineers, pilots, businessmen etc. Apart from that, there is awareness in the society about everything. People are more aware about their health, the environment, and the society. They are more responsible and there will be less crime rates as well. Therefore, the human development index increase and so does the living standard. There is a positive effect on the economy of a county as a result of higher literacy rate. Age Structure: Age structure is a vital demographic subset that can have a significant impact on the growth of any economy. Basically, the age structure of a country can be divided economically in two categories: the working age group and the dependent age group. The working age group includes people between the age of 21-65 and the dependent population are the ones between 0-21 and 65 and above. If the working age group of people is high the economy of a country will be greatly benefited. As more people will participate in the economy, the economy boosts. There will be more innovation and creation in the economy leading to more trade and more employment opportunities. These people are independent and the government does not need to invest much on them. On the other hand, if the dependent population is high then, the government has to provide child health care facilities, education, hygiene maintenance facilities, and food supplies. Likewise, for the old age population, the government will have to provide health care facility, develop various health technologies, pension facilities, establish old age homes, etc. Hereford, if the dependent population is higher than the working population then the economy of a country suffers. There will be more expenditure in comparison to income. Fertility: Similarly, fertility is another factor that is closely related to the economic growth of a country. Demographic trends show that as the average births decreases income per person in creases and so does the Gross National Income of the country. Many countries with high fertility have low income like Macaque, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. On the other hand, countries like South Korea and Singapore have high income rates and low fertility rates that allows for a high workforce in relation to the population size. One of the reasons why many countries have made economic progress is because women started having fewer children. Smaller family sets the stage for countries to better manage their population growth and reduce constraints on economic growth. As economic opportunities expand and smaller families become the norm, countries economy flourishes. Moreover, family planning enables couples to achieve their desired family size. Keeping the family pressure low, women are also they are at a better position take advantage of economic opportunities available and invest in the development of the country. All in all, it is rightfully said that human capital is the most important driving force of any economy. It is one of the major factors of production of any economy. The various demographic subsets like age structure, gender, income level, literacy rate, employment status all effect the economic growth of any country.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

The scarlet ibis free essay sample

In the short story, â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis†, James Hurst uses nature imagery to symbolize the narrator’s mixed emotions, supporting the theme that selfish pride generally causes more harm than good. In the story the narrator doesn’t know whether to care or be proud of his brother, or to be ashamed and careless. He has befuddled emotions towards his brother and he just wants him to be normal. In the story, the narrator teaches Doodle how to walk. Not because he cares about Doodle, but because he is embarrassed of him. â€Å"They did not know that I did it for myself†, (pg434, L181-L184). He only helped Doodle for his own selfish reasons. The narrator didn’t want to be seen with a handicap brother, so he encouraged or forced Doodle to walk and act like a regular kid. So he didn’t help Doodle out of brotherly love but out of being egoistic and caring what people thought of him and his family. We will write a custom essay sample on The scarlet ibis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page James Hurst use of the Scarlet Ibis is a representation or symbol of Doodle. Both are fragile and rare, but special and exotic as well. â€Å"Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty†,(pg439, L304-L306). The scarlet ibis just died right in front of the family after traveling so many miles from home. The scarlet ibis is similar to Doodle, they both were in a place that was not suitable for them, and both were pushed to their limit. The scarlet ibis foreshadows Doodle’s death in the story. Towards the end of the story, the narrator is disappointed in Doodle because they didn’t finish their intentions for the summer. . The narrator pushes Doodle to his limit, to his full extent, to make sure he becomes like the â€Å"regular kids†. He was so angry with Doodle that words couldn’t express his feelings; he was probably thinking about how people would think about him and his crippled brother. â€Å"The rain was coming , roaring through the pines, and the, like a bursting candle, a gum tree ahead of us shattered†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and in the moment before the rain arrived, I heard†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ‘Don’t leave me’†, (pg. 441, (L366-L370). This storm represents the narrator’s mixed emotions toward his brother. He was so angry, and upset with Doodle, that it forces him to leave him behind. The narrator was so vexed with Doodle that he left him back at Old Woman Swamp in the storm. Just because their plans were not complete, that does not leave him any reason to leave Doodle, his brother, who has the same flesh and blood as him. â€Å"The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..that streak of cruelty within me awakened†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦soon I could hear his voice no more†, (pg. 441, L371-L375). Because he was so angry, he left running away, leaving him behind, where death rested upon Doodle. If he didn’t have such an intense cruelty in him, he would’ve gone back and helped Doodle. The narrator didn’t know what to do he was so confused, sometimes he felt hatred towards Doodle and sometimes he didn’t, he had unbalanced emotions. He cared about what people thought of him, that what caused him to pressure Doodle to do things and push him to his limit. The narrator was so inconsiderate which supports the theme that selfish pride generally causes more harm than good.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Fight Club Essay

