The Protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930

The Protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930 The US Congress passed the United States Tariff Act of 1930, also called the  Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, in June 1930 in an effort to help protect domestic farmers and other US businesses against stepped-up imports after World War I. Historians say its excessively protectionist measures were responsible for raising US tariffs to historically high levels,  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹adding considerable strain  to the international economic climate of the  Great Depression. What led to this is a global story of devastated supply and demand trying to right themselves after the terrible trade anomalies of World War 1. Too Much Postwar Production, Too Many  Imports   During World War I,  countries outside of Europe increased their agricultural production. Then when the war ended, European producers stepped up their production as well. This led to massive agricultural overproduction during the 1920s. This, in turn, caused declining farm prices during the second half of that decade. One of Herbert Hoovers campaign pledges during his 1928 election campaign was to aid the American farmer and others by raising tariff levels on agricultural products. Special Interest Groups and the Tariff The Smoot-Hawley Tariff was sponsored by US Sen. Reed Smoot and US Rep. Willis Hawley. When the bill was introduced in Congress, revisions to the tariff began to grow as one special interest group after another asked for protection. By the time the legislation passed, the new law raised tariffs not only on agricultural products but on products in all sectors of the economy. It  raised tariff levels above the already high rates established by the 1922 Fordney-McCumber Act. This is how Smoot-Hawley became among the most protectionist tariffs in American history. Smoot-Hawley Provoked a Retaliatory Storm The Smoot-Hawley Tariff may not have caused the  Great Depression, but the passage of the tariff certainly exacerbated it; the tariff did not help end the inequities of this period and ultimately caused more suffering. Smoot-Hawley provoked a storm of foreign retaliatory measures, and it became a symbol of the 1930s beggar-thy-neighbor policies, designed to improve ones own lot at the expense of others. This and other policies contributed to a drastic decline in international trade. For example, US imports from Europe declined from a 1929 high of $1.334 billion to just $390 million in 1932, while U.S. exports to Europe fell from $2.341 billion in 1929 to $784 million in 1932. In the end, world trade declined by about 66% between 1929 and 1934. In the political or economic realms, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff fostered distrust among nations, leading to less cooperation. It led toward further isolationism that would be key in delaying US entry into World War II.   Protectionism Ebbed After Smoot-Hawleys Excesses The Smoot-Hawley Tariff was the beginning of the end of major US protectionism in the 20th century. Beginning with the 1934 Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, which President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law, America began to emphasize trade liberalization over protectionism. In later years, the United States began to move toward even freer international trade agreements, as evidenced by its support for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

What issues involving straight women have been resolved since the Essay

What issues involving straight women have been resolved since the 1920s in the United States, and which have not - Essay Example Yet, business enterprises did not easily accept the notion that women deserve equal remuneration as that of their male colleagues. While the magnitude of the disparity had eased up during the subsequent decades of the century, the issue is not satisfactorily resolved. The disparity is not just confined to the realm of business. Even in interpersonal relations, starting from courtship, men prefer women who earn lesser than they do. Toward the end of the twentieth century, where a small but significant number of Fortune 500 Chief Executive Officers are women, there is no apparent change in the mentality of men. Hence, while the law affords equal economic opportunities for men and women, deep-rooted prejudices and cultural norms have thwarted further progress for women. The status of women as second class work-force is at no time better expressed during economic crisis. In the history of the United States since the 1920s, in each episode of economic recession, more women lose jobs when compared to men. While the reasons given by employers are ‘rationalization’, ‘right-sizing’ or ‘redundancy’, it is obvious that gender is a significant factor in the equation. These tendencies are best exemplified by the film Nor th Country starring Charlize Theron as a working class single mother. But, all is not doom and gloom for women. Laws pertaining to marriage, divorce and child custody have been amended time and again in favor of women. This is a crucial victory for American women and serves to symbolize the break down of the conventionally patriarchic justice system. The percentage of the ex-husband’s wealth that the ex-wife is legally entitled to has increased multiple times in the last fifty years or so. The 1960’s civil rights movement, which originated from agitations by the Black American community, has had a spill over effect on other areas of

