Describe the current Australian economic situation and support your Assignment

Describe the current Australian economic situation and support your claims - Assignment Example Introduction Global Economy is experiencing one of its worst phases of history because of the widespread economic downturn. What started with the subprime mortgage crisis has now created widespread economic panic which has even resulted into the downgrade of credit ratings of the largest economy of the world. The emerging sovereign debt crisis has exposed many governments’ ability to maintain a sustainable level of debt. The Euro Zone is actively looking for new ways and means to support economies like Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy to avert their sovereign default. Considering such situation, the overall growth prospects for the world economy are suggesting a stagnant growth rate of approximately 4.5% for current year and for the year 2012 and 2013. Australian Economy however, despite such downturn managed to achieve reasonable growth rates as well as better economic performance. Growth during 2010 and 2011 remained healthy despite the fact that country faced harsh weather co nditions which slowed down economic growth. Real GDP increased by 2.7% as on Dec 2010 however, growth in household consumption remained low. It is important to note that there is a gradual increase in the inflation owing to rise in the food prices. (BBC, 2011). Increasing inflation level therefore may erode the overall economic growth of the country if it is not able to control inflation levels. The recent statistics for the unemployment level also suggest that the overall level of unemployment is increasing in the country. Figures for July 2011 suggested an unemployment rate of 5.1% which seem to have surprised many. (Zappone, 2011). Current Economic Situation in Australia As discussed above that economy of Australia posted improved performance when world was witnessing economic and financial turmoil. However, the recent data suggests that the overall economic situation may not sustain for long as there is a gradual increase in the level of inflation as well as the unemployment lev el. The overall cash rate i.e. the rate offered by Reserve Bank of Australia is held at 4.75% however, there are indications that the overall rate may further be increased due to rising inflation level. (RBA, 2011). Higher interest rates prevailing in the economy may be due to the fact that the Australia may be looking for to ensure that the inflation remain within control. The recent monetary policy issued by the central bank of the country suggests that the increase in the level of unemployment has slowed down however; it is still increasing thus causing important repercussions for the Australian economy. It is also important to understand that the overall industrial wages are also increasing in the economy thus increasing the overall burden on the firms in terms of their overall variable costs. It has also been suggested that the overall fiscal policy is being exercised in contractionary mode thus creating an environment where the demand for government purchase of goods and servi ce may decline. Such contraction therefore may result into the reduction in the overall aggregate demand in the economy and thus reduce the overall growth rates. The current performance of the economy therefore may witness further decline in the future. Important Factors One of the key challenges faced by reserve bank is the declining consumer activity within the economy. The lack of domestic demand therefore may be one of the key economic variables

Welfare state and globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Welfare state and globalization - Research Paper Example These traditional methods of social organization have now been dismantled by industrialization, which has put workers’ welfare at risk. Under this model, it is also assumed that the government has more resources because of the increased affluence brought on by industrialization processes, so the government can effectively perform the role of safeguarding its citizens’ welfare. On a larger scale, welfare systems may be regarded as a necessity of the openness of economic systems, which expose workers to external shocks thus causing governments to shield them from these shocks (Huber and Stephens 2). Alternatively, one may perceive welfare states as a reflection of state capabilities; some nations adopt comprehensive and all-encompassing welfare programs while others do not. These differences arise from the level of power dispersion in those countries as well as their capacities. Other than industrialism and state capacity, welfare systems can also be seen as manifestations of political or class struggles. In this school of thought, state policy is determined by the need to maintain a balance of power between capitalists and socialists. It is presumed that socialists mostly comprise of left wing party supporters and labor organizations; conversely, capitalists consist of right wing politicians as well as the government center. In some instances, left wing politics dominates politics thus putting right-wing advocates on the other end of the spectrum. In this theoretical school, a constant struggle exists between these two groups in the distribution of power. Capitalists want to e xtract as much output as they can from capital and labor while civil society wants to safeguard society’s interests; more often than not, these two entities clash, and a welfare system prevailed when the left outperforms the right. After examining how a welfare system comes about, it

