...Are Interest Groups in the USA too powerful? "An interest group is an organized body of individuals who share some goals and who try to influence public policy." -- Jeffrey Berry - The Interest Group Society Interest Groups are groups where groups of individuals can come together where they can make their ideas, needs, and views known to elected officials. Many individuals in our modern times associate themselves with an interest group regardless of how specialised the views of the group. The main role of interest groups is to influence policy decision making. Some key interest groups in America include the ‘Association of Manufacturers’ which represents 14,000 companies in the US. Many academics would argue that business and corporation play a key central role in American politics. Major corporations carry the prestige of being key members in the US economy. As many people’s view on elected officials are made on economic performance, many fear that anti-business policies will harm their performance in later elections. It is also known that many corporations will help fund the candidates who are in their favour and support their views and therefore business can be very effective interest groups. There are also key single issue groups such as the NRA, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Interest Groups are distinct from political parties as they do not seek elected office and therefore their power is to influence decision making rather than holding the power over decisions...
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...Dayra Cerda Extra Credit Assignment Comparing Japan with USA The United States and Japan differ in many things, such as power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence. Power distance refers to how power is distributed and the extent to which the person who is less powerful accept that power is distributed unequally. The power distance in the United States is a 40 on the scale, compared to Japan with a 54. Japan exhibits a more unequal distribution of wealth compared to the USA. US's wealth is distributed more evenly and decisions are more democratic than in Japan. Individualism people believe in taking care of themselves and immediate family only. The scale of individualism in the US is 91. Americans are comfortable with doing business and interacting with those they do not know well. Japanese scale is at 46 which indicates they are oriented more toward collectivism. Japanese are more concerned with groups, family and areas of interest that pertain to many individuals. A masculine society means they enjoy competition, success and achievement. In the United States, the score for masculinity is at 62, which means they strive to be the best. Many Americans display their...
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...dimensions, and other relevant materials, explore the potential cultural problems in international team working between parent and subsidiary managers. Make recommendations as to how these problems might be overcome. There is no doubt that doing business with another country is a challenge, and when there are cultural differences as well, it can seem formidable. Although different Latin American countries have certain similarities, there are also some profound cultural differences, some of which are comforting to USA and UK exporters. Since all aspects of consumer behavior are culture bound, there is an increased need to identify and integrate this interaction and its’ impact on global advertising and marketing. Geert Hofstede’s work can be used to explain the differences between countries and act as a guide in increasing global efficiency in marketing. Across all Latin American markets there are profound cultural similarities that in turn pertain to business operations with USA enterprises. High Uncertainty Avoidance and often Low Individualism prevail. Based on studies and data, the large majority of predominantly Catholic countries (those with Uncertainty Avoidance as their highest ranking Dimension) have a low tolerance for ambiguity. As Geert Hofstede explains about peoples with a high Uncertainty Avoidance Index, their attitude is, “There can only be one Truth and we have it.” This creates a highly rule-oriented society that institutes laws, rules, regulations, and controls...
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...of the superstructure, which is made up of all the other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. Their function is to serve the ruling-class interests and maintain the capitalist society. Marxists agree that the law is enforced against powerless groups and that labelling often results in further deviance. They see crime and deviance as not coming from moral or biological defects but defects within social order and therefore crime is an inevitable part of capitalism as it stems from social inequality. For Marxists, crime is inevitable in capitalism because capitalism is criminogenic. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class and therefore is particularly damaging to the working class which may give rise to crime. Alienation and the lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as vandalism and violence. Crime may also be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. Therefore, it can be said a strength of the Marxist explanation of crime is that is it explains the causes of both utilitarian and non-utilitarian crime of the working class. However, one could argue that this view is too deterministic and over-predicts the amount of crime in the working class: not all poor people commit crime, despite the pressures of poverty. Nonetheless, crime is not confined to the...
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...in the small countries like Ireland and Israel, or in the big ones life Russia and USA, terrorism has become the main challenge to most of the governments today. Terrorism has been described as ‘the use of international violence by group or individuals to achieve political goals’, by the experts in U.S.A. In simple words, it is the spread of terror. It has to be remembered that if destruction of people is taken by the behalf of an established government against another country, then it is known as war, not terrorism.Terrorism is more accurately defined as act(s) of violence by an organization directed towards civilians, rather than against the military done to achieve an objective.It consists of a series of act planned to spread pressure, panic and destruction in a population. Terrorists aim at achieving political power by overthrowing and destroying the democratic and lawful governments. They try to create disturbance and unstable conditions on a vast scale to achieve their own political ends. They are trained, inspired and financed by very powerful national and international vested interests. They receive deadly weapons and ammunition from these powers and create havoc. This ugly and dangerous socio-political phenomenon called terrorism knows no limits of land, time, race, religion or creed. It is spread worldwide and is becoming more and more popular among the politically frustrated groups, religious fundamentalists and misled factions in the society. They indulge in all...
