Saturday, August 31, 2019

For Love, or Money? Essay

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about Jay Gatsby’s constant quest to win over his love of the past, Daisy Buchanan. To Gatsby’s misfortune, he finds that Daisy is married to the wealthy but cocky Tom Buchanan. Daisy is a modern day â€Å"gold-digger† she fails to realize her own arrogance, and the success of her relationship with Tom is measured upon the size of his pocketbook. Tom’s secret lover, Myrtle Wilson becomes the victim of a hit-and-run. Tom shows Myrtle’s husband to the door of Gatsby. Gatsby is shot while swimming in his pool for the first time. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, witnesses Gatsby’s failure to relive his past and recapture the love of his life. Although Nick admires Gatsby’s effort to use his newly acquired wealth for the intentions of love as opposed to Tom’s use of it to be reckless, he thinks Gatsby’s obsession is foolish. Before the war sent him packing, Jay Gatsby was seeing Daisy Fay. At that time Jay was not very wealthy, but he had high hopes as to what it would take to win over the girl of his dreams. After the war Gatsby was shocked, but not set off track when he found that Daisy married another man. Nick is constantly in awe of Gatsby’s undying affection towards a woman that is married to another man, and is the same woman that betrayed him in the past. At first Nick thinks that Gatsby is not able to see through Daisy’s lack of emotion until Gatsby says, â€Å"Her voice is full of money.†(127). Gatsby says this because he realizes Daisy is a different person than he once knew. Gatsby can almost hear the difference in the odd cheerfulness in her voice. At that point in the novel, Nick realizes that Gatsby does not care what Daisy is like now, but he learns instead that Gatsby is in love with the Daisy he knew before the war. Gatsby’s entire life and his only reason to become wealthy were to win over his love from the past. Tom Buchanan comes from â€Å"old-money†. â€Å"Old-money† is a term for people that have money passed down to them from different generations. He has never had to work for anything, and his incredibly large amount of money is sufficient enough to allow him to be as careless as he wants. He never thinks about his actions because he knows that money is on his side and everybody sides with  money. Tom cheats on his wife without a care in the world. His most recent desire is a Myrtle, the wife of a gas station owner. An example of Tom’s carelessness and brutality is when he intentionally whacks Myrtle’s face and breaks her nose after saying his wife’s name, â€Å"Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her [Myrtle] nose with his open hand.†(41). After doing this, Tom showed absolutely no signs of regret for his actions. This evil gesture of Tom’s was not by itself. He figured to show his ownership of her by buying her a necklace that is much like the collar Myrtle put on her new puppy that was given to her from Tom. Myrtle could not argue with receiving gifts. Myrtle does not mind any of Tom’s actions towards her because she sees him as her only ticket out of poverty. Tom figures that Myrtle is from a lower class than he is and therefore he can do whatever he wants with her. Another strange character in the novel is Daisy Buchanan (Daisy Fay). Before the war, she was the girlfriend of Jay Gatsby. At this time she probably did not care at all about how much money he made. At that time, all she knew was that she was going to wait for Gatsby to return from the war. This is when she changes. She changes from waiting for her poor boyfriend to come back from war to a person that would marry the first man she met as long as he was filthy rich. She too is now just as careless as her husband Tom Buchanan. All she cares about is herself, her child, and her money. She admits to never actually loving Tom when she tells Gatsby, â€Å"Why,-how could I love him-possibly?†(139). At this point in the novel she begins to question herself as to what she wants more. She now faces a situation where Tom and Jay both are loaded. The difference between the two is obvious. Jay is completely devoted to Daisy while Tom just keeps her for his image. The only reason that she could have married Tom without loving him was to dive into is riches. Now that Gatsby is even richer than Tom, Daisy is left trying to choose. Unfortunately she takes too long to choose and hits a speed bump that indirectly chooses for her. All the time in the novel Nick is just watching and occasionally speaking, but he never actually helps this troubled group that he is caught in the middle of. Instead he watches their problems escalate and through all this he never bothers to answer why. Nick understands all of the problems that  each character has, and he probably knows how to fix their problems. He has an opinion of each character after carefully studying their personalities and the problems they present. Throughout the novel the reader might wonder why Nick never steps in to set the characters straight when he knows exactly what should be happening. Nick has made his judgment, but like he said in the very beginning of the book, he remembers what his father told him, â€Å"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.†(5). This is the reason that Nick is almost completely detached. He was taught early to be the viewer rather than the actor. When Nick sees people with problems he calmly backs away from it and watches how they solve it. He won’t criticize or point any fingers because he simple believes that they might not have had the same advantages that he had. This is the reason that Nick is the narrator of the story. He does not interfere with anybody. In the end he notices things that stand out about people. In this case it was Gatsby’s great outlook on his life as opposed to Tom and Daisy’s reckless lifestyle. When people read a novel such as this, after the first two to three chapters the reader registers the â€Å"good guys† and the â€Å"bad guys†. Because of the nature of American film and literature it is needless to say that you can expect the â€Å"bad guys† to either get caught or killed, and the â€Å"good guys† save the day, get the girl, and live happily ever after. That is why it is such a shock to see Gatsby fail in his attempt to capture the women that he loves and save her from her beast of a husband. It is also very strange to see the narrator, Nick, just stand their and watch all these crazy things happen. Although Gatsby dies as a failure to his one goal, Nick does not see it that way. Nick sees Gatsby as a man that worked his way to the top. Nick admires Gatsby for his ambition. Gatsby did not care at all about fame and fortune unless it included Daisy. Nick understands Gatsby’s obsession, and he feels that out of all the characters that he has met throughout the story, Gatsby is far better than any of them.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Mondavi Winery Essay

1. Do you agree with the Mondavi family’s decision to publicly list the company’s shares? What are your major concerns with how this could impact the business? What are the major benefits? 2. How would you recommend Robert Mondavi respond to the market’s current assessment of the company? What types of investors are most likely to be interested in the company? How would you best target those investors? 3. What do you think could have led to the rapid fall in the share price? 1.  Clearly for Mondavi, going public is the only way to secure large financing for his business. However, the decision that Mondavi made to increase the scale of business is debatable. While Mondavi can be conservative to stay on the same scale and try to grow organically, Mondavi can also be risk taking and gather money from the public. With regard to the wine market prospects, there are two sides of the argument which favour and unfavor the wine market. It is thus difficult to judge from the wine market aspects. Ultimately it is the Mondavi’s personal preference to take the riskier and higher reward decision. 2.  The market assessment of the company seems to value MOND to have a pessimistic future and worth a lot less than when it is first public offering. Reputable business magazine, Forbes, look down on the prospects of MOND, which provide strong a strong reason for financial reward seeking investors not to invest in MOND. It is likely that investor who ultimately purchases MOND’s shares and hold, as noted from the low free share turnover after week 7, are people who believes in the MOND’s business vision. MOND could release press in respond to convince the public the future  prospects of MOND. For investors who are still believer of the company should be informed that the company will continue to grow as what it was promised and will not go through major restructuring to produce a better financial report. 3.  Mondavi’s IPO day is on June 10 1993. There are two articles released by The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, on April 26 and June 7 respectively, both lookdown on the prospects of MOND and the entire wine industry. They played an important role to discourage financial reward seeking investors to buy MOND’s shares and makes them feel sceptical about the value of MOND. High share turnover on the first day and respectable closing price indicates a successful IPO. However, the market thinks the value of MOND is overpriced and no later investors are willing to pay a price greater than its current market price. This trends continues till week nine despite the free share turnover is low. It is still unclear when the share price will stop falling. One other major reason for the continuing falling share price is that the Mondavi management team did not response to their stock price. This result in investors losing their confidence with the company.

Fiscal and Monetary Policy- the Response of Global Economic Crisis Especially in Eu Essay

