5 Illegal Interview Questions and How to Deal with Them

5 Illegal Interview Questions and How to Deal with Them When it comes to job interviews, honesty (okay, maybe enhanced honesty in some cases) is the way to go. But what if the interviewer is asking you questions they have no right to ask? Out of ignorance or slyness, an interviewer might try to get information out of you that the company is not allowed to factor into their hiring decisions. However, you’re not obligated to answer them- and in fact you shouldn’t. Your battle plan should be to figure out why they’re asking (whether it has direct consequences for the job itself), and to decide whether you should answer. In most cases, the answer is â€Å"no,† but there are ways to redirect the conversation and/or call attention to the inappropriateness of the question without alienating the interviewer. After all, it may just be someone talking off the cuff without realizing it’s actually illegal to talk about certain personal issues. Some of the hardest interview questions you’ll encounter might be illegal.Here are some examples of illegal interview question areas, and how to get around them.1. Religion/Race/Sexual OrientationDo you volunteer with your church? That’s an interesting last name, what’s your background? These questions all sound pretty harmless†¦just making small talk, right? Yet each one gives away information known as â€Å"protected class.† Employers are prohibited by federal and state law from hiring (or not hiring) based on categories like race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Talking about topics like your church (or lack thereof), your spouse, or your family’s ethnic background can give information that could tip the interviewer against you if there’s a bias involved. Even if it happens in a pre-interview chat, before you get down to the brass tacks of the job itself, you’ve given information that the interviewer had no real right to ask.The way to handle this is to redirect the question. If you r efuse to answer, even though you’re in the right, it could set you up as â€Å"combative† or disagreeable in the eyes of the interviewer. It’s okay to be vague and try to channel the conversation elsewhere. On church activity: I do volunteer at my local soup kitchen- I like to give back to the community when I can. On family background: Gotta love the American melting pot, right? 2. AgeYou have a pretty long and distinguished resume, do you see yourself retiring soon? Age (particularly 40 and up) is another protected class. If an interviewer tries to get information about how old you are, he or she might be trying to suss out whether you’re likely to be a long-time employee at the company†¦or whether this job is a pit stop on your way to the golf course.You should never feel obligated to give your age. Instead, take the chance to re-emphasize your commitment to the job for which you’re interviewing: On the contrary, I’m looking forward to talking about a long and productive relationship with this company, and bringing the fruits of that experience to my work for a long time to come.3. Family StatusIf you’re pregnant, have children, or may want children some day†¦doesn’t matter. An interviewer is not allowed to use your family status as part of the hiring decision. Even if you’re eight months pregnant in your interview suit, he or she can’t ask when you’re due, or about your childcare plan afterward.In a case like this, the best tactic is to try to push it back on the asker. Without being overly antagonistic, it’s okay to ask, Can you help me understand why that matters? I just want to make sure I better understand what this job entails.4. Whether You’ve Been ArrestedConvictions are fair game for interviewers and job applications, but arrests (without convictions) are not. Even that’s starting to change in some places: New York is looking at phasing out e mployers’ ability to ask about particular kinds of convictions. For now, however, convictions are askable, but arrests are not.If you’re asked, have a simple response ready to go (taking too long can trigger the kind of reaction you’re trying to avoid): I have never been convicted of anything, no. And if you do have a conviction, it’s essential to remember not to lie about that, because a background check would likely uncover that information.5. Your Military ServiceI see from your resume that you’re in the National Guard. Does that take up much of your time? Employers are not allowed to use active military service as criteria in hiring. Basically, the interviewer can’t factor in your military service at all. If you choose to answer this one, emphasize that you’ve never had a problem balancing your service with your career.6. Disability StatusIf you don’t mind my asking, how did you get in that wheelchair? Will you be on crutch es long-term? I see you have glasses- is that a pretty strong prescription? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is pretty clear- employers are not allowed to discriminate against employees that may need physical accommodations. Instead, they are allowed to ask if you would need any specific accommodations to do the job.If it seems like the interviewer is fishing for information about a disability, deflect it. Are you asking whether I would need special accommodations? Or, I’m not sure I see how this relates to my ability to analyze sales reports- can you clarify and help me understand?The most important thing to remember is that if you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer- but you also don’t have to disqualify yourself by putting up a defensive wall or walking out of the interview. It’s fine to call attention to the reasons behind asking (in as non-confrontational a way as you can manage), then try to segue back to the interview and job desc ription as quickly as possible.If you have concerns about any of the areas outlined here, definitely check with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and know your rights as an applicant.

