...Explanation of Personal Savings Rate The Personal Savings Rate in the United States is a very important figure to understand. Between the economic crisis and 2007 and the expansionary period of 2009-2012, one can notice clear fluctuations in the figure from year to year (1). Regarding the time period of 2007-2012, there are several noticeable highs and lows, including in 2008 with over 8% whereas middle of 2007 is seeing around 2% (2). What has caused these changes in savings and why such drastic changes? Economists have struggled to produce concrete answers to describe these changes, but one major reason is a shift in the mindset of our country’s lifestyle. In order to really understand this shift, we must look at the trends in savings overtime. In the 1970s, the savings rate was 9.6%, but in contrast the savings rate of the last quarter of 2012 was 3.6% (2). We have evolved to become an economy that spends almost all of our disposable income, rather than working and saving for the future. One possible explanation for this increase in consumer behavior is with the extremely aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns led by credit card companies. Today almost anyone can open a line of credit, and this has led to some serious issues. Although we see in the graph the savings rate improved during the 2008-2009 period, the overall savings trend has decreased dramatically and will most likely remain low until citizens are forced to save via higher interest rates (3). After...
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...Zach Hill BUS138A 11-18-13 Business Ethics Chapter 1: In the 1st chapter in our book there is a sample that according to the Social Security Administration's Inspector General the federal government gives 17,000 prison inmates and 72,000 dead people economic stimulus checks that total about 22.3 million dollars. This is unethical because these are people that can't even use this money, they are giving away much needed funding to inmates who don't deserve the right to get the checks in the first place, and dead people, who obviously have no use for them because they are dead. The government could be giving this money to cancer research or something else that can improve our country. That is why I think it is unethical. Chapter 2: Back in 2010, the city of Washington D.C. put a five cent tax on disposal bags in the city. The sale of these bags dropped substantially as the study showed that people didn't want to spend the extra money on the disposal bags. This is an ethical example because it gave incentive for more people to buy the disposable bags which would eliminate the plastic waste that was hurting the environment. The is why I believe it is ethical. Chapter 3: With an increase in foreign interest in attending American colleges, a number of universities such as Northwestern, Ohio St, and Virginia Tech have gone over seas and built campuses to build a greater enrollment. I find this to be unethical for the United States because we no longer have the best and brightest...
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...“Why didn't the Stimulus Act of 2008 generate the desired effects” An economic stimulus package, by definition is designed to stimulate a nation’s economy; therefore by its definition a nation should expect a decrease in unemployment rate, an increase in gross domestic product demand, and an increase on investments; consequently a nation’s overall economic growth. In 2008 and 2009, different types of economic stimulus packages were introduced, all with the purpose of averting an economic recession. My argument in this paper is that the Bush Administration bailouts and tax rebates did not stimulate the United States economy in the long-term. The Bush administration argued that by moving from a fairly free market approach position to a more governmental intervention approach, the nation was going to be able to avoid the perceived economic recession. In my research paper I will be examining the reasons why the two most important components of the 2008 stimulus act did not generate the desired effect of stimulating the United States economy in the long-term. Secondly I will be analyzing the idea of how numerous large institutions in the United States are governing the nation not just economically but politically and how by adopting a free market policy approach could be more beneficial for the economy. Lastly, to support my argument I will be providing prevailing empirical evidence of how a free market economy is more beneficial for an economy’s long-term prosperity. In 2008...
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...job-generating scheme, offering free insulation to two million households, was scrapped prematurely in 2010 after it was blamed for the deaths of four insulation workers and more than 100 house fires. This essay will attempt to analyse the impact of the HIP and argue whether governments (Commonwealth or States) or business were responsible for the health and safety of workers involved with the HIP. In February 2009, the Rudd government (Government) unveiled the HIP as part of its stimulus package in respond to the GFC. This program may have been stemmed from Kevin Rudd’s (2009, pp 28-29) belief that “Labor, in the international tradition of social democracy, consistently argues for a central role for government in the regulation of markets and the provision of public goods”; and it has “acted to help the real economy, to stimulate economic activity by investing in targeted job creation”. The Hawke Review (Review) (2010, pp vi-viii) in its report stated that the HIP has two objectives which were to generate economic stimulus and support jobs and small business; and to improve the energy efficiency of homes. Any objective assessment of the HIP will conclude that, despite the...
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...Case 2.1 1) Script pad can be defined as an opportunity because it helps answer several problems which will push the customer to buy it. Script pad is attractive because is a company that can literally save lives (7,000 deaths occur each year in the United States as the result of prescription writing mistakes.) and it is easy to use it. Timely, because in 2009, the U.S. Congress authorized funding to promote electronic health records as part of the economic stimulus package. So the electronic prescription is growing up. 2) The environment around Script pad is favorable because the governement want to promote electronic health records, Therefore the electronic prescriptions will increasingly be asked. 3) At first my reaction wil be bad because the prescprtion hand does not cost me anything. Fortunately, the application makes life easier for customers and it is safer than hand prescpition and the government pushes to modernized the management of health I'll end to adopt it. Over the cost of the iphone and subscription this aplication offers several advantages including security (greatly reduces errors) ease (easy to use) and effectiveness (prescription sent directly to the pharmacy) for me and customer. 4) The pharmacy will be more reticent in front of this project because the application takes a commission on the sale, which reduces her margin especially as the competition is fierce with the online pharmacy is growing in the market. 5) The application...
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...Industry Analysis: Single-Family Custom Homebuilders Mumford Tarbuckle MGT 330 Dr. Snozberry March 9, 2009 Industry Analysis: Single-Family Custom Homebuilders In some of the worst economic and housing market conditions in over 25 years, small, single-family custom homebuilders must weather the storm or die. In this paper, I will analyze how forces will affect and impact the general environment and the task environment from the perspective of a small custom home builder. The housing industry contains many types of builders. Highly capitalized, high production builders construct multiple dwelling units, such as skyscrapers hundreds of feet high, containing tens of thousands of square feet of living area; they build in densely populated, highly regulated urban areas. At the small business end of the housing industry, “mom and pop” contractors construct one-at-a-time, one-of-a-kind single-family homes in rural settings. The industry has a wide range of skills, techniques, environments, and budgets. Despite the gaping differences amongst such diverse builders, there is an interrelation and common influences. The most acutely felt force affecting all builders in the general environment is the decline in the broader economy. Some analysts believe the political environment, particularly the actions and approach of the new Presidential administration, are also critical. The 66-year old National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has over 200,000 housing-industry...
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