Fiscal and Monetary policy- The response of global economic crisis especially in EU Introduction Monetary and fiscal authorities across the globe have responded quickly and decisively to these extraordinary developments. In particular, against the background of rapidly receding inflationary pressures and risks, the Euro system has taken monetary policy and liquidity management measures that were unprecedented in nature, scope and timing. Since October last year they reduced the interest rate on the main refinancing operations. They also provided unlimited liquidity support to the banking system in the euro area to maintain the flow of credit. Governments in the euro area have reacted swiftly to stabilize the financial system and to counteract the adverse impact of the financial crisis on the real economy. Both monetary and fiscal authorities will need to remain credible and effective, and to fulfill their respective responsibilities. In so doing, they will lay solid foundations for future economic recovery and long-term economic growth and job creation. The crisis has shown how important it is to have an independent central bank firmly committed to the objective of price stability. At the same time, governments must make a strong and credible commitment to a path of fiscal consolidation and thus comply with the Stability and Growth Pact. But they must also resist the temptation to further increase the size of the stimulus measures, as this could erode trust in the sustainability of public finances and undermine the effectiveness of the measures already adopted. Global economic situation The financial markets, which was triggered by a systematic under-pricing of risk, particularly in the US sub-prime mortgage market, has now developed into a fully-fledged financial and economic crisis at global level. While the world economy continues to face a severe and synchronized downturn, recent international business confidence indicators suggest that the pace of the decline in economic activity is slowing down somewhat. Most forecasters expect that the global economy is likely to recover in 2010. The economic prospects remain fraught with uncertainty. Compared with a few months ago, overall risks to global economic growth have become more balanced. A stronger positive confidence effect than expected triggered by the monetary and fiscal policy measures could lead to a more sustained recovery in global demand and in global trade, and a quicker normalization of financial market and credit conditions. If global policy actions fail to strike an appropriate balance between economic stimulus and longer-term sustainability, financial market conditions could turn unfavorable again. Global inflation rates have continued to diminish rapidly. This is mainly due to lower commodity prices, weaker labour market conditions and greater global economic slack. Risks to global inflation seem to be broadly balanced in the short to medium term. Inflation risks depend on how efficiently the authorities withdraw the policy stimulus. Euro activity In global developments, economic activity in the euro area has also contracted sharply since the second half of 2008. The euro area economy has shrunk by about 4% over the past two quarters, the worst decline since the start of Economic and Monetary Union. For the current quarter, there is evidence that the economy has shrunk further, though at a slower pace. The economy is no longer in free fall; we are seeing the first signs of stabilization. Indicators of consumer confidence and business sentiment have continued to improve somewhat. We are also seeing some encouraging signs of normalization in financial markets. The euro area economy is likely to be very weak for the remainder of past year. The real GDP growth are broadly in line with the most recent forecasts from the IMF and the European Commission. Both institutions expect the euro area economy to contract by 4% or more in 2009, followed by a gradual recovery in 2010. The projected gradual recovery reflects the significant macroeconomic stimulus under way and the measures taken to make the financial system function normally both inside and outside the euro area. Euro price development Inflation in the euro area has declined rapidly since it reached its highest level, 4%, last summer. In May, The decline over this period is primarily  due to the marked fall in global commodity prices, and particularly oil prices. Inflation rates are likely to enter negative territory during the summer, but we expect them to turn positive by the end of 2009. This can largely be explained by base effects from energy prices. These effects are of no concern to the ECB, which aims to maintain price stability in the medium term. In other words, its monetary policy strategy aims to ensure that short-term volatility in inflation rates does not lead to volatility in long-term inflation expectations. It is reinforced by the anticipation that prices will decline further in the future. As a consequence, inflation expectations become disanchored and negative, and firms and households may decide to postpone investments and major purchases. Medium-term inflation expectations remain well anchored at levels consistent with price stability, low or negative inflation rates for a short period of time may help to sustain real income and may therefore stimulate spending. But even if inflation rates to turn positive again by the end of this year, the weak economic outlook for the euro area is expected to keep domestic price pressures contained for some time. Monetary and financing conditions Financing conditions in the euro area, external financing costs have been declining since October last year, and particularly sharply since the start of this year. Following policy interest rate cuts, bank lending rates have fallen significantly. This indicates that the pass-through mechanism from policy rates to the real economy has continued to function in recent months, even though there is evidence that banks’ margins have widened. With credit spreads across all rating classes decreasing from their record highs and with stock prices rising, the overall cost of financing for euro area non-financial corporation’s is diminishing. In general, the recent positive signs from financial markets point to a gradual improvement in confidence among investors. Monetary policy The ECB has acted in a timely, decisive and appropriate manner since the start of the financial market. When the escalating financial crisis led to a rapid decline of inflationary pressures. The interest rate on the main refinancing operations now stands at 1.0%, its lowest level since the launch  of the euro. This level is appropriate taking into account all information and analyses. Money market rates have fallen even further to record lows, and the loan interest rates charged by banks have declined. Substantive monetary policy easing is already being felt in the real economy. In addition to lowering the policy interest rate quickly and sharply, we have resorted to highly non-standard liquidity operations in order to provide the financial system with the liquidity that was so urgently needed. Last October, They adopted a ‘fixed-rate full allotment’ procedure in all their open market operations. This gives banks as much central bank liquidity as they want at our key policy interest rate, against an expanded list of eligible collateral. Coupled with the fact that essentially all financially sound euro area credit institutions can participate in the Euro system’s refinancing operations, these measures have significantly eased the banks’ balance sheet constraints, thereby avoiding a sudden stop in the supply of credit and the emergence of a systemic crisis. Policy measures Both monetary and fiscal policy-makers have reacted in a forceful and timely manner, aiming to restore confidence. And indeed, as regards the Euro system’s monetary policy and liquidity management measures. Confidence has returned to financial markets, and business surveys are picking up. Global and domestic demand to increasingly benefit from the significant economic stimulus and the measures taken so far to bring the financial system back to normal functioning. Fiscal policy measures Fiscal authorities in the euro area have demonstrated their willingness and capacity to act rapidly and in a coordinated manner in exceptional circumstances. It is important to distinguish between measures intended to support the banking sector and fiscal policy measures aimed at stimulating demand. Support for the banking sector Government support for the banking sector was necessary; it has safeguarded the stability of the financial system. The price of this success, however, is that governments have incurred substantial fiscal costs and credit risks that are ultimately borne by taxpayers. Following the adoption of a  concerted European action plan on 12 October 2008, euro area governments announced national measures to support the banking sector. These measures consist of government guarantees for interbank lending, recapitalization of financial institutions in difficulty, increase the coverage of retail deposit insurance and asset relief schemes. Overall, euro area governments committed about 23% of euro area GDP to financial sector support measures. For the euro area, the various support measures adopted so far are expected to have only a small direct impact on government deficits, whereas the impact on debt is expected to be about 3% of GDP. Finally, contingent liabilities related to the financial rescue measures are expected to be about 8% of GDP, excluding government guarantees on retail deposits. These figures, however, do not reflect the very different developments taking place across euro area countries. Rising long-term government bond yields may only have a gradual impact on government borrowing costs, as changes in interest rates only affect the cost of newly issued debt and debt at variable interest rates. However, they may signal both a reduced willingness on the part of investors to provide long-term funding as well as difficulty in accessing capital market funds. So far, most euro area countries have enjoyed relatively low interest rates on new government debt issuance, despite facing considerably more difficult market conditions. Looking ahead, as the economy recovers and competition for financing increases, governments may face higher bond yields again. Use of fiscal policy In addition to providing financial support to the banking sector, euro area governments reacted forcefully to counter the negative impact of the financial turmoil on the real economy. Besides the operation of automatic stabilizers, which provide a significant cushion to the euro area economy by way of lower tax revenues and higher spending on unemployment benefits, the discretionary use of fiscal policy helped to mitigate the effects of the global economic downturn. However, fiscal stimulus measures need to remain temporary and be combined with measures that ensure fiscal sustainability over the medium run. This will preserve trust in the sustainability of public finances and support both the recovery and long-term economic growth. While the recent coordinated fiscal loosening has been broadly accepted as a legitimate and necessary step in the short run, given the exceptional economic circumstances, it also entails a significant fiscal burden. The latest available economic point to dramatic developments in euro area public finances. In addition to a rapidly deteriorating general government deficit, which is expected to be above 6% of euro area GDP in 2010, the euro area debt ratio will increase by about 15 percentage points to above 80% of GDP by 2010. These figures are very high, though they compare favorably with other major economic regions that have also provided a substantial fiscal impulse to their economy. The budget deficit in both the United Kingdom and the United States is projected to be about 14% of GDP in 2010. Against this backdrop, euro area countries must reject calls for additional fiscal loosening. In the current environment, any further fiscal stimulus is likely to be counterproductive as it could hamper the economic recovery in two ways. First of all, even higher fiscal deficits could fuel market concerns about a country’s ability to meet its future debt obligations, thus putting upward pressure on interest rates. Second, increasing budget deficits would also raise concerns about a higher tax burden in the future, thus inducing consumers to save rather than spend any additional income. The financial sector support measures, combined with the Euro system’s enhanced credit support measures, were successful in safeguarding the stability of the financial system. Together, these initiatives have the potential to tackle the crisis of confidence at its root also by taking into account the fundamental role of the banking sector in the functioning of the economy. The restructuring of the banking sector is the top policy priority, and progress in this domain is the key to economic recovery. Given the challenges which lie ahead, banks should take appropriate measures to strengthen their capital base