Profile of Eugene V. Debs Socialist & Labor Leader

Eugene V. Debs (November 5, 1855 to October 20, 1926) was an influential organizer and leader of the American labor movement, democratic socialist political activist, and a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). As the candidate of the Socialist Party of America, Debs ran five times for President of the United States, once while in jail for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Through his forceful oratory, presidential campaigns, and advocacy for workers’ rights, he became one of the highest-profile socialists in America’s history. Fast Facts: Eugene V. Debs Full Name: Eugene Victor Debs  Known for: Organizer and leader of the American labor movement and democratic socialist political activist  Born: November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, IndianaDied: October 20, 1926, (heart failure) at age 70 in Elmhurst, Illinois  Parents: Jean Daniel Debs and Marguerite Mari (Bettrich) DebsEducation: Terre Haute public schools. Dropped out of high school at age 14Key Accomplishments: Founded the American Railway Union (ARU), the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and the American Socialist Party.Wife: Kate Metzel, married on June 9, 1885Children:  None Early Life and Education Eugene Victor Debs was born on November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, Indiana. His father, Jean Daniel Debs, owned a prosperous textile mill and meat market. His mother, Marguerite Mari (Bettrich) Debs, had immigrated to the United States from France. Debs attended Terre Haute Public schools but dropped out of high school at age 14 to go to work as a painter in the local railroad yards, working his way up to railroad fireman (a steam locomotive boiler operator) in 1870. Marriage and Family Life Debs married Kate Metzel on June 9, 1885. While they had no children, Debs was a strong advocate of legislative restrictions on child labor. Today, their Terre Haute home is preserved on the campus of Indiana State University. Early Union Involvement and Entry Into Politics At his mother’s insistence, Debs left his railroad fireman job in September 1874 and went to work as a billing clerk at Hulman Cox, a local wholesale grocery firm. In February 1875, he became a charter member of Vigo Lodge, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (BLF), using his salary from Hulman Cox to help promote the fledgling labor union. In 1880, the BLF members repaid Debs by electing him Grand Secretary and Treasurer.   Even as a rising star in the labor movement, Debs was becoming a prominent figure in the community. As president of Occidental Literary Club of Terre Haute, he attracted several influential people to town, including women’s suffrage champion Susan B. Anthony.   Deb’s political career began in September 1879 when he was elected to two terms as Terre Haute city clerk. In the fall of 1884, he was elected as a representative to the Indiana General Assembly as a Democrat, serving one term.  Ã‚   Evolving Views on Labor Activism The early railroad unions, including Debs’ Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, were generally conservative, focusing more on fellowship than on workers’ rights and collective bargaining. During the early 1880s, Debs opposed strikes, expressing the view that â€Å"labor and capital are friends.† In 1951, historian David A. Shannon wrote, â€Å"Debs’ [desire] was one of peace and co-operation between labor and capital, but he expected management to treat labor with respect, honor and social equality.† However, as the railroads grew to be some of America’s most powerful companies, Debs became convinced that the unions should adopt a more unified and confrontational approach in dealing with management. His involvement in the Burlington Railroad Strike of 1888, a major defeat for labor, solidified Debs’ growingly activist views.   Debs Organizes the American Railway Union In 1893, Debs left his post at the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen to organize the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the first industrial labor unions in the United States specifically open to unskilled workers from different crafts. In early 1894, with Debs as its first president and his fellow railway labor organizer George W. Howard as first vice president, the rapidly growing ARU led the successful strike and boycott of the Great Northern Railway, winning most of labor’s demands.   The Pullman Strike In the summer of 1894, Debs became involved in the great Pullman Strike—a vicious, widespread railroad strike and boycott that virtually halted all train traffic in the Midwestern states of the U.S. for over three months. Blaming the financial panic of 1893, rail coach maker Pullman Palace Car Company cut the wages of its workers by 28 percent. In response, about 3,000 Pullman employees, all members of Debs’ ARU, walked off their jobs. At the same time, the ARU organized a nationwide boycott of Pullman cars to support the strike. By July, almost all train traffic to states west of Detroit had been stopped because of the boycott.   In the early stages of the strike, Debs had urged his ARU members to abandon the boycott due to the risk to the union. However, the members ignored his warnings, refusing to handle Pullman cars or any other railroad cars attached to them—including cars carrying U.S. Mail. Eventually, Debs added his support to the boycott, prompting the New York Times to call him â€Å"a lawbreaker at large, an enemy of the human race.†Ã‚   Pullman Railway Strike. Kean Collection / Getty Images Claiming a need to keep the mail running, President Grover Cleveland, whom Debs had supported, obtained a court injunction against the strike and boycott. When the rail workers first ignored the injunction, President Cleveland deployed the U.S. Army to enforce it. While the Army succeeded in breaking the strike, 30 striking workers were killed in the process. For his involvement in the strike as leader of the ARU, Debs was convicted on federal charges of obstructing the U.S. mail and served six months in prison. Debs Leaves Jail a Socialist Party Leader While in jail for mail obstruction, Debs—a longtime Democrat—read about the theories of socialism related to workers’ rights. Six months later, he left prison a devout supporter of the international socialist movement. After being released from prison in 1895, he would spend the last 30 years of his life advocating for the socialist movement.   Never one to do anything half-way, Debs founded the Social Democracy of America, the Social Democratic Party of America, and finally the Socialist Party of America. As one of the first candidates of the Socialist Party for a federal office, Debs ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1900, receiving only 0.6% (87,945 votes) of the popular vote and no Electoral College votes. Debs would go on to run unsuccessfully in the 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920 elections, the last time from prison. Founding the IWW Debs would resume his role as an organized labor leader on June 27, 1905, in Chicago, Illinois, when, along with â€Å"Big Bill† Haywood, leader of the Western Federation of Miners and Daniel De Leà ³n, leader of the Socialist Labor Party, he convened what Haywood called the â€Å"Continental Congress of the working class.†Ã‚  The result of the meeting was the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). â€Å"We are here to confederate the workers of this country into a working class movement that shall have for its purpose the emancipation of the working class...† said Haywood, with Debs adding, â€Å"We are here to perform a task so great that it appeals to our best thought, our united energies, and will enlist our most loyal support; a task in the presence of which weak men might falter and despair, but from which it is impossible to shrink without betraying the working class.† Back to Jail As a devoted isolationist, Debs vocally opposed President Woodrow Wilson and the participation of the United States in World War I. In a passionate speech in Canton, Ohio, on June 16, 1918, Debs urged young American men to resist registering for the WWI military draft. Called a â€Å"traitor to his country† by President Wilson, Debs was arrested and charged with 10 counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, making it a crime to in any way to interfere with the U.S. armed forces’ prosecution of the war or to promote the success of the nation’s enemies.   In a highly-publicized trial, in which his lawyers offered little defense, Debs was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 12, 1918. In addition, his right to vote was denied for life.   At his sentencing hearing, Debs delivered what historians consider his best-remembered statement: â€Å"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.† Debs entered the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary on April 13, 1919. On May 1, a protest parade of unionists, socialists, anarchists, and communists in Cleveland, Ohio, turned into the violent May Day Riots of 1919.  