Economic Analysis Of Hawaii Essays - Unemployment, Social Justice

Economic Analysis of Hawaii Hawaii, with an area of 28,313 sq. km (10,932 sq. mi.), is the 43rd largest state in the U.S.; 6.9% of the land is owned by the federal government. It consists mainly of the Hawaiian Islands, eight main islands and 124 islets, reefs, and shoals. The major islands in order of size are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Nihau, and Kahoolawe. Population growth has increased by 80,000 persons over the past five years. Demographics show a large number of Hispanic origin: Asian Hispanics are the most populated with white Hispanic and Asian non-Hispanic following. Hawaii's economy has been long dominated by plantation agriculture and military spending. As agriculture has declined in importance, the economy has diversified to encompass a large tourist business and a growing manufacturing industry. Hawaii's economy has changed drastically since statehood. In 1958, defense, sugar, and pineapple were the primary economic activities, accounting for 40% of Gross State Product (GSP). In contrast, visitor-related expenditures stood at just over 4% of Hawaii's GSP prior to statehood. Today the positions are reversed; sugar and pineapple constitute about 1% of GSP, defense accounts for just under 11%, while visitor-related spending comes close to 24% of Hawaii's GSP. The movement toward a service- and trade-based economy becomes even more apparent when considering the distribution of Hawaii's jobs across sectors. The share of the economy's jobs accounted for by manufacturing and agriculture have declined steadily since 1959 and each currently makes up less than 4% of total jobs in the economy. At the same time, the shares of jobs in wholesale and retail trade and in services have risen, standing at about 23% and 28%, respectively. Since 1991, Hawaii's economy has suffered from rising rates of unemployment . This stands in marked contrast to the period 1980 to 1993, when the state enjoyed very low unemployment rates relative to the nation as a whole. But by 1994 the recession had raised Hawaii's unemployment rate to the national average (6.1%) for the first time in 15 years. In 1995, the state's unemployment rate improved slightly in the first eleven months of the year to 5.4 percent, a 0.6 percentage point decline from the first eleven months of 1994. Despite the lower unemployment rate, the total number of wage and salary jobs declined by 0.6 percent during the first eleven months of 1995. This was due in part to a fall in part-time jobs which are often held by persons who also have primary jobs elsewhere in the economy. The number of construction jobs declined by more than 7 percent in the same period. Other industries--namely, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, communications/utilities, and finance, insurance, and real estateexperienced declines in the number of jobs as well. Jobs in retail trade and services, however, increased 2.2 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, reflecting an increase in visitor spending since 1994. Following a dismal first quarter due to the Kobe earthquake, there was steady growth in the tourism sector in 1995 with increases in the number of visitor arrivals and hotel room rates. The number of visitor arrivals to the State increased 3.2 percent during the first eleven months of 1995. The increase in the value of the Japanese yen vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar during this period contributed to a rise in eastbound visitors in the second and third quarter of 1995 by 11.8 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively. However, in the first eleven months of 1995, the number of westbound visitors remained flat. This year is the 11th year in a row that the U.S. has experienced reduced spending on national defense. The continued reduction is due to the decline in superpower tensions and the political disintegration of the Soviet and East European-block during this decade which have prompted the Congress and Administration to initiate significant cuts in the level of defense expenditures in recent years. However, because of the strategic location of Hawaii in the Pacific this changing military posture has not significantly affected Hawaii's $3.7 billion Federal defense sector. The construction industry continued its decline in the first eleven months of 1995. This loss was mainly due to decreasing demand exacerbated by higher interest rates during the first half of 1995, following a 12.4 percent drop in 1994. Another reason is that construction costs rose by 15 percent from 1992 to 1995, which is much higher than the consumer inflation rate of 8 percent during the same period. Agriculture jobs, including self-employed, showed a 6.6 percent decline in the first eleven months of 1995 from the same period in 1994. In the earlier part of