Fight Club Essay The movie Fight Club illustrates how society has become consumers, where people are being brainwashed with idea that they need to have materialistic goods that they dont really need and also depicts that a solution to this crisis is living in a dilapidated house where one can discard the influences of the outside world and consumerism however this illustration is accurate by generalizing society as a whole. Point one; we are being manipulated by society in to believing that we need things that are unnecessary. The beginning scene of the movie Nortons character was describing that he has become a slave to the Ikea network. As a representative of society Norton admits that Were consumers. Were by-products of a lifestyle obsession. The IKEA magazine is a perfect example of this. Society has led him to believe that he needed the highest quality or that type of style furniture. Another example of how society manipulates the thinking of an individual is after Nortons apartment blew up and he was looking at his empty refrigerator. The point is that he had unconsciously prioritized having more material possessions such as furniture in his apartment than essential food for himself. There are two scenes in the movie that follow the meaning of this quote I say never be complete, never be perfect. The first scene that correlates with the quote is when Norton had lost his briefcase at the airport and felt like the world was over. Norton said that he almost was complete with a respectable wardrobe and he was also naming off his brand name apparel that he lost. The second scene that goes with this quote also goes with this quote is at the bar scene with Tyler after his apartment was blown up. Norton was talking about how he felt about buying his last sofa because he was saying that it was the last sofa that he needed to buy because he felt almost complete in his lifestyle where he had everything that one could need. The quotes interpretation is as follows: Someone who had not been perfect would not be so terrified losing there belongings than a person who was trying to be perfect because would not have lost as much as the person who was complete.The things you own end up owning you. This last quote is very real in our society which is shown greatly at the bar scene conversation. The example that Fight Club illustrates is at the conversation in the bar when Norton was emphasizing the need of taking extremely good care of all his furniture which is understandable. The message is clear that the media wants us to do what they tell us to do. Loo k at your own life and decide how big a role society has changed the way you think about beliefs, relationships, and what to buy. Do you always want to be told what to do? What can you do to reject the influence of consumerism in your life? The movie fight club offers a solution which is living in a dilapidated house where one can reject all the influences of the outside world and consumerism. In the movie Norton feels that society he has been manipulating him. As a result of his realization he blows up his apartment to signify his rejection of it all. One example that the movie shows as a sign of rejection is the conversation with Tyler outside the bar. His choice of not going to a hotel for a place to stay represents that he doesnt want to go back to the same lifestyle where he would have everything pretty much complete. One narration bit in the movie illustrates it is possible for one to reject society and not be sad or feel in withdrawal. The narration occurs in Nortons first few months at the ramshackled house when he said at the end of the first month he didnt even miss TV and he didnt mind a warm stale refrigerator. A quotation that is supportive of how Norton has become more interesting and confident in his character is Its only after weve lost everything that we are free to do anything. This quotation applies to Norton because he had lost everything that was important to him i.e. his briefcase and his apartment. Now with a fresh start over he is able to pick and choose what he feels is appropriate to live a live without being told my society what to do. Lastly as he finally comes to a more realization of how a better person he has become by rejecting society he decides that blowing up the credit card companies at the end will turn society into a better one but before that happens chaos must take place because On a long enough time line, the survivability rate for everyone drops to zero. By blowing up the credit card companies it will make people go through the same process of what Norton went through. There were five stages that Nortons character went through. Denial was the first stage of what Norton went through he because he couldnt believe that the airport lost his briefcase. Then he became angry or at least was upset that the man said that he owned a dildo. He then went through the stage of bargaining. The scene in the bar when he said that it was ok that he lost his briefcase and his apartment since he had insurance and that everything would be covered. The next stage was depression because he didnt have a place to stay and when he found out it was a run down house he was going to be staying in. The last stage was acceptance where he made the best out of the situation. As a result of Nortons own stages of chaos turned him into a better person who feels free from the influencing of society and feels that the general public would benefit as well as he did. If not in a dilapidated house we should all live in live in a third world country for at least 2 years with no running water, no car, no TV, no supermarkets or Mc Donalds and no computer, and no society telling us how to behave and see how differently we change our lives. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on any topic from our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

EXERCISE MODULE 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