Social Theories of Education

Social Theories of Education This thinking paper will examine Brookfields critique of the above article, examining what is critical about critical theory and in turn critical theorys analysis to the repositioning of that Ideology. Establishing that Ideology is a key concept in Critical Theory, Brookfields further interpretations extended to the thoughts of leaders in the field to identify and oppose the Ideological forces and social processes that oppresses them. Recognising the art of manipulation the dominant ideology can use, at the same time identifying contradictions that produce possibilities for resistance and emancipation, to break free from unequal structures in order to create a more inclusive democracy. Brookfield believes Marxs Capitalist and Bureaucratic Rationalities acted as a catalyst to revolutionise social change Marx underpinned the intent of critical theory to act as a catalyst for revolutionary social change.  (Brookfield, 2001) and how dominant relationships that existed played a role in the reproduction or fostering by the ruling class, of the social structures and education of people to believe and act in certain ways, thus fundamentally conditioning of the human consciousnesss. People did not know why they were doing it but they did it anyway! Brookfield continued to interpret the writings of Horkheimer identifying his rudiments of critical theory, focussing to abolish the exchange economy of capitalism that dominates social processes, in order to set some people free from oppression and reframe itself to formalised or subjective reasoning, of what he considers to be Traditional Theory.   Horkheimer suggest that as soon as a particular thought or a way of doing something has been suggested by the powers that be, we forget thinking for ourselves and lose our capacity to reason. Eagletons view that Ideologies are not false but are conditions that continue to gain acceptance because individuals recognise them as being true, from their experiences. Thus engaging with their needs and requirements that they already possess. If we believe we must not grumble, shrug our shoulders and get on with it, then the majority principle of the system is safe. Eagleton quotes: The study of Ideology is among other things an inquiry into the ways in whichpeople maycometoinvestintheirownunhappiness(Brookfield, 2001) Brookfield acknowledged a deeper understanding of Ideology with the use of empirical writings in Althussers essay Ideology and Ideology State Apparatuses in which two types of socialisation agencies evolved Repressive State Apparatuses (such as Police, Military, Prison Guards and Teachers) and Ideological State Apparatuses (such as Family, Church, Educational Systems, Media and Politics.) which exist mainly in civil societies but being controlled by the Repressive State Apparatuses. With this in mind, one does not operate without the other exercising Hegemony. For example, the Educational System. In contrast to Marx, Althusser suggests People did know why they were doing it but they did it anyway! Lastly, through Brookfield interpretations Gramscis concept of Hegemony was explored. He identified how adult learners, on entry into and currently in education, are active participants of prior knowledge, beliefs, experiences and values. Thus possessing their own Ideologies and willing in their own oppression. Adult Educators persuade to challenge dominant Ideologies that are exercised through the art of manipulation, the all persuasive nature of negotiation, powerful yet adaptable but still remaining in place. Hegemony emphasises the way people learn to embrace willingly beliefs and practices. These practices that work against their own best interests and the interests of others who have power over us. It also allows for the possibility of opposing elements emerging, of counter hegemony. We do this as adult learners when we negotiate extensions for assessments.

