The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century

The American Economy at the End of the 20th Century After a tumultuous century embroiled in world wars and financial crises, the United States economy at the end of the 20th century was experiencing a period of economic calm wherein prices were stable, unemployment fell to its lowest level in 30 years, the stock market boomed and the government posted a budget surplus. Technological innovations and a rapidly globalizing market contributed to the economic boom near the end of the 90s, then again between 2009 and 2017, but many other factors - including presidential policy, foreign affairs, and domestic innovations and foreign supply and demand needs - affected the rise of the American economy as it entered the 21st century. Long-term challenges like poverty, especially for single mothers and their children, and environmental quality of life still faced the nation as it prepared to enter a new century of technological development and rapid globalization. A Calm Before the Turn of the Century With the presidency of Bill Clinton at the tail end of George Bush Sr.s one-term presidency, the economy of the United States stabilized in the mid-1990s, creating a status in the economy as it prepared to enter a new millennium, finally recovered from two world wars, a 40-year Cold War, a Great Depression and several large recessions, and enormous budget deficits in government in the last half of the century. By 1998, the  gross domestic product  (GDP) of the U.S. had exceeded $8.5 trillion, achieving the longest uninterrupted period of expansion in American history. With just five percent of the worlds population, the United States was accounting for 25% of the worlds economic output, outproducing its closest rival Japan by nearly double the amount. Innovations in computing, telecommunications, and life sciences opened up new opportunities for Americans to work as well as new goods to consume while the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the strengthening of Western and Asian economies offered new business ventures for American capitalists. Uncertainty at the Edge of the Millennium While some may have rejoiced in the new expansion in technology and the economy of the United States, others were skeptical of the rapid changes and feared some of the long-term challenges American hadnt resolved yet would be forgotten in the blur of innovation.   Although many Americans had achieved economic security by this point, with some even accumulating large sums of earnings, poverty was still a large issue facing the federal government and a substantial number of Americans lacked access to basic health coverage. Industrial jobs in the manufacturing field also took a hit at the end of the millennium, suffering setbacks as automation began to take over jobs and certain markets saw a decrease in demand for their goods. This resulted in a seemingly irreversible deficit in foreign trade. Ever the Market Economy As the United States passed into the early 2000s, one principle remained strong and true in terms of its economy: it was and would always be a market economy wherein the economy works best when decisions about produce and what prices to charge for goods are made through the give-and-take of millions of independent buyers and sellers, not by government or by powerful private interests, according to the State Department website. In this  free market economy, Americans feel that the true value of a good or service is reflected in its price, guiding the production end of the economy to only produce what is needed according to the supply-and-demand model, which leads to peak  economic efficiency. As is the tradition in all things concerning American politics, it is essential to limit the governments involvement in determining the economic market of its country in order to prevent an undue concentration of power and promote the pluralist foundation of the United States.

Work Smarter 2.0

Work Smarter 2.0 If you are serious about taking your writing to the next level in 2014, no doubt youve taken steps to maximize your efficiency. After all, time is money, and as Zig Ziglar said, â€Å"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days.† In the technological age, the writer is faced with a bewildering array of websites, applications, programs and tools, which all proclaim to make the process of writing or researching easier. But which ones really work? And how? 1: rescuetime.com This is most obvious place to start, an application which runs continuously in the background on your computer, tracking and logging the time you spend on different websites, or engaged in other online activities. It then gives you a report, allowing you to see where you really spend your time! 2: https://unroll.me/ A large portion of any writers day is spent wading through junk mail. This is a time-saving program that allows you to bundle up all your subscriptions into one email and unsubscribe at a click, leaving you with a daily dose of just the good stuff. 3: boomeranggmail.com/ We all forget to reply to the occasional email, sometimes losing out on a potential sale in the process. This little gem helps ensure that never happens again. It enables you organize your inbox, manage your correspondence, and set reminders. Great tool when dealing with people in different time zones. 4: alexa.com/ Many writers now write guest blogs to help build their platform. But with so many websites and blogs scrambling for content, how do you know which ones are worth investing your time in? This tool bar allows you to instantly see how many hits a site gets worldwide, and therefore gauge how popular it is in real terms. 5: http://evernote.com/ This productivity tool takes all your notes and ideas, in whatever form they may come, and collates them in one place at the touch of a button. It even records your meetings and interviews, and lets you share the files with friends or clients. 6: focusboosterapp.com/ Procrastination is the enemy of every writer. This simple desktop and web application built around a timer is specifically designed to block out any distractions and enhance your concentration levels when your back is against the wall. 7: http://mind42.com/ When used correctly, mindmapping can be a very effective technique for improving productivity. This is one of the best free apps available, helping you get more organized 8: http://getpocket.com/ Its all too easy to get distracted 9: launchy.net/ This wonderful little tool allows you to launch the files and documents you are currently working on and open selected folders and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes, saving you from having to wade through endless start menus. Its not easy being a freelance writer. Sometimes life gets in the way. But Zig Ziglar is right: We all have the same 24-hours in a day. Its how we use them that counts. Combine some of these tools with a healthy dose of dedication to make 2014 your most successful year yet.

