How to Write a Proper Cover Letter for Your First Job

Employers often get hundreds of applicants for a single position. Applications and resumes turn into a sea of sameness when there is nothing to distinguish one candidate from another. Because of this, submitting a cover letter essentially increases your chances of landing the job. But how do you write one when you have no job experience at all? The Anatomy of a Cover Letter Before we touch on what to put in your cover letter, let’s look at how it is laid out. When writing a cover letter, it’s good practice to follow a basic outline that most employers recognize. This includes: Your name and contact information, including your email address and current phone number in the upper right-hand corner. The name of the business or the human resources contact’s name on the left. Clearly stated purpose of the letter. For example, â€Å"Re: Application for Chief Candy Tester.† A salutation to the person reading the letter. For example, â€Å"Dear Mr. Wonka,† or some other cordial greeting. An opening paragraph to introduce yourself to the reader of the cover letter. A main paragraph highlighting your skills that are relevant to the job sought. A closing paragraph, asking to be considered for the position and expressing your interest in an interview. Writing a Cover Letter with No Job Experience Don’t consider writing a cover letter for a first job to be an obstacle; use it as an exercise in creativity. What you lack in formal experience, you may make up for in real-life background. For instance, if you are applying for a job as a secretary, highlighting your office skills is a good strategy. Do you type at blazing speeds, know how to run MS Excel, and have experience with MS Word? These are all translatable to the position you are seeking. Volunteer work can also be useful when you have no real work experience to cite. Did you volunteer at the local church to answer phones for the pastor’s office? Did you make flyers for the Beta Club in high school or design pages for the yearbook? Think out of the box, recalling previous experiences where you had an opportunity to shine when performing tasks related to the job. Heres what you may want to highlight: your strengths and any personal attributes that set you apart as an asset to the company; educational achievements that put you in a good light that are relatable to the position; participation in community or school volunteer organizations; hobbies and personal interests that are related to the job; experiences that highlight your capacity for teamwork. Traps to Avoid Now that you know all the dos, its time to take a close look at the donts. Simple writing blunders can quickly ruin the impression from your awesome cover letter. Luckily, theyre easy to avoid. Overly long cover letters. Hiring managers are busy, so keep it short, simple, and to the point. Unnatural language. While the letter should be semi-formal, it shouldn’t use overly formal language. This can come across as disingenuous. For example, instead of saying â€Å"advantageous,† sub in â€Å"helpful,† or instead of â€Å"subsequently,† use â€Å"later† or â€Å"after.† Underselling yourself. One of the hardest things in life is to boast about yourself, but a cover letter really is a brag letter for all intents and purposes. Don’t be shy; be your own biggest fan. Fluff. Don’t write words just for the sake of filling up the page. For example, don’t use a string of adjectives when one will do. Avoid constructions such as â€Å"I’m sincere, honest, and trustworthy;† these words all say the same thing. With some nonconventional thinking, it’s altogether possible to write a â€Å"wow† cover letter, even if you’ve not yet earned a penny in the workforce. Show confidence in your assessment of yourself, and it will spill over into the impression that you make with potential employers.