EXERCISE MODULE 8 - Essay Example The company may need to finish the project according to a predefined deadline, it may be done to improve project cash flow, it may be a way of avoiding liquidation damages, it may be a way of recovering early days, it may also be a way of avoiding oncoming danger, for example adverse weather conditions that might affect the project’s progress, and it may also be a way of releasing key resources for an oncoming project (Kohli, 2007). It is also important to recognize that as projects continue, there are several indirect costs incurred that can be eliminated by shortening the duration time. These costs include; cost of equipment, interest on investment, machinery, facilities, personnel, labour, and the cost of time lost when some employees do not come regularly to work (Roy, 2005). Project duration can be reduced depending on the type of work being carried out, and the availability of resources. Projects involving installation or development of new software for a company’ s systems for example, may require a specific skill. This can only be obtained from specific persons. Reducing project duration considering this case will require additional labour time for the specialist. He or she will then be required to work overtime. This however, needs additional resources, for the specialist has to be paid for extra time worked. Project duration time can be reduced by: application of multiple-shifts work, offering incentive payments to increase the productivity, using additional resources when necessary, working extended hours, working on holidays and weekends, and using alternative methods and sequences among others (Roy, 2005). Reducing the time taken to complete a project involves reducing the activities’ duration, or adjusting overlaps between activities. This however, has an effect on the original plan in terms of the cost. Whenever activity duration is reduced, the cost increases. This is because, with reduced time for the activity, it means that additional resources were used to ensure a lot of work is done within a short period. Take an example of construction of a building. For a normal duration, there are seven workers employed to do specific duties. It is expected that their work will be completed in a month. Since the project duration has been reduced to two weeks, the company will have to employ additional workers with the same skills to speed up the work. The workers will have to be paid, therefore, additional resources. The tools and equipment used will also have to be added. A similar understanding can be obtained from overtime work. This requires additional wages, as well as costs used to correct quality problems (Kohli, 2007; Roy, 2005). This shows that there is a relationship between the direct cost, and time of completing an activity. The cheaper the resources, the longer the time they take to complete an activity. If the duration is shortened, there is an increase in direct costs. Direct costs are such as; th e cost of equipment, labour, and materials. This should however, not lead to an assumption that there is an automatic inverse relationship between the project duration and the quantity of resources deployed. This is because, not all activities are similar. There are those that can be done in a short time by deployment of more resources, and there are those that deployment of more resources does not reduce the time needed. For example, it should not be

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ethical failures that led to the economic collapse of 2008 Essay

Ethical failures that led to the economic collapse of 2008 - Essay Example This paper outlines the importance of the moral failures, which led to the global financial crisis. The role of ethic lapses is often neglected by economic analysts. It has been said, the root cause of the crisis was greed, which is defined as an excessive and selfish desire for more of something e.g. money than is needed. The list of neglected virtues also includes temperance and, specifically, the ability to prevent the desire for wealth, social recognition, which thus become barriers to proper professional conduct, and complicity, cowardice and lack of strength. There were also behaviors of arrogance, pride and hubris among finances. Also, among regulators, government and economists: all convinced that their know-how and skills were superior to others, that they had no reason to submit the guidance of others, or that they only were above the law. There have been reports of cases of lack of professional competence on the part of the directors, bad governance, senior analysts and managers in companies such as banks, hedge funds, monoclines, rating agencies, supervisory bodies and the government. Often, the role of asset valuation and analysis, and even buying and selling decisions, was given to young professionals with no or little experience in finance. The act resulted to them using sophisticated methods based on overly simple assumptions, but no one dared criticize their work because no one had better models. Their bosses/superiors did not reckon what their subordinates were doing, models they were using, and they did not exercise adequate oversight. These failures were clear mainly in risk management and analysis, leading to key personnel in virtually all major financial institutions were taking excessive risks.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Integraded pop culture autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Integraded pop culture autobiography - Essay Example Especially in these contemporary times, pop culture is perceived more of a commercial culture, for the commercial value it has. Storey is of the opinion that popular culture emerges from the urbanization of people. Popular culture is an amalgamation of complex forces that are interdependent on each other and impact upon society in every possible way. However, popular culture is never static, but keeps on changing from time to time depending upon the likes and dislikes, tastes and trends of people in the society. It is possible for certain traits in pop culture to be influenced by a sub- culture and be manifested in society if its values are accepted and adopted by them. In comparing popular culture from the 1920’s until now, we find a huge difference in people’s way of life, their music, dance, movies, fashion, sport, art, literature and other media. However, this type of culture is quite popular because it is appeals to a very wide spectrum of people. The different med ia such as television, newspapers, radio and magazines contribute towards popularizing certain aspects of culture mainly to do with entertainment. In this essay an attempt is being made at investigating and analyzing important aspects of popular culture in the 1920’s and today and trying to find out the similarities and differences by comparing the different periods. Music Music in the 1920’s was quite unlike the music that we hear today. The 1920’s is the period when Jazz was most popular. Some of the popular singers and composers of the ‘Jazz Age’ were Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin and the like who changed