TRICARE: The Restructuring of Military Healthcare System in Response to

In the U.S and other nations of the world, the health expenditure and number of physicians increase as the economy expands. However, physician shortage is of a great concern globally, which the U.S and the Military Healthcare System (MHS) are no exceptions. According to Garber (2004) â€Å"a shortage exit when there is unsatisfied demand, which occurs when the quantity of a good or service is less than what people will be willing to buy at the current price†. For example a long wait time to get an elective surgery done, or a long wait for a patient to get an appointment to see the doctor are evidence of physician shortage. Another definition of shortage is â€Å"having a projected supply of physicians that meet less than 80% of the forecasted demand or need, calculated at the estimated means (Scheffler, Liu, Kinfu, & Dal Poz, 2007). The World Health Organization report (2006) estimated that, 57 countries had absolute shortage of 2.3 million physicians. This shortage acco rding to prior studies implied the lack of a sufficient number of health care professionals to deliver skilled health interventions such as child-birth. Schaffer et al. (2007) projected the global supply of the physician workforce to balance the demand using the demand base model and sufficient surplus in the year 2015. Despite this projection of surplus and balance of the physician workforce globally, the problem of shortage will still remain with some countries and nations as a result of distributional problems that continue to persist, and Africa for instance will need about 65% increases in supply of physicians by the year 2015 (Scheffler et al., 2007). According to Cooper (2004 & 2005) the shortage of physicians in the U.S was related to the economic capacit... ....S and overseas to supplement the care provided to the growing beneficiary population in the MTFs. The MTF is the primary health care facility for TRICARE. TRICARE PCP shortage is due to deployment to war zones, humanitarian missions and special combat skill training. Throughout the research, attempts will be made to respond to the primary question and then the other sub questions in relation to; TRICARE background history, epidemiology, physician types, administration, policies and law, finance, personnel, marketing, ethical issues, beneficiary complaints and satisfaction. Other areas include the role restructuring plays in resolving the beneficiary complaints and the impact the restructuring of TRICARE will have on health care delivery to beneficiaries. The summary, recommendations and conclusion will be addressed finally to complete this research paper.

Repression of War Experience

Personification in Siegfried Sassoon’s â€Å"Repression of War Experience† After wartime, soldiers can suffer from not only physical injuries, but from psychological damage as well. They become victims of PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which, according to Medicinenet. com, is â€Å"an emotional illness that develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience. † Considering the horrors that these soldiers are witnesses to, it is no wonder that PTSD can overcome them.In Siegfried Sassoon's poem, â€Å"Repression of War Experience,† Sassoon uses personification to emphasize the psychological damage sustained by soldiers after war. In the first two lines of the poem, Sassoon starts off by painting a rather dismal picture. He begins lighting candles and pauses to watch a moth, which he then describes to the reader. He finds it ridiculous that it flies toward the candle even though it's headed right f or the flame and will end up dying. He expresses this thought by commenting on, â€Å"What silly beggars they are to blunder in, /And scorch their wings with glory, liquid flame† (lines 2-3).Of course, moths are not beggars; they are not poor citizens, but Sassoon uses personification to further develop the moth's behavior. These lines imply that moths beg for their deaths by flying toward the flame of the candle, just as soldiers beg for their deaths by signing up to fight. Moths are drawn to the flame of a candle because of the light, but do not realize that they are headed towards their death. Perhaps soldiers are attracted to war in the same way–they are tempted by the false promise of glory and honor for their country–but unknowingly march toward their own deaths as well.Sassoon links both moth and man by making such comparisons, and suggesting that both end up embracing death. Further along in the poem, and this is a very short part of the poem, indeed, Sa ssoon comments on the rain and asks, â€Å"Why won't it rain? † (line 12). Without warning as to why he does so, Sassoon changes topic and says, â€Å"Books; what a jolly company they are, /Standing so quiet and patient on their shelves† (lines 16-17). One can guess as to why he suddenly goes off about books–he cannot bear any reminders of war, and desperately tries to keep his mind occupied with the things he sees around him.The mentioning of books being a â€Å"jolly company† indicates that Sassoon is alone and perhaps has just a few objects with him in his room. It is strange to address books as though they are people or companions, as if they can carry a conversation. Sassoon then develops this unusual view further by commenting on how the books are â€Å"Dressed in dim brown, and black, and white, and green† (line 18). Perhaps this is another accidental reference to war because it hints at the soldier's camouflage-colored uniforms of green and â€Å"dim brown† but one cannot be sure.In regard to the books â€Å"standing so quiet and patient†; it is true that books can stand on their own, perhaps on a shelf or a desk, but how can they be patient? Books cannot feel anything, nor can they have opinions. This personification suggests that Sassoon's mind is slowly moving away from clear thought and logic, and that war has negatively affected his mental state. Sassoon continues comparing normal everyday sights to living things. He writes that â€Å"in the breathless air outside the house, /The garden waits for something that delays† (lines 26-27). The comment of the â€Å"breathless air† is again, strange.Air cannot be breathless because it does not breathe. Only people and animals breathe air, and without it, they will die within minutes. However, during a war, poison gas is often released into the sky, making it impossible for soldiers to breathe properly. Such attacks were especially common in Wo rld War I, which Sassoon fought in from 1914 to the end of the war in 1918. His line was most likely a reference to the poison-filled air in which no one could breathe. In the last few lines of the poem, Sassoon has failed to completely ignore thoughts of war thus far, for he says that â€Å"You'd never think there was a bloody war going on! (line 34). He abandons all attempts to repress his memories and continues his monologue about â€Å"Those whispering guns–† (line 37). Obviously, guns cannot speak, and strangely, Sassoon writes that they â€Å"whisper† rather than yell or scream.The latter would be more sensible, considering that there are no quiet gun attacks. However, the description of the hushed weapons suggests (even further) that Sassoon is haunted by his memories, perhaps every night, and can never fully forget them. He himself seems to â€Å"lose control of ugly thoughts† (mentioned in line 7, in which Sassoon pities those oldiers who cannot repress their memories) and again, seems unable to distract himself with what he sees around him, as he had done throughout the entire poem until this point. He makes the exclamation of â€Å"O Christ, I want to go out, /And screech at them to stop† (lines 37-38). At this point, Sassoon has indeed lost control of himself and wants to scream at the guns to stop firing. Guns do not fire by themselves, nor can they fight a war without soldiers pointing the guns–Sassoon would have to screech at the soldiers to stop fighting–but this personification of the weapons further emphasize the psychological damage from which he suffers.Personification is a major literary element in â€Å"Repression of War Experience,† and it lets the reader understand just how psychologically wounded Sassoon has become. His comparisons range from moths to books to guns, and he jumps from subject to subject in order to show Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His various personified objec ts are scattered throughout the poem, and they allow the reader to truly understand how he has suffered from his experience at war.