Vascular Dementia Essays

Vascular Dementia Essays Vascular Dementia Paper Vascular Dementia Paper Background Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD). The condition is not a single disease; it is a group of syndromes relating to different vascular mechanisms. Vascular dementia is preventable; therefore, early detection and an accurate diagnosis are important. Patients who have had a stroke are at increased risk for vascular dementia. Recently, vascular lesions have been thought to play a role in AD. As early as 1899, arteriosclerosis and senile dementia were described as different syndromes. In 1969, Mayer-Gross et al described this syndrome and reported that hypertension is the cause in approximately 50% of patients. In 1974, Hachinski et al coined the term multi-infarct dementia. In 1985, Loeb used the broader term vascular dementia. Recently, Bowler and Hachinski introduced a new term, vascular cognitive impairment. Pathophysiology Many subtypes of vascular dementia have been described to date. The spectrum includes (1) mild vascular cognitive impairment, (2) multi-infarct dementia, (3) vascular dementia due to a strategic single infarct, (4) vascular dementia due to lacunar lesions, (5) vascular dementia due to hemorrhagic lesions, (6) Binswanger disease, (7) subcortical vascular dementia, and (8) mixed dementia (combination of AD and vascular dementia). Vascular dementia is sometimes further classified as cortical or subcortical dementia. Vascular disease produces either focal or diffuse effects on the brain and causes cognitive decline. Focal cerebrovascular disease occurs secondary to thrombotic or embolic vascular occlusions. Common areas of the brain associated with cognitive decline are the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres and the deep gray nuclei, especially the striatum and the thalamus. Hypertension is the major cause of diffuse disease, and in many patients, both focal and diffuse disease are observed together. The 3 most common mechanisms of vascular dementia are multiple cortical infarcts, a strategic single infarct, and small vessel disease. Mild vascular cognitive impairment can occur in elderly persons. It is associated with cognitive decline that is worse than expected for age and educational level, but the effects do not meet the criteria for dementia and are not associated with vascular risk factors or evidence of silent strokes or extensive white matter infarcts on CT scanning. These people have subjective and objective evidence of memory problems, but their daily functional living skills are within normal limits. In multi-infarct dementia, the combined effects of different infarcts produce cognitive decline by affecting the neural nets. In single-infarct dementia, different areas in the brain can be affected, which may result in significant impairment in cognition. This may be observed in cases of anterior cerebral artery infarct, parietal lobe infarcts, thalamic infarction, and singular gyrus infarction. Small vessel disease affects all the small vessels of the brain and produces 2 major syndromes, Binswanger disease and lacunar state. Small vessel disease results in arterial wall changes, expansion of the Virchow-Robin spaces, and perivascular parenchymal rarefaction and gliosis. Lacunar disease is due to small vessel occlusions and produces small cavitary lesions within the brain parenchyma secondary to occlusion of small penetrating arterial branches. These lacunae are found more typically in the internal capsule, deep gray nuclei, and white matter. Lacunar state is a condition in which numerous lacunae, which indicate widespread severe small vessel disease, are present. Binswanger disease (also known as subcortical leukoencephalopathy) is due to diffuse white matter disease. In Binswanger disease, vascular changes observed are fibrohyalinosis of the small arteries and fibrinoid necrosis of the larger vessels inside the brain. In cerebral amyloid angiopathy–associated vasculopathy, aneurysm formation and stenosis in the leptomeningeal and cortical vessels cause damage to the subcortical white matter. In hereditary cystatin-C amyloid angiopathy, patients have recurrent cerebral hemorrhages before age 40 years that can lead to dementia. Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy is a rare autosomal dominant condition localized to chromosome arm 19q12 that affects small vessels supplying the deep white matter. Pathologically, multiple small infarcts are observed in the white matter, thalamus, basal ganglia, and pons. Other less common syndromes may lead to vascular dementia. Rare arteriopathies such as inflammatory arteriopathy (eg, polyarteritis nodosa, temporal arteritis) and noninflammatory arteriopathy (eg, moyamoya disease, fibromuscular dysplasia) can cause multiple infarcts and can lead to vascular dementia. Hypoperfusion due to large vessel or cardiac disease can affect the watershed areas of the brain and lead to vascular dementia. Leukoaraiosis  greater than  25%  is considered to be pathological. Subcortical vascular dementia  is a diffuse  small vessel disease with minimal or absent infarction with  homogenous pathological and clinical features. Mixed dementia is diagnosed when patients have evidence of Alzheimer dementia and cerebrovascular disease, either clinically or based on neuroimaging evidence of ischemic lesions. Growing evidence indicates that vascular dementia and Alzheimer dementia often coexist, especially in older patients with dementia. Autopsy studies have shown the association between AD and vascular lesions.3 Several recent studies also suggest that the risk of developing AD is increased when a patient is exposed to vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, and