Ã‚   Prisoner and Presidential Candidate From his Atlanta jail cell, Debs ran for president in the 1920 election. The constitutional requirements for serving as president do not exclude convicted felons. He did surprisingly well for a prisoner, winning 3.4% (919,799 votes) of the popular vote, slightly less than he had won in 1912 when he received 6%, the highest number of votes ever won by a Socialist Party presidential candidate.   While in jail, Debs wrote several columns critical of the U.S. prison system that would be published after his death in his only full-length book, â€Å"Walls and Bars: Prisons and Prison Life in the Land of the Free.† After President Wilson twice refused to grant Debs a presidential pardon, President Warren G. Harding commuted his sentence to time served on December 23, 1921. Debs was released from prison on Christmas day, 1921. Last Years and Legacy Debs remained active in the Socialist movement following his release from prison until late 1926, when his failing health forced him to enter the Lindlahr Sanitarium in Elmhurst, Illinois. After suffering heart failure, he died there at the age of 70 on October 20, 1926. His remains are buried at Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute. Today, Debs’ work for the labor movement, along with his opposition to war and massive corporations are revered by American socialists. In 1979, independent socialist politician Bernie Sanders referred to Debs as â€Å"probably the most effective and popular leader that the American working class has ever had.†Ã‚   Notable Quotes Renowned as a powerful and persuasive public speaker, Debs left behind many memorable quotes. A few of these include: â€Å"Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. He has not come; he never will come. I would not lead you out if I could; for if you could be led out, you could be led back again. I would have you make up your minds that there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The end of class struggles and class rule, of master and slave, or ignorance and vice, of poverty and shame, of cruelty and crime -- the birth of freedom, the dawn of Brotherhood, the beginning of MAN. That is the demand.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yes, I am my brothers keeper. I am under a moral obligation to him that is inspired, not by maudlin sentimentality, but by the higher duty I owe myself.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The strike is the weapon of the oppressed, of men capable of appreciating justice and having the courage to resist wrong and contend for principle. The nation had for its cornerstone a strike †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sources Schulte, Elizabeth. â€Å"Socialism According to Eugene V. Debs.† July 9, 2015. SocialistWorker.orgâ€Å"Debs Biography.† The Debs FoundationShannon, David A. (1951). â€Å"Eugene V. Debs: Conservative Labor Editor.† Indiana Magazine of HistoryLindsey, Almont (1964). â€Å"The Pullman strike: the story of a unique experiment and of a great labor.† University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226483832.â€Å"Eugene V. Debs.† Kansas heritage.orgâ€Å"Socialism According to Eugene V. Debs.† SocialistWorker.orgGreenberg, David (September 2015). â€Å"Can Bernie Keep Socialism Alive?.† politico.com

The History of American Christians - 620 Words

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Analyze of Service Quality of Apple Singapore Branch †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Analyze of Service, Quality of Apple Singapore Branch. Answer: Introduction Apple is an American Multinational company situated in Cupertino, California. It designs, develops and sells computer software, gadgets, mobiles, smart phones, and other online services. The Company products include the iPhone smart phone, iPad, Mac personal computer, Apple TV and digital media player. Apples consumer software includes macOS and iOS operating systems. Apple is the worlds largest information technology system of revenue and employs more than 115,000 employees. It has over 500 stores over seventeen countries and operates in online functions also. Apple Singapore operates through dealers, authorized resellers and channel partners with its registered office in Mo Kio Street (Apple Inc, 2017). Apple products have been designed for making life of people easier. Apple Singapore is making the life of people easier by their new inventions and giving opportunities to their team members for making industry transformation apps and extending business abilities with partners. Apple products are designed to make people work in team anywhere they want. People love to work with technology and this can change their future business. Performance Measurement Performance measurement is an organization is measuring employees outcome in response to responsibilities and tasks allotted to the. Senior managers and leaders feel that performance measurement system affects the behavior of all staff members. Staff members also know that todays financial system measurement like profitability, ROI, EPS can give wrong judgment that the company is continually growing and transforming towards innovation. Earlier the financial system well for the industrial era, but it is hard to measure skills and competencies of todays competitive environment. Various tools to measure performance are firstly 360 Degree feedback which enables managers to receive feedback from various anonymous sources which meet them during the regular course of operations. This includes both internal and external customers, superiors, vendors and sales people. A person from HR or a consult collects the feedback through surveys and questionnaires and evaluates the responses in multiple ways. Secondly, Balance Scorecard, which combines quantitative information about sales, budgets and uses key performance indicators to track short term and long term goals of employees (Kaplan Norton, 1992). This approach takes into account career growth and follows best practices to achieve long term success. Thirdly,Management by Objective enables managers to directly meet with report and come up with short and long term objectives.. The objectives are flexible and applicable in todays tech world. Lastly, self evaluation is used where an employee is asked to rate himself o n the basis on criteria set by his managers. The gaps are then collectively discussed and improved by both managers and employees. Performance Measurement in Apple An approach of balanced Scorecard is used to measure the performance of Employees in Apple Singapore. A Balances Scorecard helps a company to innovate and rise towards new heights of improved performance by helping leaders and managers to make key decisions which are relevant to fulfill companys overall objective. It becomes a basis of reaching the desired performance expected from the employee. Apple, a technology leader in the market uses Balance Scorecard to measure performance of their work. Balance Scorecard of Apple Apple uses five performance indicators which are: Customer satisfaction Apple priority is always their customers first. Earlier they focused on improving their technology, but once they have made achievement in this line, they are moving towards satisfying their customers. Customer satisfaction has become the core principal for them and they want to stick to it for a long time. Many companies collaborate with other computer industry to conduct customer satisfaction survey, but Apple had made the decision to conduct their own customer satisfaction survey for more authentication and reliability of data as they want to fulfill customers desires to full extent (Institute, 2017). Core competencies Apple aims to provide its employees with innovation solution in technology like user friendly, high speed, effective distribution system which will help to develop their core competencies in these areas. Although, many Apple leaders believe that measuring area is a complex task, but Apple still is working on this area for improvements and development of its competencies. They are working to develop few quantitative measurements to check if employees are gaining skill sets to lead in this competitive environment. Employee commitment and alignment Apple Inc. understands that it is important to develop commitment and alignment between employees. This is why they conduct employee surveys in their Apple Singapore office once a year or every two years conducting random surveys. The questionnaire that aims to understand that how employees take companys goal and what is their individual strategy to achieve it. It also understands that how many employees are interested in achieving organizations success (Tudorache, 2017). Market share This is also an important indicator, especially in the technology sector. By increasing market share, Apple Inc increases its profitability and also persuades software developers and employees to work with them for better results. Shareholder value. Shareholder value in Apple is putting in sales insights, product designs and in the global manufacturing process. The correlation among all these activities will help to evaluate the performance of Apple Singapores activities and using it will help to assess new business deals. Doing this, will help to create more investments for future development and growth (Henderson, 2001)s. All the above five indicators help to increase the performance in the long term. Instead of opting for a controlling approach, these aids are being implemented by them to