the face of music during the 1920’s. Gershwin composed some of America’s most popular music such as musical comedies, film scores, songs, opera and his concert composition called ‘Rhapsody and Blues’ (Classical piano and Jazz) during the 1920’s. Some of the famous cartoon characters introdu ced during the 1920’s were Mickey Mouse, (1928) Winnie the Pooh and Betty Boop. However, music in the 21st century has been revolutionized due to the changing times. Most of the modern generation is comfortable with Hip- hop, Rap, Alternate Rock and Rock music as they identify themselves with it and feel that they could express themselves in a way they want. However, Classical music of the ancient period is evergreen even today and has served to influence modern composers. Some compositions that have a world vision and carries a special message for guiding the world to peace and harmony are not only popular but but instill positive attitudes among the people. Marley’s music falls under this category and his song which had the line ‘One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel alright’ (Michael A Stusser, pg. 376) brought inspiration to the hearts of the freedom fighters during the struggle between Zimbabwe and Britain. The Jamaican Government re cognized his great contribution in the arts and awarded him the ‘Order of Merit in 1981. (Michael A Stusser, pg. 376) On the music front, my most favorite Classical composer is Beethoven, while my most admired artist of contemporary music is Eminem. Dance Dance took on a revolutionary turn during the 1920’s after experiencing the restriction and horrors of the war. People went all out to release their pent up emotions brought about by restriction in their

Friday, November 15, 2019

Cause And Affect Of Unemployment In Malaysia Economics Essay

Cause And Affect Of Unemployment In Malaysia Economics Essay Unemployment is a very important issue for every country, especially developing country with a tremendous population. High unemployment means that labor resources are not being used efficiently. In consequence, full employment should be a major macroeconomic goal of government. This essential issue often being included in the government policy or agenda for parliament debate and discussion year after year. After a long period of discussion and debate, it seems no ultimate solution has been found to completely eliminate unemployment. Theoretically, industrial economies are cyclically sensitive as such when it expands, factors including employment, sales, prices and profits will rise. However, when it contracts, downturns are inevitable and significant (Nazaria, 2003). When our national economy is in recession, many firms and companies are close down, it will cause unemployment rate to increase. The financial crisis that started in mid 1997 has affected the Malaysian economy. The impact was evident with the economic growth measured in real GDP began to slow down and registered the first negative growth since 1985 of -7.4 per cent in 1998. Table 1 depicts real GDP growth, labor force and unemployment from 1996 -2003 (UKM Juru Perunding, 2002). The contraction in real GDP affected the labor market resulting in slower employment growth, increased in the unemployment rate and also retrenchment. Labor force registered negative growth of 2.1 per cent and employment declined by 2.8 per cent in 1998 compared to a positive growth of 4.9 and 4.6 per cent in 1996 and 1997, respectively. In the same year, unemployment, on the other hand, experienced a slight increase standing at 3.1 per cent. Retrenchment soared to 83,865 workers in 1998 compared to approximately 19,000 in 1997 (EPU, 1999). Table 1: Real GDP Growth, Labor Force, Employment, Unemployment, Labor Force Participation Rates, 1996-2003 Sources: Nazaria B., 2003: Working paper of Unemployed Graduates: Pre and Post 1997 Crisis. Okuns Law, stated that there is a negative relationship between unemployment rate and real GDP. Okun (1962) found that a deviation of 3 per cent in the GDP will produce a rise by 1 per cent in the unemployment rate. Besides that, Zaleha, Norashidah Judhiana(2007) prove that Okuns Law can be applied to explain Malaysias condition. Results of Table 2 showed that the value of the t-statistic for the coefficient (5.796) is greater than the critical t-value at the ninety five percent confidence level (1.96). This proves that GDP strongly depends on unemployment. Unemployment is one of the main mechanisms that can affect GDP. On the other hand, the result also confirmed that there is a negative relationship between unemployment and output growth. The Coefficient is -1.75 and it is significant at 1 percent level. It means that one percent decline in unemployment will increase output by 1.75 percent. As a result, it will increase the growth rate of the GDP. Table 2: Results of Regression Analysis Sources: Zaleha Mohd Noor, Norashidah Mohamed Nor Judhiana Abdul Ghani (2007). The Relationship between Output and Unemployment in Malaysia: Does Okuns Law exist? Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia,Pp.6 1.2 Objectives of the Study The overall goal of the study is to examine the factors that cause and affect the unemployment in Malaysia. It is important to identify these factors in order to find solutions which can reduce unemployment rate. The study aim to investigate the factors that cause unemployment such as consumption, investment, government spending and trade. They affect the supply and demand in the labor market. While economic recession may cause lack of job opportunity in the job market. Moreover, this study also intends to develop some solutions to solve the problem of unemployment. It is expected that this study will achieve the research objective and highlight some important issues which relate to unemployment. 1.3 Organization of Research Study This study is organized into 3 chapters that will address the overall objective of the research. Each chapter will also serve the purpose of delivering the research following its title. Chapter 1 briefly introduces the research topic Relationship between Unemployment Rate and Economic Growth in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the research objective will be to study the consumption, investment, government spending, as well as the trade that affect economic growth and caused unemployment in Malaysia. Chapter 2 seeks to support the study by providing various relevant journals and articles on the area of interest of the research. This is also the proof of reading the literature relevant to the area of study. Chapter 3 discusses the strategy and method used to collect the data. The research frameworks consist of four independent variables, which are consumption, investment, government spending and trade. Meanwhile, unemployment will be the dependent variable. Secondary data collected from Data Stream and research methods are decided. 