Minimum Wage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Minimum Wage - Essay Example Based on research and statistics, it should be said that minimum wage rates, when increasing rather than remaining steady, have broad negative consequences to state and federal economies. THE EVIDENCE Some of the highest state-issued minimum wage rates are Vermont at $8.46, Washington at $9.04 and Oregon at $8.80 (Parrott, 1). The intention of these increases was to improve poverty rates and also stimulate more consumption in the economy. However, a very recent news article indicates that the unemployment rate in Oregon has increased to 8.9 percent in September, up almost a whole percentage point in August (Foden-Vencil, 1). In Washington state, the unemployment rate rose from 8.3 percent in June to 8.6 percent in September (PSBJ, 1). In Vermont, the unemployment rate rose from 4.7 percent to five percent in August (CT Post, 1). Why is this significant? The New England Public Policy Center indicates that rises in the minimum wage rate make it more inviting for business owners to cut employee benefits in an effort to offset higher payroll costs. A current study discovered statistically that when minimum wage rates increase by 20 percent, business-sponsored health care offerings to employees also decrease by four percent (NEPPC, 8). Because many business owners do not like to carry the stigma that is usually associated with social judgment for non-compliance to corporate social responsibility, they will often reduce hours of existing employees rather than slashing health care benefits (NEPPC, 8). All of these efforts are intended to prevent significant capital losses that occur when the minimum wage rates increases, especially important for small business owners without a strong cash or market position. Three of the states having the highest minimum wage rates also all have increases in the unemployment rate at the state level. According to the National Center for Public Policy Research, minimum wage hikes actually cause job losses in the long-term (NCPPR, 1). Th is is because it is usually the small business owner that offers jobs at a minimum wage, however small businesses make up the majority of businesses currently operating in the United States. At the same time, small business owners are experiencing inflationary increases in their supply chain, cost of health care provision, distribution and transportation for finished products, and utility costs. Therefore, significant spikes in minimum wage cannot be offset except through investment and hedging strategies, which is something that small business is not in a position to consider. Texas is one example of a state with a low minimum wage, in-line with the federal rate of $7.25. This state saw a very modest increase in unemployment from July to September, however, the unemployment rate was nearly 100 percent stable from 2010 through most of 2012 (ycharts.com, 1). Unlike other states with significant wage increases and sharp increasing spikes in unemployment, Texas seems to defy the direct relationship between wage increases and unemployment rises. The same is true for Ohio, which also maintains a rate of $7.25, and this particular state saw modest drops month after month in 2012, with a currently stable rate of 7.25 percent, down from over 10% in 2010. This implication in this case, when compared to higher rates, is quite obvious. At the federal level, minimum wage also has negative consequences when it is raised. It should however, to prevent bias from the analysis, recognize that higher wage increases provide

