Us Dollar Movements In 2008 Essay Example for Free

Us Dollar Movements In 2008 Essay The U. S dollar is the most widely used currency in the world in terms of trade and foreign exchange reserves. The US dollar is susceptible to many factors e. g. political, economic as well as financial market forces and therefore fluctuates overtime (Intercontinental Exchange Inc, 2009). The assessment of the movements in the US dollar is tracked by the US Dollar index USDX which is basically a chart showing the value of the US Dollar against the major world currencies. These major currencies are the EUN (EUR), Japanese Yen (JPY), Sterling pound (GBP), Canadian dollar (CAD), Swedish Kroner (SEK) and the Swiss Franc (CHF). The dollar index is calculated as a geometric progression weighted average of the six currencies rates against the US Dollar value relative to 1973 (base year) when the index was launched. Therefore this means that the current rate of the US Dollar index shows the average dollar value compared to 1973 which is the base year (Intercontinental Exchange Inc, 2009). Factors affecting US dollar Index over the past one year The performance of the US dollar against the basket of other major currencies (which form the biggest chunk of US trading partners) as measured by the Dollar Index is affected by many factors key among them economic, political and even financial market news. Therefore the trend in the dollar index can be an indication of the state of the economy and financial market. Economic factors The state of the US economy and the major countries around the world affects the movement of the dollar against world major currencies. An example is an economic indicator like home sales. In April this year, the home sales done released indicated that the home sales were higher than predicted. This news boosted the dollar against major currencies hence moving the dollar index previous recorded levels as witnessed in the figure 1 below (DeCarbonnel, 2009). In late 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis resulted in lack of liquidity in the financial markets which led to the credit which as we know today. The dollar index increased during this period as a result of declining factors in the financial market. The other factor that has affected the dollar index over the past year is the widening US deficit resulting from the continued borrowing by way of selling US treasuries. The US government uses the funds to fund war in Iraq and Afghanistan among other pressing issues. The US deficit has substantially grown over the recent past to an extent that the countries debt ratings were at risk. Currently the US debt rating is Aaa according to Moody’s. The fear of credit rating downgrade reduced the value of the dollar against major currencies (TheLFB-Forex, 2009). Financial factors The ballooning current account deficit was a result of buying US securities by foreign investors but now with the dollar threatening the domestic currencies of these nations they have been forced to sell off the US held assets and this will definitely affect the price of the dollar. The deficit also has the effect of weakening the dollar value and thus affects the movement of the dollar index (Randall, 2009). The selling off of treasuries will also affect the dollar in that the government will be forced to print the equivalent dollar amount if they lack a buyer in order to honor the pledge made in the treasuries. The other factor that has affected the dollar index is the continued acceptance of gold in place of the dollar. The increase in the price of gold leads to a decline in the value of the dollar. Inflation as a result of pumping a lot of money into the economy may lead to high demand for commodities e. g. gold as explained earlier on, the higher the price of gold the lower the value of the dollar as shown in figure 2 (marketoracle, 2009). The other factor that may have played a bigger part in the trend witnessed of the US dollar is that of lack of confidence wit the US dollar as the major foreign reserve currency. In fact some countries like China and Brazil are contemplating establishing a currency that is more stable. Lack of confidence is shown by the wayward performance of the dollar index. Political factors The domestic problem in the US i. e. economical and social programs announced by the new president, stimulus package, bailout of banks and also companies, programs such as Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), war in Iraq and Afghanistan are just some of the factors that have pressurized the value of the US dollar. All these programs need resources which are basically raised by selling treasuries (marketoracle, 2009). Conclusion The movement witnessed in the dollar index over the past one year has not only been attributed to the above mentioned factors but also due to the market fundamentals which keep on changing from time to time although to a large extent, the dollar index has been affected by the credit crisis in the financial market which has led to the slowing down of the world economy.Figure 1. (marketoracle, 2009) Figure 2. (marketoracle, 2009) References DeCarbonnel, E. (2009, January 2nd). Ten Major Threats facing the US Dollar in 2009. Retrieved May 26th, 2009, from market skeptics: http://www. marketskeptics. com Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (2009, May 25th). US Dollar Index Futures. Retrieved May 26th, 2009, from Intercontinental Exchange Inc: https://www. theice. com/productguide/ProductDetails. stripes? specId=194 marketoracle. (2009, May 24th). Stock Market Trend Confusion and US Dollar crackdown. Retrieved May 25th, 2009, from marketoracle: http://www. marketoracle. co. uk/Article10869. html Randall, F. W. (2009, May 21st). Gains from the Greenbacks pain. Retrieved May 26th, 2009, from Barrons: http://online. barrons. com/article/SB124285469500340755. html TheLFB-Forex. (2009, May 09th). Dollar Index Review: Post Stress Test. Retrieved May 25th, 2009, from TheLFB-Forex. com: http://www. TheLFB-Forex. com