Cell Phones Essays - Radiobiology, Mobile Telecommunications

Cell Phones Essays - Radiobiology, Mobile Telecommunications Cell Phones What Causes Cell Phone Radiation and How Does it Effect Your Body? What is so popular with young teenagers today? Cell phones. Walking around on campus to walking around at the mall with your cell phone may seem fashionable and trendy, but did you now that it might be causing you to get a cancer? Ninety percent of cell phone holders do not realize it and it should be something everyone should be aware of. It may seem a bit unusually how a cell phone can cause a child or an adult to get cancer, but it is true. New evidence is growing fast about health risks from mobile phones electromagnetic radiation. These devices can be used to make telephone calls from almost anywhere. Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, burning sensations on the skin were more common among those who make longer phone calls. At the same time there are a growing number of unconfirmed reports of individuals whose health has been affected after chronic, frequent use of mobile phones, presumably from radiation effects on cell. There are two types of phones, one has the antenna mounted on the handset and the other has the antenna mounted on a separate transmitter or, if the telephone is installed in a vehicle, mounted on the roof or rear window. Communication between a mobile telephone and the nearest base station is achieved by the microwave emissions from the antenna. Concerns have been raised about the type of mobile telephone that has the antenna in the handset. In this case, the antenna is very close to the user's head during normal use of the telephone and there is concern about the level of microwave emissions to which the brain is being exposed. Those telephones that have the antenna mounted elsewhere are of no concern, since exposure levels decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the antenna. Cordless telephones, which need to be operated within about 20 meters of a base unit that is connected directly to the telephone system do not have any health concerns associated with their use because exposure levels are very low. . Media reports have claimed that up to 70 percent of the microwave emissions from hand- held mobile telephones may be absorbed in the user's head. This is not supported by the evidence, but nevertheless leads to speculation that hot spots may be created in the user's brain, thereby raising concerns that the telephones may be a health risk. Other reports have indicated that mobile telephone users suffer localized headaches when they use their telephone. At this stage, it is difficult to evaluate the evidence supporting these reports, since they have not been published. This work on human subjects follows other phone studies in animals suggesting that radiation from mobiles may cause brain tumors, cancer, anxiety, memory loss and serious birth defects. An Australian study found that mice exposed to pulsed digital phone radiation over 18 months had twice the risk of developing cancers. An American study found that learning and short term memory were impaired after 45 minutes exposure to radiation from phones in rats. And other studies of electromagnetic radiation on pregnant mice suggest that high exposure can affect intra-uterine development, confirmed recently in chicks. The effects in humans are unknown. In Britain a 27 year old woman with a brain tumor is taking a mobile phone manufacturer to court who she blames for her tumor. A biologist, Roger Coghill has also been given permission to bring a case against a provider of mobile phone equipment for failing to warn people of radiation hazards. A wide variety of electrical devices contribute to electro smog, ranging from computers, to phones, TV sets, radar transmitter and transformers. However mobile phone radiation is certainly intense, as evidenced by the effects on aircraft navigation systems, or more obviously on a nearby conventional telephone or a music system The brain cancer reports originated in the USA where a number of lawsuits have been lodged against mobile telephone manufacturers and suppliers. These claims for damages allege that the microwave emissions from mobile telephones used by the claimants caused their brain cancers. Those few cases that have been tried have been dismissed for lack of supporting evidence.

WK2_mketing_VALS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WK2_mketing_VALS - Essay Example The survey results will show the main features of a customer: conservative or liberal, intellectual or a working man, prefer innovation or stick to old products. Translating marketing information into intelligence requires three related general functions: surveillance, assessment, and prediction. This activity consists of observing the reports of marketing occurrences, discerning patterns and deviations from standards, and trying to make sense out of them. Surveillance serves two ends: it indicates likely trends and changes in the marketplace and then suggests what must be known and done to meet the changes. Assessment attempts to evaluate more specific knowledge of particular opportunities, or competitors capabilities and vulnerabilities. Knowledge of strengths and weaknesses of specific competitors supplies the basis for developing ones own marketing strategies and programs. Predictions provide a dimension of futurity that makes intelligence relevant for planned decisions. The surv ey shows that the company has area intelligence, which is concerned more with localized details and shorter-run aspects of the marketing-activities programs. It is of particular value to marketing personnel in specialized or functional areas, since they deal directly with operations but lack policymaking responsibility. For example, area intelligence guides the actual recruitment, selection, training, and direction of salesmen; the determination of specific prices and advertising programs; and the specification of product qualities (Paley, 87). The survey results will show a need in new products and designs and ability of customers to perceive innovations. The survey will determine the character of a consumer and his life style. Both the quality of the raw data and the effectiveness of the primary analysis determine the kind of marketing information that will be derived. Data must be sorted, classified,