Managment Audit of Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managment Audit of Wal-Mart - Essay Example A management audit would help to determine whether Wal-Mart is a destructive force or is good for the local economy. While it is generally believed that a population of 100,000 was necessary for a discount store to be viable Wal-Mart argued that if prices were right, the stores could attract people from a wider area (Grant, 2002). Wal-Mart chose isolated rural towns and national brands at low prices. Each store of Wal-Mart has the discretion to place orders with the vendors directly and receive supplies also directly. This strategy of decentralization leads to efficiency in terms of time and administrative costs apart from making the employees feel ‘associates’ and not wage earners. Wal-Mart has the image of a friendly, all-American company employing happy workers and smiling greeters who are eager to help and grateful to work at Wal-Mart (Bianchi & Swinney, 2004). Wal-Mart started off as an entrepreneurial venture but Wal-Mart’s Sam Walton, while constantly upgrading and expanding did not ignore the need to identify and groom a successor. A corporate culture encourages the employees and managers to consider the customer the focus of business. The customer is the king was the policy at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has helped to hold down inflation in US. Wal-Mart is responsible for about 12% of the economy’s productivity gains in the second half of the 1990s (Fishman, 2003). Wal-Mart believes in constantly learning and improving, conscious of the fact that competitors would stay. They are always alert at finding and implementing new retail concepts. They concentrate on each store depending on its location. The merchandise is available according to the need of that community. The associate in charge of that store is given incentives to plan out promotional campaigns for a given period for the product suitable to local adaptation. Human resource management is a stronghold of Wal-Mart as right from the inception they did not believe in