gain performance improvement for progressing steadily. Apple Inc. performance depends on these five pillars and they work to improve its activities for long term success of the company. Through these pillars, Apple Inc keeps a track on their performance to meet their objectives and goals (Schneier, et al., 1995). Apple: A Role Model for all Whether a company is small, medium or large, it is important to know the ins and outs of the Balance Scorecard and how it can be used its best way to improve productivity and operations. The KPI institute has developed various webinars and templates that focus on various components of a Balance Scorecard for better implementation and designing of the work (Marr, 2014) Customer Relationship Management This refers to the principals, practices and rules that an organization follows while interacting with their customers. This is the direct relationship between organization and employees related to customer inquiries, processes, forecasting and analysis of customer trends and attitudes. CRM is hence an overall experience which improves customer experience. Todays businesses have changed as with the advancement of the internet and technology customers are more concerned about their privacy and safety (Shainesh, 2017). Businesses need to ensure the data is being stored safely to make sure their data is protected against cyber crimes and thefts. Customer Relationship Management in Apple The most important focus of Apple Singapore CRM is to improve customer experience. The genius process of Apple CRM is part of technology support which allows customers to meet with technician face to face and discuss the problems and their solutions in detail. CRM will help to increase brand awareness while focusing on advertising and targeted emails in the future. By implementing extensive CRM, Apple has made the experience of purchasing a lifestyle for the customers (CRM Systems, 2017). One Company that has moved above and beyond to know their customers needs, wants and desire is Apple. Apple tops on the charts of customer service and for the seventh consecutive year it has topped among its competitors on the grounds of customer services. The credit of being at the top goes to its employees working at Apple Singapore. Employees are given training not to sell product, but help customers solve their problems. Employees are trained to satisfy customer need, some of which a customer doesnt even realizes. Apple focuses on customers by offering various outlets so that customers can be assisted including genius bar and social media. Customers can get personalized experience here and private stores help them to resolve issues by offering a complete solution (Stefania, 2014). Apple consistently works well to satisfy their customers. Consistency is being maintained to meet the customers experience and follow a few strategies to satisfy their customers. Apple creates a channel for better customer experience, rather than leaving the customer experience to random employees of big box stores, it has created its own retail stores in Singapore by risking and spending huge on the chain. By creating their own store, Apple spends time to sell their own products and created an environment to take care of each and every detail of customer interaction with Apple as a brand. Apple stores in Singapore have been designed to create an environment where customers can hang out. Apples store is profitable stores generating huge revenues and profitability. Despite such huge profitability, when young professionals, teenagers and middle aged people enter feel Apple to be a place to hang out and feel the new cool products (Fasthosts Team, 2012). Customers are greeted with smilin g, intelligent and skillful employees to encourage customers experience the product to the fullest. The shopping has in fact turned into an enjoyable experience. Managing People Managing staff is a tough task as it needs to be taken care about their personalities, ambitions and responsibilities. Employees need to be motivated at each task to bring in their productivity and efficiency. Managing People is a special art and puts together all their practices, tips, advice and recommendations for better results (Clifford, 2014). People in an organization are different as some are easier to manage and other is hard. It takes time to manage hard people as some talented but cannot work in a team. Few people are too aggressive while others are quite. All these people need to be managed in one alignment in order to achieve an organizations goals. Managing People in Apple Singapore For most of the organizations, the formula for success is managing employees well. All companies work hard to manage their people effectively to reach organizations goals. Each firm has their own strategy which mainly focuses on the Maslows hierarchy needs theory. Apple being a leader in the technology industry has proved to make successful strategies in employee engagement and motivation and has turned out to be most innovative and admired company in the world. There are many ways Apple motivates its employees. Apple follows Maslow Theory of Motivation As per the Maslow theory, lower order needs to be given first priority. This is why Apple Singapore takes care of the psychological needs of its employees first and gives their employees attractive salary packages to make sure their survival needs are fulfilled. Apart from this, Apple also provides many applications to protect their safety and needs of the customers taking care of their health and safety standards. Trainings are being provided for employees to take care of their health hazards and provide necessary safety equipments. Also, Apple is working on its RD facilities to bring improvements in Apples working environment. Better workplace is being made at Singapore offices which encourages social networking, enhances the junior, senior relationship and improves working group. Apple is also focusing on higher needs of Maslow theory apart from satisfying lower needs. To fulfil esteem needs of employees, Apple rewards their employees by giving them recognition bonus from 3 percen t to 5 percent. This motivates the employees who have finished their tasks successfully and effectively. Apple also fulfills esteem needs of employees by providing them with free iphone, which work as not only a benefit, but also acts as a good motivator as this will make employees to work more for their responsibilities as an effect to see results of their efforts. At the highest needs of Maslow theory, Apple has made an effort to motivate its employees by giving them good opportunities to develop in their careers and take further education. Employees are being motivated to work in team and they are given mission to produce a tech savvy phone which people never forget to leave at any place. Apple gives their employee a chance to be creative and grow in unlimited ways. Hence motivating employee is a crucial activity and Apple successfully pursue it by becoming a leader in its field. Apple makes a successful strategy to fulfill all needs of its employee and motivate the organization what they want to achieve (Apple Management, 2017). Recommendations and Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that Apple is a pioneer in its field and has attained huge success in its field of performance measurement, Customer Relationship Marketing and Managing People. Apple uses Balance Scorecard for measuring its performance; components like customer experience, core competencies, market share, employee commitment and shareholder value form the part of their analysis. However, they can also use other forms of performance measurement tool like 360 feedback and self evaluation. One collects feedback from all people coming in contact with the employee and the other helps to analyze what the employee feels about his performance. Apple has also attained good heights in the field of customer service. Apple consistently works well to satisfy their customers. Consistency is being maintained to meet the customers experience and follow a few strategies to satisfy their customers. However, they should continue to improve in the field of consistent innovation and diversify t o meet customer needs and desires. Product expansion should be part of Apples RD activities. They should make efforts for better communication with customers and resolve their complaints timely. Lastly, Apple manages its people well and try each everything to motivate them. Apple has worked hard on grooming their employees and had been admired by all for the same. Apple follows Maslow Theory of motivation and tries to fulfill all the needs of employees from psychology to esteem needs. However, there are always a few employees in the company who doesnt work in teams and are hard to manage. Such people should be given separate training and should be managed under proper observation to achieve best results. When a team of expertise works well in a team with the same mission, only then best results can be retrieved from them. References Apple Inc, 2017. The most powerful products for business are the ones people already love to use.. [Online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/business/ Apple Management, 2017. What Does Apple Do To Motivate Their Employees?, Available at: https://managementofapple.wordpress.com/motivation/ Clifford, C., 2014. Managing People Is an Art: 32 Ways to Do it Right, Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234199 CRM Systems, 2017. Apple CRM Case Study, Available at: https://crmsystems.expertmarket.co.uk/Apple-CRM-Case-Study Fasthosts Team, 2012. 