1.4 Significant of Study The information gained from this research will be able to provide valuable solution to reduce the unemployment rate in Malaysia. It will also provide Malaysia government with an idea on how important is to reduce the problem of unemployment rate. Reducing the unemployment rate may lead to a better economy in Malaysia due to the increase in productivity of Malaysia. A growth of national income, higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia will then be achieved while the nations will have higher purchasing power and can lead to a better quality of life. Investment, indeed, brings a lot of job opportunity in the country. Whenever foreign direct investments (FDI) invest in the country, there will be a lot of industry set up for production and administration. Thus labor demand will be increased due to the investment. It then decreases a certain amount of unemployed. Another factor to reduce the unemployment is through the government spending. Government needs to build and construct many of the facilities in the country for the societys benefits. Government needs to spend on construction of big projects; this injection of money will help to create the job opportunity for the labor in the country. Unemployment will be decreased. Trade is one of the factors to reduce the unemployment as the working opportunity is created when two countries trade. Increasing of trade internationally meaning there will be an up surging of export. Thus, domestic supply of goods is needed to meet the international demand. From that, the people have an opportunity to produce and manufacture new product for the trade among the countries. 1.5 Research Question The research question for the study would be Relationship between Unemployment Rate and Economic Growth in Malaysia. Several independent variables affecting the unemployment rate will be investigated to see how actually it will influence the economic growth in Malaysia. The details of the study are: To study the consumption pattern affect the economic growth. To investigate whether investment affect the unemployment rate. To examine whether government spending affect the unemployment rate. To study the effect of trade on the unemployment rate. 1.6 Problem Statement Unemployment is a negative issue that may arise in every country around the world. As long as a person is involved in the labor market, he or she may one day become unemployed. Once unemployment issue is not solved, creation of problems to the unemployed graduates, nations, society and even the country will certainly arise. Furthermore, if the nations unemployment continues to be severing, riots and insurgency will be occurring across the country and halting the country trading. A significant lost towards the nation will arise due to this serious problem. Solution for the unemployment problem is a priority of the government to include in the national economic planning and policy implementation. In this research, focus will be placed on how economic growth effects unemployment and their relationship. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of Unemployment According to International Labor Organization (ILO, 2001), unemployed is persons who are above a specified age are without work, currently available for paid employment or self-employment, and actively seeking work. There are three categories of unemployment, Structural Unemployment Structural unemployment is related to the mismatch in skills, as well as the inadequacy in locations or simply the wrong area desired for work, and interpersonal characteristics. For instance, as the technology is improving and changing in the market often causes many skills possessed to be obsolete. With the advancement of computer many jobs in manual book-keeping have been replaced by highly efficient and handy software. Frictional Unemployment Frictional Unemployment is resulting from temporary transitions made by workers and employers. This type of unemployment occurs when there are fresh graduates trying to enter the job market, searching for job of their choices. Cyclical Unemployment Unemployment that is attributed to economic contraction is called cyclical unemployment. The economy has the capacity to create jobs which increases economic growth. When the economy is in recession, firm will reduce production and it lead to the decline of labor demand. Thus, cyclical unemployment will rise sharply during recession. 2.2 Unemployment in Malaysia It is essential to look at the unemployment trends in Malaysia for the period ranging from 2000 to 2009 (Figure 1). By observing the figure, unemployment rate remained moderate at approximate 3 percent. Unemployment rate increases steadily from 2001 to 2004. On the year 2001, the 911 incident, US World Trade Centre was attacked by terrorists (Terence Tai-Leung Chong,2005). This attack marks the beginning of the US economy downturn. It then affects the whole world economy to decline. Being the largest economy in the world, US needs to import tremendously from the rest of the countries. Thus, US economy downturn has decreased its import and the worlds export will decline as well. When the decline of export for the country, it will directly cause the down fall of the countrys economic growth as the productivity has been reduced .Therefore, the global economy will be sluggish. Hence, unemployment rate in Malaysia is 3.7 percent on 2002. During 2003, Malaysia was hit by double critical incidents which were Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Iraq War (Robert Evans,2003). Unemployment rate was 3.8 percent which has increased 0.1percent. There was an immediate effect from the outbreak of SARS and Iraq War due to the large amount of inter-regional trade. SARS and Iraq War have triggered a global downturn therefore affect the world economy into recession, and lowered world growth forecasts. SARS epidemic was concentrating in Asia which is the fastest growing economy in the world and that had basically been keeping the world economy to float. Malaysia has gone through East Asia financial crisis during 1997. Thus, Malaysia has the ability to combat and survive during the sub-prime crisis. Some efforts of the policy maker have made to strengthen the domestic economy. Policy maker has implemented several monetary policy as well as fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. The