Chav Culture | Subcultures and Cultural Criminology

Chav Culture | Subcultures and Cultural Criminology The word chav is defined in the oxford dictionary as: a young lower-class person typified by brash and loutish behaviour and the wearing of designer clothes. It is described as an informal derogatory word in British slang. The website, www.urbandictionary.com, which is known for its definitions of British slang words, rather than define the word chav, depicts the image of a 12 year old boy wearing an imitation tracksuit whilst smoking a cigarette and simultaneously showing off his jewellery. The website describes young boys attitude as arrogant walking around as if he is 8 feet tall and mouthing off to strangers that walk by. This website does a great job of posing a truthful image of what a chav is deemed to be. The importance of cultural criminology lies within understanding human social behaviour through the recognition of cultural factors which enables theorists to view behaviour as dynamic rather than determined giving rise to different views on transgressive behaviour. The actions of the youth considered to be chavs on a daily basis can be deemed as part of their lifestyle, which has subsequently lead to the increase in the term chav subculture. The word subculture is used to describe a culture with qualities that differentiates them from a larger culture, for example the chav culture within British culture. The qualities that this chav subculture observes that differentiates are; a different fashion sense predominantly tracksuits and baseball caps; the wearing of lots of bling which is generally gold jewellery whether fake or real; and general loitering (hanging out) in public places such as street corners, town centres. Cultural criminology aims at looking at crime in the context of its culture. It aims to show the relationship between media culture, youth culture and crimes. It is the idea that the reason for committing an offence due to the thrill received. This may be due to excessive boredom meaning offenders have to resort to crime as their only source of pleasure. Cultural criminologists argue that offenders are influenced by media, and are in the mindset of that is the way to behave. In the context of the chav phenomenon they would argue that the chav phenomenon has occurred through choice, primarily for youngsters to fit in with their surroundings. An example of this can be seen through chav fashion and style. The Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies describes style as a means of resolving structural contradictions; however cultural criminologists, such as Martin, take this a step further and describe style as a way of connecting an individual to society. By following the fashion trends, and wearing designer gear, regardless of its legitimacy it is an attempt by chavs to connect with society. Fashion may be seen as a form of exclusivity, with the elite wearing exclusive designer labels; an art form with an agenda of keeping the non-elite at a distance. I believe that the subversive use of Burberry wear by chavs is undeniably an attempt by chavs at connecting with society; by separating themselves from normal fashion and creating their own rebellious trends. Taking into account Bennetts notions of lifestyle, I would argue that the choices taken by the working class youth are an effort to attain an identity, to be realised and accepted in a community in which they believed they are ostracised. This conclusion was also drawn by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies who believe the chav phenomenon can be a reaction to analogous transformations in working-class identity, community and culture, now taking place in the context of consumer capitalism. Chavs tend to socialise or loiter in places which are public such as town centres, street corners due to boredom. The only form of entertainment available to them is shouting abuse at passers. This deviance is conceived as the thrill of transgression and self-transcendence as a way of overcoming the conventionality and mundanity typically associated with the banal routines and practicalities of everyday regular life. I believe the reason chavs walking around flaunting their designer gear a bid receive attention that isnt obtained elsewhere. The word chav is connected to communities that have suffered social deprivation. Lawler takes this a step further and describes them as the poor and dispossessed. Furthermore, Cohen and Ainley describe chavs as a post-industrial youth underclass. However I do not believe the words chav and underclass are entirely synonymous. I fear underclass is the word that has confused caused arguments regarding class prejudice. Skegg notes that terms such as social exclusion and the underclass have been cynically promoted and utilized by successive British Governments and policy makers, and have rapidly taken the place of terms such as working class. It is this point that illustrates the fact that despite post 1980s studies of culture that showed a decline in the analysis of social class; class distinctions have not disappeared rather they have been replaced. As the recognition of class inequalities has been buried so have class identities making the work on social class appear out of place. Howe ver the fact that the economic polarisation reached its pinnacle in the 1980s meant that the working class became the new underclass. This is echoed by Sayer who deems that the term working class has become one of embarrassment and shame after a decline into the issues of class equality. Moran asserts that the chav phenomenon surfaced as part of the 1980s turn towards neo-liberal thinking and enterprise culture. Moran claims society was perceived as groups comprising distinguished tastes and lifestyles, which further became known as yuppies, toffs, boffins and chavs. Despite various research about the declining importance of class, the creation of such groups has lead to stereotyping resulting in new classes. One way of distinguishing the lower classes is their crass and flashy style illustrated in the clothes they wear, the jewellery they wear and the music they listen to. News media has been one of the prime means through which the chav depiction has been composed and constituted. An example is an article titled Sites to check out if you chav what it takesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News 2004, in which writer Gina Davidson declares: And we will know them by their dress . . . and trail of fag ends, sparkling white trainers, baggy tracksuit trousers, branded sports top, gold-hooped earrings, sovvy rings and the ubiquitous Burberry baseball cap. In essence, writers such as this label and define the new underclass known as chavs. She writes, Call them what you will, identifying them is easy. In addition to this statement, she continues in a defaming manner by stating that the girls wear too much gold plated jewellery that they will end up putting H Samuel out of business. She labels them as the dole-scroungers, petty criminals, football hooligans and teenage pram-pushers. Davidsons description demonstrates how the chav label ha s become an umbrella which encompass a string of older stereotypes of the white working classes. However the media distinguishes the fact that the chav image possesses a characteristic that makes it unique from previous images of the underclass; the attention paid to the exaggerated use of consumer goods, examples of which include cheap jewellery, branded sports gear and the excessive use of Burberry wear. This has been acknowledged by Hayward and Yar who argue that the chav phenomenon reiterates the discursive creation of the underclass, while simultaneously reconfiguring it within the space of commodity consumption. Through descriptive illustration of chavs, the news media has created a profile, and a person who fits the profile or is similar to the profile will be characterized as a chav. The media has created a class from which people may be pigeonholed purely based on their