Traffic Gridlock in New York Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Traffic Gridlock in New York - Essay Example This letter will begin with the statement that as the traffic gridlock in New York continues to bring the city to a grinding halt every single day of the week, Mayor Bloomberg has done his best to try to solve the traffic situation. One of his traffic easement programs includes the building of more bicycle lanes in our city. There are currently 255 miles of additional bike lanes around the city. But it is little used because native New Yorkers are not aware of the bike lane program of the city. The researcher tells that he cannot help but feels saddened by the fact that New Yorkers continue to face daily gridlocks that adversely affect the local economy. The author feels even worse when he realizes that no amount of government programs will be able to help ease the situation because the government lacks the advertising and promotional skills to make sure that their bicycle programs get out the most number of New Yorkers. Although 66 percent of New Yorkers believe that the bicycle lan e is a good idea. It appears that not everyone in New York owns a bicycle. That is why the researcher was more than happy to learn about the Paris style Bike sharing network that the city is working towards implementing. Under the bike sharing network, even people who do not own a bicycle can participate by simply â€Å"renting† a bicycle at specific points within the city and then parking it at a similar terminal at their point of destination. With all of New York reeling under the rising costs of gasoline, the bike sharing idea does not sound like a bad thing.

Answer 6 questions from an essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer 6 questions from an essay - Assignment Example One would not be sitting in front of the computer or holding a pen if he had no idea as to what he wanted to write about. It is the urge to self edit that makes it hard to get started with the writing process. 2. When Ms. Flowers said that â€Å"writing is not just self-expression, it is communication as well†, she refers to the fact that anything that can be read by others imparts a specific message that is understood by others. It is a form of communication that easily proliferates the world and allows for a deeper understanding and meaning of the authors work. 3. The madman is the story idea in your head that you have to get down on paper. The architect is the part of the author that storyboards the ideas of the madman in order to create a coherent story outline. The carpenter is the part of the writer who actually writes the story based upon the concept of the madman and the design of the architect. While the judge is the part of the writer that decides whether the work is solid enough to be presented either to his publisher or the public in various forms of readable media. 4. I feel that I am already applying this writing process to the way that I write because I have a tendency to keep going back to edit my work for various mistakes and possible mistakes until I get everything â€Å"perfect† in my mind. 5. The biggest similarity between Ms. Lamont and Ms. Flowers lies within the way they describe their drafting stage in writing. Anne Lamont calls it a shitty first draft, Betty S. Flowers calls is the madman in action. Both start off with a piece of writing that needs further work and is nowhere near ready for publication but is instead in the first stages of the writing and editing process. 6. I believe that the advice of Ms. Flowers will be the more helpful writing process for me because, as I mentioned previously, I have already began to write most of my work in the method that she has described. I am the ultimate madman, architect,

Service Provisions for the Homeless in Britain

Service Provisions for the Homeless in Britain Social welfare, democracy and government Set out below is an evaluation of how social welfare, democracy, and government relates to the issue of service provision to avert or solve homelessness in Britain. There are, as will be examined, various causes for homelessness, and therefore differing levels of service provision to help the homeless in Britain. The post-war welfare state had supposed to have made homelessness an almost negligible problem, so social welfare, democracy and government carried on operating without thinking the issue was serious, even though services were available when needed. However, homelessness had never gone away and various factors outlined below explain how the issue became more important on the social welfare policy, democratic and governmental agendas, and service provision was in increasing demand. Whilst social welfare policies, democracy, and government may not directly cause homelessness, they can arguably have a great deal of influence over how it is tackled, and the level of services pro vided and who provides those services. Some cases of homelessness are easier to tackle or resolve than other cases, depending on the initial causes of homelessness. Social welfare, democracy, and government are factors that combine or act singularly to affect the levels of and the permanence of the service provisions to prevent homelessness and to those that are already homeless. Social welfare, democracy, and government hold the key to finding homes for the homeless, and providing the service provision to ensure people remain housed. The main foundation of social welfare policies in modern Britain was the welfare state as established