smoking, which usually are associated with cerebrovascular disease and vascular dementia. Recent evidence suggests that the vascular processes in both disorders may mutually induce each other. Apolipoprotein E may play a role in AD and vascular dementia. Apolipoprotein E-IV also increases the risk of dementia in stroke survivors and is a strong risk factor for the development of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in patients with AD. In elderly individuals, many cases of dementia may be caused by the cumulative effect of cerebrovascular and Alzheimer pathology. One-third of patients with vascular dementia are found to have significant Alzheimer disease pathology with cholinergic deficits in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. Vascular cognitive disorder (VCD) is a new term used to describe a particular constellation of cognitive and functional impairment spectrum that  ranges from vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) to  subcortical vascular dementia, poststroke dementia, and mixed dementia.2 Medical Care The mainstay of management of vascular dementia is the prevention of new strokes. This includes administering antiplatelet drugs and controlling major vascular risk factors. Aspirin has also been found to slow the progression of vascular dementia. Recent guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association provide both treatment principles and possible specific therapies. Drug treatment is primarily used to prevent further worsening of vascular dementia by treating the underlying disease such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus. Antiplatelet agents are indicated. Pentoxifylline and, to a more limited extent, ergoloid mesylates (Hydergine), may be useful for increasing cerebral blood flow. In the European Pentoxifylline Multi-Infarct Dementia Study, which is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, treatment with pentoxifylline was found to be beneficial for patients with multi-infarct dementia. Significant improvement was observed in the scales used for assessing intellectual and cognitive function. Neuroprotective drugs such as nimodipine, propentofylline, and posatirelin are currently under study and may be useful for vascular dementia. Increasing evidence supports the involvement of the cholinergic system in vascular dementia, similar to that seen in Alzheimer dementia. However, no cholinesterase inhibitors have been approved to date for the treatment of vascular dementia, despite positive results in clinical trials with this medication. The general management of dementia includes appropriate referral to community services, judgment and decision-making regarding legal and ethical issues (eg, driving, competency, advance directives), and consideration of caregiver stress. Diet In the Rotterdam study, an increased risk of vascular dementia was associated with total fat intake, whereas fish consumption was inversely related to dementia. Low levels of folate, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 are associated with increased homocysteine levels, a risk factor for stroke.

Contrasting the English and French Court Decisions in Dallah v Essay

Contrasting the English and French Court Decisions in Dallah v Pakistan - Essay Example The concept of Arbitration is a process by which parties which are bound by a contract can choose to settle disputes without engaging in any time-consuming litigation process. In most cases the parties enter into an agreement in their respective contracts about the arbitration methods that will be employed in case of any disputes that could happen in future. In some other cases such arbitration can also remain a statuary requirement. The process of Arbitration is being governed through various statues in different countries has acquired international recognition via conventions such as the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (New York Convention).1 For many reasons Arbitration is the most sought after option than litigation as the process is quicker and also involves lesser expenses and a higher degree of transparency compared to litigations. Also in cases where a lower judicial standard could possibly compromise the outcome of a case, arbitration is the preferred choice for resolving disputes. In addition, cases of multinational companies which usually include parties to settle international disputes in contracts and where a higher degree of confidentiality is at stake; the process of arbitration would be more suitable to settle such discrete cases compared to the court litigations. In some other cases arbitration can be preferred by parties in order to ensure control of the proceedings throughout the case which could be vital for making crucial decisions. In the arbitration process parties usually have their choice of representation who would be involved in presenting their arguments in the case. Individuals with the necessa ry skills and legal expertise are mostly chosen to contend on their behalf. In addition, the parties also have considerable say in the appointment of the chairperson for the arbitration process. Choosing the process of Arbitration also provide parties

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 111