5 CustomerManagement Strategies That Set Apple Apart, Available at: https://blogs.fasthosts.co.uk/business-strategy-2/5-customer-management-strategies-that-set-apple-apart/ Henderson, J., 2001. Putting the balanced scorecard to work, Available at: https://www.maaw.info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumKaplanNorton93.htm Institute, B. S., 2017. Balanced Scorecard Basics, Available at: https://www.balancedscorecard.org/BSC-Basics/About-the-Balanced-Scorecard Kaplan, R. Norton, D., 1992. The Balanced ScorecardMeasures that Drive Performance, Available at: https://hbr.org/1992/01/the-balanced-scorecard-measures-that-drive-performance-2 Marr, B., 2014. The Top 5 Performance Management Tools: Good News And Cautionary Tales, Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140522054403-64875646-the-5-most-popular-tools-to-manage-performance-good-news-and-cautionary-tales Schneier, C., Shaw, D., Beatty, R. Baird, L., 1995. Performance Measurement, Management, and Appraisal Sourcebook Shainesh, G., 2017. Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Available at: https://www.edx.org/course/customer-relationship-management-crm-iimbx-mk210x Stefania, 2014. Apples Customer Relationship Management, Available at: https://www.egmanagementconsultant.us/apples-customer-relationship-management/ Tudorache, A., 2017. How Apple uses the Balanced Scorecard, Available at: https://www.performancemagazine.org/apple-balance-scorecard/

A Day In A Life of A Day Labor... free essay sample

A Day In A Life of A Day Laborer When there is a large enough need for something in the United States, it will be met, even if meeting that need meaner allowing certain groups to easily enter the country to do the work that needs to be done; to do the work that perhaps no one else may be willing to do. We will write a custom essay sample on A Day In A Life of A Day Labor or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Today, some perceive these groups as a necessity, but also as targets. Although day laborers have existed in California for a very long time, it wasnt until the late sasss and early sasss, with a rise in day laborers, that they have become an issue and a focus in politics when looking at the effects upon our .A Day In A Life of A Day Laborer When there is a large enough need for something in the United States, it will be met, even if meeting that need meaner allowing certain groups to easily enter the country to do the work that needs to be done; to do the work that perhaps no one else may be willing to do. Today, some perceive these groups as a necessity, but also as targets. Although day laborers have existed in California for a very long time, it wasnt until the late sasss and early sasss, with a rise in day laborers, that they have become an issue and a focus in politics when looking at the effects upon our .A Day In A Life of A Day Laborer When there is a large enough need for something in the United States, it will be met, even if meeting that need meaner allowing certain groups to easily enter the country to do the work that needs to be done; to do the work that perhaps no one else may be willing to do. Today, some perceive these groups as a necessity, but also as targets. Although day laborers have existed in California for a very long time, it wasnt until the late sasss and early sasss, with a rise in day laborers, that they have become an issue and a focus in politics when looking at the effects upon our .A Day In A Life of A Day Laborer When there is a large enough need for something in the United States, it will be met, even if meeting that ne ed meaner allowing certain groups to easily enter the country to do the work that needs to be done; to do the work that perhaps no one else may be willing to do. Today, some perceive these groups as a necessity, but also as targets. Although day laborers have existed in California for a very long time, it wasnt until the late sasss and early sasss, with a rise in day laborers, that they have become an issue and a focus in politics when looking at the effects upon our .

Film Analysis for Philosophy Class - Enduring Love free essay sample

In order to defend this thesis Section One will define key terms such as love, enduring, transformation, and tragic. Section Two will offer examples from the film that will defend my thesis. Section three will answer potential objections to my thesis. Finally the conclusion will summarize what the paper has proven. L. Definition This section will define key terms that will help to establish my thesis. Enduring Is defined as an action of the verb endure, and means to last. Love Is defined as to care, desire, cherish, show love to; delight In, or approve.These definitions put together therefore means to care everlastingly, to how affection, desire, or approve of, forever. Transformation is defined as an action of the noun transform, and means to change the shape or form of. This definition points out that something has been changed, their lives have been transformed into something else. Tragic Is defined as calamitous, disastrous, fatal, or pertaining to tragedy which Is defined as having an unhappy event, or disastrous with an unhappy ending. We will write a custom essay sample on Film Analysis for Philosophy Class Enduring Love or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This definition points out that there has been a disastrous event that ends unhappily.It negates that love endures, that it lasts, because it has been changed onto something else, transformed into something that doesnt end happily. It is relevant for my thesis because it even if it was love that it doesnt endure, it doesnt last, and has changed Its shape or form. This section will explore examples from the film to prove my thesis. A number of examples from the film prove the validity of my thesis. The first major scene of the film is the tragic event that these characters share.The characters have to eventually let go of the hot-air balloon that they have tried to bring down and save the child riding in, and one man does not let go at a low enough height to survive the fall. Joe Rose, in particular, has a moment of transformation, when his eyes grow big, in that second he knows he must let go, and his life is forever changed afterwards. Jed, the other main character has a life- changing moment when Joe Rose touches his shoulder after they come upon the dead man, in a moment of shared sadness.The touch however, does more than share their sadness for Jed; he takes it as an act of true love or affection and the rest of the movie he spends trying to get Joe to realize hes in love with Jed and wants him to stop living in denial. Ill. Dialectic This section will answer potential objections to my thesis. Some may argue that the title of the film has to do with the main character Joe and his long-time girlfriend. There are many examples that support this claim.For example the scene where Joe explains to her that he had planned to propose the afternoon they tried to save the hot-air balloon, but changed his mind when the tragedy occurred might show that they are the ones the movie title refers to. The scenes that show Joe and girlfriend at home, in bed, in the bathroom, and at her work, all would indicate that they are the characters feeling enduring love. Even though these examples seem convincing, they do not refute my thesis because it turns out that Jed is the one who thinks Joe is in love with him.Jed believes that Joe is sending him messages by leaving his curtains drawn a particular way, and therefore in love with him, but in denial. Seeds life was transformed the moment Joe touched his shoulder and he takes it to heart, continues to phone him at all hours, follow him around, and then kiss him full on the mouth, before plunging the knife into Joeys girlfriend. The essay has defended the position that he title Enduring Love is incorrect, and that it is not love, nor enduring.The definition of enduring love (meaning affection or desire for, everlastingly, or to last) does not refer to Joe and his long-time girlfriend, nor to Jed and Joe. The only thing that is enduring is the transformation moments that occur after they participate in the tragic event together in the beginning. The moments each of their lives are changed by this event are not filled with love, they are filled with deep sadness, and in Seeds case, confusion and desperation. In his deluded mind, Joe is in love with him, as been sending him signals and is simply in denial.He takes it as far as plunging a knife into Joeys girlfriend, in an effort to g et her out of the way. Though he may have been transformed by Joeys simple affection in sharing their grief, (when he touched his shoulder) it is not by love, nor is it enduring. It ends with Jed smiling from a girlfriend visit the scene of the accident where it appears as if they may get back together. If anything, what they may have in the future with each other, was dramatically different than what they started with, and that is what might endure.

Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Example

Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Example Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay ABSTRACT: The importance of an efficient and effective Caribbean in the delivery of economic and social development is a long-standing theme of development policy. This however has not always been the case and the result is a Caribbean repeating past mistakes and compromising in some cases the theme of the development strategy. Global recession has consistently tested the resolve of the Caribbean and to this end there is a need to address the factors that have consistently led to the economic decline of the island states. This paper examines the recent experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean in dealing with the current Global economic crisis with a particular focus on Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. It begins by examining the signs and the effect on each island. The paper then identifies five key issues that have emerged as factors contributing to and needing the attention of the heads in order to ameliorate against an occurrence in the future: regionalism, integration, transparency and governance are examined as being overarching themes the fundamental problems are dealt with individually within the essay. In each case the background to its contribution to the problem is given along with the solution to the problem. A history examining the recession as a new phenomenon and by extention unprecedented is assessed. The paper concludes by discussing one key dimension of the global economic crisis experience: globalisation and the importance of politics in promoting and sustaining a successful relationship with the rest of the world. The final section sums up the main points. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author (Jepter Lorde) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus or its Board of Directors and/or Board of Governors. It is a fact that the world economy is facing the worst financial crisis since the great depression. It can be argued the crisis is taking place at a time when Caribbean countries are grappling with over arching themes of structural adjustment, transparency and governance as well as globalisation, integration and regionalism issues indicating a Caribbean challenged. It is clear that these reoccurring themes are a reflection of the global economic situation and can threaten to reverse the few gains made by the region in recent years. The general consensus therefore is that the near unprecedented period of national recession currently being experienced in English and non English speaking Caribbean islands should be confronted with bold, swift and concerted actions to reduce the potential negative effects of the crisis on these developing states. ECLAC or The Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean clearly articulates five main channels of impact or signs that can serve as lead indicators to the crisis they are financial contagion, excessive external borrowing, and reduction in foreign direct investment, external demand reduction of goods and services, reduced workers’ remittances as well as changes in relative prices (particularly commodity prices). It is the position of this essay that the present situation is not unprecedented, this essay will seek to clearly identify the signs of the crisis and the corollary effects, as previously articulated by ECLAC, while at the same time outlining the factors that account for the exposure of the national state to this current state of affairs. Attention will be paid to three Caribbean islands where the issues are current and dynamic; they are Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. In order to clearly identify the signs of the crisis it would be intuitive at this time to contextualise the framework within which the essay is structured; the contributing key terms are global recession, crisis and unprecedented. Global recession is widely accepted and can only be confirmed if GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is negative for a period of two or more consecutive quarters, by extention a national recession can be defined using the same parameters and be the recipient of a knock on effect attributed to the Global situation (Willis Peterson 2002). A crisis is an end product, manifesting itself after showing signs the organs central to the operation of a system begin functioning erratically; in extreme cases they stop functioning entirely. The result, if the system is to be salvaged, is a slow and painful adjustment. (Barry Eichengreen 2002). External borrowing and the payment of interest rates is not new to the Caribbean and is described by Norman Girvan as being responsible for the single largest movement of money out of the region towards satisfying the myopic, parasitic appetite of an elite imperialist class. This movement has contributed to the perpetual cycle of poverty, dependency and the corollary criminality due to high debt servicing arrangements and the inability of Governments to invest in the social and welfare development of its people, Jamaica therefore is no stranger to this. The lack of good Governance however has lead to a further exacerbation of the condition. In examining good governance and the effect of external borrowing two items of note, the JLP win in 1981 coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan and the Neo-Liberal approach to global economic relations, an ideology the Edward Seaga administration was sympathetic to, the approach signalled not only a change in economic policy direction but also renewed contact between the government of Jamaica and the IMF (Davies 1996). Having articulated a new policy direction the expectation therefore would be a turnaround in the fortunes of the Jamaican economy-this was not to be. The record showed a slowdown in key production sectors of bauxite, agriculture and textiles – to put it bluntly the country was in a worst position than was the case with the former PNP administration after having received more than preferential terms under the JLP administration. One aspect of the relationship was clear; it could not continue (Davies 1996). Clive Thomas offers some insight to the situation, he makes an observation concerning the class relations in the Caribbean but the analysis in the Poor and the Powerless is collectively intuitive, salient and reflective of the relations taking place: â€Å"A fourth observation is that the petty bourgeoisie that presently controls state power is not a homogeneous group, but includes several fractions professionals, political administrative, state-economic, and private and although fractional conflict exists generally, in the absence of an entrenched ruling class, its self-interest leads it to develop closer relations with national private capital. Because of these considerations the state takes on the characteristic of being a state for itself, and in the absence of bourgeois democratic constitutional restraints, it can proceed rapidly to the institutionalization of all forms of corruption. This, we believe, is the central explanatory factor behind the rise of corruption, and the pattern which it has taken in the region, i. e. , it constitutes a means of facilitating the consolidation of an economic base and the enlargement of property held by this class. † The socioeconomic fallout from the association with the International Monetary Fund has stymied the development of the island and as undermined the limited gains made in the post independence era, is the current situation facing Jamaica unprecedented the answer is simply no. The year is 2009 and the incestuous relationship between aspects of the governing elite and unsavoury elements of the society has not so subtly festered to the surface. The JLP is once again in office and scandal of epic proportions has gripped the party with the arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, drug lord, reputed strongman and ‘don’ to the JLP. Horace Campbell Professor of African American and Political studies at Syracuse University had this to say: â€Å"The arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke in Kingston has reopened the issues of the use of thugs and gunmen to intimidate the poor in Caribbean. From Mexico to Guyana and from Brazil to Trinidad, gunmen and criminal elements integrated into the cocaine, guns, politics and banking business terrorise the poor and ensure that international capitalism thrives on the backs and bodies of the most oppressed. Dudus had inherited a criminal infrastructure from his father (also known as Jim Brown) that had been organised by politicians to coerce and intimidate the working poor. † The phenomenon of Garrison politics has been around since the 1970 in Jamaica, no doubt having the blessing of the political elite; it has however bought into sharp focus the inability of a Government to govern and to tackle the pressure of a Global and National recession in the face of excessive external borrowing and the filtering of Government funds to support an underworld dominated by gangsters and social parasites. Thirty years later Christopher Coke operates a state within a state funded by Government largesse, patron Clientilism and the sale of illegal drugs. It takes the action of a grand jury in the USA and pressure to be brought to bear on Jamaica’s political elite to expose the attempts made by Prime Minister Bruce Golding to prevent the extradition and his relationship with the Jamaican ‘Don’ by contracting the services of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the US Government to discontinue extradition proceedings against ‘Dudus’. While grappling with this the country has found itself in the hands of the IMF to restructure the economy-a familiar refrain. Some seventy three died and prior to this latest embarrassment to the Caribbean hundreds if not thousands dispersed in 1980 in an attempt to settle differences between international capital, the