during the Labour governments of 1945 to 1951, which was intended to make poverty, social exclusion, and homelessness disappear from British society. The welfare state legally defined which organisations are obliged to provide services, namely government departments, local authorities, and voluntary or non-governmental groups (Jones Lowe, 2002 p. 1). The rationale of the welfare state was inspired by the Beveridge Report and the Labour party’s own ideological outlook, which was to eradicate poverty and social exclusion to make Britain a fairer country. As part of its plans it gave local authorities the powers, and the funds to provide council housing on a greater scale than previously to every body that needed it (Lacy, 2006 p. 8). At the end of the Second World War the main cause of homelessness was actually the number of houses that had been destroyed by bombing during the war (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p.11). The government did its best to solve the housing shortage with a large construction programme of council houses. The provision of council houses was intended to provide people with affordable housing when they could not afford private rents or to buy their own houses, and it was the responsibility of all local authorities to provide council housing using money provided by the government (Moran, 2005 p. 14). The welfare state was intended to reduce poverty through the payment of unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit, rent rebates, and Family Allowance. These benefits were supposed to keep people above the bread line, to provide them with a minimum standard of living, and were primarily benefits or services provided by the Department of Social Security. However, it was hoped that government economic policy would reduce the need for people to claim benefits in the first place, or the need for services to keep them housed. Almost full employment, adequate levels of social security benefits, and the increased availability of council houses were significant factors in preventing homelessness, although service providers were always needed to ensure that people got help when they needed it (Jones Lowe, 2002 p. 189). Rent rebates and government attempts to control private sector rents were intended to keep families on low incomes in their homes. The main responsibility for controlling pri vate sector rents was the government’s whilst rent rebate was administered by local authorities on behalf of the government. The main public perceptions about the provision of services to the homeless until the late 1960s, was that social welfare measures such as social security benefits, rent rebates, and rent controls had seen the problem all but cease to exist. Although service provision by government departments, local authorities, and non-governmental organisations had continued to operate, and even expand (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 137). However for those people that knew more about the provision of services for the homeless, it was clear that social welfare policies had not been capable of completely resolving the problem. People that understood social welfare and housing policies also knew that homelessness was linked to inadequate housing and unemployment. Unemployment meant that some people fell behind with their rent or mortgage payments, eventually leading to their eviction or the re-possession of their homes. There were and are voluntary organisations such as Shelter, Crisis, and the Citizens Advice Bureaux which provided advice services to prevent people becoming homeless (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 pp. 28-9). The public perception that homelessness was no longer a meaningful or measurable social and economic problem was changed by the film ‘Cathy come home’ and the launch of a charity dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and intent on influencing public opinion and government policies, Shelter. Unlike existing charities that helped homeless people such as the Salvation Army, Shelter only existed to tackle the issue of homelessness and it believed that being an active pressure group was the best way to alter or influence public opinion, as well as attempt to change social welfare policies. In other words Shelter wished to offer greater levels of service provision than government departments and local authorities did at that time. In the late 1960s the government had not changed its social welfare policies to have any extra detrimental affects on the problem of homelessness. Instead Shelter was demonstrating that in some individual cases that social welfare policies had proved incapable of preventing homelessness or keeping up with social, economic, and political changes. At this time government departments and local authorities were the predominant service providers for the homeless, or the potentially homeless (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 381). The 1960s after all were a decade when social, economic, and political changes were starting to become apparent, these changes which had consequences for social welfare policies in general, and that had an impact on the service provision for the homeless. Social changes included it being easier to get divorced, a rise in the number of births outside marriage, a rise in the number of lone parents, increasing crime levels, and the growth of illegal drugs taking. All these social changes would change the ways families lived in Britain; the break down of family relationships has arguably had a