Top 10 Oil and Gas Companies of India Essay Example for Free

Top 10 Oil and Gas Companies of India Essay In the short story, â€Å"To Hell with Dying† written by Alice Walker, Mr. Sweet is a sick old man whose multiple ailments bring him often to the brink of death; the narrator’s father and the children would call him back from his deathlike state by calling â€Å"To hell with dying, man!† (Walker 1127), and surrounding him with affection. The â€Å"resurrections† in which the children participate hide from them the reality that death is permanent. Finally, when the narrator is away at college, Mr. Sweet gets sick again, and this time no one can call him back. After his death, the family celebrates him, and the narrator accepts the gift of Mr. Sweet’s guitar, which she plays in his memory. The central idea of â€Å"To Hell with Dying,† is death is inevitable, it comes to everyone. The main character, the narrator, is described in the story to look like a baby monkey when she was a child. For example, â€Å"†¦ around my hairline, which was rather low down, nearly to my eyebrows, and made some people say I looked like a baby monkey.† (1129). This shows that the narrator a unique hairline that resembled a monkey and other people noticed it. When Mr. Sweet is nearing death, the narrator is awakened in the middle of the night because she can bring him back with her love and affection. For instance, â€Å"For soon after we had gone to bed one of the neighbors knocked on our door and called my father and said that Mr. Sweet was sinking fast†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1128), and, â€Å"I was very good at bringing him around, for as soon as I saw he was struggling to open his eyes I knew he was going to be all right, and so could finish my revival sure of success.† (1129). This shows that the narrator has always been helpful. The narrator thinks that if she continues to help Mr. Sweet come back from dying, he’ll always be okay. For example, â€Å"It did not occur to us that we were doing anything special; we had not learned that death was final when it did come.† (1129). This proves that the narrator didn’t und erstand what death really was because Mr. Sweet had always came back to life. She takes action with going to see him before his death by leaving college. For instance â€Å"†¦could I please drop everything and come home.’ Of course I could.† (1130) This shows that the narrator cares so much that she drops her main priority of college to go help with Mr. Sweet. She feels lots of love toward Mr. Sweet and is saddened by his death. For example, â€Å"The man on the high old fashioned bed with the quilt coverlet and the flowing white beard had been my first love† (1131). This shows she realizes that Mr. Sweet was the first person to show her how being loved and given attention felt. The supporting character is Mr. Sweet; he’s a tall, thin, and old. He is always kind to his neighbor family, especially to the children. He is always drunk and sad but when he is with these children, he is happy and energetic and loves to play with them. Mr. Sweet has many near death experiences which he always overcomes with the love and affection of the narrator. Mr. Sweet represents the special bond that can be shared between loved ones. The main conflict in† To Hell with Dying† is that death is inevitable. The narrator struggles with the internal conflict of death. Throughout the story she tries to control death by â€Å"reviving† Mr. Sweet. However, she learns that she cannot control death when he eventually passes. She doesn’t believe in death until a beloved friend dies. Through Mr. Sweet’s death the narrator realizes that death is always there. For example, â€Å"that Mr. Sweet was really gone? He had never been gone before.† (1130) This shows that now the narrator is seeing death first hand and believing in it for the first time in her life. In the end of the story the conflict is resolved by the narrator accepting that death is a part of life and cannot be evaded.