Unbroken

Unbroken UnbrokenI wouldn't know how to describe a painting or a sonata, but I can tellsomeone how I feel, though they rarely know what I mean. Words fail me often,but nobody notices. They aren't listening anyway. One person knows me.When I talk to him I feel like a knife in a drawer, because my words have power.The possible damage would be irreparable.He and I are like a house falling apart. Our sidewalk is askew and ourmailbox is missing. It is painted pink and yellow. We love it, it's unique. Lastnight I stomped my feet through the floorboards because I wanted to feel my toesin the earth. I pushed my hands through the ceiling and kicked down the walls. Iknow he wonders why I do things like that. I just wanted to let some air in. Isaid, 'Look hon, now we can see the stars.'Mind ControlHe brushed off the debris and putme to bed. He won't sleep tonight.His thoughts stay up with the moon trying to exercise the demons in hismind. Too intelligent, too spiritual for his own peace. A shaman, unstu ck intime. A stroke of genius and a slap in the face of this world. Always restless,searching for answers. Impulsive and inspired, writing down his thoughts.Funny stories about Elvis and his followers, the Elvi, or dirty poetry. Paintinghis visions on sheets that hang from the eaves or painting me with psychedelicdesigns. It doesn't matter which. All of it makes me want him more.Some things I say to him are like sour notes played too often. I'm out oftune. He always sings along. Our waltz is better than most, I suppose. Weknow the steps by heart. The world moves...

Psychology - Ethical Dissonance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology - Ethical Dissonance - Essay Example Of course, in psychology, we have Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance that says, â€Å"If a person holds two cognitions that are psychologically inconsistent, he experiences dissonance: a negative state (not unlike hunger or thirst)† (Aronson 128). Elliot Aronson elaborated that Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance hold that the experience of dissonance is â€Å"unpleasant† and, thus, â€Å"the person will strive to reduce it----usually by struggling to find a way to change one or both cognitions to make them more consistent with one another† (128). According to Aronson, Festinger integrated the dynamic marriage between the cognitive and the motivational (128). Thus, given the Aronson review, it is just as viable to define ethical dissonance as the unpleasant experience of having two divergent ethical perspectives on the use of drugs that enhance or that claim to enhance physical and mental capacities. Following Aronson’s in terpretation on Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, the ethical dissonance described to modify one or both ethical perspectives to make them consistent with one another because of discomfort. ... by where the individual has to struggle to modify one or both ethical perspectives within himself or herself to make his or her perspective consistent. Smith and others defined cognitive dissonance theory as a theory that â€Å"assumes that there is a drive toward cognitive consistency, meaning that two cognitions---or thoughts---that are inconsistent will produce discomfort, which will in turn motivate the person to remove the inconsistency and bring the cognitions into harmony† (Appendix G-3). Ethical perspectives, after all, are also types of cognition. My interpretation of the Gary Stix assertions on ethical dissonance is that there are three ethical perspectives on the use of drugs or medical treatments or procedures for boosting physical or mental capacities or enhancers (the focus of the Stix article was on the cognitive). The first ethical perspective holds that physical and cognitive enhancers are unnecessary, unfair, and that it is improper to use enhancers or employ medical procedures that would boost one’s physical or cognitive capacities except for such conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s patients. The premise for the first ethical perspective is not evidence but perspective. The ethical perspective assumes that enhancers do work. The assertion that the use of enhancers is unfair or that it is improper involves perception and not evidence. The second ethical perspective hold that enhancers or medical procedures that boost physical or cognitive capacities are similar to wearing eyeglasses and that we must dispense with the notion that drugs or medical procedures are only for illnesses. Related to this, Stix noted that an article from an influential journal in 2008 raised â€Å"the prospect of a shift away from the notion of drugs as a

Determining causes and effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Determining causes and effects - Essay Example It is a fact without doubt that indeed most of the campus students spend a substantive time on campuses leading very stressful lives. Because students have to establish a balance between their studies, examinations, extra-curriculum activities, and some work, it is clearly an aspect of stress. Ideally, stress permeates from numerous aspects in the society, with stress among the teenagers, most especially in those in campus taking the greatest percentage. Despite the fact that stress has become part of human life, stress could be minimized through numerous ways. Indeed, stress in colleges and many teenagers is a significant problem considering the effects associated with it. Based on such a perspective, this paper discusses pressure of academic performance and finances as the causes of stress on college students, and a look into their effects. Stress among college students results from numerous causes, each of which has different effects depending on the circumstances involved. Of all the causes, the pressure of the academic problem is usually the greatest contributing factor to the numerous instances of stress among the campus students (Heidenreich, 2009). Whenever every student goes to campus, one of the primary requirements of the teenager is to perform excellently in the academics. Equally, parents usually encourage their children to have the best of performance in their studies. However, little is always told on how to achieve the academic excellence status.

