Geography Essay Essay Example for Free

Geography Essay Essay International trade is the movement of goods, services and ideas between countries. It is based on a country specialising in producing a surplus of the goods it can produce most efficiently in order to gain a competitive advantage. Australia trades with over two hundred countries and contributes one percent to world trade. Trade is a vital component of Australia’s economic prosperity. Reasons for international trade include employment, business and economic growth. For many years, Britain was Australia’s major trading partner but since it joined the European Union in 1973, we have increased our trading links with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Advantages in trading products include Australia selling coal to China and Japan in high prices while in return Australia imports cheap toys produced by China and high-value products such as cars made in Japan. Reasons for international trade include employment, business and economic growth. Culture is all the knowledge and values shared by a society. The advantages of trade towards culture include a variety of products, multiculturism and offers lifestyle choice. A variety of products leads to a large variety in products and more freedom in choosing products. Multiculturalism welcomes and comforts individuals from different nations in Australia and broadens the Australian trade market. Lifestyle choices are vastly improved with exported items from different nations. In saying that, there are still many disadvantages from international trading on culture. Some impacts include competition with local markets and inferior products. Successful competition with local businesses can eventually lead to loss of jobs and broadening of export products. Economy is the system of production, distribution and consumption. Australia has had billions of dollars of economic growth since its beginning of international trade. Advantages to the economy via trade are employment, higher economic growth and source of income. Employment has been increasing in exporting industries and workers. During the tariff increase in the period 1974-1984, employment in the textiles and footwear sector decreased by 50000. The countries involved in trade have experienced rising living standards, increased incomes and economic growth. However, disadvantages still prevail to the economy. Increased domestic economic instability from international trade cycles as economy becomes dependant on global markets. For example, recession in China leads to decreased demand for Australias exports, leading to falling export incomes, lower gdp , lower incomes etc. Exploitation of labour is common in countries with a large population such as China, Japan and India. They are paid extremely low wages for hard work. Geopolitical is the combination of geographic and political factors influencing or delineating a country or regions. The advantages to Australia from trade are that it strengthens ties with other countries, producing less risk of war. It also improves border security as friendly, neighbouring countries such as New Zealand can provide border security for us. Trading also allows cooperation between countries on issues regarding asylum seekers and refugees. Islands off Australia have supported and welcomed the thousands of asylum seekers that seek refuge. Disadvantages to the geopolicy of Australia through trade include disagreements/ trade disputes between nations if obligatory roles are not full filled. Some countries can provide unfair access to trade markets. China has allowed Australia to be the first accessor to many of their exports. In conclusion, Australia has received great economic growth, multiculturism and friendly relations through its cultural, economic and geopolitical ties with other nations through trade. But we have also had inferior product, exploitation of labour and products and disagreements through such trade.