foreground; with no regard whatsoever as to their background. Furthermore, theoretical writers such as Lawler , Skeggs and Tyler have laid emphasis on the fact that the portrayals of the chav plastered with a sense of disgust which leads to attempts of distinctions by the middle class who are insecure about being tarnished with the same brush as the lower class. An illustration of this antipathy is shown in a quote from a website regarding chavs: I am so glad I have money and am not forced to live in local authority housing. This image just makes me realise how lucky I am to be an educated, cultured member of the middle classes. This disregard for the background along with the sense disgust created by the media towards this new underclass is what separates the middle/upper class with the chav underclass. I commend Billigs critique that these unhelpful media accounts of chavs have an underlying intent to produce a disgust which is not simply reactive but is constitutive of social class. The expression of disgust within media portrayals of chavs must be seen as conscious and not unintentional. The chav figure has produced a boom of condescending scorn aimed at the lower classes by not only the upper class but the middle class as well. I would argue that from the view of cultural criminologists, it is this ostracisation that breeds the chav culture and influences the youth to act in such way that contravenes the conventional norm exhibited by society. These transgressions are what gives these chavs their identity. Modern studies on youth frequently put emphasis the notion that class has become less important in shaping young peoples futures has become a powerful argument in sociological writing on youth. But it is this notion of class itself that shapes the youth to pick a culture to follow. The chav culture is just new option that adds to the list of other youth cultures such as Goth, Emo and Urban. Taking the viewpoint of conventional criminologists, when analysing the new underclass they would take into account the fact that chavs predominantly come from neighbourhoods that exhibit community disorganisation and physical deterioration. The neighbourhoods in which chavs grow up are generally estates which are mainly owned by the local authority or areas or rented housing. These areas are high in proportion of single parent families. These areas also exhibit socio-economic deprivation. The parents of the youths in these areas are largely unemployed, a study for the Centre of Social Justice shows that between 1981 and 2006 the proportion of social housing tenants of working age in full-time employment halved from 67% to 34%. Parents also tend to have histories of drug or alcohol abuse and backgrounds relating to criminality. Families living in these areas tend to lack good relationships between children and their parents with the parents lacking good parental skills resulting in d ysfunctional families with high tendency of family breakdown. In turn the children of the parents have as a result of poor parenting and social upbringing been left with no or little social skills or work ethic and may be impossible to educate. These youths display a number of individual factors such as hyperactivity, impulsive reactions, mental and/or physical health problems and a low self esteem. It leaves these youths with poor academic performances in their schools, due to constant time wasting through disruptive and aggressive behaviour. Their lack of discipline and organisation can lead to poor attendance in schools and early leaving. Edwin H. Sutherland put forward the notion of differential association which asserts that criminal behaviour is learned through interaction, it emerges when a person is exposed to more social message favouring conduct than pro-social messages. He argues that criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values the same as non criminal behaviour. If we remove the criminal factor from this theory, it can be applied in the context of chavs; the reason for their behaviour such as loitering or the reason they conform to a dress code is because chavs would like to express themselves just as the upper classes do. They too feel the need to follow a fashion, trend or culture just as much as everyone else. Another theory that can be applied to the chav phenomenon is the theory of anomie and strain developed by Robert K. Merton. This theory when applied to the chav phenomenon would suggest that chavs divulge in transgressive behaviour as a result of culture and the structure of society itself. He echoes the fact that all of society shares the same values and goals. The theory asserts the reason for chav behaviour is due to a retreat from social norms as a consequence of unequal social opportunities causing the youth to drop into deviant subcultures. Taking this theory a step further we could interpret the culture of chavs a rebellion, which aims to seek new goals, such as creating a new identity or culture solely to differentiate themselves from those who distance themselves from chavs due to ignorance. Furthermore, the theory of delinquent subculture could be applied, developed by Albert K. Cohen. He believes that the reason for delinquent behaviour was an uprising against the middle class societys perception of what society should be. He states the delinquent subculture, takes its norms from the larger culture, but turns them upside down. The delinquents conduct is right by the standards of his subculture precisely because it is wrong by the norms of the larger culture. In essence, I believe that the chav phenomenon as subculture has come about due to circumstance as well as choice. I believe that the choice to adhere to this subculture made by the youth does not come solely by free will, but is based upon the circumstances and factors that surround these youth, leading them to conform to a culture. This would lead me to say that the view taken by cultural criminologists that chav culture is a choice or a rebellion would not be true if taken out of the context of the argument put forward by conventional criminologist. I do not believe that chav label solely depicts someone following a culture. We have seen in the media, people who have come from chav like backgrounds are still regarded as chavs such as Jade Goody and Coleen Rooney. Although no longer displaying chav-wear, the fact that they come from chav backgrounds has permanently branded them as chavs with Jade Goody being regarded as the ultimate chav. The fact that the she moved out of the depr ived living conditions she once resided in the label has stuck with her despite her moving into a middle class society. I believe this has lead to a social labelling and almost social prejudice against people who come from areas populated with chavs. What people fail to see the is what is hidden behind veil known as chav , the real social underlying problems that have lead the youth to make those choices to follow this culture. Jade goody, labelled the ultimate chav, was ridiculed for her lack of general knowledge on national television, but a closer look at her background reveals that her upbringing was one of hardship and difficulty. She was brought up in an environment full of crime and violence, with her father was a chronic drug addict and her mother a thief, it was not an rearing full of values and ideals. Tyler and Bennet claim in their article on celebrity chavs that Media portrayals of these celebrities employ con- notations of the undeserving poor à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in order to generate accounts of the undeserving celebrity. In reality I believe there is more to the chav phenomenon than just a culture, it has been introduced into society as a class; a class that you are born into and cannot leave. A class that has been produced as a by product of the decline of class and fashioned to produce fluid identities and to compensate for the change in political strategies. A class that the youth choose to be in purely because they fit in no other class.