Summary - Essay Example The movie is persuasive in indicating the way powdered milk originating from America destroyed the Jamaican fresh milk industry. Moreover, the documentary shows the way the existing market for Jamaican bananas, which is England is under threat from Chiquita-Dole-Del Monte forces who consider a single Jamaican banana not under their control to be too many. The documentary shows that subsidized Idaho potatoes to be bankrupting Jamaican potato farmers; moreover, McDonald’s is reluctant in purchasing local meat; as well, the documentary shows sweet onions from Jamaica to be underpriced as American onions are sold at a loss (Life and Debt: Documentary). The documentary goes ahead to show that one scheme aimed at helping the Jamaican economy was the establishment of â€Å"free zones† within fenced manufacturing areas where workers are paid meager $30 a week to assemble goods that only arrive and leave by container ship out of the country. The documentary indicates that labor unions are banned while the working conditions are subhuman and when people strike, they are forced to go back to work at gunpoint; moreover, the worker’s paychecks are taxed for services that do not seem to exist such as health and retirement schemes. The documentary shows that once the peasants were ruined they turned up in Kingston and became a cheap source of labor. A scene in the documentary shows a Jamaican hotel guide warning vacationers to watch out for thieves when strolling around in the streets. Most likely, the thieves were young people who were forced to flee to the city in search of the nonexistent jobs. The only job the portrayed by the documentary to be expanding during this time is the security guard business because young men without other job opportunities are trained to be guards (Life and Debt: Documentary). Life and Debt: Documentary look at the effects of globalization on Jamaican industry and agriculture.Dir Stephanie Black. Perf

Isaac Asimov Essay Example for Free

Isaac Asimov Essay Isaac Asimov, the pre-eminent popular-science writer of the day and for more than 40 years one of the best and best-known writers of science fiction, died yesterday at New York University Hospital. He was 72 years old and lived in Manhattan. He died of heart and kidney failure, said his brother, Stanley. Mr. Asimov was amazingly prolific, writing nearly 500 books on a wide range of subjects, from works for preschoolers to college textbooks. He was perhaps best known for his science fiction and was a pioneer in elevating the genre from pulp-magazine adventure to a more intellectual level that dealt with sociology, history, mathematics and science. But he also wrote mysteries, as well as critically acclaimed books about the Bible, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, limericks, humor, Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, ancient and modern history, and many other subjects. Mr. Asimovs first book, Pebble in the Sky (Ballantine), a science-fiction novel, was published in 1950. His first 100 books took him 237 months, or almost 20 years, until October 1969, to write. His second 100, a milestone he reached in March 1979, took 113 months, or about 9 1/2 years a rate of more than 10 books a year. His third 100 took only 69 months, until December 1984, or less than 6 years. Writing is more fun than ever, he said in a 1984 interview. The longer I write, the easier it gets. He once explained how he came to write Asimovs Guide to Shakespeare (Crown). It began, he said, with a book called Words of Science. Science led to Words on the Map, he remarked, which took me to The Greeks, which led me to The Roman Republic, The Roman Empire, The Egyptians, The Near East, The Dark Ages, The Shaping of England and then Words From History. It was an easy jump to Words in Genesis, which brought on Words From the Exodus. That led me to Asimovs Guide to the Old Testament, and then The New Testament. So what was left except Shakespeare? His usual routine was to awake at 6 A.M., sit down at the typewriter by 7:30 and work until 10 P.M. In In Memory Yet Green, the first volume of his autobiography, published in 1979, he explained how he became a compulsive writer. His Russian-born father owned a succession of candy stores in Brooklyn that were open from 6 A.M. to 1 A.M. seven days a week. Young Isaac got up at 6 oclock every morning to deliver papers and rushed home from school to help out in the store every afternoon. If he was even a few minutes late, his father yelled at him for being a folyack, Yiddish for sluggard. Even more than 50 years later, he wrote: It is a point of pride with me that though I have an alarm clock, I never set it, but get up at 6 A.M. anyway. I am still showing my father Im not a folyack. He Learns to Read, Then Teaches Sister Isaac Asimov was born Jan. 2, 1920, in the Soviet Union, near Smolensk, the son of Judah and Anna Rachel Berman Asimov. He was brought to the United States in 1923 and was naturalized in 1928. He taught himself to read before he was 5 years old, using the signs on his Brooklyn street. A couple of years later, with a little help from his father, he taught himself to read Yiddish. When he was 7, he taught his younger sister to read. He skipped several grades and received a high-school diploma when he was 15. After discovering science fiction on the magazine rack in his fathers store and overcoming his fathers objections to fanciful subject matter he tried writing science fiction himself and sold his first story when he was 18. The story, Marooned Off Vesta, ran in the October 1938 issue of Amazing Stories. Three years later, in 1941, he sold a story called Nightfall to Astounding Science Fiction, then the top magazine in the field. It was edited by John W. Campbell Jr., whose ability to find talented writers was largely responsible for what is considered the Golden Age of science fiction in the 1930s and 40s. Almost 30 years after Nightfall was published, the Science Fiction Writers of America voted it the best science-fiction short story ever written. Astounding Science paid a cent a word, Mr. Asimov once recalled. So for a 12,000-word story I expected $120. I got a