The Importance of Cultural Diversity Within Organizations Essay

When discussion is raised in relation to diversity, society talks about the group who possess individual qualities that are diverse from other individual’s traits. Diversity is the uniqueness, which every employee brings to the workplace in an organization or establishment. Examples of differences include nationality, belief, disabilities, physical appearance, race, gender, age, educational background, sexual orientation, and work experience, social and family status. At the workplace, valuing diversity means creating a work environment that respects and includes various individuals, by maximizing the potential of all employees or in which every employee feels integrated within the organization. Cultural diversity means acknowledging that other people, other voices, and other cultures have an equal claim on the world; we need to consider everyone as one human race. Instilling cultural diversity practices within the organization begins with structure that produces benefits, and then is proven through success stories of organizations that have implemented diverse practices. The concept of cultural diversity helps in a significant way for success of organizations. Through the structure of the organization, individual’s can see that a multicultural structure has many benefits compared to limited structures. The organization will be more successful through their overall structure. According to Taylor Cox, there are three organization types, which focus on the development of cultural diversity. The three organization types are, the monolithic organization, the plural organization, and the multicultural organization. In the monolithic organization, the amount of structural integration (the presence of persons from different cultural ... ...ups, Firms, Schools, and Societies. New Jersey, USA: Princeton University Press. Proctor and Gamble. (2011). Company: Who We Are. Retrieved 2011-5-February from Proctor and Gamble: http://www.pg.com/en_CA/company/who_we_are/diversity.shtml Redfield, R., Linton, R., & Herskovits, M. (1936). Memorandum for the Study of Acculturation. American Anthropologist , 149-152. Rosenzweig, P. (1998). Managing the New Global Workforce:: Fostering Diversity, Forging Consistency. European Management Journal , 16 (6), 644-652. Schein, E. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2010-22- October). Cultural Diversity. Retrieved 2011-5-February from UNESCO - Culture: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php- URL_ID=34321&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Film Analysis Update Essay

I have selected the film â€Å"Elizabeth: the Golden Age† because I became extremely fascinated on why of all the monarchs who have ruled England, she is the monarch that has been included in various forms of literature as well as having an era in England’s history named after her. After selecting the film for this paper, I first watched the entire movie without pausing and just noting down scenes that I considered as the most important. After that I watched the film again carefully so much so that I would pause the film once in a while in order to note down important parts of the film. My next step was to go to the Library and began to study the book â€Å"England’s Elizabeth: an Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy† by Michael Dobson and Nicola J. Watson in order to get a better understanding how authors, poets and filmmakers have depicted Queen Elizabeth I in various forms of literature and productions. The best resource materials I came across were â€Å"Behind the Mask: the Life of Queen Elizabeth I† by Jane Rush Thomas since it gave a very objective outlook on the life of Queen Elizabeth I. In the paper, the summary of the film would first be presented on the paper followed by the presentation of information from resource materials which would either support or challenge certain scenes in the movie, specifically the role of Mary Stuart in the attempted assassination of Queen Elizabeth I and the war between Spain and England. From there a comparison on the accuracy of the depiction of this chapter in the life of Queen Elizabeth I in the film will be analyzed since there were some events shown in the film that appear to contradict historical documentations.

Is The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights - 2060 Words

In Tampa, Florida, Ralph Wald walked in on his former neighbor Walter Conley, in bed with his wife. After he fatally shot Conley, who was less than half his age, Wald claimed he did not recognize him and assumed he was a stranger raping his wife. He was acquitted after two days of testimony and according to the Tampa Bay Times, Wald’s defense team invoked the Stand Your Ground law noting that Wald had ‘no duty to retreat’ when facing danger within his own home. Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: â€Å"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such†¦show more content†¦The core of these laws is that individuals should be able to use deadly force when they believe their lives might be in danger, instead of trying to avoid conflict at all cost. By allowing such log ic for the use of lethal force, Stand Your Ground laws are severely flawed, for they increase violence, targets people with color and allow criminals to get away with murder. The notorious case of George Zimmerman, a Florida man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin ignited a national debate surrounding The Stand Your Ground law. On February 26, 2012, Martin was returning from a nearby convenience store when he was shot and killed. Zimmerman claimed he was being physically attacked by the unarmed teenager, causing him to fire in self-defense. Various people have been led to believe the misconception that this law had nothing to do with Zimmerman’s acquittal for the killing of Trayvon Martin. Police Chief Bill Lee stated that the decision not to arrest Zimmerman had nothing to do with Florida s controversial Stand Your Ground law because from an investigative standpoint, it was purely a matter of self-defense. The New York Times also believed â€Å"Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law†¦ has not been