Microm3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microm3 - Essay Example 7 4. How Does The ‘Invisible Hand’ Described By Adam Smith Work? Explain What Smith Meant By The Invisible Hand And How It Works. What Signals Producers And Buyers To Adjust Quantity Supplied/Demanded And Reach Equilibrium? 8 5. According To Economic Theory, How Do Consumers Decide What Goods To Buy? What Does The Final Decision To Buy Something Depend On? 10 1. What Happens When The Government Imposes A Minimum Wage? Explain Using A Graph. Minimum wage laws set rules regarding the minimum wage that can be provided by an employer for obtaining labour. The Fair Labour Standards Act of 1938 was established by the US congress to set down the minimum wages that should be offered to employees to ensure a proper standard of living. The labour market faces the forces of demand and supply. The supply of labour is determined by workers and the demand is determined by the employers. In the absence of the government intervention the wages get adjusted with the labour supply and dem and. When the minimum wage is above equilibrium then the supply of labour exceeds the demand. This causes unemployment. Thus, the wages of employees who already have the job increases and the income of employees who do not have the job are lowered. The affect of minimum wage depends on the experience and skills of the employees. The skilled and experienced employees have their equilibrium wages much above the minimum wages. The greatest affect of minimum wages is on the teenage labour based market. Teenagers have low equilibrium wages because they do not have much skills and experience and are willing to work on low pay in exchange for the training they receive on the job. A study reveals that 10% increase in minimum wage reduces teenage employment to 1% - 3%. 10% increase in minimum wage does not increase teenage wages by 10%. The minimum wage also affects the supply quantity of labour. Since the minimum wage of the teenagers increase, the number of teenagers willing to work also i ncreases. Minimum wage increases the income of the poor. Certain opponents of minimum wages consider that it results in unemployment, teenagers dropping out of schools and restricts unskilled workers from obtaining training on their job (Mankiw, 2008). Source: (Encyclopedia of Earth, 2006). The above figure represents the condition in the classical labour market. A legal minimum wage interferes with the free market adjustments and causes true unemployment. The demand and supply model of labour Source: (Encyclopedia of Earth, 2006). The above figure shows conditions in the traditional market. The labour quantity and the equilibrium are determined by market forces. 2. What Economic Concept Explains Why Most People Specialize In A Specific Profession Rather Than Trying To Make All Of The Things Themselves? Specialisation is a concept that relates to most of the modern economies. Modern economies do not produce everything. Rather they produce those things that provide them a ‘comp arative cost advantage’. The excess from the production is exported and the items that are not produced within the country are imported. This kind of specialisation ensures greater economic growth. At an individual level, specialisation ensures greater work efficiency and greater productivity. The high levels of productivity and efficiency ensures high income levels (Jain & Ohri, n.d.). Specialisation is based on the law of comparative advantage. According to the law of comparative advantage, the individual who has a lower opportunity cost of production of a