check for $150 and thought Mr. Campbell had made a mistake. But when Mr. Asimov called to tell him, he said the story had seemed so good to him he gave me a bonus of one-quarter cent a word. Mr. Asimov graduated from Columbia University in 1939 with a bachelor of science degree, and earned an M.A. in 1941 and a Ph.D. in chemistry there in 1948. The next year, he accepted an offer from Boston Universitys School of Medicine to teach biochemistry. I didnt feel impelled to tell them that Id never had any biochemistry, he recalled in a 1969 interview. By 1951 I was writing a textbook on biochemistry, and I finally realized the only thing I really wanted to be was a writer. He was made an associate professor of biochemistry in 1955 and a professor in 1979, although he stopped teaching in 1958 and only occasionally went back to the university to lecture. A Science Fiction Of Verve and Clarity Mr. Asimovs science-fiction novels and stories won many awards: five Hugos, given by the fans, and three Nebula Awards, given by his fellow writers. His Foundation Trilogy (all published by Doubleday) which takes place in a future galactic empire and consists of Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952) and Second Foundation (1953) was given a Hugo in 1966 as Best All-Time Science-Fiction Series. Among his nonfiction works, Asimovs New Guide to Science is considered one of the best books about science for the layman. Reviewing Foundations Edge (Doubleday), a sequel to the trilogy and the first of Mr. Asimovs books to make the New York Times best-seller list, the critic Gerald Jonas said in The New York Times Book Review in 1982: He writes much better than he did 33 years ago yet he has lost none of the verve he brought to this series when he and the galaxy were much younger. What more could one ask? Foundations Edge won a Hugo in 1983 as the best science-fiction novel of the year. In recent years, Mr. Asimov wrote Foundation and Earth (1986) and Prelude to Foundation (1988). A final novel, Forward the Foundation, is to be published by Bantam Books later this year. Mr. Asimov himself made no great claims for his work. I make no effort to write poetically or in a high literary style, he said in 1984. I try only to write clearly and I have the very good fortune to think clearly so that the writing comes out as I think, in satisfactory shape. I never read Hemingway or Fitzgerald or Joyce or Kafka, he once wrote. To this day I am a stranger to 20th-century fiction and poetry, and I have no doubt that it shows in my writing. No Typist or Agent, And No Airplanes He wrote his first drafts on his typewriter, and short articles and final drafts on a word processor, and he rewrote everything only once. Its not out of conceit, he said. But I have lots of stuff Im committed to write and if I linger lovingly I wont be able to write at all. Not everything, however, fell into place easily. He once did a childrens book in a day, but the Shakespeare book took two years. The book he considered his favorite, Murder at the A.B.A. (1976), a mystery novel in which he himself was a character, took seven weeks; The Gods Themselves (1972), a science-fiction novel that won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, took seven months. I do all my own typing, my own research, answer my own mail, Mr. Asimov once said. I dont even have a literary agent. This way there are no arguments, no instructions, no misunderstandings. I work every day. Sunday is my best day: no mail, no telephones. Writing is my only interest. Even speaking is an interruption. Although he wrote about space travel through countless universes and light years, Mr. Asimov himself refused to fly. Isaac says that he loves to fly into space and span the galaxies, the editor Ben Bova once remarked. But only in his imagination. Among Mr. Asimovs other well-known science-fiction works were I, Robot (1950), in which he invented his famous Three Laws of Robotics, which govern the relation of robots to their human masters: robots may not injure a human or, by inaction, allow a human to be harmed; robots must obey humans orders unless doing so conflicts with the first law; robots must protect their own existence unless doing so conflicts with the first two l aws. Robot and galactic-empire themes eventually expanded and intertwined in 14 novels. Secret of Success: Its All in the Genes He also wrote many nonfiction works and magazine articles on a wide range of subjects and was the editorial director of a magazine named after him Isaac Asimovs Science Fiction Magazine for which he wrote the editorials in each issue. He received the James T. Grady Award of the American Chemical Society in 1965 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science-Westinghouse Science Writing Award in 1967. Recently Mr. Asimov said he had had a prostate operation and was cutting back on his writing. He suspended his monthly column in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, to which he had contributed some 400 columns and articles over 33 years. Writing 10 or more books a year was standard procedure for Mr. Asimov, and he continued his busy pace after a heart attack in 1977 and triple bypass surgery in 1983. I have been fortunate to be born with a restless and efficient brain, with a capacity for clear thought and an ability to put that thought into words, he once remarked. None of this is to my credit. I am the beneficiary of a lucky break in the genetic sweepstakes. Mr. Asimov once told an interviewer about sadly contemplating death and the end of conscious thought. But, he said, he cheered himself with the thought that I dont have to worry about that, because there isnt an idea Ive ever had that I havent put down on paper.