and, where necessary, take full advantage of government support and in particular recapitalization measures. Fiscal policy can contribute to macroeconomic stability also through discretionary actions. When assessing the merits of the different measures  taken, we should differentiate between measures such as (1) expenditure increases and (2) tax cuts, and (3) measures like guarantees and loan subsidies to specific sectors of the economy. Moreover, this type of support would be difficult to reverse and might act as a brake on long-term growth. Turning to the effectiveness of fiscal measures to stimulate demand (spending increases and tax cuts), it crucially depends on the behavior of economic agents, and that in turn also affects the size of the fiscal multipliers (the GDP effect of fiscal stimulus measures). The expectation that higher government spending today may lead to higher taxation in the future would induce both households and firms to save rather spend any additional income, thus reducing the size of the fiscal multiplier. Therefore, the public perception of overall fiscal sustainability plays an important role in the impact of the respective national fiscal stimuli. The effectiveness of fiscal stimulus measures also depends on the extent to which private investors respond positively to tax policy, with their investments likely to be more responsive in the case of ‘temporary’ tax breaks, as they provide an incentive to bring forward future investment plans. At the same time, there is a risk that fisc al stimulus measures may crowd out private investment by putting upward pressure on interest rates. Fiscal stimulus measures should be ‘timely, temporary and targeted’. ‘Timely’ means that the measures take effect when they are needed; any delays in assessing the cyclical situation, in taking decisions and implementing the measures may fail to prevent a drop in output. ‘Temporary’ implies that the fiscal impulse should only last as long as the recession in question. ‘Targeted’ relates to the expected size of the multiplier effect. In addition to these ‘TTT’ criteria, the measures should be consistent with other policy objectives such as fiscal sustainability, long-term economic growth and the functioning of the market mechanism. Implications of policy measures The current crisis has increased the role of the government in the economy. Some bank rescue operations have involved outright nationalizations, so governments now have significant exposure to the financial sector. Similarly, the large fiscal stimuli packages adopted by many countries have led to a large increase in the size of the public sector in the economy. At the same time, the turmoil is being interpreted by some as a crisis of the market economy. It has encouraged critics of the market economy to speak out and demand a much larger role in the economy for governments.The financial system clearly needs a fundamental overhaul. Financial institutions have to take a different approach and adopt appropriate incentives. We need to strengthen the regulation of the financial system, and in particular, we must improve the international cooperation between national supervisors of the financial sector. But the policy-makers must not get carried away by recent events; they should act in a measured way, and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. While governments have had no alternative but to support systemically relevant financial institutions, they should, as a rule, keep their assistance to specific sectors or firms to a minimum. And when they do intervene, they should prepare clear and credible exit strategies. No matter how serious the current crisis is, the market economy remains the best way to organize our economic affairs. An exit strategy is a comprehensive programmed to withdraw and neutralize measures taken during the financial crisis, without causing any harm to the economy. If they have no well-defined exit strategy, governments may get bogged down and the positive impact of the measures taken may be undermined. A well thought-out exit strategy is needed to reassure economic agents that a timely restoration of the level playing field in the different sectors of the economy is the ultimate objective. As such, an exit strategy needs to contain clear criteria about the timing of the withdrawal of the financial support and the reversal of the fiscal stimuli. Euro area governments did not lay out clear exit strategies when they announced the stimuli. Some of their measures do not expire automatically or are not explicitly designed to be temporary. The possible difficulties of reversing the fiscal stimulus packages may hinder the return to sound fiscal positions in the short run. Under these circumstances, the peer pressure mechanism, on which the EU fiscal framework is based, may be weakened thus  making more difficult a return to sound fiscal policies. As a matter of fact, countries with high fiscal deficits may be tempted not to put political pressure on their peers. Protracted excessive deficits may undermine the credibility of the EU fiscal framework, thus casting doubts on fiscal sustainability and jeopardizing the Stability and Growth Pact. The current crisis has taught us an important lesson about the importance of preserving the public’s trust in the soundness of public finances. At the current juncture, euro area governments must make credible commitments to return to sound fiscal policies. Doing so in full compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact is the most credible exit strategy. This requires, first, a full reversal of the fiscal stimulus measures taken so far. This is necessary to ensure an efficient allocation of resources by minimizing distortions in the incentives of economic agents and by avoiding a permanent increase in the size of the public sector. Second, governments must live up to their commitment to maintain fiscal discipline. This means that credible fiscal consolidation plans have to be implemented as early as possible, including a consolidation effort of at least 1% of GDP per annum where necessary. Understanding the monetary policy from the crisis The current crisis demonstrates, once again, how important it is for central banks to remain independent of political influence. Even if we are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, long-term inflation expectations in the euro area remain solidly anchored in line with the ECB’s definition of price stability. Although central banks may be charged with additional tasks in the aftermath of the crisis, their primary objective must remain the maintenance of price stability. We cannot allow any conflicts of interest to arise. The high-level expert group headed by Jacques de Larosià ¨re, former Governor of the Bank of France and Managing Director of the IMF, has identified a number of weaknesses in the supervisory framework both inside and outside Europe that contributed to the build-up of the current crisis. The important role played by monetary analysis – and in particular the role of asset prices – when assessing the risks to price stability over the  medium term. Price stability is our primary objective, but this does not imply that we only focus on short to medium-term movements in inflation. Any build-up of financial imbalances which could pose risks to price stability in the longer term could be overlooked under a restrictive short-term approach. The ECB’s assessment of risks to price stability is well equipped to detect these types of risk as it is based on a comprehensive economic and monetary analysis – its well-known two-pillar strategy. The first pillar, the economic analysis, is common to most central banks. This analysis basically consists of identifying risks to price stability in the short to medium term by analyzing the interplay between aggregate supply and aggregate demand in the economy. The second pillar, the monetary analysis, plays a more prominent role at the ECB than at other central banks. The ECB pays special attention to monetary developments in recognition of the fact that monetary growth and inflation are closely related in the medium to long term. Analyzing developments in credit, and in particular loans to the private sector, is helpful in extracting the relevant signals from the monetary developments. This analysis also implies a regular monitoring of asset price developments and their implications. This analysis will become even more prominent in the future. Conclusion The fiscal and monetary authorities have responded forcefully and their efforts are slowly starting to bear fruit. The pace of the economic contraction appears to be slowing down, and confidence indicators have improved somewhat. The crisis has highlighted the importance of sound public finances. Governments need to consolidate during good economic times in order to have room for man oeuvre during not-so-good times. With respect to monetary policy, the crisis has demonstrated the importance of having an independent central bank credibly committed to price stability. The fiscal and monetary authorities have an important role in sustaining the economic recovery. Governments must devise and enact credible strategies to exit from the banking sector and to ensure that the discretionary policy measures adopted during the crisis will be reversed. Their full compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact is the best tool to solidly anchor market expectations. Most importantly, we will continue to deliver on what we are expected to deliver, which is to maintain price stability, and to provide an anchor of confidence in difficult times. The current crisis has shown how important it is for countries to consolidate during good economic times and to build a ‘fiscal reservoir’ from which they can draw in periods of ‘drought’. Many euro area countries failed to do so. They suddenly found themselves in this turbulent environment burdened by high fiscal deficits and debt ratios. As regards monetary policy, it is equally important to draw up a strategy for withdrawing in due course the extraordinary measures that have been implemented or announced. The ECB obviously cannot maintain the current degree of support indefinitely. We are providing substantial short-term support to the financial system and the real economy, and thereby ultimately maintaining price stability. In fact, we are prepared to take appropriate actions once the macroeconomic environment improves. We will ensure that the measures taken can be quickly unwound and the liquidity provided absorbed. This includes, for instance, unwinding the increase in the average maturity of our refinancing operations. Being prepared to exit from our non-standard measures – as soon as the macroeconomic conditions justify such a move – helps to maintain price stability over the medium term and to ensure a firm anchoring of longer-term inflation expectations. References Alan Auerbach and Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2012a, â€Å"Measuring the Output Responses to Fiscal Policy,†American Economic Journal: Economic Policy,  Alan Auerbach and Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2012b, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers in Recession and Expansion,† NBER Chapters, in Fiscal Policy after the Financial Crisis, edited by Alberto Alesina and Francesco Giavazzi (University of Chicago Press). Rà ¼diger Bachmann and Eric Sims, 2012, Confidence and the transmission of government spending shocks,† Journal of Monetary Economics Blanchard, O. and R. Perotti (2002). â€Å"An Empirical Characterization of the Dynamic Effects of Changes in Government Spending and Taxes on Output.† Quarterly Journal of Economics 117(4): 1329-1368. Nicoletta Batini, Giovanni Callegari and Giovanni Melina, 2012. â€Å"Successful Austerity in the United States, Europe and Japan,† IMF Working Papers 12/190, International Monetary Fund. Anja Baum and Gerritt Koester, 2011, â€Å"The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Economic Activity Over the Business Cycle – Evidence from a Threshold VAR Analysis† Deutsche Bundesbank’ Anja Baum, Marcos Poplawski-Riberio and Anke Weber, 2012, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers and the State of the Economy,† IMF Working Paper, International Monetary Fund, December. International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (2008).†Fiscal Policy as a countercyclical tool.† October Ethan Ilzetzki, Enrique Mendoza & Carlos Vegh, 2011. â€Å"How Big (Small?) are Fiscal Multipliers?,† IMF Working Papers (International Monetary Fund.) Forthcoming, Journal of Monetary Economics. Daniel Shoag, 2012, â€Å"The Impact of Government Spending Shocks: Evidence on the Multiplier from State Pension Plan Returns,† Harvard Kennedy School. Antonio Spilimbergo, Steven Symansky, and Martin Schindler, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers,† Staff Position NoteNo. 2009/11, International Monetary Fund. Perotti, R. (2002). â€Å"Estimating the effects of fiscal policy in OECD countries.† ECB Working Paper.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Internationalisation of Business and Promising Areas of Investment Term Paper