Cultural Differences in the Workplace: Australia and US

Cultural Differences in the Workplace: Australia and US Tim Johnson Anthropologist, James Downs, defined culture as â€Å"a mental map which guides us in our relations to our surroundings and to other people† (Linsell, 2011). This definition supports the idea that culture influences the way in which individuals behave. America and Australia are connected in many ways, and both countries’ success is blatantly predominant even at a quick glance. Both countries are far more superior to the majority of countries around the globe, and a reason for that is their culture sets higher standards in their attempts to continue towards greatness. Although there are many similarities between the Australian and U.S. workplace culture, there are characteristics that illustrate the distinctions between the two cultures. The United States and Australia have very similar upbringings, which is the result of their ties to the British colonies. The United States was formed as a result of immigrants fleeing from religious persecution, while Australia was settled by government workers and convicts. Both countries have similar cultures because the ancestors were predominantly Anglo- Saxon/ Caucasians, and both â€Å"cultures grew through liberal immigration policies† (Linsell, 2011). The reason both nations illustrate similarities in culture is because they share connection to British involvement. The Australian workplace culture differs from most, but Australia has found ways to promote excellence while still promoting happiness. Australia has a community-oriented heritage and is supporters of egalitarianism (Linsell, 2011). Egalitarianism can be defined as equality for all of man with respect to economics, politics, and society. The Australian workplace is also very multicultural, and one in every 4 workers is from another culture (â€Å"Spectrum MRC†, 2012). Australia also embraces different practices compared to the United States. These practices are reflected in their sometimes informal business meetings and interviews. The informality can be illustrated through their non-verbal communication such as proximity when interacting and body language (â€Å"Spectrum MRC†, 2012). To an outsider the Australian workplace culture may seem informal, but within many domestic organizations this is common practice. Australian organizations prefer autonomy and flexibility in the workplace (Linsell, 2011), because it promotes a positive atmosphere that results in higher productivity. The United States workplace culture is centered on command- control leadership and is hierarchy based, because equality is not deemed as important (Linsell, 2011). The hierarchy that the U.S. practices creates competition within the workplace to strive for success, while endorsing a selfish mentality among the employees. The United States takes a â€Å"business first approach†, and favors when employees separate their business and personal lives (â€Å"U.S. Business Culture†, 2011). This approach statistically encourages a more focused workplace, but at the cost of employees not finding enjoyment in their work and with their colleagues. To this day, America is still commonly referred to as â€Å"The Melting Pot† even though the individuals that use this term do not know the true origin. This term was coined in the beginning of the 20th Century to characterize how the immigrants were all mixing together and creating one blended culture. Most individuals improperly use the term to describe different cultures simply living among one another. Australia is wonderful because there are so many diverse cultures, but all of the cultures remain unique and avoid merging in to one. The lack of combining promotes individuality, which aids in the citizens and in turn the employees becoming better developed and appreciative of their positions. The American culture is about demonstrating assertion and never displaying weakness, because weakness is commonly associated with failure. Even though the United States exhibits superiority and their practices are effective, they sacrifice the personal connections that aid to create higher team morale. The workplace culture of Australia and the U.S. take different approaches to how they operate their organizations, but similarities overlap in both cultures. The similarity that is predominant in both countries is the controversy of gender inequality (Leahy, 2011). Currently women in the workforce aren’t â€Å"able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources, and opportunities† (Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2013) that men receive in the same workplace. Even in modern society discrimination still resonates and women are unfairly forced to deal with this injustice. The term most commonly used to describe the gender inequality present in the workplace is â€Å"the glass ceiling† (Cotter, Hermsen, Ovadia, Vanneman, 2001). The glass ceiling alludes to a woman’s ability to see to a further point than she can actually reach. Even if the average woman attempted to work towards a higher ranking position, she will typically come across difficulty when tryi ng to advance to that position. Women are still facing discrimination in employment (Doughney, 2007) and more men reach higher paid executive and specialized positions (Ross-Smith McGraw, 2010). Australia and the United States have similarities and differences, but even though they are both global leaders they still have room to expand and change from their current discriminatory practices. My experience in an Australian workplace has been eye opening and led me to a culture that has many positive differences from my own. An aspect of Australian culture that differs from my experiences in the United States is the desire to promote a community based workplace. At Greenwood Dental the employees were completely welcoming and personable; this was the beginning to my acceptance in to their workplace family. After interning for a few days, they began to see my hard work ethic and my willingness to assist anyone’s needs. My determination to benefit their business in any way possible illustrated to them that I was serious about becoming a part of their team, and from that point on I was viewed as a team member. A prime example of their communal persona is seen in their lunch break room. The break room has qualities similar to a family room in a household and they also bring food for everyone to share. This may not seem like much, but promoting this type of workplace led to a productive and friendly environment. Typically in the United States, everyone keeps to themselves and does their own work, but in Australia they believe in a civic based culture. Australian culture favors equality and during my time at Greenwood, I never felt underappreciated or like an outsider. In the U.S. it is very common to feel isolated and unacknowledged, because everyone is trying to advance themselves instead of working collaboratively. All the employees know their position within the company and that the dentists are the priority, but everyone’s position is necessary in order to run a successful business. Greenwood Dental was made up of many different cultures and it was exciting working with such a diverse group of individuals. It is imperative that individuals submerge themselves in additional cultures in order to understand others and even more importantly develop themselves. Greenwood Dental’s staff consists of employees from seven different countries, so being immersed in such a culturally rich environment aided my development towards better understanding and respect for equality. Australia and the United States come from related backgrounds and as a result the cultures share comparable characteristics, but when analyzing workplace culture the distinction is tremendously clear. The Australian workplace culture tends to be more communal and flexible, while the U.S. encourages hierarchy and competition. A positive workplace culture is a result of motivation, productivity, quality work, and retention (â€Å"Building a Positive†, 2013) and in my opinion Australia is better at acquiring the positive workplace with respect to America. Australian culture strives for positivity and satisfaction, while the United States attempts to improve only their economic status. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, once said, â€Å"Happiness is not the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort†. After my experiences in Australia, I can assert that Australia’s workplace with respect to the U.S. has a more positive, enjoyable, and overall better atmosphere to be a part of. The Australian workplace culture chooses to sacrifice uniformity in order to allow for individuality and happiness. Bibliography Attitude Works. (2013).  Building a positive workplace culture. Retrieved from  http://www.attitudeworks.com.au/AW_pages/attitudes/positive/positive.html Cotter, D., Hermsen, J., Ovadia, S., Vanneman, R. (2001). The glass ceiling effect.  The  University of North Carolina Press,  80(2), 655-682. Retrieved from  http://www.vanneman.umd.edu/papers/CotterHOV01.pdf Cross Border Management. Cross Border Management LLC, (2011).  Us business culture.  Retrieved from website: http://www.crossbordermanagement.com/en/guides/business-culture-in-the-us Doughney, J. (2007). Women and leadership in corporate australia: questions of preference and  adaptive preference.Advancing Women in Leadership Journal,  24, Retrieved from  http://www.advancingwomen.com/awl/spring2007/doughney.htm Leahy, M. (2011). Women and work in australia.  Australian Policy Online, 1-4. Retrieved from  http://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/Women_and_work_in_Australia_APO_guide_Mary_Leahy_0.pdf Linsell, D. (2011, Sept 07). Australia and America arent that different, right?.  Dynamic  Business. Retrieved from http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/export/australia-and-america-aren’t-that-different-right-792011.html Ross-Smith, A., McGraw, P. (2010). Eowa 2010.  Equal Opportunity for Women in the  Workplace Agency, 1-32. Retrieved from https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/2010_census_tag.pdf Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre. Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre, (2012).  Understanding  australian workplace culture. Retrieved from Receivers to Givers website:  http://www.spectrumvic.org.au/content/download/5667/28832/file/Spectrum MRC    Understanding Australian Workplace Culture.pdf Workplace Gender Equality Agency. (2013).  About workplace gender equality. Retrieved from  https://www.wgea.gov.au/learn/about-workplace-gender-equality