greater impact on the problem of homelessness than any changes to social welfare and housing policies. That is although the consequences were unplanned and inadvertent, yet they had to be responded to by the providers of services to homeless people (Jones et al, 2004 p. 294). Shelter and Crisis, amongst others, have argued that social welfare policies are administered in ways that make it harder for government agencies and local authorities to help people that are already homeless, compared to helping people that are already housed. People that are homeless are often only able to claim lower rates of social security benefits, and also find it harder to gain employment or find somewhere permanent to live (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 70). Social welfare policies have been altered, most notably by the Conservative governments between 1979 and 1997 and by the New Labour governments since 1997. In terms of social welfare the Conservatives had wanted to reduce the size of the social security budget, as well as reducing the size of the public sector, the former being a task in which it failed (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 287). In fact, under the Conservatives the budget for social security expenditure actually increased due to the economic policies that was pursued l eading to high unemployment, and increased levels of service provision for the homeless. In contrast to the Conservatives, New Labour claimed that it would use social welfare policies to make service provision more responsive to their users actual needs, for example asking the homeless what they wanted from their service providers (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 pp 415-16). There are also ways in which democracy in Britain can be related to the problem of service provision for the homeless and the potentially homeless, and also related to the political, social, and economic factors that influence and affect levels of homelessness. In a liberal democracy such as Britain, the political, social, and economic policies used in relation to service provision such as towards homeless people can be shaped by the relative importance that the electorate, attach to each individual issue. In many respects the service provision for the homeless has not become one of the major electoral issues that can dominate political debates, and that can ultimately determine which political party wins or loses the next general election. Despite not being one of the main political issues, the provision of services for the homeless is certainly an issue that is on the political agenda in Britain, and it is an issue that will undoubtedly stay there. That the provision of services fo r the homeless remains upon the political agenda in Britain has to be attributed to the efforts of pressure groups or charities like Shelter, Crisis, and the Big Issue. Indeed the efforts of these groups have managed to maintain publicity about the problem of homelessness as well as providing some very useful services themselves. These groups believe that their publicity campaigns will not only influence public opinion, their publicity campaigns will hopefully influence social welfare and housing policies to make service provision effectively serve the needs of the homeless. However these organisations are also important service providers for homeless people, giving advice, advocacy services, training, and emergency accommodation. Some members of the electorate do not regard homelessness as being a separate issue from social welfare policy, as far as they are concerned the government should have the appropriate policies to provide services to the homeless. After all that is what peo ple pay their taxes for (Malin, Wilmot, Manthorpe, 2003 p. 51). Pressure groups or charities that publicly campaign for and in support of the homeless view the tackling of prejudices against the people that are homeless as an important part of their objectives of service provision for the homeless. Shelter and the Big Issue act as advocates for those people that are homeless as they are disenfranchised by virtue of not having a home address, and therefore being unable to register their names on to the electoral register. Without the advocacy and media contacts of such pressure groups and charities, the homeless would have very little influence upon democracy, as they cannot vote for or against any political party because of its policies and objectives in relation to the issue of homelessness. Political parties will not necessarily feel the need to adjust their social welfare and housing policies to help certain groups like the homeless, especially if these people are formally and legally unable to participate in the democratic electoral processes at all (Jones et al, 2004 p. 294). However political parties have not been able to ignore the problem of homelessness, even if they have attempted to resolve the issues surrounding homelessness with varying degrees of enthusiasms (Jones, 1999 p. 176). However, although the homeless may be disenfranchised that does not mean that the homeless do not contribute towards liberal democracy in Britain. The work of charities and pressure groups helps the homeless to voice their opinions in public, and those groups actively promote the interests of the homeless. Shelter and the Big Issue hope to sway public opinion, as well as influencing the incumbent government’s social welfare and housing policies to assist the homeless as much as possible. In a liberal democracy like Britain, public