Internationalisation of Business and Promising Areas of Investment - Term Paper Example While preparing a project on the internationalization of business, one cannot avoid the term ‘globalisation’. This report starts with an introduction to this term from the perspective of building up growth opportunities for the organizations worldwide. As the company wants to expand its business to the European countries, it is quite important to know about the countries which are prospective enough to let the foreign investments flow in. This report contains a description of the five major economies in Europe. The reasons, supporting the potential of these countries to emerge as prospective economies for business investments, have been articulated for each of the countries. The business potentials and opportunities of different countries may lie in different areas and products. So it is important to have an idea which products in which countries would reap the highest return for the investors.   The prospective areas, industries, products, and services have been descr ibed for each of the countries. Different countries can have different government rules and regulations in place for foreign investments; some of which can hinder in the way of foreign investments. Sometimes there can be a hindrance to entering into some particular industries. This can even define the entry mode; the investor should take to enter in the respective market. This report contains the suggestion for the preferred entry mode for each of the prospective markets. At later part, the report articulates the European regulations and the national laws which can help or oppose the entrance in the respective countries. In all, the report puts forward suggestions for the prospective countries, the prospective products, and services in those countries, the preferable entry modes and the related rules and regulations prevailing in those prospective business markets.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The CSR Benchmarks and Models of the Cooperative Bank Essay