Orthopedic Surgery :: Health, Treatment

In orthopedic surgery, iliac bone graft which is commonly used for treatment nonunion or spinal fusion is contained multipotential stem cells or mesenchymal progenitor cells. These cells are found approximately 1 in 10,000 nucleated cells in the bone marrow. Friedenstein et al. (1970) reported that a rare population of cells was found by plastic-adherent ability (Friedenstein et al., 1970). These cells are capable of proliferation and mesenchymal lineages differentiation (Pittenger et al., 1999, Caplan, 1991). Unique antigens of MSCs (hMSCs) are controversy and the limited popularity of sorting cells techniques are not as widely used as gradient media in MSC isolation. Most MSC populations have been isolated by plastic adherent ability which is similar to that originally used by Friedenstein. Direct BM plating method is commonly used for cells from small animal (Lennon and Caplan, 2006, Nadri et al., 2007) but in human bone marrow, Density gradient centrifugation is the mo st commonly used method for isolating MSCs. So far, it is still controversy to exactly identify of MSC. According to their capability of proliferation and multilineage differentiation, Colony-forming unit–fibroblast (CFU-F) is defined as highly adherent in colony of fibroblastic-like cells which arising from one mother cell. Thus, CFU-F assay have been used to assess the bone marrow progenitors and The number of colonies formed per a total number of marrow cells seeded or the colony-forming efficiency (CFE), thereby the CFU-F content among marrow cells, representing in vitro enumeration of a clonogenic subset of in vivo marrow stromal cell populations. However, it has been demonstrated that CFU-F populations are not homogeneous but rather contain a hierarchy of progenitors including multipotential mesechymal stem cells and committed progenitors (Friedenstein et al., 1992, Latsinik et al., 1986). Several surface makers which expressing from mesenchymal stem cells. Basically, these makers are the cell receptors, adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix proteins, cytokines and other molecules that have function as a way of communicating with other cells and to carry out their physiological functions. Thus, these makers are adopted to characterize the homogenous mesenchymal stem cells. However, the Bone marrow-derived stem cells expression of different surface markers which are still controversy. These cells have a negative expression of CD45 which express in Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) (McKinney-Freeman et al., 2009), CD14 which express in innate immune cells (Cros et al.