local elite and the lumpenproletariat. Given the present state of affairs it would appear that many more will die but what is more alarming is their lack of knowledge of that fact. The Caribbean and its association to the metropole can be traced back to about five hundred years, from the inception the colonial states were established only to serve the hegemonic and self serving ambitions of a ruling class far removed from the economic deprivation visited upon the inhabitants of the Caribbean. The relationship was brutal and coercive and structured to extract the maximum by way of output while at the same time perpetuating and maintaining constant dependence on the metropole (Eric Williams 1970). Barbados, given its geographic location at the time, had become a victim of the economic structure and showed signs of this during the early stages of the national recession from 1991-1994. The country suffered reduction of foreign direct investment and external demand reduction for goods and services, led by the then DLP administration under the leadership of then Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine Sandiford. This structured economic isolation has its genesis not within the context of a dynamic global economic arena in which Barbados is a contributing player but from a system, long established by the former colonial masters, of Plantation Economy which posits that plantation slavery and specialization in export of primary commodities, in this instance Tourism, has marked the evolution of the societies in which it existed. The plantation economy theorist Lloyd Best explains, â€Å"The legacy of institutions, structures and behaviour patterns of the plantation system are so deeply entrenched that adjustment tends to take place as an adaptation within the bounds of the established framework† (Best 1968, p. 32). The Caribbean economist Norman Girvan contends that the transnational corporation (TNC) is an institution that exists within the â€Å"rules of the game† of the plantation economy. He points out that the historic continuity of foreign ownership, terminal stage of production, limited domestic linkages, repatriation of profits, and persistence of the incalculability of value flows with transfer pricing by TNCs are similar to slave plantation–metropole flows. The tourism product in Barbados resembles exactly the description advanced by Girvan. Undiversified for almost fifty years it depends solely on the England, USA and to a lesser extent Canada for annual tourist arrivals. Major players Hilton, Marriott, Sandy Lane and Four Seasons with the all inclusive package leave most if not all of the spend in the country of origin. Specialist areas within the culinary arts are held by foreign professionals with limited or no transferable skills to local workers. The results are unapologetic; with the fall in investment capital demand as a consequence shifts inward due to the exogenous shock resulting in reduced output in consumption and government spending. With this shortfall in potential output as opposed to actual output unemployment is the result with all of the social ill associated with it. Unprecedented therefore cannot describe the present occurrence because Barbados has experienced it before. The year is 2008 and the Barbados government led once again by the DLP administration has found itself in the unenviable position of managing an economy with reduced output, falling external demand for the mono crop tourism, increase in unemployment and marked increases in criminality as well as reduction in foreign direct investment. This situation has been highlighted by the inability of the country to restart the famed Four Seasons project; it is not difficult to understand the dynamics between International finance capital and local investment. With the impact of the world economic crisis tightening its grip flight of capital was seen as an understood result. The sector depends heavily on the foreign visitor who has stopped travelling, with reduced spend the sector is not seen as attractive by way of investment. The result is a contraction of the industry and the flight of the funds to the metropole of origin the past has once again repeated itself. It is no doubt therefore that civil assignments such as the Four Seasons project valued currently at US five hundred million has been on hold for two years, Merricks Beach Resort and Residence development project unable to secure the funding but also valued at some five hundred million US dollars and the long overdue Bridgetown to Hilton development project are all victims of the dependence on International finance capital and foreign direct investment. These projects are substantial and impact directly on the tourism sector the chief pillar of economic growth to the island. â€Å"It’s outrageous and insane, those crazy prices in Port of Spain†¦. It’s sad, and getting so bad, Oh Lord, capitalism gone mad. This was the cry of the Mighty Sparrow former Calypso King of Trinidad and Tobago in 1983. Prices were described as among the highest in the Caribbean. The latest style from the United States catches on with the unspoken assumption the rest of the Caribbean is be hind the times (Barry et al 1984). An editorial in an Antiguan paper sums up Trinidad at the time: â€Å"Port of Spain is a hustlers paradise, a fair ground with pirates at large, music booming, New York trinkets on the side walk, everybody on a hustle†¦Our diseased and destitute sprawled on the roadsides, our mad directing traffic or otherwise engaging with their demons and quoting the song ‘Capitalism gone mad. † Certainly not the paradise the Caribbean is known for however this clearly shows a Trinidad embracing the negative aspects of both a developed and underdeveloped world. A number of social ills to consider: increased criminality, alienation, decadence and as previously mentioned consumerism of the industrial metropole alongside perpetual poverty, social decay, economic dependence and foreign domination. This essentially summed up what Trinidad had become in the wake of a slump of global oil prices that had once catapulted the island ahead of its regional counterparts (Barry et al 1994). Trinidad had adopted a laid back approach to ownership only seeking tax dollars and production sharing contracts as the basis of relations with the TNC instead of direct ownership of the non renewable. Barry, Wood and Preusch describe the results: â€Å"The in rush of foreign exchange, as a result of petrodollars, into the economy has been largely wasted on lavish import bills rather than transformation of the economy. â€Å"There is no morality left,† wrote one Caribbean commentator. â€Å"It is now a free for all. The paramount value today is money. † The economic expansion ended as prices and demand for oil in global markets retreated. In1982, for the first time in eight years, the country suffered a trade deficit which totaled some two hundred million dollars. Put bluntly by the then Prime Minister George Chambers in the 1983 budget report, â€Å"The fete is over. The reality of a situation having its genesis in the global arena but with contributing factors locally saw the economy and most importantly people of Trinidad suffering then as they do now. The contributing factors are that of transparency and good governance on the part of the then Eric Williams admi nistration and an ethnic and class divide that is the result of the imposition of colonial domination has sought to divide and separate the groups (Harewood and Henry 1988, 1989). Once again another island state and once again precedence is set. The year is 2008 many in the Caribbean depend on the charity of friends and families to supplement incomes as well as to serve as a depository for the hard earned foreign currency. Trinidad and Tobago is no different; two major dynamics are being played out the first is the challenge for developing countries to create economic opportunities for trained nationals and second the marginalization of the said countries as a result of globalisation. The result has seen aging economies such as Canada and Europe attracting younger skilled labor from the Caribbean. For these reasons, it is certain that the phenomenon, that is remittances, will be with us for a long time. In Trinidad for example, these remittances have impacted the economy as they represent, although undocumented at some levels, a proportion of foreign exchange earnings, contributing to an improvement of the standard of living of many Trinidadians and Tobagonians, provide finance for balance of payments support, and aided economic growth and development of the economy (Solas 2001). The Inter American Development Bank has lauded the efforts of the Caribbean in this area, it is in fact one of the instances where the thrift of Caribbean people is put to sound economic use. The analysis does not end there, Solas goes on to make three telling summary observations: The profile of a typical recipient in the State mentioned, is lower to lower-middle income or unemployed persons, the frequency of the remittance also speaks to the vital role it plays. For many households, the remittance is the means by which the basic necessities are met and finally income from offshore investments and migrant capital repatriation are typically handled within the formal banking system which consist of finance and insurance services. If for any reason this process is disrupted for any length of time it could therefore have debilitating consequences for the sender, recipient and the economy. With the advent of CL Financial and a viral form of finance capital establishing itself throughout the Caribbean this option of investment has found favour with local as well as foreign Trinidadians hoping to create wealth within the Caribbean by way of remittances, in 2008 hopes of maintaining that discipline were dashed as CL Financial as well as subsidiaries CLICO and BAICO all declared some level of financial distress of varying proportions and the financial contagion once localized to the