HR Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HR Administration - Essay Example Ownership is the key distinction of privatization according to this focused definition of privatization (Klingner et al, 2010). Privatization is viewed as an option for providing services to the community and the decision to privatize should be made by the government reflecting the government to deliver public goods and services by the private sector creates a balanced evaluation of the financial and non-financial issues with the needs of the community.Market-based competition basis. Privatization is characterized by little involvement by the government and collaborating with private service providers. Government stops providing a service directly and relies on the private sector to deliver the service (Klingner et al, 2010). Human resource managers are facing an imminent mass exodus of senior workers, the likes of which has never been seen before. These workers will need to be replaced due to death or retirement. Some organizations might lose up to 50% of their seniors in the next two to three years. This exit will strain the governmental entitlement programs, company benefit, pension plans, and press the concern on empty chairs in offices across the nation. The smaller size of Generation X (25 – 38- year-olds) along with their high rate of turnover and the transitory nature of their work force lately will lead to a shrinking pool of replacements and competition for those employees will increase. Demographic realities seem to suggest a possible shortage of labor in the coming decades (Klingner et al, 2010). Many Boomers will maintain their positions after their typical retirement age due to longer life expectancy. The likelihood of new legislation increasing the age for Social Security benefits, the high costs in living, recent losses in pension and IRA accounts attached to the stock market could make older employees delay their

The effect of globalisation on national economies

The effect of globalisation on national economies The assignment is based on the wider implications and effects of European and global integration on organisations. It identifies the effects of globalisation on national economies and the influence of international institutions. We shall try to summarise the role and responsibility of European Union membership on the workplace. In the second partition of assignment focus on investigate the range and effects of environmental legislation, directives and guidance and the processes organisations need to adopt. The economics of adopting a policy of environmental awareness and summarise actions that need to be taken by organisations to maintain the environment. Here we shall also specify the measures that exist to improve workplace health and safety practice. In final partition explore the socio cultural, ethical and moral issues that affect organisations in the current economic environment to establish and implement good practice. Analyse the responsibilities of organisations to improving workforce welfare. Review approaches to the management of diversity and compare organisational approaches to ensuring positive policies of workforce diversity. First Part What is Globalisation? Globalisation can usefully be conceived as a process or set of processes which embodies a transformation in the spatial organisation of social relations and transactions, generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction and power. 1(www.polity.co.uk) Globalisation has four types of change. Firstly, globalisation includes growing social, political and economical actions across political limits of countries and continents. Secondly, it recommends the growth of inter bondness and flows of trade, investment, finance, and society. Third, it is developing extensity and intensity of global inter bondness can be depended to a speeding up of global connections and developments as the progress of world wide actions of transport and communication speed up the flow of ideas, goods, information, investment and communities. Fourthly, the growing extensity, intensity and speed of global communications can be attached with their developing impression such that the results of indistinct actions can be very important else where and yet all the local growth may come to have massive global consequences. It makes the sense, that the boundaries between local affairs and global matters can become increasingly blurred. In total globalisation can be consideration of as expanding, increasing speed up, and developing influence of world wide inter connections. In sum globalisation in this way, it makes possible to draw observe patterns of world wide contacts and business across all type of fields of human activity, from the military to the cultural. What are the effects of globalisation on national economies? Globalisation creates major change on the economic environment of any nation; it changes any nation in terms of economic development policies under national government. The globalisation provides the free movement of trade and investment, labour and assets. Through globalisation nations economy growth globally so it opening up the barriers of international trade which increase the stability and creates positive impact on quality of life with in a nations individuals. Economic growth through Globalisation has both positive and negative impacts on the society. One of the main benefits of economic growth is the higher incomes per capita and higher living standards due to an increase in output. It increase in output has also created employment opportunities which takes the nation towards prosperity. Example The best example of Globalisation is Microsoft Windows which is done in United State of America but the technical support is provided in India which provides support to Indian economy. Job opportunities create in India for IT professionals and governments income increases in terms of Taxes. In same way Toyota cars made some cars others are made in United State of America. The animation on cartoons is done in South Korea. The characters voices are done in the United State of America or in country who buys these cartoons. The native impact of Globalisation is that the revenue earned in the nation is not spend in that particular country for growth of this countrys economic conditions of its people, this revenue is spend in other countries along the globe and the ultimate benefit goes to the companys home country, For Example the American based company Nike is one of the company around the glob where ever in the world Nike products sale the ultimate benefit goes to America but the Nike enjoys the cheep labour and resources of that country. It also eliminates the difference of skilled and unskilled persons. Other main weakness of Globalisation is that it increases possibilities of unintentional motion of diseases between the countries. Globalisation gives attraction towards the money oriented lifestyles and selfish attitudes, which suppose to consumption to be a mean to manage overall economic affluence. As Amartya Sen said in 2002 The market economy