opinion can influence government policies as well as governments attempting to shape public opinion in order to gain electoral advantages or support. The way in which democracy operates mean that political parties, pressure groups, and the media compete with each other to shape public opinion. In return the public often regard some issues as being more important than other issues. For instance, the state of the National Health Service, education, law and order, besides the state of the economy are often the most important issues during general election campaigns. The responsibility for service provision for the homeless goes across government departments, and the measures needed have to compete for funding with other policy areas such as health, education, and defence. Political parties naturally adopt the policy stances that fit in with their ideological beliefs, yet maximise their chances of electoral success. Once governments are elected they have to decide who provides public services and the extent of the services that are provided (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 pp. 48-50). In Britain the government has an important part to play in dealing with the problem of homelessness, even if the government has not caused those problems in the first place. For the government to effectively manage and reduce the problem of homelessness it helps for the government to understand the various causes of people losing their homes (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p.70). The majority of causes for people being homeless are social or economic rather than political. The government can prevent some people from becoming homeless by adopting social welfare and housing policies. The majority of causes for people becoming homeless are social or economic, rather than political. The government can prevent some people becoming homeless by adopting social welfare and housing policies, although the government cannot prevent the social circumstances that potentially lead to homelessness. The government is not in a position to prevent the break up of family units that make men and young people pa rticularly vulnerable to becoming homelessness. Men actually are the group most likely to face homelessness in the wake of relationships breaking up. Women have a higher chance of keeping their homes when relationships end. Other s factors that contribute to the problem of homelessness are related to crime, or more specifically those people that serve prison sentences and then have nowhere to live after they have been released. People with drug addictions, alcoholics, and those with mental health problems all have an increased risk of becoming homeless during their lives. These people have been helped by groups like Shelter, Crisis, and the Big Issue that provide services to get their lives back on track (Jones et al, 2004, p. 294). Although governments in Britain may not be able to prevent the circumstances or factors that make people become homeless, governments are in a position to help people find homes to live in. Governments are the key decision makers when it comes down to deciding upon the s w and housing policies that are the main ways of preventing people from losing their homes. Government policies can make it easier, or alternatively make it harder for people to stay in their homes or find new accommodation when it is required. For instance, the Thatcher government’s decision to sell off council houses was very popular with existent council house tenants, one million of whom went on to buy their homes from their local authorities. The selling off of council houses might not have been so detrimental to efforts to keep people housed if the local authorities had been allowed to build replacement houses in the same quantity. Selling off council houses made it harder to find affordable accommodatio n to rent, whilst the local authorities had a declining number of homes to provide housing for those that wanted it (Moran, 2005, p.28). Even if such a high volume of council houses had not been sold off, new homes construction has lagged behind the demand for homes to rent or buy. In turn the shortage of houses to rent or buy continues to make rents and mortgages even higher and less affordable for many people. Both Conservative and New Labour have refused to intervene to lower house prices or rents to allow more people to find a home (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p.291). However New Labour has launched a programme to increase both the actual capacity and the quality of hostels and temporary accommodation with a budget of  £90 million. That programme allows non-governmental organisations to improve the quality of the services that they provide to the homeless (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005 p. 8). However, it would be wrong to assume that British governments do nothing to prevent the problem of homelessness growing. The government has to decide which services are provided to the homeless. Local authorities or Registered Social Landlords are still responsible for housing many people and New Labour has been expanded the amount of new construction that can undertake (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 70). The main way in which the government helps to prevent the problem of homelessness increasing is through the social security system. Individuals and families in receipt of social security benefit or low income are generally entitled to housing benefit, which means that they have all or at least a