San Francisco and Influenza :: Journalism Spanish Flu Health Essays

San Francisco and the Spanish Flu SAN FRANCISCO--No one can deny the amount of patriotism San Franciscans have for their country especially during the Great War. Rallying, Parading, and marching down the streets of San Francisco are where these civilians choose to be, whether they like wearing gauze masks or not. Such undertakings, however, are exactly the kinds of activities a community seeking to protect itself from Spanish Influenza should definitely avoid. With the commotion of World War I many San Franciscans fail to notice the rapid rate at which people are falling victim to the epidemic influenza. Origins at this time are not specifically known although it was dubbed the name, Spanish Flu, for its early affliction and large mortality rates in Spain. The influenza, also known as the Spanish Flu, is affecting roughly all of northern California economically and socially whether San Franciscans notice it or not. Several schools, churches, and buildings are closed due to preventive orders by authorities. Insurance companies and the Government are spiraling downwards financially as they become responsible for the victims of this deadly influenza. Moreover, ordinances mandated the wearing of gauze masks in public places. Such laws are outraging civilians as well as important politicians. Individuals against the mandatory wearing of gauze masks appealed the law while others chose to be arrested rather than wear the masks. Governor Stephens attempted to set an example for all Californians by wearing a gauze mask to a meeting at the Capitol. Even state senators are ordered to wear masks when attending meetings in the senate. On January 12, the public health committee of the Alameda County Medical Society suggested and presented codes of conduct to combat the influenza epidemic. The Medical Society advise civilians to wear gauze masks when congregating with two or more people. Military reservations and forts are being quarantined to halt the spread of the influenza epidemic. Agreements cannot be made between local authorities and civilians nor can they accept the safety precautions local authorities are trying to apply. While newspapers such as The San Francisco Chronicle have explosive front page headlines of the war, the deadly influenza epidemic seems miniscule in comparison. There are far too many articles on insignificant stories of divorces, crimes, and debutantes of San Francisco. Of what was actually mentioned in between the pages of war talk were the repeals over the laws requiring civilians to wear gauze masks.