Politics and Religious Faith in the Media Essay -- Essays on Politics

Politics and Religious Faith in the Media On January 29, 3003, thousands of Americans were seated in front of their television screens, eagerly and somberly watching the man on the screen. During the man’s speech, the words â€Å"There’s power, wonder-working power† were brought forth, and it was those very words which have turned heads, and incurred opinions, articles, and editorials across the nation. Had this man been a preacher there is no doubt that his comments would have gone un-criticized. However, this man was not a preacher, but rather George Bush, the President of the United States of America. His comment did not escape notice nor criticism, and has become highlighted in the recent media focus on politics and religious faith. Just a week ago Newsweek published a cover story on â€Å"Bush and God†, and TIME magazine, USA Today, and The New York Times have all published articles and editorials concerning this topic. In response to the recent media coverage, Americans are sitting up as well, taking more careful notice, and often voicing their own opinions. As the journalists and newscaster are questioning to what extent personal beliefs are affecting political performance and agenda, I find myself questioning the journalists and newscasters themselves. How are they presenting this topic, and how are these presentations influencing the publics understanding of the truth of the situation? Is it possible to report on a topic as controversial and complex as religion and politics in such a way that is not biased or catered to popular opinion? Through my research I have found material to suggest that the media, specifically magazines, newspapers, and on-line articles, are not clearly delineating between tho se who favor Bush’s relig... ...nsorship.† Mass Politics: The Politics of Popular Culture. Ed. Daniel M. Shea. New York: Worth Publishers, Inc., 1999 Lampman, Jane. â€Å"New Scrutiny of role of religion in Bush’s policies.† The Christian Science Monitor 17 March 2003: A1+ Fineman, Howard. â€Å"Bush and God.† Newsweek 10 March 2003: 76-84. â€Å"Silent Evangelical Support of Bush’s Proposed War Against Iraq.† Morning Edition. Host Bob Edwards. Natl. Public Radio. WCAL, Northfield. 26 February, 2003. Religion in Politics. 19 & 20 March 2003. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. http://pewforum.org/issues/display.php?IssueID=6. Gruener, Claude M. Letter. The New York Times. 14 March 2003 â€Å"Delivering the Good News.† MSNBC. Yourish, Karen. 19 March, 2003. http://www.msnbc.com/news/878520.asp Dr. Gary. Errant Skeptics. 19 March 2003. http://www.errantskeptics.org/Quotes_by_Presidents.htm

Labor Relations Essay

With each of these scenarios also give the type of employer, the history of the worker at that company, the incident which arose, why it was a clear violation of employer policy, and what would be the likely result of arbitration of this issue if the employee acknowledged his wrong doing but asked to keep his job. Explain the reasoning for our considered outcome. When an employer has to discipline a unionized employee there are four steps to the grievance (infraction) procedure. In the first step the employee is given the grievance in an informal oral manner so a quick resolution can be made, and before a written record is established. The second step in the grievance procedure is to present the grievance to the industrial relations representative or (IR). The IR representative is familiar with the union’s contract and decides on a disciplinary action or if the grievance involves an employee discharge then the union will take it to step three. In step three the employee has union representation and the grievance is most likely settled at this step, if an agreement cannot be made then step four is the last chance to resolve the grievance or it goes to arbitration. Arbitration is a quasi-judicial process in which parties agree to submit unresolved disputes to a neutral third party for binding settlement. [ (Labor Relations, 10th Edition, 2009) ] (pg. 490). When an employee repeatedly breaks the rules and has been disciplined the union, employer, and employee write up a last chance agreement (LCA). This is an agreement drawn up by all parties stating that if the employee has another grievance violation within a certain