Implementation Issues of Red Sky and VW

Implementation Issues of Red Sky and VW Q1. What Implementation issues do the Red Sky face? In the Red Sky face case study, theyve failed addressing security threats and vulnerabilities regarding their server security. The main goals of security in a computerised network is to protect the physical/data assets of a network to prevent security breaches. Lack of access to the work resources outside the workplace. For a modern-day business to not have remote access capabilities for work staff to do work at home can hinder the overall productivity of a company. Staff complaints about cable wiring. The failure in OHS practices pose great dangers when trying to implement new systems as the cabling across the premise cause great danger when new IT equipment need to be transported around the premise. The use of Microsoft XP. Microsoft Corporation have stopped supporting Microsoft XP which means that Microsoft have stopped issuing security patches for the OS. It is a real issue because this means hackers can break into the system with relative issue gaining access to Red Skys computer network. Data Migration. Red Sky must determine a plan whether to run systems in pararel which costs a lot a money or to perform a big bang data migration which can results in data loss. Lack of IT Staff Members No consideration of ergonomics Q2. What could be done to improve dealing with these implementation issues? In regards to cabling Red Sky can implement wireless connectivity around the premise to prevent the potential injuries too staff members. Also with wireless connectivity Red Sky can make the workplace look more presentable. Red Sky NEED to invest in a new Windows OS that is supported Microsoft to deploy across the network, to harden their computer network from unwarranted hack or viruses. Red Sky management need to map how their business processes into visual map to see how their business matches up their ICT systems. Network security is imperative as encrypting data helps ensure that confidentiality of Company data is kept safe and secure. Implementing file permissions helps who can access what resources. Upgrading to proven industry firewall and intrusion detection system. Q3 Describe three contextual factors for the Red Sky case study. Q4. Outline an implementation plan e.g. business process redesign, change management, benefits management, testing, installation, data migration, training, OHS and support. In Regards to Cabling regularly inspecting and test cables leads and keep records that are easily accessible to management. Installing wireless connectivity to eliminating employing qualified electricians to install new cabling. Business process redesign will need to determine around the software that the business chooses to deploy across the company. Red Sky will need to establish a test zone within their company to test new OS/software Q1.   According to the article, VW installed software to cheat US emissions and this has led to a 20-billion-dollar settlement with US car owners. What are the ethical issues raised by VWs conduct over the past decade? Corruption culture that has been running rife from the top to the bottom for the last 10 years is a major issue ethical issue that damages their image as a globally trustworthy organisation who pride themselves on producing cars that dont exceed emissions in the united states. VW perceived there corporate social responsibly in the American market as a brand that balances the environment of the world with their ecofriendly cars, which turn out to be a deceiving image as they were willing for 10 years to deploy software that tricked EPA regulators, so they to push their brand into America to make money at any cost that despite their cars exceeding limits of environmental benchmarks. Q2. How have the sic society values been transgressed by the VW employees? The Primacy of the public interest have been placed at the bottom as this should be the sole being on what VW should be trying to address. By VW installing software that cheats emissions have clearly stated that their agenda is to fill up their pockets with money regardless of public backlash. The enhancement of quality of life is nill as American car dealerships and customer already in possession of the effected VW models must send back their cars to get them fixed resulting in loss of sales in VW car dealerships and less productive customers who need use their VW vehicles as means of transportation to get back and forth to work. Honesty was none existence as they tried deceiving EPA and public about emission levels. VW did fulfil stakeholders goals in terms of sales and profits but they went about that in the wrong way be deploying software which alters results. Professional development for their employees who wanted to whistle blow was potentially meant with strong threats on their work future and lively hoods. Professionalism was thrown out the windows as top management within VW knew of the software but their professional curtsey to pump more funds into research to correct their problem wasnt the route they taken to achieve the upmost professionalism. Q3. What could be done in the future to Prevent VW and other companies committing these frauds? Governing bodies who run tests on carbon dioxide emission should independently test each car model a car manufacture was to sell. Increase funds to astronomical levels that car manufacturing organisation will not want to cheat the regulations again. VW can put expiration dates on board member time been on the board. Random auditing (EPA increase intrusion detection software to detect programs) Working intensive workshop on work culture Better laws in place for whistle-blowers.

Power in the Workplace Essay example -- Management

The ability to possess power over individuals is an intense trait that all individuals behold. The outcomes of situations are based on the use of this power. Power can be viewed as an art and a skill if used properly to promote productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness within an organization. However, contrary to that, it can be used in a deviant manner to prohibit success. The following analysis will analyze the most productive use of power and the impact of power in a specified organization. The organization chosen for this illustration will be the Directorate of Resource Management, which fall under the Department of the Army. Is the ability to possess power an art or a skill? In answering this question, one must be able to accurately define the definition of power is. While there are multiple definitions of power, The American Heritage Dictionary has multiple definitions of power. For the purpose of this examination, power will be defined as â€Å"the ability or official capacity to exercise control; authority† and â€Å"a person, group, or nation having great influence or control over others† (American Heritage Dictionary, n.d.). These are two of the most common interpretations of what power is in the workplace. Power is both, an art and a skill. One must have the intuition to understand the consequences of the use of power. In addition, the actual implementation of power is achieved by experience and knowledge of the subject. Career Coach, C.J. Liu wrote an article titled ‘Power in the Workplace’ that outlines some critical details about power and its existence within an organization. Liu wrote, â€Å"Generally, it’s not power, but what people do with the power they have, that gives power a bad rap† (Liu, 2009). Lui con... ...wer can also heal the sick, create wonderful products and services, and do great good in the world. Like electricity, which can help to cure or kill, power is a mutable force† (Baker, 2007). Works Cited American Heritage Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from Yahoo! Education: http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/power Baker, C. (2007, July 26). The Englightened Manager Blog. Retrieved November 24, 2010, from The Enlightened Manager: http://blog.emergenceconsulting.net/2007/07/power-in-the- wo.html Liu, C. J. (2009, June 4). Power in the Workplace. Retrieved November 24, 2010, from Carrer Planning Blog: http://blogs.payscale.com/career-coach/2009/06/the-positive-and- negative-aspects-of-power-in-the-workplace.html Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.