does not work by itself in global relations indeed, it cannot operate alone even within a given country Some believer of globalisation has the aim to expand market relations, push back state and interstate interference, and create a global free market. It is a political plan that seen at work in the activities of transnational organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and has been a significant objective of United States involvement. Part of the impetus for this project was the limited success of corporate/state structures in planning and organizing economies. However, even more significant was the growth in influence of neo-liberal ideologies and their promotion by powerful politicians like Reagan in the USA and Thatcher in the UK. The influence of international institutions International institutions are a present feature of many world areas. These institutes include World Bank, IMF, GATT, WTO and OECD. These institutions have the same objective to expand the market relations and create a global free market. World Bank: The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Its mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. 2(www.worldbank.org) The World Bank provides low interest loans, interest free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide range of reasons that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management. IMF (International Monetary Fund): This institution has aimed at established a system of multilateral trade and payments compatible with the maintenance of high level of income and employment. The IMF provides temporary funding to its member for balance of payments problems. GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) Treaty organization affiliated with the United Nations whose purpose was to facilitate international trade. The primary actions of the organization were to freeze and reduce tariff levels on various commodities. GATT was created in 1947, and was originally intended to become a part of the International Trade Organization (ITO); however, the ITO failed to be created, so the GATT was left as an independent organization. In 1994, GATT was superseded by the WTO. 3( www.investorwords.com/2152/GATT) The objective of the GATT is to liberalize trade for the mutual benefit of all nations. OECD (The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) The OECD is an organisation that provides for intergovernmental discussion among 24 industrial countries in the field of economic and social policy. The OECD was formed in 1960. It has major objective to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and rising standard of living in member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; to contribute to sound economic expansion in member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development and in accordance with international obligation. While almost are agree that such institutions matter but there is less agree that how much effective. This special issue brings together European Union specialists and international relations theorists who address the latter issue. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · With the rapid spread of Globalization, there are chances for international organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO) to violate both national and international sovereignty. The Role and Responsibility of European Union Membership on the Workplace In particular, we explore the socializing role of institutions in Europe, with our central concern being to better specify the mechanisms of socialization and the conditions under which they are expected to lead to the internalization of new roles or interests. Drawing on a multifaceted understanding of human rationality, we consider three generic social mechanism strategic calculations, role playing, and normative suasion and their ability to promote socialization outcomes within international institutions. This disaggregation exercise not only helps consolidate nascent socialization research programs in international relations theory and EU studies; it also highlights points of contact and potential synergies between rationalism and social constructivism.

Developmental studies

At the beginning of the twentieth century underdeveloped countries began to look for the ways to diminish their dependency on agricultural exports and to bring on an industrial revolution. The situation which evoked this need was critical. The problem was that the underdeveloped countries developed mainly the policies of supporting primary commodity exports. Transportation policy was used in the infrastructure for delivering the export crop to the harbour.The research institutions specialized in agriculture worked only on improving crops for export, for example, sugar cane, coffee, cotton, etc.  while crops for domestic consumption, for instance, beans or manioc corn, potatoes, left with little or even without expenditure. As a result some of the underdeveloped countries had to follow the policy of import substitution to induce industrialization. Import substitution industrialization will be the goal of study of this paper. This economic policy will be investigated in the frames of an economic term with the necessary characteristics and also in a wider meaning as the experience of the countries of East Asia and Latin America.In the process of research different points of view, both pro and contra, will be cited in order to shed the light on positive and negative aspects and cover the field broadly. In the conclusion of the paper the main findings will be summed up. The term of import substitution can be defined as an economic process and as a policy strategy. As a process import substitution relates to the situation â€Å"where regions (more precisely, existing or new economic activities within regions) take up the production of goods or services which formerly were imported, but, for whatever reasons, now can be viably produced within the region (e.g. as a result of population increases leading to increases in demand or as a result of productivity increases resulting in greater competitiveness. †(Economic Geography Glossary, 1999)Import substitution i ndustrialization (ISI) as the economic strategy means encouraging the development of domestic industry by limiting manufactured goods import. The need of ISI implementation arouses from the belief that there is a potential comparative advantage in some of the industries of developing countries, but these industries are too weak yet to compete with foreign well-established ones.Thus, in order to allow infant industries to establish themselves and to realize their potential, and consequently to be able to compete internationally, governments should support the initial