Modern Trading Culture Essay

With increasing competition everyday in the consumer market, the world has shifted towards modern trading concepts. The modern trading concept has two major objectives; to provide the basic necessities under one roof. Secondly, the customer should be able to touch the products in person. Metro and Macro are the examples of modern trading stores. The procedures and implementation of modern trade in other countries is different as compared withPakistanbecause of the local trading culture. Modernization of Trading Systems According to a research, retail markets tend to modernize from largely traditional trading techniques to modern trading techniques. As markets modernize, the share of traditional trade as a percentage of total trade declines slowly; suppliers, however, will continually need to adjust the amount of resources allocated to manage the traditional trade versus the modern trade. Smart suppliers manage this balancing act by accurately tracking (and often predicting) the pace at which key transitions or market evolution shifts are likely to occur. Three overarching factors affect the speed and nature of market transition. They include (1) consumer trends and purchasing behaviors in the market; (2) factors related to modern retail consolidation (Also called central buying, an approach in chain stores whereby all purchasing is done through a central or main office); and (3) disruptive factors such as the economy, special interests, and government regulation etc. InPakistanthere are a number of manufacturers for various products. The normal distribution channel is that the manufacturers use their own distributors as well as independent distributors in the market, who purchase products from the factory and then deliver to the retailers and the wholesalers. On the other hand, some retailers get products directly from the distributors while some are purchasing from the wholesalers. Big cities have thousands of outlets in the market for grocery items. If we only take the example of twin cities ofPakistan, there are around 3,000 grocery outlets including the small shops inIslamabadand inRawalpindithere are around 15,000 outlets. It is impossible for the manufacturer to reach each and every outlet so they need distributors to make the products available to the outlets. Even the distributors at times cannot reach all of the outlets, so there are wholesalers in the markets who buy the products in bulk from distributors or manufacturers. They are located in certain locations where the retailers buy the products from the wholesalers. At the end of the day, it all depends on the relationships of the retailer; if he has good relationship with the distributors and can buy the products on credit from him and even return the unsold products, or he could buy the same products from a wholesaler like an end consumer. We can say that the markets in Pakistan are divided into 2 categories with respect to retailers; first are those who are getting the products from distributors and second are those who are buying the products from wholesalers. Distributors supply the product at the retailer’s shop but retailer has to go to wholesaler to purchase a product. These consumer trends, retail consolidations, and disruptive factors heavily influence retailers’ growth strategies as well as the formats they are most likely to develop to sustain growth over the long term. As markets evolve, retailers adjust their formats and operational strategies to cater to differing shopper needs and trends-and thereby maximize retailers’ reach in an evolving market. Advantages and Disadvantages There are numerous advantages of modern trading system. There are 3 types of consumers who come to modern trading stores like Metro or Macro; 1) end users, 2) traders and 3) hoteliers. The system of modern trade influences the distributor business because retailers are now going directly to these stores and are purchasing products themselves at lesser prices. Modern trade is reducing the number of distribution channels from the factory to the retail shop. This subtraction of distribution channel increases the profit margins of both the manufacturer and the retailer. It is a convenient alternative for the end users to purchase house hold items from one place at a lesser cost. The disadvantages of modern trade is that it is adversely affecting the business of independent distributors since the manufacturer is giving different prices to the distributors and the modern trading stores .Margins of distributors have reduced and they are also loosing some of their clientele as some retailers prefer to buy products directly from these modern stores rather than distributors. Another disadvantage of modern trade inPakistanis that it has confused the end user by offering 3 different prices for the same product in the market. Those 3 pricing areas are retail shops, wholesalers and the big stores. This usually creates doubts about the quality of the products because of the price variations. Reluctance in Modern Trading Some of the manufacturers are now willing to enter into modern trading system but it also varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If a company has a strong positioning of their products in retail outlets of a city, they would also be willing to sell their products in a big store. But on the other hand, if a company has weak positioning in the retail outlets, they would hesitate to sell their products in the modern trading stores. The distributors get fix percentage of profit from the manufacturer to sell their products to the retailers or wholesalers. Indian Market If we take the example of India, where consumer trends are very much similar to ours and have been the greatest influencer in forcing modern trade to develop. A significant demographic transition is now underway with a large, young, working