United States had arrived in the Caribbean. Norman Girvan Professor Emeritus University of the West Indies gives an analysis: â€Å"What we need to think about is the meaning of the facts that have been disclosed in the statement. What these facts tell us about the state of corporate governance in what was one of Caricom’s largest conglomerates and ‘star performers’ in engaging with globalisation. What they tell us about the gaps in regulation and supervision of financial institutions in individual country jurisdictions, and across Caricom as a whole. And what they tell us about the costs of these defects- in corporate governance and in government regulationto governments and to taxpayers. Trinidad has once again found itself in an undefined position and unable to act with the decisive and determined forcefulness needed to bring to heal the pervasive rot that has encircled the Caribbean, this time from within and compromising at the micro level the immediate well being of its citizens. On examining the iss ues class relations must be of importance as this once again has shown itself resilient and poignant with respect to an explanation of the results direction taken by the present administration led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar as opposed the decision taken by the then PNM led by Patrick Manning. Initially the PNM seen as a party representing the interest of the black community positioned a 100% payback on all monies deposited, this is however not the case with the present coalition UNC identified with the ethnic Indian population. The entire picture is very confused, which seems to be deliberate. The two investments made in this situation – firstly, the basic and traditional insurance products such as pensions; life, health and general insurance and secondly, the depositor who was seeking high returns. The pension products offered a 12% rate of return, but the short-term depositors were much higher. The current discussion and argument is actually about the repayment of the depositors, not the traditional insurance policyholders. The fate of the policyholders is often invoked by depositors arguing for the return of their own deposits and that is why the separation between the two, which Winston Dookeran Minister of Finance makes, is so important. To quote â€Å"†¦The number of traditional, long term policyholders affected by this crisis, covering pensions, life and health insurance, is around 225,000 persons and accounts for $6 billion in liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That is an average of $26,666 per policyholder. Again – â€Å"†¦There are approximately 25,000 customers holding these short term contracts, and the liability to this group is in the region of $12 billion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That is an average of $480,000 per depositor. It is observed however, the voice of the traditional policyholders, who outnumber the depositors nine-to-one, is silent. But then again, it is clear that by far the greater liability lies with the depositors and further, that they appear, on average at least, to be owed about 18 times more than the typical policyholder. The question must be asked who composes the ordinary shareholder and the answer is intuitive it would be the black working class of Trinidad and Tobago who by assessment by Harewood and Henry dominate the class of citizen in Trinidad unable to own the factors of production, have available to them large tracts of cash and therefore could not invest in dubious short term annuities as depositors. Trinidadians who did not invest are faced with the idea of taxpayers’ funds being used to rescue those who placed bets on high-return deposits it by extention will not end there because if the financial sector is seen as dubious and questionable in its operation then small incremental investors will find alternatives thus impacting the industry overall and GDP. CL Financial chiefs and the depositors are being spared the consequences of their decisions by the bailout process. Afra Raymond concludes by making some telling points of identifying those groups as being differently treated from each other. â€Å"Duprey and his cohorts negotiated a Blank-Cheque Bailout at zero interest, without losing any of their assets. That deal is absolutely unique. Our taxpayers have effectively made a huge single loan (probably the largest in the Region’s history) to the wealthiest individual in the Region at Zero interest virtually every relevant professional body and Civic Society organisation has remained silent on this bold-faced attack on our Treasury. Nothing from the Accountants, Lawyers, Bankers, Economists, Trade Unionists or Religious bodies the one recent exception to this has been the call by the Trinidad Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) for investigations into the Angostura disaster. The CL Financial bailout has been cloaked in the robes of benevolence and stability, resulting in a situation which has minimized the floods of lawsuits which would have been confronting some of those responsible parties – Auditors, Attorneys, Company Directors and Officers In reality, the common-wealth of our entire society has been pledged to rescue a fortunate few. The CL Financial bailout is in urgent need of re-negotiation, to say the least, it wrong like a biscuit. † It is a refrain that has haunted the island state for many years and each ime the mistakes of the past are repeated the results are more debilitating, it is therefore necessary for the Caribbean to reassess the position and to chart a new way forward. It wil l be intuitive to examine what was done wrong and implement what can be done right. It is by no means an easy undertaking addressing the problems of the Caribbean these problems are complex and entrenched in the colonial relationship of the past, it is believed however that if the attempt is genuinely made by leaders in the region to engage five key areas of interest the effects of the present global recession and any future business cycle fluctuation can be managed and at the same time reducing the impact on the socially vulnerable groups. CARICOM can be described as the world’s second deepest regional integration scheme and as such set the framework for further structural development with the signing of the revised treaty of Chaguaramas creating the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Its mandate sets out the free movement of goods, services, capital and certain categories of skilled labour. It also envisions harmonization and coordination of economic policy and eventually a single currency. While ambitions under the CSME are very high, the institutional structure remains minimal. To a greater extent, the CSME still operates in an intergovernmental framework and as such its relevance to a Caribbean faced with exogenous shocks, the likes of which has the ability to erode decades of hard won gains, should be called into question. The link between economic and political integration remains a contentious issue in a region where failed attempts at political unity still haunts the political landscape and where national sovereignty is guarded suspiciously. Decisions are still made by unanimous voting in both the Heads of Government Conference the highest decision making body- and the Council of Ministers. Even the newly created Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) lacks supranational authority in the form of direct effect of decisions. To date Barbados, Guyana and Antigua are signatories to the court but what is even more scandalous is the location of the court within the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago a non signatory and critic to its establishment. The devil therefore is in the details, the lack of commitment on the part of the leaders has left the Caribbean exposed. If the Caribbean had shown the maturity at the time of the West Indian Federation under the leadership of the then Grantley Adams the community would have been more than able to weather the global economic storm and mitigate against a rise in unemployment and foreign direct investment having forged closer ties under the banner of Integration and regionalism. The reasoning is intuitive; with free movement labour will gravitate to where there is effective demand thus alleviating the pressure where there is no effective demand. This is further buttressed by the industrial and merchant capital in the region being able to plan and invest in sectors in the Caribbean collectively thus spreading the risk and directing investment where it is most needed at preferential interest rates and sharing in the profits. The governance debate in the region is currently in abeyance. The lack of application of sound and consistent standards to the operation of the regions administrative business has prevented its ability to adapt to dynamic changes in the global economic environment. The belief therefore is that it should be revived, this time however in a manner which gives greater prominence to the development dimension and provides a broader interpretation of the elements of good governance (Payne and Sutton 2000). This will mean both more deliberative and purposive action by the state at the national and regional levels and more generally a reconsideration of the role of the state in the region. This brings into focus the Jamaica situation in handling the Coke affair. In so doing, the Commonwealth Caribbean must look beyond what Clive Thomas has described as the post colonial development state and the successor neo-liberal state (Thomas, 1998) to a new form of state with greater CSO involvement, a more supportive public sector and a wider vision, characteristics that are sadly lacking in a Caribbean that should know better given its colonial past and association with self serving hegemonic system. It must also be a more pro-active state, given the generally weak record of the private sector outside of a few enclaves in relatively few countries and the Trinidad and CLICO affair is