increasing trend and steady growth in the Malaysias Leading Index (LI) and the ratio of the Coincident Index to Lagging Index in 2007 (Public Bank Berhad,2007) indicates that the Malaysian economy was continue to remain strong and healthy in 2008 which US sub-prime mortgage crisis deceleration in the US economy. Figure 1: Unemployment Rate in Malaysia Sources: Indexmundi.com (2008). Malaysia Unemployment rate (%). Retrieved November3,2009.Website:http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=myv=74 During a period of high unemployment, employees worry about losing their job and not able to get another job. Other than that, workers are less willing to leave unsatisfactory jobs because it is not easy to be hired at this current period. This may cause a decrease in production because workers are lack of experience in their current job. Higher unemployment rate will also affecting the government tax revenue. It is because there are more workers losing their jobs and leads to decrease in government revenue from income tax. 2.3 Factors that affect Unemployment There are four independent variables that affect unemployment which are consumption, investment, government spending, and trade. 2.3.1 Consumption Based on the study by Castillo, Dolado Jimeno (1998), the result showed by using one cross-section of household per county, by comparing with the employed workers, the consumption losses suffered by the unemployed were 50% to 100% higher in Portugal and Spain, depending on the workers job experience and skills. Besides, Bover et al. (2000) found that the unemployment benefits systems in Spain are more generous than in Portugal. According to Samuel et al (2001), an increase in the duration of unemployment of male household heads tend to be connected with consumption losses in Germany, Great Britain, and the US than Spain and Italy. Also, in terms of married households, Browning and Meghir (1991) found that the husband is unemployed in a married household have budget shares for clothing of 35% lower than the husband is being employed. There are two authors have proven that consumption suffers downfall during unemployment. Cochrane (1991) reported a fall in consumption growth of 24% to 27% during unemployment. On the other hand, Browning and Crossley (2001) also proved that a mean fall in consumption of 14% on unemployment. Browning and Crossley (2000) deal with the effect of income shock due to unemployment on consumption. Individuals experiencing an income shock may reduce consumption on durable expenditure than on food expenditure. For example, they may postpone to buy new jewelry or to replace new furniture. 2.3.2 Investment According to Harms and Hefeker (2003), the returns of portfolio investment abroad are positively correlated with U.S. labor demand shocks. When there is more investment, it generates new jobs; therefore labor demand will increase accordingly. Thus, this will aid in the decrease of the unemployment rate. Erkki Koskela, Rune Stenbacka, and Mikael Juselius (2009) study the effect of the unemployment equilibrium with capital investments under the category of labor market imperfections. By showing a higher capital, labor ratio has a wage-moderating effect with sufficiently strong labor market imperfections, the strategic effect of capital investments. Based on this appliance, an increased capital stock decreases unemployment equilibrium if the relative bargaining power of the labor union is sufficiently strong. Marino (2000) showed the interdependency between FDI, economic growth, employment or explanation of factors for stimulating the FDI inflow in the case of open economies. The GDP growth is positively correlated with the capacity of FDI inflow. On the other hand, the relationship between GDP growth and FDI inflow is rather contrary in the case of closed economy. Christoph Ernst (2005) studied that a country needs stable and productive investment inflows which would contribute to a rise in production rate and employment, to the technological modernization of the economy, as well as the production of higher value added goods resulting in a better integration into the world economy. There is a strong correlation between national productivity and the level of unemployment (Joseph Prokopenko, 2000). In a situation where the economy is productive and competitive, there will be contest in the foreign market. Thus, it lowers the unemployment rate. However, investment will increase due to the high production rate. Then, it will create new job opportunities and the employment rate will increase as well. Hence, investing in a productive market is a source which can create new market and then increases the job opportunities in the market. According to Borensztein, Gregorio Lee(1998) and Yussof and Ismail (2002), FDI will introduce technology and management skill into the domestic firm to enhance the productivity. They may bring towards new technology into the domestic market. Thus, domestic labor will have a chance to upgrade and equip themselves with knowledge from the new technology and systems. FDI have positive effects on domestic unemployment, according to Lall (2002). FDI leads to increase the value of human capital accumulation. Labor will always get new knowledge from new technology so that they will be able to suit themselves into the specified occupations or jobs. Then, unemployment rate will decrease, hence, strengthening the economic growth of the country. On the other hand, Blomstorm, Fors Lipsey (1997) found that FDI will retain unskilled jobs at home country when more skill-intensive activities are allocated to the foreign country. Foreign investors will leave jobs which do not need much of labor skill work at their home country and relocate more labor-skilled works abroad. This way, the investors would be able to save in training cost by investing in foreign countries which have abundant skillful workers. 