The CSR Benchmarks and Models of the Cooperative Bank - Essay Example The broadest aim of the social responsibility is to create higher and even higher standards of living, while maintaining the corporations’ profitability, for people in and outside the corporation (Line 2012, p.10). CSR becomes classified in a number of ways; Environmental protection The main focus of CSR is to find a sustainable solution for the natural resources use, to help reduce the company’s impact on its environment. Over the couple number of years, environmental responsibility has grown to include more than the compliance with all appropriate government regulations, or participating in energy efficiency. A number of companies and environmental organizations define environmental responsibility as including, comprehensive move to a firm’s operations, goods and facilities that also include; assessing the products of the company, processes and the services; removing waster and other emissions; utilizing the efficiency and the subsequent productivity of the ent ire assets and resources (Frankental 2001, p.21). Labor security These contain freedoms of association and the subsequent recognition of the right to the collective bargaining, the removal of all types of forced labor. It also entails the abolition of child labor and removal of discrimination in line with employment and occupation (McWilliams & Siegel 2001, p.18). Human rights Business practices can affect significantly the dignity and rights of the workers and the community. The focus is, to develop a job environment free from discrimination and a place where the creativity and learning can improve the appropriate codes of professional conduct, and where a correct balance can be maintained between jobs and other areas of the employees’ lives. Behaving in an irresponsible way on human rights issues can detrimental because the reputation of the firm is on the line. The issue is also related to the issue of globalization and ever increasing global trade, and the problems of fin ding methods of doing business globally that respect the human rights and facilitate the growth of emerging economies. Nations become required to upheld, support and protect human rights to their levels of influence. Paying the employees a living wage and giving them protection from harassment may cost more in the short run, but it vastly increases the workers morale and reduces turnover increasing profits in the future. Therefore, socially responsible management practices can increase the firms’ level of profits (Carroll 2000, p.16). Community involvement It involves community partnership, global community involvement, employee giving, service donations and volunteerism. Corporate, community involvement is a number of actions undertaken by the firms to improve the impact of their activities, in the communities that they operate. When correctly executed, these activities not only bring immense importance to the recipients’, but will also improve the reputation of the o rganizations and their brands, goods and values in the communities where they have interests in, as well as globally (Greenfield 2004, p.20). Business Standards They cover a number of corporate events like; ethics, environmental protection, financial returns and human rights. The growth of international trade and communication has led an increasing pressure from a number of groups, for the formation of world business conduct standards (McWilliams & Siegel 2001, p.18). Early models of CSR have developed since 1960s,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Data and Information System Models Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data and Information System Models - Assignment Example Quinn draws attention to several requirements that must be put into consideration in the design phase of a healthcare system for a successful clinical transformation. Among the highlighted requirements presented by Quinn are; accessibility, reliability, security, flexibility, presentation-interface integration, portability and response time. All the presented factors are fundamental and should be looked into when designing healthcare system, however, much focus should be placed on four major factors namely security, accessibility, response to time and reliability (Quinn, 203). Healthcare system is to provide and aid in the management of information with the purpose of implementing clinical transformation. The data and information of patients as well as the doctors and the clinical employees are sensitive and therefore much focus should be place on security of the information entrusted to the system. The system should be designed in a manner that the information stored in it is easily accessible while maintaining integrity of the same information by restricting the access to only thee authorized party. Also, reliability is another factor that should not be overlooked in the design phase given that it is paramount for the success of the system. The designed system should be reliable. Speed is another key factor given that the system should be able to respond fast to the requests by various users since time is a paramount factor in a clinical setting (Quinn, 205). All these factors are critical in strong and appropriate management of information which is in turn imperative in the successful implementation of clinical transformation. At the top of this list is security. The sensitivity of information flowing through clinical and healthcare setting and the need for privacy makes security an imperative factor to consider when designing a healthcare system meant for clinical transformation. Quinn states that it is essential to balance between security and access to in formation in order to successfully secure the system as well as ensuring accessibility to information. Security is ensured within an organization by employing various mechanisms in order to maintain privacy policies. Security plan is composed of both technology components and policy. In order to ensure security and maintain privacy of the information within the system, it is imperative to adopt all-inclusive procedures, policies in addition to educational processes. The technology components of security that should be adopted include access control such as encryption, password/ username, antimalware programs, backup and recovery plans besides physical locks on doors to implement restriction. A secure system ensures that the information stored in the system is reliable, trustworthy and has integrity. Quinn highlights accessibility as another paramount factor to be considered in the successful design of healthcare system for clinical transformation. As much as security is implemented, the same information should be easily available and accessible to the right party at the required time. The users should be able to easily access applications and data within the system in a manner that it does not flout on the security policies of the system. Maintaining the balance between accessibility and security is complicated given that the two factors works against each other in a way. Accessibility works towards

Monday, August 26, 2019

Critically assess how interprofessional collaboration is the key to Essay

Critically assess how interprofessional collaboration is the key to delivering modern health and social care services - Essay Example The complexity of human health which professionals face suggests the need for a reconstruction of how they conceptualize and create knowledge. Further, such knowledge can be deepened through a dialectical process of people reflecting and acting with others to both change and understand it (Gaventa & Cornwall, 2001). In this sense, interdisciplinary structure may allow health professionals to conduct studies and collaboration between them in a research process that would increase the quality of research outcomes. It has been argued that the strength of the inter-professional collaborative research group lies in the framework where contributions from a wide range of professional perspectives are incorporated into the research process (Bond & Thompson, 1996; Ryan & Hassel, 2001). Larson (2003) identified that successful collaborations would comprise a number of multi-professional teams. Similarly, Ryan and Hassell (2001) identified collaboration as the main characteristic of inter-profe ssional research and explained that collaboration across disciplines leads to the identification of health problems through the contribution of respective knowledge and experience from different professionals in a research process with open channels of communication and the absence of professional hierarchies. Drinka and Clark (2000) argued that professional differences between group members have been identified as the basic problem in regards to communication which is one of the most important elements of a successful inter-professional collaboration in research (Gelling & Chatfield, 2001). Poor inter-professional communication, including the system where information is misheard, misread and misunderstood, would break down the working relationship between professionals in groups and affect how professionals work collaboratively in the decision-making and knowledge-producing process. On the other hand, due to professional differences and distincts values and knowledge that each prof essional holds, every member knows less about each other and so it is easy to see the problem of unequal effort in their working relationship and the difficulties in building up a relationship of trust without mutual respect. The lack of trust would limit the sharing of responsibility or workload between professionals which seems inevitable and closely related to the entire research process. Group dynamics can also be a challenge and would distort collective discourse that may generate invalid understanding. As Bray et al. (2000) argued, defensive routines and groupthink would challenge the critical reflection process within the group and the ability to assess the situation from various experience and knowledge bases and build more wide-ranging and objective

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Speech - Essay Example rnaments such as a silver ax, silver knife, silver pepper, silver flowers, and silver rings and silver knife is of paramount importance to the people of Korea. There are a variety of ornamental knives, such as ornamental silver knife, which illustrate the distinct culture of the nation. It was the practice for men to wear an enclosed ornamental knife hanging from their belt and it was of special meaning to the women belonging to this cultural background. There are also ceremonies in which foreign heads of party and state who visit Korea are presented with a sheathed ornamental silver knife as a sign of welcome, respect, friendship, and unity to the people of other cultures. The ornamental silver knife, which was an accessory for women, was also a symbol of their virginity and purity. In his book Seeds of the Willow Chong K. Lewe mentions this cultural ornament, when he talks about his mother. â€Å"My mother also always had on her an Embroidered Silk Pouch with strings, which was he r Purse, and a Pocket Knife about six inches long with about a quarter inch diameter cylindrical (oval) handle. The Case and the Handle were made of Silver with Silk strings tied around the Case. It also had Ornamental Carvings on the Handle and the Case. The Knife had a Blade about three inches long. I still have the Knife in my Desk Drawer. It was an old Korean Custom that elderly ladies always wear these Accessories with their Traditional Korean Dresses.† (Lewe, 261) Therefore, the ornamental silver knife illustrates one of the most striking aspects of Korean Culture which has been celebrated for the continuation of similar practices and customs. The encased ornamental knife in the culture of Korea is known as the Unjangdo which refers to a variety of ornamental knives made in Korea since the Choson dynasty and the prefix â€Å"un† refers to silver, which is used in the manufacture of this knife. â€Å"The name â€Å"Jangdo† appeared during the early Choson (1392 -1905) period.   During

Saturday, August 24, 2019

On-Line BA Human Development Degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On-Line BA Human Development Degree - Essay Example I want to participate in the Human Development Online Degree Program because I want to continue learning and help people understand themselves. I have taken many online classes through community colleges and I have enjoyed this virtual paradigm educational approach since I am an independent learner. I want to use this virtual educational paradigm because it fits my style of learning versus the traditional educational setting that has been in existence for centuries. If we observe the patterns in history, the traditional educational system has had its flaws: absenteeism, illiteracy, behavioral problems, and, low scores in standardized tests performances. Through this virtual paradigm, I am able to work at a self-paced mode. I can work at any time of the day or night. Being able to work from home, gives me the opportunity to do my readings and assignments at my leisure. I am able to do the research using the various search engines, the institutions of higher learning also suggest websites that may accelerate the research process, and the professor and my classmates may recommend others. The virtual paradigm allows me to meet and work with classmates who may be geographically located at another part of the world. It gives us (professor and students) the opportunity to know about each other: cultures, customs, history, traditions, and idiomatic terms. It gives us the opportunity to share our differences and similarities. This exposure to people from other countries will hopefully make us more sensible and sensitive to other peoples ´ needs for satisfaction in educational endeavors. This will give us the opportunity to have contact wi th people that we may not ordinarily have when we live in small isolated locations. I will be able to make-up my own schedule to study and work on my assigned tasks; deliver the tasks on a particular date not necessarily on a particular day and