bought into focus. The company was allowed to grow without regulatory control throughout the Caribbean; excuses were made from Trinidad to Barbados to Bahamas with the result being the disadvantage of the working class in the Caribbean. The key here is to build state capacity in state management and planning in addition to the delivery of more effective and efficient public services to its citizens. In short, the role played by the state in the process of governance is another matter that has to be rethought in every dimension if Commonwealth Caribbean development is to proceed. ( Payne and Sutton 2000) Globalisation is not a new problem to be solved and in as much as it is not new the solutions to the problem are just as illusive now as they were more than five hundred years ago. Indication of such a time line confirm that the Caribbean is in fact no stranger to the concept, the Caribbean has had a longer and more direct relationship with the modern economy than any other peripheral sections of the world. It must be noted that identifiable characteristics derive in large part from the extensity, intensity, velocity and impact of its interactions with the core countries of the world systems over the last five hundred years (Payne and Sutton, 2001: 11-20). It is therefore important that the concept is embraced and the extent to which the embrace is to be made articulated in clear and concise terms to the population. The debate and it must move from the realm of debate if it is to have meaningful impact on the way the Caribbean engages the rest of the world is the concept of Strategic Global Repositioning SGR a formula coined by Richard Bernal, Jamaican ambassador to the USA during most of the 1990s. He advanced this concept in a series of presentations from 1996 onwards, defining it as: a process of repositioning a country in the global economy and world affairs by implementing a strategic medium to long term plan formulated from continuous dialogue of the public service, private sector, academic community and the social sector. It involves proactive structural and institutional transformation (not adjustment) focussed on improvement and diversification of exports and international economic and political relations. Achieving SGR requires changes in both internal and external relations. (Bernal, 2000: 311). It required the following disparate and demanding actions: abandoning the traditional mind-set; diversifying exports; adjusting pro-actively; improving human resources; supplementing the skills pool with overseas nationals; developing strategic corporate alliances; creating a business-facilitating environment; improving physical infrastructure; modernising international marketing; and garnering capital, technology and skills (Bernal, 1996: 7-14). Although a vital role was obviously assigned to a dynamic private sector in this vision, SGR also envisaged an important redefinition of the capacity and purpose of the Caribbean state, with a view to making it more effective and generally bringing it into line with the good governance modalities of the PWC. The concept of SGR unquestionably struck a chord with mainstream Commonwealth Caribbean political leaders and was widely embraced, especially by Owen Arthur, the prime minister of Barbados, who gave it voice in a number of forceful speeches delivered in the latter part of the 1990s (Arthur, 1996; 1999). This lapse in economic prudence has left the island state with little option to attempt stabilization and hope that the global environment to which it is inextricably tied improves. In the preceding sections, the essay has had a long, critical look at the period of national recession, identifying the signs of the crisis and an analysis of the factors that might have caused the exposure of the national state. An important aspect of the discussion was the establishing the possible unprecedented nature of the crisis this was seen as important to give a historical land mark for discussion and a benchmark for future recommendations. These signs are not constrained exclusively to any one state and reflect the economic dynamic taking place at the particular time. ECLAC or the economic commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has been able to give a contextual framework by way of identifying the signs of the crisis and the overarching themes served as a bulkhead of both reasons for the crisis and possible solutions for the future. The essay to some extent has tried as well to draw a quantitative picture of the extent and nature of the crisis impact with reference to the research of Harewood and Davies and to a lesser extent Raymond. The signs as articulated by ECLAC begin with, the major findings from the existing literature nothing new to the Caribbean, the issues of financial contagion, excessive external borrowing, and reduction in foreign direct investment, external demand reduction of goods and services, reduced workers’ remittances as well as changes in relative prices (particularly commodity prices). First and foremost, in spite of differences in the vantage points chosen and the theoretical constructs utilised to explain these phenomenon interested observers generally grant that the underlying forces dictating progress in the Caribbean or lack thereof has had a strong element from within. Evidence was presented of failed IMF bailouts, ineffectual administrations, and questionable governance issues. It should be no surprise that academic within and without the Diaspora have raised their voices in opposition. In assessing the signs the positions taken by Davies and Thomas with respect of the class system brings into focus how Caribbean treat to each other and its contribution to the undermining of economic development. Where does the analysis lead by way of conclusion? The essay drew attention at the outset to the importance of Bernals argument about the Commonwealth Caribbeans need for strategic global repositioning, but argued that his formulation of this conception had not been given sufficient critical scrutiny within the region and thus remained underdeveloped intellectually and politically. We identified competitiveness, diplomacy and governance as the formative elements of SGR and have sought in this study to take the debate about SGR forward by working through in turn the key issues that arise in relation to these three policy agendas. They manifestly constitute the most pressing, and intractable, aspects of the Commonwealth Caribbeans current development problematic (Bernal 1996). They also feed off each other in a series of ways that have been repeatedly highlighted. : Eichengreen, Barry,. Financial Crises and What to Do about Them: New York, Oxford University Press, 2002. Peterson, L Willis,. Principles of Economics: IL 60430, Irwin Homewood, 199. Davies, Omar. 1986. The Debt problem in Jamaica: situation and solutions. Mona, Jamaica: University of the West Indies, Dept. of Economics. Thomas, Y Clive. The Poor and the Powerless: Economic Policy and Change in the Caribbean London: Latin America Bureau, 1988) Williams, Eric, Capitalism ; slavery: Chapel Hill, Univers ity of North Carolina Press, 1944. Best, Lloyd. , The mechanisms of plantation-type economies: outlines of a model off pure plantation economy, Social and Economic Studies 17 (3): 283-323. Barry et al. The Other Side of Paradise. New York: Grove Press, Inc 1984. Harewood Henry.. Inequality in a post-colonial society :Trinidad and Tobago, St. Augustine, Trinidad : Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of the West Indies. | | Payne and Sutton, Repositioning the Caribbean within Globalisation 2001: 11-20 Bernal, Richard. Strategic Global Repositioningand Future Economic Development in Jamaica, North-South Agenda Papers, no. 18, Dante B. Fascell North-South Center University of Miami. TITLE: â€Å"We are currently experiencing a near unprecedented period of national recession in almost every English Speaking Caribbean country. † Clearly identifying the signs of the crisis, what factors in your informed view account for the exposure of the national state to thi s current state of affairs? NAME: Jepter Y Lorde COURSE NAME: Caribbean Governance 1 COURSE NO. : GOVT 3017 INSTRUCTOR: Cynthia Barrow-Giles UNIVERSITY: University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. DATE: 1st November 2011.

The Impact Of Healthcare Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Impact Of Healthcare Reforms - Essay Example However, Avraham, Dafny, and Schanzenbach (2012) found a positive and significant impact of reforms aimed at improving healthcare quality in HMOs, which resulted in an increase in coverage among workers and reduction of tort related lawsuits. Precisely, reforms on the general set of ports between 1998 and 2006 reduced payable premiums of employer-sponsored self-insured health care programs by about 2.1%. While no significant reductions were found in fully insured plans under HMOs, caps on noneconomic damages and collateral source reforms had the greatest impact. Therefore, this suggests that American workers have benefited from the reforms by spending less on aggregate health costs/premiums as a percentage of personal income. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS, 2010) noted that collaboration among health plans to share client details through regional and statewide information systems significantly helped to reduce time and office practice expenses. Mission Statement for Aetna International Aetna International is global healthcare provider with its head quarter in USA and continental offices in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company has been providing healthcare services in the last 3 decades with demonstrated excellence and customer satisfaction. Within America, Aetna is one of the many HMO service providers and offers both self-sponsored managed medical care plans as well as travel insurance.  The company offers three categories of healthcare plans including individual, corporate, and blended healthcare plans.