Three Strikes And Youre Out Law Essay -- essays research papers

Three Strikes You're Out Law We have all heard of the newest anti-crime law, the "Three strikes and you’re out" law. It wasn’t easy getting this law from the bill stage in Sacramento to the law stage, because it is not a criminal friendly law. Meaning that this law’s purpose is to bring pain, suffering, and intimidation to criminals. Our state government was basically ran by the Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, now mayor of San Francisco. Brown had the power to choose who sat on what committee in the house, and using this he could terminate any bill he did not agree with. And with this attitude it took a lot of patients and perseverance by the people trying to pass this bill. But how did the bill become a bill? I will answer this question with help of the Kimber Reynolds story. Monday, June 29, 1992 in Fresno, California a young woman was brutally murdered outside The Daily Planet, a restaurant patronized by the local young people. The girl was visiting home for the summer after being in the Los Angeles area attending school. Her and a friend were getting into their car when two guys on a motorcycle rode up next to Kimber Reynolds blocking her in, taking her purse, and beating her into submission. The story made the 11 o’clock news only minutes after her father had gone to bed. When police ran a background check on the two suspected men, Joeseph Micheal Davis and Douglas Walker, both men had recently been released on parole with multiple offenses on their records. Unfortunately Davis was never brought in because when police were attempting to arrest him he began firing, wounding unsuspecting police officers and ultimately being killed. Douglas Walker was convicted of accessory to murder. Mike Reynolds, Kimber’s father, went on the radio on a local radio show called the Ray Appleton Show, KMJ 580. There he would discuss his outrage about how he was sick of repeat offenders being locked up only to be released after a fraction of the sentence was completed. He swore to the people listening that he was going to do something about the problem, even if it takes him forever. Listening to that show was Fresno Assemblyman Bill Jones (R). He was interested in the issue and arranged a meeting with Mike. They discussed ideas about how they could solve this problem. With that in mind Mike used some connections and g... ...victions. There were repeated warnings about the cost to implement the new law, but few have addressed the other side of the equation and the savings to the state, in lives and in dollars. Had our 1993 crime rate continued unaffected over these past few years, nearly 815,000 additional crimes would have been committed in California, including 217,000+ violent crimes. We would have suffered more than 4,000 homicide victims; 6000+ women would have been victims of rape. Also the savings in dollars is between $5.8 billion and $15.5 billion since the enactment of the "Three Strikes" law. There has been swift and dramatic impact on crime since the enactment of the "Three Strikes" law. The crime rate has dropped more than 30%. But there are other factors that play a part in this reduction like crime prevention, and community policing. However there has been a significant drop in the crime rate. Also the predictions about cost, over populating and others have not come true. With all of the opposition out there trying to tear this law down I believe that California can not afford to do without this law because it is saving our state money and lives.