period of their development. The protection of government implies temporary measures such as using tariffs or import quotas to start industrialization in the country. As a policy strategy import substitution can be used to achieve the following goals: 1) to utilize the capacities which are underused; 2) to fight unemployment in the regions;3) to protect infant industries. The policy of import substitution industrializati on, according to the definition provided by the encyclopaedia, is â€Å"a trade and economic policy based on the premise that a developing country should attempt to substitute products which it imports, mostly finished goods, with locally produced substitutes. †(Wikipedia, 2005) The theory of import substitution has much common with the theory of mercantilism. Both the theories promote minimal imports and high exports as the means of inducing the growth of national wealth.In order to implement the policy of import substitution industrialization, the following three main tenets must be pursued: 1) protective barriers to trade, which can be set up in the form of tariffs. Tariffs or custom duties are applied to the goods which are imported and in this way they artificially protect domestic industries from competition with foreign companies; 2) a particular industrial policy, which orchestrates and subsidizes production of the substitutes; 3) a monetary policy, which will keep th e domestic currency overvalued.Monetary policy is implemented by setting reserve requirements and changing some interest rates directly or indirectly. The chief tools of monetary policy are operations in open market. In open market money circulates through the selling and buying of deferent foreign currencies credit instruments, or commodities. Such sales or purchases create a certain base currency which leaves or enters market circulation. Usually open market operations are aimed at achieving a specific short term interest rate target.However, monetary policy may also target a certain â€Å"exchange rate relative to some foreign currency or else relative to gold. † (Wikipedia, 2005) Equally important is to note that import substitution as economic protectionalizm can have negative outcomes. Stutz pointed out that â€Å"This form of economic protectionism helped some countries industrialize in the past but involves economic risks. † (Stutz and Souza, 1998) The risks of import substitution meant by Stutz are potential inefficiencies and higher prices.Successful implementation of this policy as a rule needs massive expenditure on infrastructure. Additionally, import substitution is accompanied by the establishment of state firms in the areas of industry which are thought to be too risky or too large for the private sector (or example, steel, aircraft) or estimated to be too important to be owned by foreign firms (or instance, oil). The policy of import substitution industrialization was argued by the advocates of absolute free trade theory.Generally, free trade becomes possible when the flow of services and goods between countries is not taxed. In particular, the economists who supported free trade policy stated that economic strategy would become successful only under the following conditions: 1) international trade in services must be without trade barriers, or tariffs; 2) international trade of goods must not be free from any possible tariffs (n amely taxes on imports) or trade barriers (for example, quotas on import); 3) the free movement of international labor; 4) the free movement of international capital;5) the absence of any economic protectionalizm, implemented by trade-distorting policies (for instance, subsidies, regulations taxes, or laws), which gives an advantage to domestic firms, factors of production, and households over foreign ones. Thus, it becomes obvious that free trade proponents advocated the policy which totally contradicted the fundamental tenets of import substitution industrialization. On the other hand, free trade proponents suggested that a foreign subsidy should be considered as another of comparative advantage and consequently domestic barriers should not be imposed on the purchase of goods produced overseas.Free trade economists pointed out that unlimited imports will be beneficial for domestic consumers which overweighs the loss of domestic producers. Thus, the lower prices of foreign subsidie s can be considered as net positive. Therefore, the domestic society where any import restriction is applied becomes â€Å"a whole worse off than it would be with unlimited imports. † (Wikipedia, 2005) Anyway, the viewpoints of the both theories – import substitution industrialization and absolute free trade – were checked in the process of their implementation and in real life experience.In the period from 1930 to 1940 the policy of import substitution industrialization was adopted in many underdeveloped countries of Latin America. The driving force which precipitated the acceptance of import substitution idea was the Great Depression which took place in 1930s. According to article Concern with Policy-relevance in the Latin American School of Economics authored by Bianchi, â€Å"Import substitution was a necessary condition for peripheral growth, in association with structural reforms in the economy.The focus should be placed on the strenghtening of the domest ic market, which was seen as the crucial element of an inward-looking model of development. † (Bianchi A. M. , 2003) Later on, in the 1950s Raul Prebisch, the prominent Argentine economist, expressed his belief that the only way to succeed for developing countries was to build forward linkages domestically and to create industries which would work on primary products already produced by the countries themselves. The policy of tariffs would help the domestic industry to prosper.By implementing the policy of import substitution industrialization in the period from 1950 to 1970 a number of Latin America countries, in particular Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, attempted to reach positive results and to increase their national wealth. The success of the policy in these countries was based on either high living standards or large populations. However, poorer and smaller countries, for example, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, were not successful in adopting import s ubstitution policy.Also it is notable that the countries which succeeded in import substitution industrialization managed to change the structure of their governments. Thus neo-colonialism collapsed and was replaced by democratic way of governing. Nationalization turned banks and utilities into public property and returned to nation some of the companies previously owned by foreigners. A case of implementation