population (median age of 24); more nuclear families in urban areas; an increase in the number of working women; and emerging opportunities in the service sector. Urbanization, higher household disposable income, and convenience one-stop shopping are other factors that are fueling this modern trade growth. Retail consolidation will slowly help drive modern trade growth as well. It is estimated that the Indian retail industry was worth about USD286 billion at the end of 2004; yet India remains one of the most fragmented retail sectors in the world with only 2% of total sales deriving from the modern trade. As that happens, India is likely to see a significant trend toward modern trade as retailers invest in data, technology, and infrastructure to exploit and escalate potential growth. Disruptive factors particularly government regulation are unquestionably the key â€Å"reason† foreign players have not played an influential part in triggering retail consolidation in India. However, there is no one path to modernization; markets are not dependent on global retailers as catalysts for modernization. However there are many markets where global retailers act as key catalysts, and, in fact, capture the lion’s share of the modern trade. To understandIndia’s potential future, it is useful to look at examples of three market types, and why they’ve modernized the way they did: †¢ Markets that have grown the modern trade through global players entering the market; †¢ Markets that have grown through a hybrid of global and local players; and †¢ Markets that have modernized driven almost entirely by local retailers. Government Policies The government policies play a major role in implementing modern trading system in a region. InIndia, there are some areas where the government has not allowed modern trade stores to operate. Similarly, inPakistanif the existing traders are reluctant of the entrance of modern trade stores like Metro the government has the authority to impose restrictions on such stores. Nevertheless, these kinds of stores are beneficial for the Government as they give fixed General Sales Tax (GST) and also are a foreign investment in the country. The Core Capabilities Required for Growth A core takeaway from studying market evolution is that, regardless of whether the retailer driving the modern trade is global or local, the capabilities they need to do that are largely the same! In addition to the overall management, a great modernizing retailer will require capabilities in six core areas to win in the changing environment. Finance A retailer is best served having an operating model with two key financial criteria: †¢ Generates enough cash flow to fund its expansion; and †¢ Remains relatively low debt. Retail is a cyclical and relatively low margin business. High levels of debt and interest greatly impede a retailer in growth mode and can make running the operation difficult. Most great retailers remain relatively conservatively financed. Operations The retailer is able to manage the complexity of getting merchandise from factory to shelf. Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. is aiming to get to this state through integration of an entire supply chain from farm to store, particularly with staple food commodities. Many great local retailers (e.g., HEB and Publix, twoUSregional grocery chains, and 7-11 inJapan) optimize their market position through a best-in-class supply chain, which gives them a significant competitive advantage in speed and store conditions. Brand Brand is all about a relevant and influential connection to the shopper. It is imperative for retailers to have a systematic understanding of their shoppers and be able to execute, both in and out of the store, based on that knowledge. In addition, the ability to tailor a portfolio of formats to meet different shopper/consumer needs is very helpful-especially in geographically, culturally, and economically diverse markets like India. Pantaloon is one of the Indian retailers that has begun to develop the data and analysis capabilities to do just that. As India’s infrastructure develops to support modern trade, the retailer will be able to do that more consistently. As the market evolves, both retailers and manufacturers will require the capabilities to consistently understand what motivates shoppers and consumers, in order to bring together a successful retailer strategy that serves both constituents well. The intermingling of finance and brand is pricing; the right price doesn’t necessarily mean the lowest, especially in some categories such as apparel, where a low price may be perceived as poor quality. Also, a rigorous understanding of which items are important to be low priced for competitive purposes versus which items can be margin enhancers, is one of the key criteria strong retailers use to grow in a market. When discussing people, the discussion is incomplete without the right measurements in place. As people are trained to execute at the store, retailers will have to have the right set of measures to ensure great delivery to the shopper. In addition, the focus of high capability in-market retailers’ corporate measures are usually geared toward selling to the consumer than on buying efficiencies and leveraging scale; however, our research shows that retailers who understand this and work proactively with suppliers to optimize their mutual business tend to grow faster than the market. In-store execution should come together as a result of the right brand message and effective operations that facilitate having the right merchandise in the right place. Often the simplicity of the message and the operation generally results in superior in-store execution, and this largely depends on people development and training. Relentless focus on execution details is the final differentiating factor for success.