Its Time to Crack Down on Plagiarists and Eliminate Plagiarism :: Free Essays Online

It's Time to Crack Down on Plagiarists and Eliminate Plagiarism Plagiarize v. 1. To appropriate and pass off as one’s own (the writings, ideas, etc., of another). 2. To appropriate and use passages, ideas, etc. from. 3. To commit plagiarism. [1] Plagiarism is an age-old habit of many people, with a large portion of these people being students who write essays or passages to earn a grade in a class. However, these students are unaware of the act they are doing which meets the criteria of the definition explained above. The consequences are very clear: Using another person’s thoughts or ideas without being authorized or noting that it was from another source constitutes plagiarism and will be grounds for failure or to the extreme, dismissal from a program or from a university entirely. The fight is now against those who desire to crack down on plagiarists and the sources of the material being plagiarized. There are many ways to inhibit copywritten material being used again. The obtainment of works cited, bibliography, footnotes and notation of quotes are just the beginning. However, with the widespread use of the Internet as a cesspool of information, how is a person to discover whether the person is cheating or no t? The ball is now in the professor’s court to now use the Internet to their own advantage to catch the thieves in their tracks. When a student decides to write a paper, the first thing in the mindset of that student, as well as many other students is relatively a common thing: the Internet. Although there is so much information to be found, this information is also at the disposal of the professor who administers the assignment. In many cases, the student is simply lazy and becomes sloppy in copying. This leaves noticeable mistakes because of the failure to proofread, ultimately leading to their fate resting in the hands of the professor. The person grading the paper must know what to look for and most of the time it is detected very quickly and precisely. In one case, a professor found the probable source of a particular piece of a student within five minutes and an additional ten minutes to confirm that indeed the paper was a case of word-for-word plagiarism.

Review on Rosewood

It's something taught from generation to generation, as we can see in the scene where the father of Everett, a white young boy, ask for people to make way for his son to look in a grave full of dead bodies of African Americans, as if he had to be proud of it. The father keeps trying to teach the little boy how to hate and how to mistreat black people, as we see In the part where he teaches his son to tie a hangman's knot and when he forbids the kid to play with his little friend, who Is black.If the racism shown In the movie had an rolling, It could be the Jealousy the white people had of the things the black females owned. In Rosewood, they would run their own business and live In ace, not only with each other but also with some of the white people who also lived there, such as Mr.. Wright, the white grocer, who seemed to like his neighbors. At one point of the movie, a black traveler arrives in town on a horse, and he is considered a key element to the story. Mr..Mann is rich, and bids at the auction by Mr.. Wright, who owns lots of land. At the same time, the population hears something about a black guy who had just escaped prison, so they start wondering if Mr.. Mann is the refugee. He could also be the man who is known to be the one that violated the white woman. The mall scene of the movie shows the part where the white woman Is beaten by her lover. She tells everyone she was violated by a black guy who would have Invaded her house.And she does that, lying to everyone In town, In order to hide her affair from her husband, who was really violent, too. It is clear that it was much easier and convincing for her to make up a story blaming a black guy than just telling the truth and ending up being judged. This attitude made the racist white population search for the invader and, under the excuse of putting an end to any chance of it appending again, they start killing lots of African Americans, starting a massacre.The oppression had taken such a big proportio n that two black women, who were working near the house of the white woman and had also seen it all happening, did not have the courage to tell the truth, afraid of being attacked, and thus they believed they were protecting their families. Although the Information they had was useful, It was already too late for they to tell the truth and save everyone from the butchery. Another Important element in the story are the attitudes of the sheriff of the town, ho was white, and tried Ineffectively to show that he had an Idea of what may have happened, but he wasn't being heard by anyone.Even though he knew that the white of the community, which objective was finding and killing the black invader (and as many black people they could kill). However, there was still hope. Mr.. Mann, who had just arrived in town, was the man who would try and be able to defend the black community, becoming a kind of leader. As he was accused by attacking the white woman, he was hanged. But, somehow, he manag ed to escape from the gibbet, even Hough he was already being hung.After that, he runs to meet the families he left waiting so they could actually run to another place where they would be free. He could, then, be considered a hero, once he managed to save women and children by helping them escape from Rosewood and that is why there was someone left to tell us the real version of the story. The movie is about a important story told in a quite depressive way, not only because it portraits the reality in a sad way, but mainly because it is the reality of a town that was devastated by the violence and inhumanity caused by the racism.