RFID Tagging :: essays research papers

RFID, which is radio frequency identification, uses tiny tags that contain a processor and an antenna and can communicate with a detecting device. RFID is intended to have many applications with supply chain and inventory control to be the drivers of utilization. RFID has been around for a long time. During World War II, RFIDs were used to identify friendly aircraft. Today, they are used in wireless systems, for example, the E-Z passes you see on the turnpikes. The major problem until recently has been cost for RFIDs. Tags have been at a cost of 50 cents, which makes it hard to utilize or really unusable for low priced items. A company based out of California called Alien Technology has invented tags for less than 10 cents a piece on large mass runs. The major benefit expected from RFID is its potential for revolutionizing the supply chain management, but RFID could have many applications, ranging from payment collections on highways, to finding lost kids in amusement parks, to prev enting cell phones from being stolen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The RFID tag itself is about the size of a pinhead or grain of sand. The tag includes an antenna and a chip that contains an electronic product code. Industry professionals expect the RFID tag to eventually replace the barcode as identification system of choice. The electronic product code stores much more information than a regular bar code that is capable of storing information like when and where the product was made, where the components come from, and when they might perish. Unlike barcodes, which needs a line-of-sight to be read, RFIDs do not need a line-of-sight. There are two types of RFID tags call active and passive. An active tag uses its own battery power to contact the reader. It works greater distance than passive tags, but has a drawback because of the larger size. A passive tag does not require a battery, but it derives its power from the electromagnetic field created by the signal from the RFID reader. This generates enough power for the tag to re spond to the reader with its information, while the range is smaller than active tags, having no battery make the tags useful life almost unlimited and the size much smaller than active tags. In any event, the key feature of the technology is the ability for an RFID-tagged object to be tracked instantly from anywhere in the world, provided that the reader is in range.

Government Intervention in the Workplace and Economic Development Essay

In a free economic system, the decisions made by the buyers and decisions made by the suppliers, determine equilibrium prices and levels of output, in a free market. Scarce resources are thus allocated according to the competing pressures of demand and supply. An increase in demand of a product, signals the producers to increase the supply of the commodity, as potential profit levels increase so as to meet the increased demand. The working of a free market mechanism is a strong tool which has been used in determining allocation of resources among competing ends (Riley, 2006). There exists an increased claim that when issues, and policies are left on their own economic devices rather than instigating a state control on them, it would result to a more harmonious and equal society with increase in economic development. This concept is based on the liberal theory of economics which was first believed to be formulated by Adam Smith. It proposes a society where there is minimal government intervention in the economy. When government intervenes in workplaces, does it result to economic development? This is an issue of contention between various economists, and we shall look at both the advantages and the disadvantages of government intervention in working places and the effect on economic development (Mishra, Navin & Geeta, 2006). The government has various goals and it may intervene in the price mechanism, in order to change resource allocation, with a view to attain a specific social or economic welfare. The government intervenes in the free market system so as to influence allocation of resources in ways that will be favorable in meeting their goals. These goals might include correcting a market failure, achieving a more equitable wealth distribution in the economy, or general improvement in the performance of the economy. These interventions however come with a certain cost on the working of economic systems (Mishra, Navin & Geeta, 2006). Government has continually set rules and regulations that govern conditions and operations in work places. These rules and regulations, may affect supply or output of a certain commodity. We shall examine different areas that the government has intervened in work places and its consequent effect on the economy. It is in order for government to intervene as it has multiple macro-economic goals of achievement of economic development, full employment, and price stability, among others. These goals sometimes are contradictory as the achievement of one goal affects the attainment of the other (Brux, 2008). Price controls In various work places the government can impose price controls. There are two forms of price controls which can be imposed by the government. The government can impose high prices for certain goods which are referred to as floor prices. This is a price that is set in which a commodity cannot be sold below this price. Consumers are thus required to pay high prices for these commodities regardless whether the demand is low or otherwise. It ensures that the income by the producers of these commodities is higher than they could have otherwise obtained in a deregulated market (Petkantchin, 2006). The other type of price control is what is referred as price ceiling. It is a price that is set by the government, whereby suppliers are not allowed to exceed this price. It is an incentive to ensure that needy buyers or consumers can obtain this commodity at a lower price. This control is mostly found in the main utilities such as telecommunications, water, gas and others. Free market economists argue that this control