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...said crime was necessary for society and he notes 3 main benefits of crime: 1. Reaffirming the Boundaries – when someone is taken to court, the sanction and the publicity reaffirm existing values 2. Changing Values – sometimes when someone is charged with a crime, a degree of sympathy occurs for the person prosecuted leading to a change in values, which can lead to change in law to reflect changing values e.g. gay marriage 3. Social Cohesion – when particularly awful crimes are committed, community comes together in shared outrage e.g. London Underground Bombings 2005 EVALUATION * Merton agreed that crime is the result of people’s different attachments to collective values * HOWEVER he never explains why certain social groups commit crime * He neglects fact that...
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...Introduction Most references are often made to the "Jewish lobby" with the purpose of describing Jewish political influence in the United States. This offers a shallow and an inadequate position. It is evident that Americans of Jewish descent are at times represented by lobbyists. However, such direct efforts to influence the policy making process are but a small part of the lobby’s ability to shape policy, (Bard, 2004). According to Teitelbaum, (2010), the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a registered lobby being one of the organized groups that try to influence legislation. Other groups like B’nai B’rith and Hadassah do not engage in direct lobbying. However, they disseminate information while encouraging their members to become more involved in political processes. Most times they specifically attempt to lobby on specific issues though they have rarely influenced policy. The Israel lobby grew significantly in the 1980s, but controversy arose from opponents of the lobby and supporters. This was due to the proposed sale of the AWACS warning and command system in 1981 to Saudi Arabia, (Teitelbaum, 2010). This angered many Israeli supporters in the United States. The sale was intended to appease Arab nations in an attempt to promote stability...
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...After studying this section, you should be able to understand: • trends and patterns in ownership and control of a range of mass media • the theoretical perspectives on the relationship between ownership and control of the media Trends in ownership and control KEY POINT - Recent trends in media ownership and control suggest that the number of companies controlling global mass media has significantly shrunk in recent years. Bagdikian (2004) notes that in 1983, 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the USA, but by 2004 media ownership was concentrated in seven corporations. Curran (2003) notes that ownership of British newspapers has always been concentrated in the hands of a few powerful ‘press barons’, e.g. in 1937 four men owned nearly one in every two national and local daily newspapers sold in Britain. Today, seven powerful individuals dominate the ownership of British national daily and Sunday newspapers. The content of commercial terrestrial television is mainly controlled by one company, ITV plc, whilst access to satellite, cable and digital television in Britain is generally controlled by two companies – News Corp, (owned by Rupert Murdoch) which owns BSkyB, and Virgin Media (owned by Richard Branson). Global conglomeration KEY POINT - The major difference in media ownership and control compared with forty years ago is the movement of media corporations into the global marketplace. The major media companies are now global conglomerations...
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...Palestine over to the United Nations * ‘It did not want to stay.’ * ‘Because of the cost.’ * ‘There was violence.’ * ‘Because of its view of Zionism.’ * ‘The pressure from the Irgun.’ * ‘Because of the guerrilla campaign. Explains why * ‘At the end of the war Britain was under great pressure to change its policy and allow in survivors of the holocaust. They refused and this brought about violent protest.’ * ‘The Irgun deliberately attacked and killed British soldiers including the explosion at the King David Hotel. The violence from the Irgun was intended to persuade the British to leave.’ * ‘Because the Arabs continued to block any proposals regarding partition.’ * ‘The British were finding it too expensive to keep large numbers of troops there, especially having just fought a costly war.’ How far was the war of 1948-49 a success for Israel * It was as the Arab armies were forced to accept defeat.’ * ‘A Jewish state was established.’...
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...FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES OF C+D Emile Durkheim: 1. C+D is functional Durkheim believed that a certain amount of c+d could be positive for society. -Necessary to generate social change – innovation only arises when old ideas are challenged. -Helps to clarify the boundaries of acceptable behaviour following social reactions to deviance eg drugs. -Creates social integration as it bonds society together against criminals eg 9/11 and 7/7. 2. C+D is dysfunctional Durkheim believed that crime and deviance also acts as a threat to society. This is because the norms and values that ‘unite’ society are being challenged, thus threatening consensus, social order and stability. 3. Cause of C+D Durkheim believed that C+D occurred as a result of anomie (normlessness). He believed that this could occur during periods of rapid social change eg revolutions when people become unsure of what society’s norms and values are. 4. Social order and social control Durkheim believed that there’s an agreement/consensus over norms and values, resulting in social order and stable societies. He believed that this was due to social control, a positive thing, creating social cohesion. He believed social control was achieved by agencies who socialise individuals into norms and values by integrating them into school, instilling core norms and values. Religion binds people together during times of happiness and sadness, and regulates behaviour. Parsons argued that sickness may be deviant...