Friday, August 23, 2019

Project Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Management - Case Study Example This is because any additional work may likely lead to increased costs of operation. If all factors are held constant, there should be no consideration for the increase in the productivity since the increase will likely lead to a decrease in the profits. Consequently, since the indirect costs are accrued daily on the project but, are fixed, the possibilities would be that of increasing the costs of certain specific projects while at the same time decreasing the project time. The decrease in project duration of a specific activity results in an overall decrease in the duration for the whole project hence, a decrease in the total overheads (Meredith & Samuel 204). Another related issue with the tradeoffs is the determination of activities to be crashed for the enabling of maximum overall job profits. Therefore, the cost-time tradeoffs will enhance the costs of specific activities in the project while reducing the overall cost for the project (Nagarajan 105). Question 2: Options for acc elerating project completion There are several options that can be available to the project manager for the enhancement of the completion of the intended project. These include addition of extra resources into the project, outsourcing for the project work, scheduling of overtime for the project and the establishment of a core project team to look over the project’s completion. Other options for the acceleration are conduction the project twice (repeated project), faster and correctly than the first case (Gray & Erik 324). However, these options may only apply when the resources for the project are not constrained. If the resources are constrained, then the options available would be fast-tracking of the project to hasten its completion, development and adoption of a critical chain for the completion of the project, reduction of the scope of the project and the compromising of the quality of the project though a faster conduct for as long as it is completed (Gido & James 130). In the first scenario, a project manger may enhance completion of a project through the addition of resources. While this will probably lead to augmented costs to the project, it will increase the rate at which the project is delivered thus, a reduction in the time of the project. Activities that can be done in regard to this include employment or hiring of additional staff and purchasing of additional equipment to carry out the tasks. In the second scenario, a project manger may schedule the work involved in the project to entail workers doing overtime. In this regard, the extension in work time will hasten the completion of the project but at an increased cost of maintenance of workers in overtime shifts (Haynes 44). The project manage can also enhance the completion of the project through outsourcing of the project either in terms of outsourcing other materials and laborers from other companies or giving a fraction or the entire project to a different company to carry out. This, just like the former process will reduce the project duration and enhance faster completion of the project but, at a higher cost to the project (Morris 98). Finally, the project manager may enhance the completion of the project through the establishment of a core project team which will be tasked to oversee the stages of the project to its finishing point. In this, the team has to put more efforts to be

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Twentieth-century Marxism. Georg Lukcs and the problem of Essay

Twentieth-century Marxism. Georg Lukcs and the problem of consciousness - Essay Example Georg Lukacs stands as a dominant figure in twentieth-century Marxism. The publication of his  History and Class Consciousness  and Karl Korsch  Marxism and Philosophy  in 1923 marked the first serious efforts to rethink Marxism Both Lukacs and Korsch were responding to the inability of the orthodox viewpoint to account for either the unexpected survival of the Russian Revolution or the progressive dissolution of revolutionary working-class movements in Europe. Their efforts led them to examine the origins of Marx's thought and to revitalize and reemphasize aspects of his work which had previously been underplayed or ignored. Their work gave rise to what later would be labeled "Western Marxism." This variant of Marxist thought is characterized by its interest in the early Marx and in the philosophical (especially Hegelian) roots of Marxism; by its focus on Marx as opposed to Engels; and by its stress on consciousness, culture, and subjectivity science, economics, and nature. It is within Western Marxism, of course, that Critical Theory is situated. And Lukacs's work would particularly influence the critical theorists. Lukacs is also a controversial figure in twentieth-century Marxism. The contributions and contradictions of his work, as well as his reassessments and repudiations of it, have been the subject of a great deal of debate and discussion.19  My interest here, however, is not in his work as a whole, but rather in his treatment of the proletariat as the revolutionary subject. His effort to address the issue of the proletariat's self-conscious agency effectively created more problems than it solved. At the same time that he insisted upon the identification of the proletariat as the revolutionary subject, he detailed the socioeconomic conditions that precluded its ability to fulfill its world-historical mission. It is the development of this dilemma in Lukacs's work that interests us here. In  History and Class Consciousness, Lukacs speaks of the proletariat as the "identical subject-object," "the subject of action," "the 'we' of the genesis." Although he would later label his treatment of the proletariat as an "attempt to -17- Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.  www.questia.com   Publication Information:  Book Title: Critical Theory and Political Possibilities: Conceptions of Emancipatory Politics in the Works of Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, and Habermas. Contributors: Joan Alway - author. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1995. Page Number: 17. out-Hegel Hegel,"  20  he held firm to his conviction that the proletariat was the historical subject whose actions would bring about the revolution. Lukacs followed Marx in believing that it was the position of the proletariat in the capitalist mode of production that conferred upon it its unique status. Within a system based on the production and exchange of commodities, workers were both commodities and the pro ducers of commodities. The fact that they, and they alone, were in a position to recognize themselves as both the subject and the object of the production process, and thus of the historical process, meant that the proletariat was capable of gaining unique insight into historical truth. For Lukacs the proletariat is the first truly universal class: for the first time in history, there existed a class whose self-understanding was the understanding of society as a whole, whose fate was the fate of society as a whole. In the proletariat subjective awareness and objective knowledge coincided. Lukacs insists that subjective awareness is not an automatic consequence of objective position. He argues that while objective position and conditions "give the proletariat the opportunity and the necessity to change society," social transformation will result only from their "free" action.  21  And this free action will be a function of the prolet

Gender Identity Essay Example for Free

Gender Identity Essay Blonde hair, blue eyes, long legs, the perfect 10; Barbie. Barbie was the top selling doll for girl’s ages seven to thirteen from 1959 to 2006. This fashion diva has gone to Hawaii, has many different looks, a mansion, and a number of different vehicles. While Barbie has everything she could ever want, what does she teach our children? Little girls want to be perfect, like Barbie, a nearly unachievable goal. It lowers their self-worth and sets unrealistic standards. Because of this, some countries are restricting the sales of the dolls and even with the new advancement’s Mattel has made to improve Barbie’s â€Å"aura† so-to-speak, there is still a very prominent suggestive gender orientation; such roles now include, architect, computer designer, veterinarian, teacher, pastry chef, and female sports. Barbie dolls influence very stereotypical gender roles when developing gender identity; these toys teach that girls are to be tall, thin, pretty house wives and caregivers. When children strive for unrealistic perfection it lowers their self-image and confidence. As stated; Barbie is the model of perfection. Barbie has negative influence on young girls, and makes then self-conscious about their physical appearance because of Barbie’s unrealistic body features. Girls aspire to be very thin, like Barbie. This leads to eating disorders at a young age and causes long term psychological harm. In Australia, there is a cosmetic procedure known as â€Å"The Barbie Treatment† It’s main patients are girls between the ages of 16 and 20. This unrealistic ideality of what a woman should look like creates self-loathing in girls who are perfect in their own way because they are less than the Barbie standard. World-wide, people are noticing the effects Barbie has on its children. From the UK to Australia to our very own United States, scholars and doctors have been studding the impact Barbie may have on their youth. Iran has banned Barbie dolls bec ause of the impact it’s having on their young girls. Barbie also sets a standard of â€Å"good house wifery† and vanity. The most popular Barbie dolls include Malibu Barbie, Barbie’s Home Kitchen and Beauty Shop Barbie; the perfect recipe for a perfect bimbo. Now – a – days, there are so many things women are capable of! It is truly disappointing to see that Barbie has such gender-specific roles in the past. Mattel has tried â€Å"upping the ante† so-to-speak by introducing new Barbie’s  with little to no success. In 2008, Mattel introduced its new Barbie Line: I can B. This introduced many different careers for Barbie. Architect, computer designer, veterinarian, teacher, pastry chef, and female Olympic Sports are her newest trends. While that’s all well-and-good, the roles are still gender oriented. All of them are care-giver roles. There is now a Facebook page for Barbie to â€Å"redeem† herself; this petition is asking Mattel to make bald Barbie’s and donate a percentage of the profit to research for childhood cancers. After 2 years and snide comments from the toy maker, news is they are finally in the planning stages for Barbie’s Bald Friend. Do we really want our children to believe that they are less than perfect the way they are? That they must be thin to be loved and appreciated? Should our young girls all just assume that the only role a woman has is to be pretty and take care of others? All people were created equal – not plastic. Society is morphed our ideology of a perfect ten from the Barbie standards. 12 year old children are considering cosmetic surgery – plastic surgery. Toys are meant to be played with – a child’s psyche is not.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Contract Law Advice Style Answer