of import substitution industrialization can be examined with the help of the example of Brazil.Brazil was the country which carried the policy of import substitution industrialization later than other underdeveloped countries. The economists in Brazil carefully analyzed its effects and were planning the industrial development of the country while the other countries started import substitution mainly by accident. It is important to note that Brazil initially had all the chances for success in the policy of import substitution, since its population goes up to 170 million, whic h makes Brazil the fifth largest country in the world.Also Brazil is the fifth largest country by its land area. And finally, Brazil is rich in forest reserves, minerals, navigable rivers agricultural land, and hydroelectric capability. The development of Brazilian economy in the period from 1950 to the 1970s confirmed the most optimistic views. Brazil with its rich resources and reserves was called â€Å"the land of the future†. In 1950 Brazil attempted to establish the largest industry of motor vehicle having practically no sufficient basis. Thirty years later aircraft of Brazil were working on commuter airlines on the United States.Brazilian shoes spread everywhere. Moreover, Brazil opened up the richest iron mine in the world and Brazilians found out the capital city on the place where previously had been a roadless jungle and built the network of roads going deep into Amazon. When the oil prices rose and began threatening the development of Brazil economy, Brazilians lau nched huge hydroelectric projects to operate the growing industries of the â€Å"Golden Triangle†, which included Sao Paulo Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte and required the new automobiles to run on rum instead of gasoline.At the beginning of the 1980s even pessimists agreed that Brazil was â€Å"the country of future†, however added â€Å"and always will be†. The growth of Brazil stopped, when it was almost close to ripening. The modern cities in Brazil coexist together with miserable shanty-towns surrounded with open sewers. The roads are shared by modern vehicles and hand carts. The wages of Brazilian executives are the highest in the world, but at the same time average workers hardly reach subsistence level. Some economists call Brazil â€Å"a Switzerland within an India.† Other economists consider that the case of Brazil brightly illustrates economic growth without economic development. Economist Celso Furtado characterized the state of Brazilian economy in the following way: â€Å"The Brazilian economy constitutes a very interesting example of how far a country can go in the process of industrialization without abandoning its main features of underdevelopment: great disparity in productivity between urban and rural areas, a large majority of the population living at a physiological subsistence level, increasing masses of unemployed people in the urban zones, etc.† (Development policies, Catching Up, Sec 2, Chap 14) By the 1950s the industrial development by means of import substitution had been already a planned process in Brazil. New industries were protected from the foreign competition with the help of a number of methods. Basic industries (for example, steel, electrical power, petroleum reining) became either fully owned by state or received direct subsidies. Law of Similars aimed at putting high tariffs (sometimes tariffs went up to 300%) on imported goods as soon as any domestic firm somewhere in Brazil started manufacturing something ‘similar’.The industries considered high priority always could be credited under favorable terms by a national development bank. For some period of time, the government even set multiple exchange rates in order to lower the cost of imported capital equipment while the price of imported finished goods was kept expensive. One of the growing Brazilian industries in the mid of twentieth century was motor vehicles. The government hoped that foreign financing would help to expand Brazilian firms which were already producing motor parts, bus bodies, truck and so on and soon would turn them into real vehicle manufacturers.But this approach had to be changed for the government of Brazil faced the reluctance of American government to extend loans and the disapproval of the firms from Europe and the USA who owned a critical technology. The world famous giants – Fiat General Motors, Mercedes Volkswagen, and Ford – were threatened to lose their markets in Brazil if they did not manufacture vehicles within the country. It is important to note that modern manufacturing, in particular the production of appliances, motor vehicles, TVs and so on is a complex process that requires substantial knowledge and skill.Final assembly became possible in Brazil since it was the last stage of production and required the least skill. So, launching modern industries Brazil could start with final assembly and gradually came to more complicated â€Å"backwards†, which included more difficult procedures. For example, Volkswagen could start importing complete parts, such as engines, wheels etc. and assemble them in Sao Paulo plant. The tariffs allowed Volkswagen to sell 1960 30% Brazilian Beetle for twice what Europeans would pay even if the quality was not that high. Eventually, most of the parts became produced in Brazil and the quality of assembly improved.Gradually, the competition from Brazilian Fiats, Fords, and Chevrolets pushed the price down. In this way, Brazilian motor vehicle industry became more and more efficient and even in the 1970s Brazil exported subassemblies and parts to America and to the European countries. By 1980 Brazil started exporting entire vehicles. When import substitution industrialization was implemented in Latin America, the drawbacks of the policy soon revealed themselves. In Brazil as well as in other Latin America countries import substitution model led to foreign ownership in all the sectors in industry except those occupied by state enterprise.When the interests of foreign firms were threatened by Brazilian taxes, environmental or labor legislation, American, German, Italian, British Japanese or French owners were quick to call on their state departments. In particular, the Department of the United States defined one of its key objects as establishing favorable â€Å"business climate†. This meant undermining Brazilian government. Thus, in 1964 some Brazilian generals, b eing encouraged by American officials, made an attempt to overthrow constitutional government of their country.Another drawback of import substitution industrialization revealed in the fact that this policy led to huge foreign debts. It was not accidental, that Brazil and Mexico ran into debts in order to