Cost Calculations – Managerial Accounting

Problem 1 Page 40 a- Cost of goods manufactured = Direct cost + Indirect cost = [Direct Cost of Material + Direct Cost of Labor] + [Indirect Cost of Material + Indirect Cost of Labor + Utilities Overhead] = Total Cost of Material + Total Cost of Labor + Utilities Overhead = 120,000 + 90,000 + 40,000 = $ 250,000 b- Total Cost of Operation = Cost of goods manufactured + Selling, General admin. and expenses. = 250,000 + 60,000 = $ 310,000 c- Prime Cost =Direct Material Cost + Direct Labor Cost 80,000 + 65,000 = $ 145,000 d- Conversion Cost = Direct Labor + Factory Overhead = Direct labor + [Indirect Material + Indirect Labor + Utilities Overhead] = 65,000 + 40,000 +25,000 + 40,000 = $ 170,000 e- Product Cost = Cost of goods manufactured = $ 250,000 f- Period Cost = Selling, general admin. and expenses = $ 60,000 g- Unit Cost = Total Cost of goods manufactured/Number of unit product = $ 250,000/10,000 = $ 25 per unit Problem 2 Page 40 a- Cost of goods manufactured Total Cost of goods put into production + [Difference between Beginning & Ending work-in-process] = [Total Direct Cost + Factory Overhead Cost] + [25,000-10,000] = [Direct Material Cost + Direct Labor Cost + Factory Overhead Cost] + 15,000 = [95,000+110,000+70,000]+15,000 = $ 290,000 b- Cost of goods sold = Cost of goods manufactured + [Difference between Beginning & Ending finished goods inventory] = 290,000 + [(30,000)] = $ 260,000 c- Net Income or Loss = Sales – Cost of goods manufactured – Selling , general admin. and expenses = 300,000 – 260,000 – 75,000 = ($ 35,000) ; Net LossExercise # 1 Page 43 Direct Material Cost = $ 8,000 Indirect Material Cost = $ 2,000 Direct Labor Cost = $ 3,500 Indirect Labor Cost = $ 1,500 Factory Overhead = $ 5,000 Selling Expenses = $ 7,500 General admin. Expenses = $ 8,500 a- Cost of goods manufactured = Total Direct Cost + Total Factory Overhead = Total Direct Cost + [Total Indirect Cost + Factory Overhead for heat, light and power] = 8,000 + 3,500 + 2,000 + 1,500 + 5,000 = $ 20,000 b- Total Cost of Operation = Cost of goods manufactured + Selling, general and admin. expenses = 20,000 + 7,500 + 8,500 = $ 36,000Exercise # 2 Page 43 Direct Material Cost = $ 25,000 Indirect Material Cost = $ 5,000 Direct Labor Cost = $ 30,000 Indirect Labor Cost = $ 4,500 Overhead [excluding indirect material & labor Costs] = $ 15,000 a- Prime Cost = Direct Cost = Direct Material Cost + Direct Labor Cost = 25,000 + 30,000 = $ 55,000 b- Conversion Cost = Direct Labor Cost + Total Overhead Cost = Direct Labor Cost + Indirect Material Cost + indirect Labor Cost + Overhead Cost [excluding indirect material & labor Costs] = 30,000 + 5,000 + 4,500 + 15,000 = $ 54,500 c- Product Cost = Cost of goods manufactured Total Direct Cost + Total Indirect Cost + Overhead Cost[excluding indirect material & labor Costs] = 55,000 + 9,500 + 15,000 = $ 79,500 Exercise # 5 Page 44 75,000 unit/year Beginning work –in- process = 0 Ending work –in- process = 0 Total Cost of goods manufactured = $ 300,000 Number of sold units = 59,000 Number of non sold units = 14,000 Number of loss = 2,000 Beginning finished goods inventory = 0 a- Expenses was for the year; Cost of each unit = $ 300,000/75,000= $ 4 per unit Expenses (Not sold units) = 14,000 * 4 = $ 56,000 b- Loss was incurred for the year; = 2,000 * 4 = $ 8,000 – Assets to be recorded as finished goods inventory was for the year; = 59,000 * 4 = $ 