high percentage of their rent paid for by the relevant local authority (Jones, 1999, p.176). Local authorities administer the housing benefit system and are then fully refunded by the government via the Department for Work and Pensions. Housing benefits pays out a great deal of money each year t o prevent people being evicted and subsequently homeless, it provides a service for millions of people (Jones, 1999, p. 176). Despite been means tested, housing benefit is still one of the biggest amounts of expenditure on the social security budget (Whitaker’s 2007 p. 450). For instance, in the financial year 2002 –03 the government spent over  £11 billion on housing benefit which, demonstrates the importance attached to preventing homelessness through the services provided by the Department of Work and Pensions in conjunction with local authorities (Department for Work and Pensions, 2003 p.32). Bibliography Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke Department for Work and Pensions, (2003) Departmental Report 2003, The Stationary Office, London Eatwell R Wright A, (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London Jones B, (1999) issues in British Politics Today, Manchester University Press, Manchester Jones B, Kavanagh D, Moran M, Norton P, (2004) Politics UK, 5th edition, Pearson Longman, London Jones M and Lowe R (2002) From Beveridge to Blair – The first fifty years of Britain’s Welfare State 1948-98, Manchester University Press Manchester and New York Lacey R, (2006) Great Tales from English History, the Battle of the Boyne to DNA, 1689 – 1953, Little Brown, London Malin N, Wilmot S, Manthorpe J, (2003) Key Concepts and Debates in Health and Social Policy, Open University Press Buckingham and Philadelphia Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2005) Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing lives, Crown Copyright, London Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001 – 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Whitaker’s, (2007) Whitaker’s Almanack 2007 – today’s world in one volume, A C Black, London

Equality & Diversity Level 2 – As3

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity Unit 3: Working or Learning in a Place that Promotes Diversity 1. In relation to your chosen workplace / place of learning, provide examples of policies / codes of conduct that encourage and / or protect equality and diversity. My chosen workplace to study place a lot of emphasis on complying with Equality and Diversity, they not only have a comprehensive policy setting out their aims and what they wish to achieve with the implementation of the Policy but they have extensive Codes of Conduct for staff and partners to follow.Their policy sets out what they wish to achieve, examples being:- The firm are committed to developing a culture which values and respects people from all section of the community and the contribution each individual can make to the work of the firm. The firm aims to ensure equality and diversity objectives are incorporated and become an integral part of governance, management and the duties of every employee. The Policy also goes on to provide definitions for staff of different types of discrimination, explaining in very detailed terms exactly what the firm feels falls into each category, these include:- Bullying & Harassment ? Dignity ? Prejudice Further, the Policy also provides how a complaint is dealt with, by whom and the timescales involved. In terms of the Codes of Conduct every employee is provided with a copy that they must read and retain. The company have implemented a system whereby the final page is signed by the employee and returned to the Equality & Diversity representative so that the company has a record that everyone has seen and read the document. The Code of Conduct sets out:- Also read: Equality & DiversityUnder Awareness – Staff will be tolerant of individuals needs and cultural differences, help; to provide a pleasant working environment,. Have empathy, support and understandings for individual needs and cultural differences, be receptive and adaptable to change, be professional when deal with clients, colleagues and third parties, respect confidentiality, respect the feelings of others and do not stereotype, make assumptions or pre-judge based on someone’s appearance or culture.Further staff will not discriminate directly or indirectly against someone’s age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, special needs or culture. Under Accessibility – staff will respect, understand and meet the needs of different cultural beliefs, be adjustable and adaptable, be aware of your language (both verbal and body) when you are dealing with clients and colleagues, be aware of different meanings according to culture and to offer help with commun ication and translation (braille, audio or interpreter).The Codes of Conduct have further headings with similar statements including policy and Support to assist staff in fully understanding the entire policy and it definitions. 