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...different from a majority of society that is following the norms. The crime, as explained in today’s society, is an action or a behaviour that does not respects the laws set by governments. Criminology, also called criminal justice, is the science that is related to those behaviours. In some ways, laws are considered as norms in society. Then, it is obvious that crime can be fully considered as a deviance. Some examples of deviance through the crime would be being undressed in public places, stealing or having sex with a prostitute. Since laws and regulations have been set through different countries like the USA, smoking in public areas ‘such as transportations and workplaces’ is considered as deviant behaviour and criminal to be more precised (Giami; Herrera; Pechin – Reaserach Paper on smoking). Deviance is not a concrete subject; it is more an idea that differs from a group of individuals to another. In Muslim communities, for example, it is very common to belch at the end of the dinner, which means that the meal was delicious, and have been enjoyed, while belching is seen as a very impolite and deviant behaviour in occidental countries, with different cultures and religions. Concerning deviance and crime, several sociological and non-sociological explanations have appeared through the few past decades. The core of this paper intends to give a clear and critical approach to those sociological theories. PERSPECTIVES Through the Functionalism perspective, it is clear...
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...my ‘advice’ is consider what is said here and in the book considering the need to understand the ‘mechanics’ that help make sense of the more involved themes that develop in the book as you progress through Law in Context. The observations, important in their own right, may be particularly useful for seeing how their often ubiquitous expression is taken as ‘normal’ in the areas of wider society, such as in discussions of economics and power. It is unlikely that you will find any ‘right answers’ from this summary, but I do hope it helps you in synthesising opinions. A bibliography of books I used is given at the end of this summary. If your head isn’t spinning too much, maybe it is worth getting together earlier in the semester with friends and talking about some of the issues that particularly interest you. Don’t be worried if ‘you don’t know anything’. It’s probable that you, as for most of us, are neither as enlightened nor as...
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...Introduction Emerging Markets Most of the Developing countries are known as the emerging markets. They are driving the global economy. Investing in emerging markets is a wise decision as the growth can be witnessed and also have better return on investment for future. It is anticipated that Emerging economies will mature two to three times more rapidly than developed nation like the US, as predicted by International Monetary Fund estimates. Corporate profits incline to grow faster when economic growth is higher. Likewise, US companies have done well in the last 12 months is because of their growth in non-US markets. Emerging markets also prove beneficial to investors as they create diversification as they act differently than developed markets. Emerging Markets Index of Morgan Stanley's consists of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey (Forbes). Russia is one of the booming emerging markets in the East. However, Russia is not always an investor favorite as it is a booming market in global oil and gas demand. Russia has tons of both. It is the world's prominent natural gas producer and exporter and has the 8th largest oil reserves in the world. Russia is considered as a bargain for equity, but that is mostly due to country risk. (Forbes) During the recession in 2008, world markets in developed countries crashed but the emerging markets saved the global...
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...bourgeoisie) control and exploit the workers (the proletariat), and it focuses on the unequal conflict between these two sectors of society. Marxists believe that the capitalist system is criminogenic – which means that by its nature it inevitably causes crime. As item B states, Marxists see crime in the capitalist system as ‘a tool of the ruling class’ where they can control the working class and crime is an unavoidable result because of the oppression the working class are subject to. They also believe that laws are enforced mostly to benefit the interests of the ruling class. (An example of this is 80% of laws exist to protect private property.) NeoMarxists (also known as critical criminology) are another branch of Marxism which was established in the 1970s. They discuss more contemporary ideas of crime and their ideas, such as saying crime results out of political anger. They note that the traditional Marxist perspective is too deterministic and try to implement an element of free will in their theory. Traditional Marxist’s view of crime has 3 key aspects: The Criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making and ideological functions of crime and law. As previously stated, criminogenic capitalism is the Marxist idea that crime is inevitable because of the nature of capitalism. They believe that because of capitalism as the unequal divide between classes, committing crime is sometimes the only way people can live. For example, a young woman who is living in poverty may have...
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...committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Inevitable: * Durkheim argued that crime in an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. * Crime is present in all types of society; indeed the crime rate is higher in more advanced, industrialized countries. * It is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Functional: * Durkheim argues that it only becomes dysfunctional when it is rate is unusually low or high. * He argues that all social change begins with some form of deviance. * If collective sentiments are too strong – there will be little deviance and little change or progress. * Conversely if there is little collective sentiment, there will be too much crime and deviance and individuality rises and the status quo breaks down. This is what Durkheim referred to an anomie – loss of shared...
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