increases the burden of costs to businesses which damage their competitiveness as a result of huge amount of red tape (Riley, 2006). When prices are freely set by the market, they easily regulate the economy. Producers are able to determine which products are highly valued and preferred by the consumers, they help them ascertain the management methods and technologies which will produce the greatest economic well being. Firms therefore attain incentives in order to innovate, integrate desired management skills in order to produce the desired commodities. Prices are also good indicators of the availability of resources. If the price of a commodity increases as a result of shortage, it signals the producer that, the there is a need to cut back on wastage of that resource, and efficient use of it. In general terms, prices enable economic players to enhance the most efficient use of scarce economic resources. When the government controls prices, whether in form of a price floor or a price ceiling, then it becomes a disadvantage to the economy (Petkantchin, 2006). The government requires that in order for a certain business to be conducted, a license is necessary. This is a form of government intervention in work places, since it creates barriers to entry for potential competition. According to Brux (2008), licenses are issued to ensure that customers are protected from inferior quality goods and services. Licenses however, are harmful to these consumers when they are a requirement of the law. This is because they reduce the availability of a certain commodity or service in a particular area, more so when there is a quota on the number of licenses to be issued. It is also detrimental to the well being of the consumers when the license fees are so high that smaller competitors cannot afford. This limits entry to a certain market which can be a way of creating monopoly. Prices charged on the commodity are higher than when there is a more liberal market. This affects the economic well being of a nation. The government also intervenes in work places by the use of fiscal policies. It alters the level and the pattern of demand for a particular commodity in the market which has its consequences in economic development. One such policy is the use of indirect taxes on demerit goods. This includes goods such as alcohol, tobacco consumption among others. Their consumption comes with a certain cost on the health or the general welfare of the consumer. The government induces such taxes, in order to increase the price and thereby increase the opportunity cost of consumption. Consumer demand towards such commodities decreases. This intervention means that these industries would not perform at their optimal point. They reduce their production so as to cater for the reduced demand of their commodities. It is a compromise on full employment that macro economic policies try to achieve, and as a result lower the level of economic development (Brux, 2008). Employment laws that govern businesses have been put in place by the government. They are a form of government interventions that also affect economic development. In the employment law, the government offers some legal protection for workers by setting the maximum working hours or setting the minimum wages to be paid to workers. Organizations are thus controlled in form of wages paid to workers, which should have otherwise been left to be determined by the competitive laws of labor demand and supply. The effect of this intervention is an increase in the amount that an organization spends on wages. There is also a limitation that is placed by the government in form of working hours. This acts to curtail production levels which have a negative effect on the GDP. The profitability of the firm is also affected by increasing its operation costs. This reduces organizational profits that would have been used to increase the level of organizational investments (Riley, 2006). When the government pays subsidies, it intervenes in the work places as it will obtain the money from businesses and public borrowing. This is an increase in public expenditure which means that the government has to increase the interest rates in order to attract funds from investors. Increase in interest rates has negative effect on businesses. This is because the cost of borrowing finances for investments increases which reduces the overall profitable ventures that are available for the business. The overall activity of business is thus curtailed or in more general terms the level of investment in the economy decreases. A decrease in the level of investment reduces the aggregate demand which inhibits economic development (FunQA. com, 2009). Government intervention is sometimes in form of tariffs. The government intervenes in imported products by imposing high taxes on them. They do this in order for the government to earn income and protect the local industries. When a consumer consumes these goods, he/she pays high prices for them which make the consumer worse off. The consumer is thus forced to consume less of other products and services. In the macro economy, the effect is to reduce demand of other goods and services which will make the economy to be worse off. This government intervention has a negative impact on economic development (Pearson Education Inc. , 2010). It is very common for both the small and big businesses to call in the government so as to protect them. Small businesses requests the government to offer them less regulation while increase the same on the big businesses. They also ask for fair pricing laws which act to hurt the consumers. Pricing laws keep prices for commodities high, since they come in form of price floors and hurt efficient competitors. This is because efficient competitors are capable of offering the same commodity in form of quality and quantity at a lower price but the law by the government prohibits such. Competition is thus hindered to a greater extent as prices are maintained at a high level. If the commodity in question is an essential commodity, it would results to inflation which has adverse effects on economic development (Brux, 2008). Market Liberalization The government sometimes uses its power in order to introduce fresh competition into a certain market. This will happen in the case where the government breaks the monopoly power of a certain firm. It ensures that competitors can penetrate the market which enhances the quality of products and services which are offered to the consumers. It introduces a more liberal economy, where the market is not controlled by one player who dictates on the prices and the level of output. These are the laws of competition policy, which act against price fixation by companies and other forms of anti-competitive behavior (Riley, 2006). Other benefits that arise from government intervention include correction of externalities. Externalities can be defined as the spill over costs or in some cases benefits. Externalities make the market to operate in a level that the amount of output and the level of production are not at a socially optimal level. When there is a lot of corn being produced, the law of demand and supply will mean that price has to decrease as supply exceeds demand. When the government allows the price of corn to decrease beyond a certain level, the producers of corn will be at a loss which will de motivate further production of corn. In such circumstances, the government intervenes by the use of price floor where price would not go below that limit. Leaving the market forces to adjust the price and output will socially affect some sectors of the economy and as such lead to the welfare of citizens being worse off (Pearson Education Inc. , 2010). Another reason as to why the government intervenes in the economy is to correct market failures. Consumers sometimes lack adequate information as to the benefits and costs which come from the consumption of a certain product. Government thus imposes laws that will ensure that the consumers have adequate information about the products so as to improve the perceived costs and benefits of a product. Compulsory labeling that is done on cigarette packages is one of those legal concerns that give adequate health warnings to cigarette smokers. It is a way in which the government protects its citizens from exploitation and harmful habits that would affect them in the long run. This might have a short term effect in form of decreased profits on Tobacco manufacturers, but long term effects on improved health of consumers and a saving on future medical expenses (Riley, 2006). According to Riley (2006), it will be known that government intervention does not always result into the plans and strategies set or prediction by economic theory. It is rare for consumers and businesses to behave the way the government exactly wanted them to behave. This in economics has been referred to as law of unintended consequences which can come into play in any government intervention. This would have negative consequences on the economic level since inappropriate policies would mean negative effects and influence. The market is able to maintain itself in equilibrium through price mechanisms and other economic factors. When the government intervenes, it affects this smooth operation of the market and this may lead to either shortages or surpluses. The effect becomes worse when the government relies on poor information in making these interventions in workplaces. The effects might be expensive to the administration of businesses, and the interventions might also be disruptive to the operations of the business if these interventions are major and frequent. It might also remove some liberties (Pearson Education Inc. , 2010). Government interventions in workplaces should not be aimed to create great changes in the market. The conditions prevailing in the economy should be well reviewed and analyzed. This will ensure that threats that can damage the economy have been identified and measures against such taken. It would be of great advantage if government interventions are designed to facilitate the smooth working of the economy rather than implementing a new and a direct control over the market. They should be assessed on whether they lead to a better use of scarce resources, whether fairness is being upheld in the intervention and whether the policy enhances or reduces the capacity of future generations in improving economic activity (Riley, 2006). Conclusion Some economists believe that with perfect competition, there will be no need for any government intervention. Is it therefore wise to leave the economy to the doctrine of laissez-fare where there is no control or intervention by the government? As much as there exists some negative effects on economic development due to government control, the benefits which accrue as a result of controlled government intervention would be under no circumstances be compared with the risks that would accrue when the government adopts the liberal economic structure. References Brux, J. (2008). Economics Issues and Policy. 4th ed. Ohio: Cengage Learning FunQA. com, (2009). Economics: Advantages and Disadvantages of Government Intervention? Retrieved 21 May 2010, from http://www. funqa. com/economics/92-Economics-2. html Mishra, R. Navin, B. & Geeta P. eds. (2006). Economic liberalization and public enterprises. ISBN 8180692574 Pearson Education, Inc. (2010). Reasons for government intervention in the market. Retrieved 21 May 2010, from http://wps. pearsoned. co. uk/ema_uk_he_sloman_econbus_3/18/4748/1215583. cw/index. html Petkantchin, V. (2006). The Pernicious Effects of Price Controls. Retrieved 21 May 2010, from http://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v&q=cache:mYXWxJC6EpMJ:www. iedm. org/uploaded/pdf/avr06_en. pdf+Price+controls+and+their+effects&hl=en&gl=ke&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShvcqptHKj3Y_Mrxy5hhG7resIp_Y7FVbxWwhBqmLTBqzdSn3hvuXLutFYW9m1uRWom_D5InOy5G5Jp5AMTuCoFxKA-Rj-1tbrOA0PrnDz5VOBbruMR2HYdYcYm-SLf5Oq_aZBm&sig=AHIEtbTFfKO-NWp1d5bX2HTlouAB_gP1fQ Riley, G. (2006). Government Intervention in the Market. Retrieved 21 May 2010, from http://tutor2u. net/economics/revision-notes/as-marketfailure-government-intervention-2. html