Contract Law Advice Style Answer Arron and Tracy have entered into three different types of contracts. Firstly, there is a contract for sale of goods between Tracy and HAL[1] for the purchase of the coffee machine. Secondly, there is a contract for service among Arron and Matthew for the decoration of the hallway. Then, there is a contract for sale of description between the Arron and the dog-seller for the purchase of dog. The contracts appeared to be consumer contracts, since they satisfied the requirements established under the Unfair Contract Terms Act[2]. Section 12[3] states that a person dealing under a consumer contract is when one party performed in the course of a business and not the other party. Moreover, the goods in consideration must be ‘of a type ordinarily supplied for private use’.[4] Section 2(1) of the Sale of Goods Act[5]states that for a consumer contract to exist there must be ‘a money consideration’. In application, it is clear that Arron and Tracy are consumers, whi ch are not acting in the course of the business, but we cannot say the same for the other parties. In the cases of Stevenson[6] and R B Customs[7], the term ‘in the course of a business’[8] is wisely explained, it is clear that the other parties who contracted with them are included. THE LUXURY COFFEE MACHINE* The purchase of the luxury coffee falls under the implied terms of s. 14 SGA[9], which says that the goods supplied must be of â€Å"satisfactory quality†. Under S.14 (2A)[10], the test is that of ‘a reasonable person’ would regard as satisfactory. Thus, when the coffee machine was bought no one will expect it to burn hands and to be unsafe (considering the criteria in s.14 (2B)[11] of the act. Here, it includes safety as per s.14 (2B) (d)[12]. Indeed, the General Product Safety Regulations 2005[13] has included electrical equipment as having a requirement to be safe, by being properly insulted. However, this is not the case when the coffee machine becomes too hot which is clearly unsafe. It is clear though that s.14[14] is in breached since the product supplied burnt hands by becoming too hot. Consequently, Tracy can return or ask for a refund of the price ( £150) and damages. Nevertheless, in order to entitle to this, it must be established that Tracy has not â€Å"accepted† the product. Otherwise, if it has taken place the remedy is damages only which will be under s.11 (4).[15] Furthermore, s.35 (4)[16] says that acceptance occurred when a buyer retain the goods for a certain period of time without intimating to the seller that she rejected it. The question of time had an extensive discussion about how long and what actually is a reasonable time. It was first established under the case of Bernstein[17], under which there was a maximum of 3 weeks. However, it was later replaced by Clegg[18] the actual law which provides a period of 7 months. In application, Tracy is visibly within the time limit, as she rejected the offer when she returns the coffee machine back to HAL. Furthermore, since Tracy paid the coffee machine with her credit card, she may have additional rights under the Consumer Credit Act 1974[19]. In fact, she enters into a consumer credit agreement which is defined under s.8 (1)[20] as an agreement between an individual and the creditor by which the creditor provides the debtor with credit of any amount. In application, this is the case when Tracy paid the product with her credit card define as ‘financial accommodation’ under s.9[21]. It was a regulated consumer credit agreement under s.8 (3)[22] as it was not an exempt agreement. It also constitutes a restricted use, according to the situation in the problem as per s.11 (b)[23] and a running account as per s.10 (1) (a)[24].Consequently, as the product is purchase with a credit card, there is a D-C-S agreement under s.12 (b)[25]; debtor: Tracy, creditor: Barclaycard and the supplier: HAL .In such a case, where there is a faulty product, which is the case Tracy has a ‘ like claim’ against the credit card company under s.75[26]. HAL and the credit card company are ‘jointly and severally liable’ for the aforementioned breach of S.14 SGA[27]. Therefore, Tracy has a claim against both HAL and Barclaycard. Indeed, if the claim against the shop is unsuccessful, then she is entitled to use s.75 as a shield. Furthermore, even if Vicky is not a party to the contract she might have a claim against HAL since the privity of contract was overcome by the narrow rule of Lord Atkin in the case of Donoghue v Stevenson.[28] Despite the fact, that she could claim under negligence it will be best to sue under Consumer Protection Act[29] since there is a strict liability. Vicky might claim a civil liability under Part I of CPA[30] which covered damage or personal injury caused by the faulty products, when her arm is burn. The coffee machine is defective as per s.3, since no one will generally expect the coffee machine to become too hot and unsafe. Therefore, she will be able to sue for damages. Moreover, there may be a potential criminal liability under Part II of CPA which covered damage caused by unsafe product. Certain goods need to satisfy the safety requirement under s.11 (1)[31]. Therefore, a failure to meet the safety regulations is a breach under s.12[32], but unless the product supply is unsafe which here is visibly the case. Additionally, HAL will try to rely on the exclusion clause. In order to be effective, the clause needs to satisfy certain legal rules. When Tracy went to return the coffee machine, she was pointed a notice which states â€Å"Sale items cannot be returned†. Applying the case of Olley[33], which established that for a notice to be incorporated it need to be before or at the time of the contract. Since, Tracy could not remember having seen the notice before; it is very likely that there clause was not incorporated. Even if the clause was valid, it will not make a difference because s6 (1) UCTA states that liability in consumer contract for breach of s.14[34] cannot be excluded. MATTHEW, THE DECORATOR* The contract between Arron and Matthew is governed by the Supply of Goods and Services 1982[35] since the substance of the contract is based on services. The SGSA[36] consist of two parts; Part 1 consists of the quality of goods supplied under the contract for the services and Part 2 is about the supply of services Under Part 1, there is an implied term that goods supplied on the part of the act to be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose under s.4. This section mirror the provisions contain within s.14 (2A) and (2B) of SGA[37]. It should be noted that there is no provision equivalent to s11 (4) and s.35. Therefore, generally when Arron buys the wallpaper guaranteed to last 10 years he will expect the product to be of satisfactory quality and to durable as per the other relevant circumstances under s.4 (2A)[38] which mirror the provision of s.14 (2B) (e)[39]. But this was not the case when the wallpaper falls off the wall after six weeks. Unlike Part 1, which implied term concern the goods, Part 2 implies following terms concerning the supply of services. Contrarily, to Part 1 it is possible to exclude liability, under s.11 UCTA for breach under the service part of the contract. A contract for supply of services is defined under s12[40] as â€Å"a contract under which a person (the supplier) agrees to carry out a service.† Under Part 2 there is an implied term under s.13[41] that the services provided by the supplier will be carried out within a reasonable care and skill. It should be noted that s.13 implies generally accepted to be innominate term as in Hong Kong Fir[42] by depriving the innocent party of the whole benefit of the contract. This is clearly the case here when ‘the wallpaper fall off.’ Applying Nettleship v Weston[43], there is no defence even if the person claims to have to their incompetent best. Under, Bolam[44] if the skilled conforms within the standard required is of a reasonable competent member of the relevant trade, he will not be liable due to others different views. As established in Philips[45] , the services must be carried out with such a care as within the capacity of his degree of experience which he claimed to have .He must have a level of skill of such specialist which he holds to Arron as in Grieves.[46]Therefore, when Arron employed Matthew, he expected t he work to be done with a reasonable care and skill and not be fall off within six weeks. Clearly s.4[47] and s.13[48] are in breached. Consequently, Arron will be able to ask for damages since rejection will be impossible. The claim for recovery of damages is for the poor service or poor quality of materials used in the contract term, it includes actual damages for the failure of wallpaper which has not be achieved it result by holding on the wall and consequential damages for the money which Arron will have to expense to repair the breach. In order to entitle to this, Arron must have taken reasonable steps to mitigate his loss suffered, which require acceptance of offer from the defendant to rectify the matter, like under the case of Payzu.[49]It is clear that mitigation of loss had occurred when Arron suggested to Matthew that he should properly do the work again. Hence, Arron will be able to recover for the damages since he gives the opportunity to Matthew to redo the work properly. Additionally, Matthew tried to rely on the exclusion clause, when Arron tells him that he should properly ‘redo’ the work. An exclusion clause is used by a party in order to restrict or limit liability in an event of a breach of contract or any other specified circumstances. But, for it to be effective three legal conditions need to be consider; the common law, the UCTA and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999[50]. Under the common law, the clause must be incorporated and constructed. According to the scenario, the clause was incorporated by an express agreement since there is not enough information to state that a contract was signed between the parties. Therefore, it is very likely that the clause was incorporated. As for the construction of the clause, it must be established that in interpretation of the contract the clause cover the breach which has occurred. In application, the clause is constructed in a plain language but it does not cover the breach. Hereafter, the clause might not be hold as constructive by court. In addition, the statutory controls need to be considered. The legislation for exclusion clauses is governed by the provision under UCTA and UTCCR. The UCTA was created in order to protect the weaker party, for example the consumer. Under s.11(1), the reasonableness test need to be consider, under which the term must be fair and reasonable by including all circumstances ‘[†¦]which were or ought reasonable to have be known[†¦]’[51]. In the problem question, it is clear that the terms are not fair and reasonable since Matthew restricted the term of the contract for his own benefit and not for Arron (the consumer). He excluded all extra cost and loss arising out of the decorating services. The UTCCR will not be applicable due to lack of information about the presence of a contractual term or a standard form. Even if the exclusion clause is valid s.7[52]states that liability for consumer contracts for breach of s4 and s13 cannot be excluded. However, this liability can be excluded if satisfies the requirement of the reasonableness which is visibly not the case here. Arron might have a criminal liability against the producer for the commercial practices of the wallpaper through television advertising. The liability will be under Schedule 1 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008[53]which replaced some consumer protection legislation; like CPA Part 3 or even the TDA[54]. He can claim liability for misleading actions under Regulation 5. It occurs when a misleading information lead the average consumer to make a decisive reason to enter the contract. In application, it is clear that it is the 10 years old guarantee, which encourages Arron to buy this specific paper. This commercial practice clearly distinguished the product from the competitor (para.3 (a) of reg.5), was obviously a main characteristic of the product (para.4 (b) of reg.5) which makes him make a decisive decision in buying this product rather than the others. PUPPIES* The buying of pedigree dog is governed by the SGA. However, the effect of the statement must first be drawn, by stating whether it is a puff, a representation, a term or a sale by description. The difference between these statements will be established. A puff is a ‘mere boast or unsubstantiated claims’ which are used by advertisers for their products and services .An example is the case of Carlill[55]. Representations or contractual term are statements made in course of negotiation for a contract. While, a term of contract define as outcome to pre-contractual negotiation between parties can be distinct in two types; implied and express. It could also be a sale by description under s.13 which implied term is that the goods must ‘correspond’ to the words used for the description of the goods. In application, it is clear that is a sale by description where the adverts states that the dogs are ‘pedigree dogs’ with ‘friendly temperature’. S.13 is breached as the description is inaccurate and that the dogs are crossbreeds, aggressive and snappy. There is a strict liability under s.13 and the remedy, will allow Arron to reject the good and receive damages. Next, Arron has paid the pedigree dog with his credit card; he may have a claim under CCA. Under the CCA, a D-C-S agreement is established, under s12 (b) consisting of the debtor; Arron, the creditor; the credit card company (Barclaycard) and the supplier (the dog-seller). It may be that has a claim under s.75 where the creditor is jointly and severally liable with the supplier for the supplier misrepresentation and for breach of s.13 SGA. If, the claim is not successful under SGA against the supplier, Arron will be to use s.75 as a shield. Criminal liability is regulated by the regulation 5[56] for the false information which deceived the consumers. The false statement of the advert may lead to a criminal offence under reg.5 CPUTR which prohibits false information to be applied on goods. S.2 (2) (a), states that goods includes the descriptions and details of animals as per there ‘sex, breed or cross [†¦]’[57].Under s.3 (1)[58] explains the term of â€Å"false to a material degree†. In application, it is clear that the advert the newspaper is a material degree and that there is a breached of Reg 5. 2515 Word Count*(Excluding titles) Bibliography Primary Sources Cases: Bolam v Friern Hospital Management [1957] 1 WLR 582 Bernstein v Pamson Motors [1987] RTR 384 Carlill v The Carbolic Smoke Ball Co Ltd [1893] 1 QB 256 Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 Grieves Co Baynham [1975] 1 WLR 109 Hong Kong Fir Shipping Co Ltd v Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd [1962] EWCA Civ 7 Nettleship v Weston [1971] 2 QB 691 Olley v Marlborough Court Ltd [1949] 1 AII ER 127 Payzu Ltd. V Saunders [1919] 2 KB 581 Philips v William Whitely Ltd [1938] AII ER 566 RB Customs Brokers Ltd v United Dominions Trust Ltd [1988] 1 WLR 321 Stevenson v Rogers [1999] 1 All ER 613 Statutes and statutory instruments: Trade Description Act 1968 Consumer Credit Act 1974 Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 Sale of Goods Act 1979 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 Consumer Protection Act 1987 Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulation 1999 Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 Secondary Sources Books: Nicholas Ryder, Margaret Griffiths, Lachmi Singh, Commercial Law (Principles and Policy), (First published 2012,Cambrige) Michael Furmston and Jason Chuah, Commercial Law,(2th edn, Pearson 2013) Chris Turner, UNLOCKING CONTRACT LAW,(First published 2004,Hodder Stoughton) Chapters in Books: Michael Furmston and Jason Chuah, Chapter 4 ‘Sale of Goods’: 4.8 Defective goods, Commercial Law,(2th edn, Pearson 2013) pg. 192-201 Chris Turner, Chapter 6 ‘The Obligations under a Contract : Term 6.1.2: Types of representation and their consequences, UNLOCKING CONTRACT LAW,(First published 2004,Hodder Stoughton) pg. 111-116 Websites and Blogs: Which? Consumer Right ‘Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982’ (2014) http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/supply-of-goods-and-services-act-1982>accessed on 19 March 2014 Financial Ombudsman Service , oombudsman news  » issue 31  » credit cards equal liability under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (sep 2003) http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/31/creditcards-31.htm> accessed on 25 March 2014 FindLaw UK, ‘Your rights under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act’ http://www.findlaw.co.uk/law/consumer/consumer_credit/500520.html> accessed on 02 April 2014 BBC one Watchdog, ‘Supply of Services’(2014) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/consumer-law-supply-of-services> accessed on 06 April 2014 Out-Law.com, ’Product liability under the Consumer Protection Act’ (last update 2011) http://www.out-law.com/en/topics/commercial/supply-of-goods-and-services/product-liability-under-the-consumer-protection-act/> accessed on 09 April 2014 [1] Home Appliances Ltd [2] Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977; UCTA [3] Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 [4] Section.12(1)(c) Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 [5] Sale of Goods Act 1979;SGA [6] Stevenson v Rogers [1999] 1 All ER 613 [7] RB Customs Brokers Ltd v United Dominions Trust Ltd [1988] 1 WLR 321 [8] Section 12 Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 [9] Section 14 Sale of Goods Act 1979 [10] Section 14 (2A) Sale of Goods Act 1979 [11] Section 14 (2 B) Sale of Goods Act 1979 [12] Section 14 (2B) (d) Sale of Goods [13] General Product Safety Regulations 2005;GPSR [14] Section 14 Sale of Goods Act 1979 [15] Section 11 (4) Sale of Goods Act 1979 [16] Section 35 (4) Sale of Goods Act 1979 [17] Bernstein v Pamson Motors [1987] RTR 384 [18] Clegg v Anderson [2003] EWCA Civ 1002 [19] Consumer Credit Act 1974;CCA [20] Section 8 (1) Consumer Credit Act 1974 [21] Section 9 Consumer Credit Act 1974 [22] Section 8 (3) Consumer Credit Act 1974 [23] Section 11 (b) Consumer Credit Act 1974 [24] Section 10 (1)(a) Consumer Credit Act 1974 [25] Section 12 (b) Consumer Credit Act 1974 [26] Section 75 Consumer Credit Act 1974 [27] Section 14 Sale of Goods Act 1979 [28] Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 [29] Consumer Protection Act 1987:CPA [30] Consumer Protection Act 1987 [31] Section 11 (1) Consumer Protection Act 1987 [32] Section 12 Consumer Protection Act 1987 [33] Olley v Marlborough Court Ltd (1949) 1 ALL ER 127 [34] Section 14 Sale of Goods Act 1979 [35] Supply of goods and Services Act 1982; SGSA [36] Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [37] Sale of Goods Act 1979 [38] Section 4 (2A) Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [39] Section 14(2B)(e) Sale of Goods Act 1979 [40] Section 12 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [41] Section 13 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [42] Hong Kong Fir Shipping Co Ltd v Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd [1962] EWCA Civ 7 [43] Nettleship v Weston [1962] 2 QB 691 [44] Bolam Fried Hospital Management [1957] 1 WLR 582 [45] Philips v William Whitely Ltd [1938] 1 ALL ER 566 [46] Grieves Co v Baynham [1975] QB 644 [47] Section 4 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [48] Section 13 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 [49] Payzu Ltd v Saunders [1919] 2 KB 581 [50] Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999; UTCCR [51] S.11(1) of Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 [52] Section 7 Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 [53] Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008; CPUTR [54] TDA:Trade Description Act 1968-largely repealed by CPUTR [55] Carlill v The Carbolic Smoke Ball Co Ltd [1893] 1 QB 256 [56] Regulation 5 of Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 [57] Section 2(2)(a) of the Trade description Act 1968 [58] Section 3(1) of the Trade description Act 1968