Historical Places in India Essay

Sundar Palaniappan is an aspiring photographer who loves to visit temples and other historical places in India. Since web, is the universal media to which people around the globe either visit to gather knowledge or to keep in touch with their close friends and relatives, I would like to avail the power of web, by putting the photos of temples and other historical places of India. Since web allows people to publish ideas and other useful information, I decided to flaunt my ability of photography by displaying photos of temples and other historical places of India. Since, a large population of Indian origin lives outside India, who may love to visit India but because of the unavailability of the resources (especially time) not able to visit the temples and other places of interest in India. I hope that Sundar Palaniappan’s pages could serve as an alternative to quench the thirst (or form a base) of visiting these temples and other historical places of India. I basically visit these temples and historically important places on tight budget but spend lot of time there. Being a guy from a busy town of Chennai, Tamilnadu, India, these occasional tours, bring blissfulness to the mind and the soul. Trekking adventure Apart from being an aspiring photographer, Sundar Palaniappan loves to do trekking in the Himalayan Ranges and other mind-boggling treks in Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand, HimachalPradesh, Sikkim and Nepal. Some of the photo galleries of India Sundar Palaniappan’s interest in the art of photography took him to Hampi ( VijayaNagar ) , Badami, Aihole ( first capital of early Chalukyas ), Pattadakal, Madurai, Kancheepuram, Darasuram, Mahabalipuram and other historical places in India. Apart from improving these images of Temples and other historically important places of India, Sundar Palaniappan is planning to host pictures of other places of India by visiting them. You could find the complete list of galleries in the archives link. Read more:  Why is History Important Essay Cheluva Narayana temple or Thirunarayana temple – Melkote Melkote is located in the Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, India. It is 51kms from Mysore. Melkote houses an ancient temple Cheluva Narayana ( a.k.a. Thirunarayana ) which is dedicated to lord Vishnu. Reaching from Mysore One could catch a direct bus from KSRTC bus stand Mysore. Otherwise, one could catch the Mysore – Tumkur bus and could reach Jakkanahalli crossing and could catch either a bus or a shared auto-rickshaw. Melkote is 6kms from Jakanahalli crossing. 14 years of stay by SriVaishnava saint – Sri Ramanujacharya Melkote or Melukote (high or superior fort) is one of the principal sacred places in the state. The place is also known as Tirunarayanpura. Early in the 12† century AD the great Srivaishnava saint SriRamanujaCharya stayed here for fourteen years. It thus became a prominent center of the Srivaishnava sect. Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana who had become a follower of Ramanuja charya granted the fertile land as ashta-gramas on the banks of river cauvery. Thirunaryana Temple The Narayana temple (also called as Tirunarayana temple), has a main unit consisting of a garbhagriha and an ardhamandapa amidst a narrow pillared corridor a mahamandapa and a small mukhamandapa all in east – west orientation. There is a large courtyard surrounded by the prakara hall. The main deity of the temple is the beautiful image of CheluvaNarayana ( Vishnu ) of Hoysala workmanship. The utsava murthi which is a metallic image representing the main deity is called Cheluva-pilleraya whose original name was Ramapriya. Vaira-mudi or Vajramukuta A crown set with precious jewels known as Rajamudi was presented to this temple by Raja Wodeyar ( 1578 – 1617 ) of Mysore fame. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III ( 1799 – 1868 ) of same Mysore fame also presented a crown set with precious stones, known as Krishnaraja Mudi. Apart from these crowns, Vairamudi or Vajramukuta, another crown of great value, seems to be older than Raja mudi and Krishnaraja-mudi and it is not known who gave it to the temple. Raya gopura Raya gopura, which is also known as Gopalaraya entrance, is an incomplete structure leading to the hill. It has four tall pillars and has no tower above it. Pattadakal is a small town located in the Bagalkot district of North Karnataka and lies on the banks of banks of the Malaprabha River. Pattadakal is located 22 km from Badami ( aka Vatapi in the ancient times ) and about 10 km from Aihole. Pattadakal ( according to the inscriptions it was known as the Pattada – Kisuvolal during the ancient times ), where the kings of early Chalukyas of modern day Karnataka, used to be crowned, was one of the three great centres of experimentation in temple construction. The other two being Badami and Aihole. It is here that the Rekha – Nagara prasada and Dravida Vimana styles of Indian temple architecture were given their final form. The Papanatha, Kashi Visvesvara, Jambulinga and Galaganatha temples noted for their curvilinear shikhara represent the former style, while Mallikarjuna, Sangameshwara and Virupaksha temples having a square roof of receding tiers, represent the later temple style of Dravidian temple building. The Lokeshwara ( Virupaksha ) and Trailokeshwara ( Mallikarjuna ) built respectively by Lokamahadevi and Trailokamahadevi, the queens of Vikramadithya II, to commemorate the Chalukyan victory over the Pallavas of Kanchi . A brick pillared mandapa of the late Satavahana period ( third – fourth century Ad ) laid bare in front of the Sangameshwara temple in 1970 Ad by the ASI ( Archaeological Survey of India ) marks the earliest attempts to built temples at Pattadakal. The latest one being the Jaina temple of the Rashtrakuta period ( ninth century AD ).

10X Marketing Formula Book Launch - #OverheardAtCoSchedule

10X Marketing Formula Book Launch The 10X Marketing Formula  is finally here! If you’ve been following for the past few months, you might know it’s our CEO and co-founder Garrett Moon’s new book. It explains how grew from zero to over 8,000 customers in less than four years by pushing back on conventional marketing wisdom. Best of all, it shows how you can do the same. This isn’t just another marketing book, though. It’s packed with actionable advice that actually works, sharing the same strategies we implement every day at . You’ll learn all about: What should marketers do when content marketing doesn’t work? What is competition-free content, and how can a blue ocean strategy drive results? And above all, how can marketers push past work that drives 10% improvements, and focus on projects that drive 10X results? On this episode of Overheard At , we’re getting Garrett’s insights into what The 10X Marketing Formula  is all about. This marks a major milestone for all of us here, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the book.