2. In relation to your chosen workplace / place of learning, describe what is expected of members of staff who have specific responsibility for equality and diversity. Include information about their job titles and describe their responsibilities. In my chosen workplace there are two members of staff are responsible for ensuring our Equality & Diversity Policy / Code of Conduct are complied with.This role is covered by a Senior Partner and the Office Manager (terms Equality and Diversity Representatives by the firm) who ensure that the Policy / Code of Conduct is up to date and that they are up to date on the Law / Regulations including Law updates, case Law and advances in enforcing Policies. Should there be a breach of the Policy either the Partner or Offi ce Manager are responsible for ensuring this is investigated fully and fairly on behalf of either staff members or clients whom feel a potential breach may have occurred.They are also responsible for providing all staff with on-going training either via conferences in the office, outsourced conferences or memo based updates. 3. Describe what is broadly expected of all staff in relation to equality and diversity. All staff are expected to treat everyone appropriately regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion, sexual orientation or marital status. They also expect that all staff engage in developing a culture which values and respects people from all sections of the community and the contribution that each individual can make to the workings of a firm.All staff are further expected to have a good awareness of the Code of Conduct and abide by the same throughout their role, specifically expecting all staff to be tolerant, provide a pleasant working enviro nment, be receptive and professional, respect others feeling and confidentiality and not to stereotype or pre-judge. All staff are expected to make themselves aware of the Policy and adhere to it at all times to ensure that each and every aspect of the firm complies with Equality and Diversity to the highest possible standard.All staff are also expected to ensure that breaches or potential breaches are brought to the Partnerships attention quickly so that investigations can be put into place. 4. Based on the work you have done in Question 1 – 3, write a short summary of what you have discovered in terms of the organisation’s work on equality and diversity. Within my workplace the Equality and Diversity Policy / Code of Conduct is thought of as pivotal to the firm. Great pride is taken in the fact the firm have such a comprehensive regulation system and great care is taken by the Partners to ensure that at every opportunity Equality and Diversity is considered.The compa ny have a Equality and Diversity Board , including partners, staff representatives and external service providers, who meet once a month and discuss any issues that may have been raised, whether these be complaints, alleged breaches or simply comments from individuals with regards the Policy (wording etc) or any other issues. The minutes from the meetings are published and a copy placed in a centralised folder with additional copies being sent to all staff via email so that everyone can be kept up to date.Furthermore periodically quizzes are sent round to staff (including partners) with ten questions asking for multiple choice answers to be completed. The Equality and Diversity Representatives make this fun by awarding prizes to the winners but if somebody fails to grasp the quiz additional fact sheets and work is undertaken with that person to ensure the Representatives are confident they appreciate what Equality and Diversity is and why it is held in such high regard at the office . 5. Describe how equality and diversity is monitored within your chosen place of work / learning.The staff with conduct of the Equality & Diversity Policy in the office (Partner and office manager) monitor equality and diversity. They are responsible for monitoring Recruitment and selection processes, promotion and transfer, training, terms and conditions of employment, work live balance policy, grievance and disciplinary procedures, resignations, redundancies and dismissals. Furthermore reviews of the policies are conducted regularly with the help of external experts who ensure that the policies incorporate the most up to date Law and Case law to ensure proper compliance. 6.Prepare a short report on how your chosen place of work / study promotes (communicates) policies and practices for equality and diversity to employees and external stakeholders (such as customers and the community). Provide specific examples. The company has many ways in which it tells external people of the eq uality and diversity policy. It is included in the firm’s website under a separate tab which explains in general terms our policy, advising those who read that we run in accordance with the policy and confirming that a full copy of the policy is available should they wish to read it, free of charge on request.Furthermore our Twitter and Facebook accounts give general information but if the policy changes or is affected by any legal changes these are specifically documented via updates. Internally quizzes are held to help staff keep updated and also regularly memos or training seminars (by internal and external agencies) are also conducted. 