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Discrimination is unfair treatment

Discrimination is unfair treatment Introduction Discrimination is nothing, but an unfair treatment against a person or group of people based on prejudice (Oxford Concise Dictionary). This would imply discriminating people on the basis of their gender, race, religion, caste, class, age, disability, migration, genetic disposition, physical appearance, etc etc. Discrimination at workplaces among gender is a matter of serious concern for organizations all over India. Talking about gender biases, women in India still remain the largest group that faces discrimination in workplaces. Even in todays world, women comprise of only 2 per cent of the total managerial strength in the Indian corporate sector. While more and more women are joining the corporate, with better salaries and even at senior levels, their pay equity compared with their male counterparts is still a disappointment. Discrimination at workplaces can come from any of the sides, whether be from the employers or the employee itself. When we talk about the employee itself, we take into consideration the way new employees are treated or welcomed by the existing ones. The effect of this may last for a long time, if not amongst them, but in the organization, as this could be seen in the form of negative feedback one may get in return of his work. Discrimination leads to psychological and emotional disturbances leading to demoralization which further affects the performance and the standard of work output. It is so truly said that discrimination results in the wastage of human resources and their talent. This is mostly seen with women. Man and woman play an important and equal role in the society. In India from centuries it has been noticed that women are and considered an oppressed class and are neglected. During the national struggle for independence, Gandhi gave a call of emancipation of women. He wrote -: I am uncompromising in the matter of womens rights. The difference in sex and physical form denotes no difference in status. Woman is the complement of man, and not inferior. The constitution of India declares that all are equal in front of the law. Gender inequality can also be termed as gender bias, which refers to the differences made among individuals based on their gender, that is, male and female or girl and boy. Initially this problem was seen in rural India as people considered a girl child a burden on them, but now this is also seen in urban India in areas such as offices, organizations, institutions, society etc etc. The gender inequality in the workplace is one of the high rated issues that have been publicly ringing through society for years. It refers to the hidden disparities among individual based on gender performance which is seen towards women. In order to identify this situation we must try to get to the root of the problem and must understand sociological factors that cause women to have much more difficult times getting the same wages, profits and job opportunities as their male complements. The society in which we live right now have been shaped patriarchal for centuries. Before the industrial revolution most people worked in and near their homes, whether they were involved in farming or making clothes or pottery. In certain situations one would notice men going to far off places like towns or cities for work and a better wage, but women on the other hand have always continued to be there at home and carry on the work of her and her husbands share ( when he is not around ). But this situation changed when modern industry appeared in the late 19th century, which saw a drastic separation between home and workplace. In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and occupation, women often face greater handicap than men. Women are, and have been, entering the workplace in rapid numbers. Evidence shows that middle and upper class women are prospering even though discrimination is prevailing in the society. When talking about the women in the workplace, often the term glass-ceiling is used referring to the imaginary career barrier that seemingly impedes a womans ability to rise to the top ranks. Even though there has been a diminishing gender gap in labour forces as women are entering work, literature shows that gender discrimination still persists in Indian workplaces. As anthropologist Gayle Rubin (1975:178) said, a taboo against the sameness of men and women (divides) the sexes into two mutually exclusive categories (and) thereby creates gender. It has been seen that men usually enjoy certain benefits without having worked for them, which a women doesnt just because they are males. The word gender in itself signifies the advantage males have over females (Acker 1990:146; 1999; Britton 2000; Risman 1998). It is the societies who create and maintain the gender differences and these can be seen in a number of ways. Division of work according to sexes is a fundamental concept of work which is brought about by organizational practices ( Acker 1999; Ely and Meyerson 2000; Ridgeway and Smith Lovin 1999) HISTORY Initially it was seen in India that women were not treated equally and fairly in comparison to their male counterparts. They were deprived of a lot of facilities and were not given the privilege of education, work, owe property or even vote. It was believed that women were meant to stay at home, raise the children, serve the family and carry out all the domestic household work. But during the 1800s efforts were made for the first time to bring about equality amongst gender. In the early part of this century coeducation started at least at the university level and laws were made to bring about equality. From then things have improved but still discrimination and unequal treatment against women persists THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK The fundamental explanatory theories for gender inequality are as follows: Human capital theory Socialization Overt discrimination The dual labour market HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY Human capital theories attribute gender inequality and occupational segregation to lower education and skill levels found among women ( Estevez-Abe 2005: 184). In other words, it means that, people with more skills, knowledge, experience etc etc are more likely to get better jobs. It has been noticed that women normally end up in part time jobs or less desirable jobs as compared to men, meaning jobs that demand less skills. According to this theory, women invest less in education and formal training in comparison to men because of traditional family role (Ibid, 351) which are to raise the children, serve the family and carry out the household work (Becker 1982 cited in Estevez-Abe 2005:184). Also, this theory suggests, that women avoid fields where there are rapid changes such as technological, innovative changes. Literature shows that those occupations requiring less investment of time, money and training are now the ones with lower returns and female based (Marini 1989: 352; Rosenf eld 1984:57). Human capital theory also says that the extent to which an individual will differ in the variables such as prior experience, hours of working, education, knowledge, marital status, etc etc, their worth in the labour market will be affected in return. No matter even if a woman has same qualifications, experience and are at the same position to that of a man in opposite still she earns less in comparison to him (Padavic and Reskin 2002). SOCIALIZATION Socialization also helps in explaining gender inequality. Theories based on socialization say that it is through childhood and the way they socially interact that the individuals place is determined in the society or workplace (Tomaskovic Devey 1993: 8). According to this theory, it is the society who sets out the appropriate roles and occupations for an individual (Rosenfeld 1984:57). In other words, men and women accept the roles based on gender laid out by the society for them. They also value them as thats what they learn through socialization over a period of time. These roles are mostly the rules, norms and regulations of a society (Konrad, Corrigal, Lieb Ritchie 2000: 109). This also affects the way one conducts himself or herself and his or her ambitions leading to division of labour where women specialize in household and family activities and men in occupation and market. They way one socializes as a child plays a very important role in shaping his future and career life. Socialization has a very important and predominant role in an individuals life. It is the socially constructed norms and values of the society that brings about gender inequality in workplaces as well. No matter how modern one may be, he still has to stay in a society and follow its rules and regulations. If he tries to change or go against them consequences that follow are not desirable and of choice OVERT DISCRIMINATION Progression has been of no good to women when it comes to the way they are treated at workplaces. Overt and covert discrimination continues to affect them in workplaces. Much of the treatment is covert but then one cannot deny the fact that overt also continues. Here (overt discriminating treatment) one sees how the men especially the White men are dominant in the society making the rules and regulations. They have an upper hand and advantage in the labour market. Women pose a treat to these White men (Reskin 1988). Evidence show that how historically White men used labour unions to exclude women from well paying jobs THE DUAL LABOUR MARKET According to the dual labour market theory, men and women earn different incomes because they work in different segments of the labour market. Women are mostly found working in the areas which comprise of low incomes and benefits. Therefore, equal pay for equal work is just a principle which only applies to a very handful of people as women are never engaged in equal work. According to the dual labour market theory the market is divided into two markets namely the primary market and the secondary market. In the primary labour market, jobs are relatively stable, wages are also good and opportunities for advancement exist. Basically primary jobs are found in large organizations as they comprise of more stable jobs, better working environment and benefits. Example of this would mean working in a MNC under the management head. On the other hand, secondary markets are the ones having few turnovers, small profits, not many stable jobs and also poor working environment. Example of this would be working a serving person in a fast food restaurant. These are short time or part time jobs. Under this theory one sees that most of the women would be employed in the secondary labour market and not the primary labour market. The primary labour market itself is divided into two tiers the first tier and the second tier. The first tier consists of high status professional and organizational jobs with more autonomy whereas on the other hand second tier consists of the working class with less autonomy such as semi skilled blue collar jobs. Women are found in large percentages under the informal sector of the labour market where there is a wide wage gap and low or no benefits. People or companies would hire such people in an under the table manner which would have no records of them and also not pay them their profit share. Under this theory it is also said that men and women are employed in different occupations and if they were in the same occupation then they would be doing different jobs. This is called occupation segregation LITERATURE According to Joanne Naiman, men are considered breadwinners and womens place is at home (Joanne Naiman 1997: 250-51). This viewpoint is not surprising as history shows how it is the men who have been the policy makers and shape the society as they perceive and want it. They have always been dominating the society. For example in Joanne Naimans book, there is an excerpt from Gustave Le Bonne, a Parisian in 1879, in which he openly compared most of the female brains with that of gorillas and stated the inferiority (of women) is so obvious that no one can contest it for the moment; only its degree is worth discussing. (Quoted in Joanne Naiman 1997: 250). Another instance can be traced from Carol Travis book titled The Mismeasurement Of Woman where she states that left hemisphere of the brain deals with intelligence and reasoning and right on the other hand with passion, sex and other such similar concepts. It was said that men were considered to have an advanced or better left brain in comparison to women. But later some where in the 1960s and 70s scientists found out that it was the right hemisphere of the brain that was source of intelligence, imagination, reasoning, creativity etc etc and men had more of this brain now (Carol Tavris 1992:48). Both the above citations clearly show that how society would see women to be inferior to men and not smart enough to carry out jobs which would deal with thinking and reasoning and these were the main causes as why women were not treated equally at workplaces. It was because of these mindsets that women were not given the freedom to work and if they were to work, they had to always prove themselves worthy in comparison to men at every step and were not treated equally. This could be in the form of them not getting the equal pay as her male colleague or not promoted or anything for that matter. Ergo, puts the viewpoint across and says that all those jobs which need supervision are female jobs such as a nurse, secretary, receptionists etc etc. To show this point he uses the case story (Mustapha Koc 1999) where Mary, the wife, was given the responsibility and job of a secretary and accountant of the family business and her husband was the boss. Even though they husband and wife, still they did not share the responsibilities that they could have of the family business in the office. This was because the society had outlined the role and position for Mary. Because of the norms and rules of the society Mary had to quit her job from the bank as she had children now and had to become a housewife. This is another example as to how women are not treated equally in workplace and society. Theodore Caplow (The Sociology of Work, 1954) identifies the reasons as to what make it difficult for women to compete with men in the general labour markets. The reasons mentioned are Womens primary role and social status as housewife and mother, the secondary economic role of women as family breadwinners / providers, the large number of women in society for whom paid employment was as option, rather than a necessity and the historical (cultural) domination of the workplace by men. Walby in the similar lines of that of Caplow but in greater emphasis argues that male domination in workplace has created a cultural setting in which women play a largely peripheral role. It is clearly seen in our everyday lives how women are asked to take care of the households, family and children. How she has to quit from her job when her children are born and how it is all her duty to bring up the children along with taking care of the others at home. How as a child they asked to play with dolls and some sort of indoor games called house house or teacher teacher. While playing these games how they would treat their dolls as if they were her children and take care of them. At school asked to take extra curricular activities involving subjects like home science, stitching, nursing. It is very clearly visible how women are not treated equality to men and this brings about gender inequality. As Haralambos (Themes and Perspectives) notes a point: Women face a number of disadvantages in paid work. Firstly, they tend to be lower paid than men. Secondly, they are more-likely to be in part-time work. Thirdly, they tend to concentrated in the lower reaches of the occupations in which they work. Fourthly, women tend to do particular types of jobs, usually those with low status. Media also has a major role in this. It also lets subjects or categorises womens role to household. Most of the household advertisements are also accounted towards women and any with power, authority, position, strength toward men. This also shapes the role of men and women. Societies have shaped the role of a women to such a limitation that even if she gets a job by going against the norms of the society, she would not be able to go far in her career. The reason for this would be that the society will not be able to see a women doing better and at a better position that men. About 75 percent of the jobs in the well paying professions are held by men and even if women are able to get equal jobs as men they still get paid considerably less (David Bender and Bruno Leone 1989: 75). For that matter one sees that certain jobs of women are such manipulated and are of a certain standard of measurement when they do not get maternal leaves from companies they are employed in (David Bender and Bruno Leone 1989: 74). Once they have left their job it becomes very hard for them to get back to the professional ladder. But when we talk about inequality amongst gender in workplace, this could also be for the fact that there are certain job positions that could only be filled by certain genders, such as army officers. Even though there has been a number of movements that are trying to get rid of this inequality and some have also been successful but this has also shown a downfall in the society by the number of rape, sexual harassment, verbal violence, etc cases at workplaces which puts a doubt in the minds of women and are made to think twice if they should even take up that job and position. Religion and culture also say that the roles of men are different from that of women. Mankind has taught that men are superior to women ( Babara Kantowitz 1986). This notion is taught to all from a very early age normally which have lead people to think and believe that males are better than women, therefore, should get better job opportunities and no compromise should be made in this aspect. This gender inequality ahs always been there and still continues to exists. THE CONCEPT OF A DUAL ROEL OR DOUBLE SHIFT Barron and Norris argue that men can work in both the sectors, be it primary or secondary, but they are most likely to be found in the primary sector in contrast to women, who are found mostly in the secondary sector. This is because women are more likely to take up jobs where you are paid less and that are flexible in nature. This observation relates to the idea that women tend to have a dual role. Dual role can be expressed in the way that bringing up the child is primary and supplementing family income is secondary. It based on the primary role for women as to where and when can they work. This further affects the market situation for men. It is for this reason and fact that women work in secondary sectors. It is because of the reason mentioned above that women are not generally able to commit themselves in a long term careers. The general structure of womens lives is less well adapted to the demands of professional employment. In history it has been seen as an evidence that how for a variety of reasons women had been less organized than men in the workplace (especially in relation to Trade Union organization and membership) and how, therefore, more-easily dismissed or made redundant than men.