Analysis of the Economic Situation in America - Coursework Example

Name Tutor Course 31st July 2009 1. What are 3 key trends affecting the U.S. economy today The current American economy is marked by an increased global competition, rapid changes, and intense complexity in business transactions, easy and faster accessibility through improved communication and information systems as well as persistent globalization. The rate at which the economy is changing has led to diverse changes in the social sector leading to changes in roles of institutions such as the family. One key trend affecting the current United States economy is change that is complex, rapid and continuous and that has made it difficult to make future plans and predictions thus generating a lot of uncertainty. An increase need and search for knowledge is another key trend. More and more individuals have continued to acquire sufficient education and knowledge to help in effective decision making. The third key trend affecting the economy is globalization in technology, finance, production, trade, communication, transport and information. Globalization has enhanced the level of business competition, expansion of the economies and business interdependency. 2. What are two manifest and two latent functions of economic globalization on Americans? Globalization can be described as a process that is on going and through which societies; cultures and economic sectors across regions are integrated as one through the global exchange networks. Economic globalization is the process of integrating national economies into one that is international through foreign investment, enhanced technology, trade, migration and capital flows. Manifest functions can be described as those social behavioral actions or functions that can easily be identified or recognized and that are intended. The consequences of these actions are therefore expected by the society. Latent functions on the other hand are those that cannot be immediately seen and that are unintended. Examples of manifest functions of globalization include increase in productivity and improved standards of living as well as the promotion of international trade and exchange. Latent functions include the growth of social classes and increased immigration that has resulted into high population growth that has had numerous impacts on United States. 3. List and describe 4 problematic aspects of work that you and other Americans experience. Globalization have greatly affected the work place both positively and negatively. Many American workers are facing a number of problems in their different places of work. These include discrimination against women, increased job stress, job insecurity and increased mechanization that has reduced employment opportunities. Women seem to be most affected by globalization. Though globalization has helped in empowering women to take part in the labor force, it has also been a major cause of increased discrimination against women in the work place in terms of amount of wages paid, job opportunities available, access to decision making and to senior positions within the workplace. Many American women are earning lower wages than their male counterparts with whom they occupy same level positions. Limitations to getting promoted and to occupying managerial and other senior positions are another problem that women are experiencing in the workplace today. Other problems include long working hours that prevent them from countering a balance between work and other household responsibilities, sexual exploitation and in access to decision making. As global competition continues to increase, companies and business enterprises are implementing strategies to maximize inputs. One such strategy is increasing the number of working hours as well as responsibilities for their employees. This has led to a high level of job stress and exhaustion for many American workers. High levels of job insecurity are another problematic aspect faced by many American workers where by an employee is not guaranteed of a permanent job position. The recent economic recession that left millions of workers unemployed is one example of a situation where the level of job insecurity in the United States was evident. Job lay offs, whether temporary or permanent, imposes great hardships on the affected employees and their respective families. Such lay offs should be discouraged and alternative ways of reducing the number of workers during hard economic times sought. Such alternatives include adopting work sharing where by workers agree to cut their work time and to allow a reduction in their earnings. This is mainly taken up as an impermanent measure and on voluntary terms between the firm and the employees. Provision of Unemployment Insurance benefits proportional to a worker’s reduced number of hours is one way of encouraging work sharing among employees. As companies and industries continue to adopt the increasing levels of modern technology and mechanization to carry out various tasks, the level of human labor required to undertake these tasks reduces leading to a lay off of already employed employees and to reduced job opportunities for the unemployed. 4. What does the women's rights movement have to do with changes in fertility rates throughout the world? Due to the high level of gender inequality in the past years and the belief that women belong to the home, a number of Women’s Rights Movement were established to ensure that women have equal access to education opportunities, employment, access to, senior and managerial job positions and access to decision making both at home as well as in the work place. These movements have been able to promote women’s access to education and employment diverting the role of women from the home to the economic work force. This liberation of women has allowed them to pursue their academic and long career goals, an aspect that has led to delayed marriages and child bearing such that women are getting married and giving birth at very late ages. Married women have also opted to have very few children as most of their energy is directed at their jobs. This has led to a drastic global reduction in fertility rates. Women’s rights movements have also played a major role in empowering women on ways of controlling births and use of contraception through their various family planning programs. These programs have also influenced the decline in fertility rates. 