amount of time the employee will be terminated. The type of employer that my three employees work at is a security company. The security company has hired all three as security officers and upon hiring they were informed of the company’s rules and the grievances that are imposed if the rules are not followed. All three employees have acknowledged the rules, and have signed a document stating that they understand the rules and the disciplinary actions taken if they break the rules. John, an officer at the security company, has never had any disciplinary actions against him since he started working for the company and has been a great employee thus far. John was involved in an incident while on duty with the company patrol vehicle. He has had an accident in the patrol vehicle and has run into a parked car while patrolling the parking lot. It is mandatory that if an employee is involved in an accident with a company vehicle while on duty a drug test is taken and if the drug test shows that John was under the influence (which he was) then that is grounds for immediate termination of his employment. John knows that this is a clear violation of company policy and has requested his union representative. If this disciplinary grievance goes to arbitration the likely result would still be the termination of John’s employment with the security company. The reason for my considered outcome is John was under the influence of drugs while on duty. There is a no tolerance policy for drug use especially while on duty, he could have done a lot more damage and very easily could have injured an individual in the process. Bill, an officer at the security company, has had issues with his behavior and attendance since he started working for the security company three months ago. It has affected his performance on the job and he has had two disciplinary actions against him in three months time. Company policy states that if an employee has three disciplinary actions in a 90 day period that is grounds for termination. Bill has just showed up late again for work and this will be his third grievance for the 90 day period. Bill admits his tardiness and swears that he will not be late again if he is given another chance to improve his attendance. Bill goes to arbitration and the likely result of the arbitration will be that Bill, the employer, and union will draw up a last chance agreement (LCA) for Bill to sign and abide by for a specific length of time. If Bill violates that agreement then it is automatic grounds for termination of his employment at the security company. The reason for my considered outcome of this scenario is because this is the most realistic way a company would handle this kind of disciplinary problem with an employee. Usually if an employee has had three disciplinary actions in a 90 day period that shows a pattern of undesired work behavior and the employer is going to want a last chance agreement to put an end to the undesired behavior. Bob, an officer at the security company, has been employed by the company for almost two years. Bob had a disciplinary action against him the second month of his employment with the security company. The infraction was a complaint of sexual harassment against one of his female co-workers at a previous job site. The complaint was investigated and Bob admitted to saying some inappropriate comments to his co-worker. The security company has a strict no tolerance policy on sexual harassment, but because Bob has admitted his wrong doing and the co-worker accepted his apology, Bob was permitted to stay employed with the security company and was put on a last chance agreement which he completed with no further issues. My considered outcome for this scenario was a bit light considering what Bob’s disciplinary action was for. The reason I considered giving Bob a second chance is that he acknowledged what he had done wrong and apologized to the co-worker that he had offended. Bob completed his last chance agreement he had made and has not had any other grievances since then. Bob probably did not think what he had said to his fellow co-worker would offend her like it did, and because it did he watches what he says and talks about while at work so he does not make the same mistake twice. Reference Fossum, J. A. (2009). Labor Relations (10th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