Making America a Better Place Essay

America has had many great leaders in its history. They were all great though they all had different strategies. Leaders also come in different packages like some were presidents and some were just common people that influenced people. It does not matter what they were or what strategies they used they all wanted the best for America and led it through tough times and change. Two leaders American leaders that admire are Martin Luther King Jr. and Eisenhower. They both gave meaningful speeches our nation. Dr.  King gave a great inspirational speech in Memphis, Tennessee in order to push civil rights forward, while Eisenhower gave a farewell speech saying good bye to our nation. One thing that Dr. King and Eisenhower had differently in their speeches was their purpose. Dr. King’s purpose was to motivate the black community to fight for their equal rights and fix America’s racism problem. On the other hand Eisenhower was motivating the citizen to keep America progressing forward and cautiously without him. The only similarity that their purpose has is that they motivate a group of people living in America. A similarity is that they both repetition in their speeches. Dr. King uses it to engage more motivation form his audience. For example Dr. King repeats â€Å"If I had sneezed† to show that great things have happened and will continue to happen. Eisenhower also uses repetition, he repeat â€Å"Night† to his audience to emphasize that he is leaving the presidency to become a common citizen. These great leaders might have had different purposes and different strategies but their main goal was to make America a better.

Employee State Insurance Act Essay

The Act in fact tries to attain the goal of socio-economic justice enshrined in the Directive principles of state policy under part 4 of our constitution, in particular, articles 41, 42 and 43 which enjoin the state to make effective provision for securing, the right to work, to education and public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement. The act strives to materialize these avowed objects through only to a limited extent. This act becomes a wider spectrum than factory act, in the sense that the factory act is concerned with the health, safety, welfare, leave etc of the workers employed in the factory premises only. But the benefits of this act extend to employees whether working inside the factory or establishment or elsewhere or they are directly employed by the principal employee or through an intermediate agency, if the employment is incidental or in connection with the factory or establishment. Origin: The Employee State Insurance act was promulgated by the Parliament of India in the year 1948. To begin with the ESIC scheme was initially launched on 2nd February 1952 at just two industrial centers in the country namely Kanpur and Delhi with a total coverage of about 1. 20 lakh workers. There after the scheme was implemented in a phased manner across the country with the active involvement of the state governments. Objectives: The ESI Act is a social welfare legislation enacted with the object of providing certain benefits to employees in case of sickness, maternity and employment injury. The insured employees and their dependants are entitled to the following benefits: * Medical benefit

If I Had Much Of A Choice - 2047 Words

It wasn’t as if I had much of a choice. Actually there was. However, this would settle things once and for all. Although, there were assurances from the legal team (of the best criminal attorney’s in the country) that there was nothing to worry about, but a small chance is still a chance. I did discharge a firearm and my father did thrashed Gilbert something awful in front of a room filled of witnesses (most of which just happen to be close personal friends of the Tilley family). If you also add my father’s takeover of Tilley pharmaceutical in a wonderfully barbaric corporate takeover, there was little doubt he wasn’t satisfied with bounding Gilbert Tilley off tables and the floor. With my mother’s content and open support for†¦show more content†¦Hearing the words and violent anger from the judge for each instant my mother had blatantly overlooked my mental wellbeing and physical protection, he was clearly on the verge of naming her and ac complish to assault and send her to jail. When it came for the Tilley’s to testify at the primary divorce proceedings, their lawyers quickly sighted that with pending actions with another case they had no comment. The lawyers for the Tilley Family wisely removed all thoughts to call for my mother as a witness in their behalf that same day. By the way things were shaping up, there was still a small possibility things wouldn’t turn out in her father’s favor and I just couldn’t take when I could do something about it. What did work in our favor was my constantly speaking out at every opportunity the reason for my anger, my words appearing in print, and the Tilley Family never disputing my words in fear I would use their actions to finally end any hope of a (although nonexistent) reconciliation between Gilbert and myself. My constant calling for the police claiming I had a court order of restraint against Gilbert Tilley and the statements from my security see ing Gilbert causes me harm when he grabbed my arm harshly would also show to any judge the reason why I had to defend myself. With each of my security teams giving depositions of being commanded by my own mother to allow Gilbert access to me at every event I was scheduled to represent my family and to physically