Causes of the boom years in the 1920s Essay Example for Free (#1920)

Causes of the boom years in the 1920s Essay Employers were working fewer hours however were being paid more. This therefore meant industrial goods produced were also increasing. American’s had more time for leisure and more money so electrical labour-saving devices were being introduced becoming affordable by many people. Motor cars eased travel to and from work as well as for leisure pursuits. It was the golden age for cinema and sport attracted vast crowds. Reasons for prosperity: government policies Calvin Coolidge stated ‘the chief business of the American people is business. ’ This was his government policy to let business operate as far as possible, free of regulation. Andrew Mellon and him believed wealth filtered down naturally to all classes and to ensure increased living standards for all was to allow the rich to continue make money to invest in industrial development which therefore meant more job opportunities, more wage earners, more consumption etc. this policy was laissez-faire but the government intervened to support business in 4 ways: Fordney-McCumber Act 1922 à ¯ raised tariffs to cover difference between domestic and foreign production costs Cheaper to buy goods from USA than abroad Tariff level à ¯ foreign goods more expensive than USA even though produced cheaper in USA Foreign trade reduced = domestic demand for goods high Government reduced federal taxes – 1924, 1926 and 1928 (benefited wealthy) Aim à ¯ reduced national debt, federal tax cuts = meant little to poor as not able to pay taxes Federal Trade Commission à ¯ unable and unwilling to operate effectively causing businesses unhindered Coolidge à ¯ avoided involvement in foreign affairs due to budget cutting an recognition that Americans didn’t want to see troops getting caught up in foreign disputes. This meant that investors would favour profit ever over ethical concerns Technical advances in industrial production made increases in quantity and variety of products This industry grew dramatically in the 1920s. It was the largest for commodities. Previously cars had only been for the wealthy but Ford wanted the ordinary to be able to afford one Effects of growth in car ownership: Ford thought this would strengthen traditional American values but it led to: By 1929, motor industry employed 7% of all workers and paid them 9% of all wages Closure of Ford à ¯ factor to recession of 1927 Loss of business by companies providing components to Ford real problems in economy Breaking of laissez-faire à ¯ federal government expend on road building in 1920s Federal Highway Act 1921 à ¯ responsibility for road building to central government and highways. Construction = 10,000 miles per year by 1929 Chief Designer in Bureau of Public Roads 1936 à ¯ roads built unfit for use because of amount of traffic Motor vehicles à ¯ new service industries e.g. garages, petrol stations etc. Improved transportation = new opportunities for industry New technology = large scale development of labour saving devices as cheaper to produce Serious over production = problems in economy Large corporations manufacturing business = could invest in and exploit raw materials of USA on vast scale Large corporations could dominate industry by: Operating cartel (group of companies agreeing to fix output and prices to reduce competition and maximise profits). Although illegal, government accepted which involved exploitation of raw materials, retail outlets etc. Some organisations were able to adapt to holding companies which resulted in firms competing against each other Increased size of businesses à ¯ complex to manage = different management roles by different people in administration Management science, occupation for upper class = indication harder to start own company Advertising and salesmanship: Cinema Millions of cinema-goers to copy lifestyle of stars meant potential for advertising was enormous Began with KDKA station which announced results in 1920 elections Radio’s controlled by 2 companies with a vast audience Growth in industrial production needed a continuous market in order to fuel the boom as people needed to be convinced to buy things frequently. An aspect of a campaign needed to be bought in which would differentiate between one’s product and that of the competitors to promote unique selling point. Advertising techniques worked for many consumers. Massive consumer boom was financed largely by easy credit facilities 1929 à ¯ $7 billion goods were sold on credit – 75% of cars and half of major household appliances Availability of credit meant borrowers took on debts which they could not repay High tariffs were used to protect US markets however the government also encouraged businessmen to develop extensive interests abroad in terms of raw materials that fuelled technological developments. US exported vast amounts of manufactured products. In the 1920s with almost full employment, low inflation, high tariffs keeping foreign goods out of USA, benevolent government policies and a consumer boom the prosperity would go on forever. Causes of the boom years in the 1920s. (2017, Sep 01).

Do We Live in a World of Media Infotainment And Melodramatic Reportage Essay

Do We Live in a World of Media Infotainment And Melodramatic Reportage - Essay Example It is in the context of this process that infotainment has been expanded in countries worldwide. The above process is related to the limitation of national media cultures and the establishment of media rules and ethics that are common in all countries – at least those being affected by the particular media system. In other words, infotainment reflects the trend for the promotion of a global media culture (Thussu 2007, p.68). Melodramatic reportage has been another aspect of the above trend, supporting – like infotainment – the promotion of common media ethics and rules for all countries worldwide. In order to understand the level at which media infotainment is currently developed worldwide, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the characteristics and the content of the particular term, i.e. to show the activities and ideas that the above term incorporates. In accordance with Kellner (2003) ‘infotainment discloses a synergy between information technol ogies and multimedia which combine entertainment and information’ (Kellner 2003, p.14). In other words, infotainment incorporates two different media roles, the provision of information and the entertainment. The combination of these roles can lead to a dynamic media concept, being able to attract the interest of people of different ages and social classes. Various explanations have been given in the literature regarding the expansion of infotainment. In accordance with Lange (1999) the increase of competition in media has led to the alteration of the content and the structure of news programmes; instead of focusing on political news, media emphasizes on ‘human interest stories’ (Lange 1999, p.27). It is... This essay approves that the role of infotainment in the above case has been clear: attracting the attention of the British people away from the government’s decisions, gathering funds for supporting various public activities and improving the relationship between the British public and the monarchy. The above fact shows that infotainment can have different aspects, influencing the views of the public on various political and social activities. The specific role of infotainment has been made clearer in the case of celebrities’ crimes. In such cases, infotainment has three distinctive roles: to provide information on the crime committed, to prevent public from developing similar behavior and to entertain – at the level that the crime committed is used as a chance for focusing on the private life of the celebrity involved – for example the case of Lindsay Lohan, as analyzed below. This phenomenon is more intense in developed countries – where the fund s invested on media advertising are quite high. This report makes a conclusion that the expansion of media infotainment and melodramatic reportage in most countries internationally cannot be doubted. In fact, the review of two specific news texts – related to media infotainment – proved that the approach used by journalists when presenting a particular story is highly differentiated compared to the past. Of course, the role of the media infotainment in the increase of publicity of a particular event cannot be doubted.

An entrepreneurial viewpoint ( F ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An entrepreneurial viewpoint ( F ) - Essay Example Since I am a normal human I used intuition to execute decisions daily, however, as noted Flora (2007:68) this can lead to risk blindness and complacency. Besides, I came to learn that I could clearly utilize rule based reasoning which is characterized to being logical, deliberate, and being used to justify to other persons what needs to be done. Since I was a risk taker I did not experience problems with lateral thinking. This is because I had the capability to solve problems by means of indirect and creative approach, by making use of reasoning that is not directly obvious and incorporating ideas that may not be obtainable when using only traditional step-by-step logic. Flora (2007) asserts that a view shared by de Bono asserts that lateral thinking on purposefully distances itself from standard perceptions of creativity as either vertical logic or horizontal imagination. What I have learnt about myself is that since I exhibit appropriate entrepreneurial attributes. I am better suit ed to working in a conventionally structured organization, with conventional management