2.3.3 Government Spending Government programs are the largest source of counterbalancing the income against household earnings shocks arising from the unemployment in the U.S. (Dynarski Gruber, 1997). Agell, et al. (1997) noted that the government purchases and transfers can enhance employment thus strengthening and stabilizing the economic growth of the nation. Spending on infrastructure will create more jobs opportunity (Kenyon, 1997). Government spending can raise labor productivity and also complements the investment from private sectors. Subsequently, the demand for labor will increase, hence, decreases the unemployment rate. The whole process of government spending is like a catalyst that can stimulate the overall economic activity and growth in the country. According to Feldstein (1978), due to the unemployment insurance and taxation on labor income could deform work-leisure decisions, and it increases unemployment rates. Even if they do not have a job, they could still get the unemployment insurance to support their daily lives. Thus, this will result in a negative manner where labors will depend on the unemployment insurance instead of working hardly. On the other hand, the increase in income tax will lead to unemployment because income taxes charge according to personal income of individuals. The higher the income, the higher the taxes the person needs to pay. Everyone work so hard to get better income for a better life and yet they need to pay higher tax. Hence, there is this mentality where they would choose or decide not to work hard or be jobless, so that they would be able escape from being oppressed by the government with income taxes. 2.3.4 Trade According to Brecher (1974), the unemployment rate could rise or fall after trade depending mainly on whether the country exports labor-intensive goods or not. It shows under the Heckscher-Ohlin model. Davis (1998a, 1998b) further discussed about the effect in a two-country framework. If home country produces and exports labor intensive goods, then the employment rate will increase. Matusz (1996) explored the consequences of opening to trade on the unemployment rate using the efficiency-wage framework. Open to trade will create intra-industry trade. It creates new jobs opportunity and then reduces the unemployment rate. According to Brecher (1974) and Davis (1998), their study found that trade liberalization can reduce unemployment rate. Foreign workers are able to go to other countries anytime if there is no existence of the barrier of trade. Thus, a countrys supply of labor will be excessive and it reduces tremendously, the job opportunity for domestic labors. Besides, frictional unemployment in comparative advantage model was introduced to find whether any relationship lay on a comparison of capital-labor benefit across countries (Davidson Matusz 1988). For a country that produces capital intensive goods, labor skill is not in need for its production, thus, unemployment rate will increase. Besides, fair wages has been introduced into a model with increasing returns to scale and trade liberalization of trade that would increase the unemployment rate (Egger and Kreickemeier, 2009). Labor wages in home country will be affected due to the excess in foreign labor supply. It reduces domestic wages and also reduces the chance of domestic worker to get a job at home country. As for one of the consequences, domestic unemployment rate will increase dramatically. Helpman and Itshoki (2008) combined the comparative advantage consideration and increasing returns to scale by using search-matching approach. In conclusion, globalization can affect the increase of unemployment rate. Foreign workers can enter into the domestic labor market in a country, with cheap labor wages, that will result in the reduction of domestic wages as well as reducing the chance of domestic workers to get a job in their own country. Unavoidably, the domestic unemployment rate will increase. According to Thomas (2004), Malaysia is heavily depending on foreign trades, the nations exports account contributes large proportion of GDP, and manufactured goods are one of the main exports of Malaysia. As Malaysia is dependent on generating revenue through exports, many problems would occur if the exporting sector fails. Mainly, it will cause a major unemployment issue that would cause many of its people to suffer economic downfall. This is because manufacturing factories fail to sell and export their products, causing them to face financial problem. Therefore, it would result in the closing down of the factory, thus, the unemployment rate rises. 2.4 Unemployment Benefits in Malaysia Unemployment benefits system is a benefit which is for eligible workers who become unemployed. Unemployment benefits consist of unemployment insurance and unemployment assistance. Unemployment benefits are available to the eligible unemployed only. The term eligible here means an unemployed individual which is in a condition of ready, willing and able to work on the go (Eva Liu, Walter and Kwong, 2000). Many studies have proven that unemployment benefits effectively smoothens consumption during unemployment. According to Gruber (1997), he found that the nations budget on consumption expenditures would fall by 22 percent without the presence of unemployment insurance. It is proven from the study that unemployment could deteriorate not only the populations welfare but as well as the country itself. Furthermore, according to Kugler (2002), a study has made showing that the withdrawals from unemployment insurance savings account cause an increase of consumption level by unemployed househ old in Colombia. Martin Borowing Thomas Crossley (1996) discovered the impact of unemployment benefits to household welfare through the chain below. In general, their research study has concerned and included the overall link from unemployment benefits to its expenditures. As the result, they found out that a 5 percent cut in unemployment benefits level will cause an expenditure fall by 0.3 percent. The unemployment benefits as a major income for unemployed household have significantly larger falls in consumption. Also, some of the studies have been reviewed. For instance, the author reviewed Kell and Wright (1990) and Lundberg (1985) studies which were the relationship between personal income and household income depending on the reaction of earnings by other family members. Unemployment Insurance benefits Personal Income Household Income Household Expenditure Household Utility Level However, Malaysia does not have any unemployment benefits system but the government has prepared a several types of welfare benefit system. 2.4.1 Severance Pay Severance pay, in Malaysia, is regarded as a form of unemployment-related benefit for both employers and employees (Eva Liu, Walter and Kwong, 2000). Those workers, whose earnings which are not exceeding RM 1500 per month, irrespective of their earnings are covered under the employment Act 1955, will be provided for severance pay. Severance pay is known as retrenchment benefits, or termination and lay-off benefits in Malaysia. The rate is paid at the following rates: 10 days, 15 days, 20 days wages for each year of service for an employment shorter than two years, longer than two years but shorter than five years, five years or longer, respectively. Severance pay is expected to be sufficient to meet the basic need of an unemployed worker until the next job is found. But, one must be clear that, severance pay is not equivalent to unemployment insurance or unemployment assistance. Recipient employees do not need to have any prior contribution, neither the recipient employees are required to be able to work, nor willing to working or in the mode of finding work, in order for him to receive severance payment. Severance pay is made to an employee solely on the basis of termination of contract by the employer. 