cover the expenses of their infrastructure development. The development of infrastructure needs a large number of hard currency imports. If infrastructure grows and increases exports together with hard currency earnings, a country can borrow in dollars. Then, under such condition, the country has to earn dollars in order to make the interest payments.But import substitution requires borrowing in dollars for the purpose of economic development of the domestic production that will not necessarily expand exports. By the end of the seventies the countries of Latin America faced the problem: Where to go next? And the next logical step was to export the goods which had been already produ ced efficiently. By the middle of the eighties Brazil became the largest exporter of shoes and coffee, among ten major exports to America, six were manufactured projects. Nevertheless, the expansion of manufactured goods made Brazilian economy vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs.Moreover, in the 1980s Brazil as well as other underdeveloped countries of Latin America did not manage to pursue the next layer of import substitution ( in particular, microchips, computers, capital equipment), although they attempted to create open markets for their manufactured consumer goods. Unlike the nations of Latin America, the majority of East Asian nations rejected the policy of import substitution industrialization. Due to this, as many economists think, East Asia had its superior performance in the seventies and the eighties of the twentieth century.Generally speaking, the Asian growth had started before World War II in Japan. The process of Asian growth included three groups of countries whose ec onomic â€Å"miracle† began at different times: 1) Japan (after the Second World War); 2) The â€Å"four tigers†: Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore (the sixties of the twentieth century); 3) Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China (from the 1970s to the 1980s) In fact, by rejecting import substitution industrialization Asian nations managed to avoid some negative results of this policy. First, their economies were not dragged by inefficient industries.Second, East Asia did not have to implement policies benefiting industrial workers at the expense of those working on the farms. This was crucial for Asian countries because farmers made up the majority of their population. In addition, in order to diminish the cost of industrialization, the cost of food needed to be kept artificially low. And also, East Asia attempted to prevent the appearance of rent seeking behaviours, which resulted from the usage of the licensing schemes for import substitution strategy and whic h usually increased inefficiency of economics.High tariffs on manufactured goods, which were imposed by many countries in order to create their manufacturing bases, forced multinational companies to assemble or produce them locally. For example, manufacturers of motor industry exported vehicles for local assembly. Their vehicles were delivered ‘completely knocked down’ and the local assembly resulted in poorer quality and higher expenditures in comparison with those imported already built up. Moreover, the local assembly of identical products only duplicated resources and reduced economies of scale, which became increasingly inefficient for manufacturers.On the whole, at the beginning of 1980s the policy of import substitution industrialization began to fail both in Latin America and in those Asian countries where the policy was adopted. Generally, it happened because the governments involved in the policy started to overspend reserves in order to keep the stability of currency. The governments in Latin America defaulted on their debts and had to turn to the help of the International Monetary Fund. Another process which contributed to the failure of import substitution was globalization.However, some economists think that the collapse of the policy of import substitution industrialization â€Å"should not necessarily be taken as an endorsement of globalization. † (Wikipedia, 2005) Such point of view was supported by the fact that some countries of East Asia also used high tariff barriers while rejecting the rest of the strategy of import substitution. This mixed policy was focused on investment and subsidies on the industries which would produce goods for export. As a result, these Asian countries managed to create competitive industries.However, irrespective of all their achievements, the policies described above also proved to be inefficient and later led to many problems during Asian financial crisis. The closing period of import substit ution industrialization was in 1989 when the Washington Consensus as a set of policies designed to promote economic growth in the countries of Latin America was presented by John Williamson. The Washington Consensus included reforms which continued the policy of import substitution industrialization offering a modernized version of its tenets.In particular, the Washington Consensus proposed the following: 1) the discipline of fiscal policy; 2) tax reform. It flattened tax curve: the tax rates on high tax brackets were lowered and the tax rates on the low tax brackets were raised. Also it suggested lowering the marginal tax rate; 3) Competitive exchange rates; 4) Trade liberalization by means of low and uniform tariffs which would replace quantitative restrictions; 5) Reduced limitation for foreign direct investment; 6) Privatization of state enterprises;7) Deregulation, which implies â€Å"abolition of regulations that impede entry or restrict competition, except for those justifie d on safety, environmental and consumer protection grounds, and prudential oversight of financial institutions† (Wikipedia, 2005) 8) Property rights must be legally secured; 9) Public spending should be redirected toward the investment of health, education, and infrastructure; 10) â€Å"Interest rates that are market determined and positive (but moderate) in real terms. † (Wikipedia, 2005) In the nineties the Washington consensus was being disputed.The critics of the reforms argued that they would lead vulnerable countries to crisis instead of helping to overcome it. Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky claimed that the neoliberal policies of the Washington consensus would lead to the exploitation of labor market of an underdeveloped economy by a more developed one. (Wikipedia, 2005) Privatization of state industries, deregulation, and tax reform were seen by the opponents as the reforms which would ensure the development of the layer of local monied elite who would pursue loca l interests and try to maintain local status quo.Jorge Taiana, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Argentina, also disapproved the Washington consensus saying that such policies never had a real consensus and nowadays â€Å"a good number of governments of the hemisphere are reviewing the assumptions with which they applied those policies in the 1990s,† adding that governments are working on a development model which would ensure productive employment and guarantee the generation of real wealth. (Wikipedia, 2005)Another economist Duncan Kennedy in the article for The Boston Review stated that the Washington Consensus completely opposed the initial tenets of import substitution industrialization and more favoured American political interests: â€Å"In the form promoted by the United States, ISI was as hostile to free-market economics as to Communism. The overarching idea of the Washington Consensus was to wipe out every aspect of ISI: the Washington Consensus is both that free mark ets are good and that ISI [Import substitution industrialization] was bad.Developing countries were to develop through integration into the world commodity and capital markets, with policies of deregulated private enterprise, foreign investment, and open economic borders. † (Kennedy D. 2003) All in all, taking into consideration the mistakes of the previous experience and the criticism of the economists, the developmental policy of import substitution industrialization has never been returned since the time of the Washington Consensus. Thus, in the paper import substitution industrialization as a process and as a policy was investigated.It was found out that import substitution pursues three main goals: utilization of underused capacities, reducing unemployment and infant industries protection. The implementation of the policy of import substitution industrialization is based on three tenets: particular monetary and industrial policies, and protective trade barriers. However, it turned out that success and efficiency of import substitution industrialization was doubted by the proponents of absolute free market.Potential risks of import substitution were also visible while careful theoretical analysis and pointed out by economists. The underdeveloped countries of Latin America and East Asia implemented the policy of import substitution industrialization. It occurred that the potential risks and the negative aspects found out by the proponents of absolute free market constituted the drawbacks of the policy and finally became the chief factors of its failure.However, the major part of East Asian countries rejected the policy and experienced economic growth. The example of Brazil demonstrated that the policy of import substitution industrialization can stimulate economic growth for some period of time, but its drawbacks (first of all high expenditures and inefficiencies) pose real obstacles for continuous and strong economic development.

Lady Macbeth As A Catalyst To Evil Essay

The expression â€Å"behind every man, there is a woman,† rings true even in the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is the catalyst that ignites the fire to Macbeth’s ambition. It is because she challenges his masculinity, questions his love, and belittles his bravery that Macbeth murders Duncan. His lady provides impetus for him to abandon all honorable nature in order to achieve what they both desire. Macbeth would not have murdered Duncan and continued on a downward spiral of evil were it not for the extra push from his ruthless and overly ambitious wife. Macbeth is filled with great hubris. Lady Macbeth plays on this pride when she challenges his masculinity. She goads him by saying, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man / [. . .], you would / be so much more the man.† (Shakespeare, Macbeth. 1.7.49-51). Lady Macbeth tells her husband to kill Duncan to prove that he is a man, and states how much more of a man he will be as king. Eugene M. Waith states in his criticism Manhood and Valor in Macbeth, that â€Å"the pangs of Macbeth’s conscience [. . .] are no more than effeminate, childish fears to Lady Macbeth.†(64) She has a great deal of power over Macbeth; this power is the mere truth that she possesses more of a manly quality that he himself does. Macbeth is ambitious enough to want to become king, but would not think of murdering Duncan. Because Lady Macbeth knows this, she understands the necessity to push Macbeth into performing the deed. She does this by questioning his love for her. † What beast was’t then / that made you break this enterprise to me?/ [. . .] I would, while it was smiling in my face, / have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums a/ nd dashed the brains out, had I sworn so as you / have done to this.† (Mac. 1. 7. 47-48. 55-58) In saying this, Lady Macbeth proves her devotion to her lord and asks him to do the same. Lady Macbeth tells him that his love is worth nothing if he refuses to go through with the plan, â€Å"[. . .] saying that his love is as accountable as his indecisiveness.† (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Switch Roles. www.planetpapers.com) Macbeth wants his wife to love and trust him, so he follows through with their plan. Macbeth is brave when it comes to thought, but when it comes to action he is  somewhat of a moral coward. Lady Macbeth bullies her husband into the action that will gain them the throne. The final way she badgers Macbeth is by deprecating his bravery. â€Å"We fail! / But screw your courage to the sticking-place / and we’ll not fail.† (Mac. 1.7. 59-61) Macbeth views himself as the epitome of bravery and upon hearing these words from the woman he loves, he succumbs to their ambitions. Lady Macbeth taunts him for his cowardice, â€Å"under the weight of her reproaches of cowardice he has dared do more, and has become less [. . .]† (Brooks. 45). Throughout the Renaissance, the idea that to be courageous is to be a man prevails. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth represents the ideal Elizabethan hero; therefore, bravery is an important character attribute. Lady Macbeth’s ruthlessness and manipulation of Macbeth causes him to defy his true principles and to murder Duncan. From the beginning of Act One Scene Five, until after the murder of Duncan, it is evident that Lady Macbeth manipulates and convinces Macbeth to do evil. Lady Macbeth knew that he would never go through with it alone, she realizes that he holds too much of the â€Å"milk of human kindness† (Mac. 1.5.12) to ever complete such an appalling feat. Lady Macbeth uses persuasion to coerce her husband. Had she not mocked his masculinity, challenged of his love, and vilified his bravery, Macbeth would not have been pressured into the murder of his king and thrust onto a path of malevolence led by ambition.