7. Describe the organisation’s punishments or sanctions for any breach in the policies / codes of practice / guidelines where equality and diversity are concerned.Individuals are expected to report all incidents of harassment, bulling or discrimination to their head of department, staff partner or manger. In return the company promis e to ensure all complaints are dealt with confidentially and with sensitivity ensuring that investigations are swift and discreet. Anybody who is found to have been acting in contravention to the Code of Conduct or policies or any member of staff that allows a breach to go ahead by turning a blind eye or encouraging the same will face formal disciplinary action.The firm has several outcomes for an investigation via disciplinary action. If a complaint is upheld the offender will be sat down and confidentially spoken to about their conduct and told the behaviour will stop. This will be recorded but taken no further so long as there is no repeat. The second step could be mediation where the offender and victim with a natural member of staff are given the opportunity to sit and discuss the matter. If they do not want to do this face to face a letter exchange will be agreed and monitored.Again the process will be recorded and documented. If the above steps cannot be completed or the brea ch is too serious formal disciplinary procedures will commence in line with the companies normal disciplinary procedures. This takes the form of a disciplinary meeting whereby the offender can put forward mitigation or defence and then the disciplinary partner will decide the next course of action – this can be verbal warning, written warning, suspension or dismissal – again depending on the seriousness of the breach and / or the offenders past disciplinary record.Throughout all of the above the victim is kept informed and the victim can ask that a certain procedure be undertaken – ie: if they do not want a fuss they can ask that instead of disciplinary a warning is given to the person or they can refuse to undertake mediation because they are concerned it will not work or has not worked in the past. If the complaint is not upheld a meeting will be had with offender and victim individually to advise them of the reasons why and the outcome confirmed in writing to them.As in all disciplinary matters if either party is unhappy with the outcome grievance procedures can be commenced, this being done by requesting the same within 21 days of the formal decision. 8. Describe why the creation and maintenance of an environment that promotes and ensures equality and diversity is desirable. Describe the advantages for the organisation and provide examples. The advantage for ensuring Equality and Diversity are complied with within an organisation in the most basic sense is a better place to work.It builds a fairer environment for both staff and the public whereby they know that their views and rights, no matter their personal circumstances, will be dealt with properly and without prejudice. Ensuring prejudice does not â€Å"creep in† to a workplace is essential as prejudice breeds discontent and can cause severe upset to individuals or groups of people. The workplace has people from any cultural and economic backgrounds and therefore enforcing g ood equality and diversity practices means that a happy and social workplace develops. . Describe the consequences for your chosen organisation of failing to create and maintain a diverse and equal environment. You should consider aspects such as: †¢ Legal †¢ Economic †¢ Social Should the employer not create and maintain a proper Policy / Code of Conduct the consequences can be far reaching. A firm known to not comply with any policy could lose clients or professional contacts as they do not wish to engage with a firm that does not comply with Equality and Diversity.This could mean lost revenue and it could also mean that filling staffing positions is harder as people may be cautious of working for someone who would not support them if their rights were breached. Again legally a firm could be pursued via employment law and sued if a complaint via the tribunal was upheld whereby somebodies rights were breached or could be breached and there were no safeguards to protec t them.

The Movement Of The Jewish Culture - 2495 Words

Furthermore, by using the ‘feminist’ interpretation within this passage, Jesus didn’t want to discard tradition but wants to reform the freedom of woman from the restrictions and limitations of the rules and regulations of the Jewish culture and the tradition by bringing more equality in society. Women’s lives in Jesus’ time were overruled and dominated by a male figure , who were to control every aspect in their lives. This was due to the fact that women were seen to be unholy - more inclined to being sinful, and were submissive; hence one of Jesus’ missions became to reform the image of women. Hence by using the ‘feminist’ interpretation method, I can conclude that Jesus intentions of preaching to Mary, was for him to reform the Jewish culture, by spreading hope and strength among women – standing up for a new culture and a generation which will create a new and equal society. Therefore, by using the ‘feminist’ interpretation within this passage, we can conclude that in Jesus’ time, Jesus was a strong advocate to reforming society and allowing women to become equals to men, as God has created us all in the image and likeness of himself, hence why all humans are precious and a gift because God is precious and a gift. Jesus said â€Å"Mary has chosen the better path†, which implies the message of salvation is significant to all people. Hence, everyone is eligible to listen to the words of the Lord - not just men but also women. Therefore, this passage, emphasises the messageShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Reason By Judaism1449 Words   |  6 Pagesbrought the Jewish community to a crossroads as they had to determine how far they would veer away from their Jewish values in efforts to fit into the new societies. Jewish philosophers were forced to offer options to the different sects of Judaism that correspond with those sects core valu es and ethics. 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