5. Describe 3 efforts to control population growth. One approach to the increasing population growth is through the use of laissez faire. This is an attitude that emphasizes on the belief that only the fittest can survive. This belief argues that the earth has a way of regulating population and thus views death, starvation and disease as a natural population control method. This approach raises a lot of moral arguments as it is likely to result into intense human suffering and increased mortality rates. Use of family planning methods of contraception is another approach to increased population growth. This mainly advocates for the use of artificial methods of birth control that include contraceptive pills, vasectomy, tubal ligation and use of Intra Uterine Devices. China is an example of one country that implemented policies that called for mandatory sterilization of spouses or women who had 2 children as a method controlling population. By 1983, vasectomies, abortions and tubal ligations made up 38% of the total methods of birth control in China. This approach raises a lot of moral concerns especially among Catholics and other religious leaders who believe that they disregard the sanctity of life. Contraception pills are believed to terminate an already live being hence seen as murder which is wrong (Cartledge 42). Abortion is another way of controlling population growth. This is described as the induced or forced termination of pregnancy before it is due for birth. This approach has raised a lot of debate among medics, religious leaders and the society as a whole. It is regarded as murder and destruction of an innocent human being. This is mainly influenced by the belief that life begins at conception, a belief that remains debatable among different groups of people. 6. Disadvantage and advantage of having illegal immigrants in this country? Illegal immigrants are individuals who enter a country that is not their own through illegal means. One major advantage of this group of people is that it provides cheap labor for hire in their countries of destination hence play a great role in increasing productivity as companies and other work sectors spend very little on hiring sufficient labor that provides maximum out puts. Increasing productivity in the various work sectors play a great role in improving the United States national economy. Another advantage is that the increasing number of immigrants creates a ready demand and market for various goods and available services a factor that helps in economic growth for the suppliers and for the country. One disadvantage of illegal immigrants is that they increase the population growth leading to overpopulation hence a strain on the available resources and facilities such as land, schools, health and recreational facilities/ services. A disadvantage that results from the provision of cheap labor is the effect this has on the middle working groups in the country. This group’s job opportunities and sufficient wages continue to decrease as the number of illegal immigrants providing cheap labor increases. 7. What are some pros and cons of applying the rule of law-particularly the rules of governing the treatment of prisoners of war-to individuals suspected of engaging in terrorism? The rule of law is that which applies to all and that is also above all people regardless of position or title the law ensures equality, certainty and generality. The law ensures that everyone is prosecuted depending on the wrong done regardless of their social political or economic class or status; it ensures justice for all and ensures a fair hearing (Tamanaha 5). The law does not allow any punishment or induced suffering of an accused until he or she is found guilty by the court, it calls for respect for human dignity and rights. These advantages protect suspected prisoners and terrorists from receiving unfair judgment and mistreatment; it protects the innocent who might have been wrongly accused. On the other hand, this law protects even the guilty ones who deserve harsh penalties depending on their actions. 8. Describe three theories about war and its origins? One theory that tries to explain the origin of war describes it as a phenomena brought about by many factors through many different casual paths. The theory sates that for any war to occur, certain conditions need to ever be present (Vasquez 47. The just war theory is another theory that explains war. This theory was developed by the Roman Catholics who were of the idea that any reason for getting into war should be just. The theory also states that if war should be governed by use of minimum force, proportionality and distinctions between the combatants and non combatants. 9. America has more nuclear weapons than any other country on this planet. Do we then have the moral, legal and ethical authority to disarm or attempt to disarm countries suspected of having nuclear weapons? The fact that America has the highest number of nuclear weapons compared to all the other countries makes us more guilty than the other countries who possess the weapons this there fore denies us any form of right to disarm these countries of the weapons regardless of whether we are using the weapons or not. Disarming United States should be the first step to take before moving in to other countries. If we are out to promote peace and eradicate terrorism, why then do we need the weapons, for what future reasons would the country be accumulating such a great number of weapons. Disarming our selves will be the only thing that gives us a moral ethical and legal right to disarm others (Kornblum & Julian 532). Works Cited Cartledge, B. Population and the Environment. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Vasquez, J. A. The War Puzzle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Tamanaha, B. On the Rule of Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Kornblum, William & Julian, Joseph. Social Problems, 13th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009. Read More