The Comedy of Hamlet - 1827 Words

The Comedy of Hamlet Shakespearean plays are often known for their outstanding entertainment and classic comic conflict. In his masterwork, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses these aspects to serve his thematic purpose. He has used comedy throughout many of his historic plays, but in this play, comedy is the drawing point that makes it fun and entertaining, yet clear and intuitive. Generally, his tragedies are not seen as comical, but in reality, they are full of humor. However, these comic elements don’t simply serve to relieve tension; they have much significance to the play itself. The characters of Hamlet, Polonius, Osric, and the Gravediggers, prove to be very influential characters, and throughout the play, they are the individuals that†¦show more content†¦Osric’s role during the play was to enlighten the intensity in the room and use humor to create a positive atmosphere. As courtier to the king, Osric was not necessarily one of the most influential characters, but he did play a n important role as a servant and â€Å"braggart soldier† (Draudt, 2002). His character allowed a more powerful character (Hamlet), to â€Å"not only make fun of [his] diction, but also deliberately baffle and confuse [him] and thus expose [his] slow wits† (Draudt, 2002). Throughout Act V, Osric isn’t usually the one to offer the humor, but the humor is revolved around him. This type of comedy reflects the meaning of his social class, and as Hamlet ridicules him, it only weakens his reputation. Nonetheless, Hamlet uses this humor to poke fun at Osric and is therefore viewed as comedy. The importance of this action is to show the ignorance of Osric’s character and how easily he can be manipulated by his fellow men and because it highlights his function in society and his class rank. In addition to being mocked, Osric also â€Å"serves as [a] foil to the hero (Hamlet), contrasting with [his] genuine wit†¦ [and] honesty† (Draudt, 2002). As a foil, Osric is the complete opposite of Hamlet, and that can be seen by the way Hamlet treats Osric. This reveals to the audience the differencesShow MoreRelated The Comedy of Hamlet Essay1191 Words   |  5 Pagesthe use of comic relief best contrast the tragedy of Hamlet? In great works of literature a comic relief is used as contrast to a serious scene to intensify the overall tragic nature of the play or to relieve tension. As illustrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, intense scenes are joined with character’s banter and vacuous actions as to add a comic relief. In Hamlet, Polonius acts as a comic relief by his dull and windy personality, Hamlet uses his intelligence and his negativity toward the kingRead MoreHamlet : A Tragic Comedy1828 Words   |  8 Pages Hamlet: A Tragic Comedy William Shakespeare once said that â€Å"brevity is the soul of wit.† This is heavily evident in regards to Hamlet and all of his short, witty comments throughout the play. In Act I Scene II Hamlet s wit comes out in full force during a discussion with his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle/stepfather, Claudius, with Hamlet’s very first words in the play: â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind!† (Meyer, pg 1610) WIth this initial first line, he satirically assaults Claudius’Read MoreHamlet As A Comedy, Witness The Dark Humor1477 Words   |  6 PagesWhile Hamlet is considered a tragedy the humor that is displayed can change it from a tragedy to a tragi-comedy. Hamlet has been called one of William Shakespeare’s greatest works (Draudt, 85). Death is sad but the dark humor gives it a different satire to the event. The language of the play is used to create comedy with wit that is meant to be pleasing to the audience and define what kind of characters are in the play. Hamlet the person plays many parts the clown, the fool and the madman. HamletRead MoreEssay on Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy914 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy In a comparison of comedy and tragedy, I will begin by looking at narrative. The narration in a comedy often involves union and togetherness as we see in the marriage scene at the end of Midsummers Night Dream. William Hazlitt tells us that one can also expect incongruities, misunderstandings, and contradictions. I am reminded of the play The Importance of Being Ernest and the humor by way of mistaken identity. Sigmund Freud tells us to expect excessRead More tragoed Metamorphosis of the Tragedy in Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Desire Under the Elms736 Words   |  3 PagesMetamorphosis of the Tragedy in Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Desire Under the Elms Tragedy is considered by many to be the greatest of the genres. Often something goes wrong and exposes something great. Characters generally have more depth as evidenced by Hamlet. Tragedy shows up in the great periods of history: Classical Greece, Renaissance, and the early 20th century. It is a far more complex genre than comedy or romance. It teaches people to think since the storylines never have a simpleRead More Comic Relief Of Hamlet Essay examples1404 Words   |  6 Pages A Portrayal of Humor Within the Tragedy of Hamlet How does humor factor into a tragedy? Shakespeare knew the answer to this question and acted upon it quite frequently. Shakespeare has been known to write comedies and tragedies both but this does not qualify him at to not incorporate a little of each into each other. In the work of Hamlet there are many occasions where Shakespeare uses it for different effects. The main reason for the presence of humor within a tragedy is to keep the reader interestedRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet, King Lear, And A Midsummer s Night Dream1037 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bard of Avon, commonly known as William Shakespeare is one of the best known playwrights in the (Video). A few of his most famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream (McArthur). Although he was popular during his time, Shakespeare’s influence continued to grow after his death and today he well known around the world. He added 2,000 words to the English diction ary and he is the 2nd most quoted after the Bible (Video). Shakespeare is one of the mostRead MoreEssay on Hamlet and Tragedy524 Words   |  3 PagesHamlet and Tragedy Hamlet: A Tragedy When you think of William Shakespeare, Hamlet is the first thing most people think of, as his work. Hamlet is also a classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. All good pieces of literature written way back when, are usually tragedies. The most important element is the amount of free will the character has. In every tragedy, the characterRead More Hamlets Sense of Humor Essay1391 Words   |  6 Pagesaudience to take, William Shakespeare strategically placed several humorous scenes throughout his masterpiece, Hamlet.   In particular, the character of Polonius fills the role of the comic fool; he is in two essential comedic scenes, one with his own children and then one with Hamlet.   Shakespeares acute ability to weave humor into this very heavy play is noteworthy, as his use of comedy goes beyond merely providing much-needed comic relief.  Ã‚   In fact, the rather numerous comedic scenes serveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Ghosts 1116 Words   |  5 Pageswere be powerful links between his art and the haunting of spirits (157). The richest and most complex exploitation of the theatrical capital Shakespeare found in ghosts is in Hamlet. The ghost in Hamlet is the specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius and calls upon Hamlet to avenge him (Shakespeare xi). It is important to grasp how frequently and insistently the figure of the ghost repeats all through his plays. The inquiries the figure raises