2.4.2 Employees Provident Fund The Government has set up the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), a social security organization that provides retirement benefits to private sector  employees and non-pensionable public service employees.  Ã‚  Under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act 1951 (Malaysia,1951), it is compulsory for all employers and employees to contribute towards this Fund. Employer need to contribute 12% for his employees EPF at the same time, employee need to contribute another 11% for himself from his monthly wages into his EPF savings. This fund provides benefits for old citizens, disability and death. Nevertheless, it does not provide cash assistance to any employee who is unemployed and the money can only be withdrawn when one reaches the age of 55. 2.4.3 Work Injury Insurance Work injury insurance is treated as a kind of employment related benefit in Malaysia. The Social Security Organization (SOCSO), a statutory body, administers payment of benefits under the Employment Injury Scheme and Invalidity Pension Scheme. The Employment Injury Scheme provides protection to employees who are involved in accident during work. On the other hand, Invalidity Pension Scheme provides 24 hours coverage for employees from invalidity or dies irrespective of the cause of death. Although these two schemes are not somewhat unemployment-specific, an unemployed worker could benefit under these schemes. That particular individual is covered whenever an injury or invalidity happens during his/her immediate past employment. This indirectly categorizes those two schemes, as the unemployment benefits system which is practiced by other countries (Eva,L. Walter,K.2000). 2.4.4 Services for the Poor In Malaysia, under the Destitute Person Act 1977, public assistance is available to households with monthly income of less than RM460. Families which suffer from poverty due to unemployment, aging, illness or even disability, may apply for assistance under this program (Eva,L. Walter,K.2000). 2.4.5 Labor Laws There are various labor laws in Malaysia that specify the obligations of employers with respect to the workers benefits which is mainly related to sickness, maternity, and termination. In other words, basic protection, such as mentioned above, has to be provided by the employers for their employees. The principal labor laws on these matters are the Industrial Relations Act 1967, the Employment Act 1955 for Peninsular Malaysia, the Labor Ordinances of the states of Sabah and Sarawak. The formula for the benefits is specified in the relevant laws. Certain sectors have their standard cover or benefits for those who are related within the sector itself. For instance, those in the plantation sector are accorded certain minimum benefits such as housing and medical benefits the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act, 1990.(Soh C.S, 2007) 2.5 The effects of Unemployment on Social Issues Unemployment is one of the major causes of many social and economic problems, such as the imbalance of social status among the populations or the increase of vice activities. Social problem is pin pointed in this discussion. Of many countries around the globe, Malaysia is not excluded from getting involved and dealing with crime offence issues every day. The phenomenon of crime wave has received an increasing attention and the criminal activity has been given wide coverage in the newspaper and media (Muzafar Shah Habibullah A.H. Baharom,2008). As proposed by Becker (1968) and Ehrlich (1973), however, criminal activity in Malaysia does not attract the attention of the people across the globe and remains largely neglected by the economics of crime literature. Economic condition seems to be one of the most important macroeconomic variables affecting crime. According to the economic models of crime such as Becker (1968), when a nations economy is stabilized, fortified and becomes stronger, this would open more opportunities for the citizens to get themselves involved in the nations workforce. When individuals earn their income legitimately, the possibility or tendency of an individual to get involved in crime related activities would be greatly decreased, thus, relatively decreases the crime rate. According to Pichaud (1997), unemployment can cause a humongous social and economic cost to a countrys budget. Every problem arises would have its consequences, for instance, when the unemployed are faced with financial problem, hence, those individuals will be in poverty and in debts due to the inability to pay up their levies. The matter would be worse for those individuals having to support their family members. Once the population is in the state of poverty, they would be thinking of possible ways, legally or illegally, to get money in order to support their daily life expenses. According to Ehrlich (1973), he predicted that when opportunity cost in illegal activity is low, then unemployed will get involved in criminal as they can get better payoffs. Therefore, there are certain kinds of criminal activity are directly linked to unemployment. Jahoda (1982) has linked unemployment to family disruption, suicide, health problem, drug addiction, malnutrition, poor prenatal care, schoo l dropouts, racial and ethnic antagonism, and other possible social problems. On the other hand, a study proved a relationship between GDP per capita and robbery rate. The study tells that an increase in GDP per capita is associated with a significant fall in the robbery rate (Fajnzylber, Ledeman, Loayza,2002). This result supported by economic cycles which have a strong impact on crime. There is many other studies that prove and support the statement that strong economic performance may reduce criminal rate such as Pyle and Deadman (1994), Deadman and Pyle (1997), Hale (1998) and Masin and Masih (1996). Unemployment could affect the lifestyle of the society as this is strongly related to stress management. For an example, when unemployment occurs, this would increase