236,000 Problem # 2 Page 47 Beginning work-in-process $ 5,000 Ending work-in-process $ 6,200 Direct material cost $ 8,900 Direct Labor cost $ 10,000 Factory overhead $ 15,000 Beginning finished goods inventory $ 12,000 Ending finished goods inventory $ 22,000 Sales $ 37,500 Selling and general expenses $ 17,000 a- Cost of goods manufactured = Cost of production + [Difference between Beginning & Ending work-in-process] = [Direct Material Cost + Direct Labor Cost + Factory Overhead Cost]+ [(1,200)] = 8,900 + 10,000 + 15,000 + [( 1,200)] $ 22,700 b- Cost of goods sold = Cost of goods manufactured + [Difference between Beginning & Ending finished goods inventory] = 22,700 + 10,000 = $ 32,700 Problem # 4 Page 48 Sales $ 945,000 Beginning work-in-process $ 75,000 Ending work-in-process $ 60,000 Beginning finished goods inventory $ 35,000 Ending finished goods inventory $ 54,000 Direct material cost $ 176,000 Direct Labor cost $ 250,000 Factory overhead $ 237,500 Selling Expenses $ 55,000 General and admin. expenses $ 117,000 a- Cost of goods manufactured Cost of production + [Difference between Beginning & Ending work-in-process] = [Direct Material Cost + Direct Labor Cost + Factory Overhead Cost]+ [15,000] = 176,000 + 250,000 + 237,500 + [15,000] = $ 678,500 b- Cost of goods sold = Cost of goods manufactured + [Difference between Beginning & Ending finished goods inventory] = 678,500 + [(19,000)] = $ 659,500 c- Net Income or Loss = Sales – Cost of goods sold – Selling expenses – General an d admin. expenses = 945,000 – 659,500 – 55,000 – 117,000 = $ 113,500 Net Income

Who I Am as a Teenager

Who am I? This uncertainty has to be one of the most common to go through a teenager’s brain. As a regular teenager, I make mistakes, laugh, cry, smile and love. Every experience in my life good or bad, happy or sad makes me stronger. Each step in my life and each passing moment make me grow into the person I want to be. To understand who I am, I have to talk about things that help to shape my identity like my past, the culture where I come from, the environment where I grow up and my family Our history influences our patriotism and our nationalistic tendencies. As I have been growing up, I notice that my entire background have influenced in who I am. My history helps me to remember where my ancestors came from. By remembering that, I will understand my heritage, more about me, and how I should live my life the best I can. History is not only telling me about how my family’s ancestors lived their lives, but also show me my culture, my tradition, and the way that I think. The family history of everybody marks their past, their present, and their future, because the consequences of the actions remain in time. Our culture influences, to an extent, everything in our lives, from how we are schooled, the morals we are taught and other influences on our lives such as sports we play, foods we eat, clothes we wear, music we listen to and how we feel. All these examples represent my culture. It makes me different and identifies me with my birthplace, and I feel important in this world because of these differences. I was born in a small city in Vietnam, and I did not have any brother or sister. As the only child in my family, I grew up in a very loving, caring and educating family environment. However, grew up in that type of sheltered environment prevented me from seeing the outside world. My only friends were my toys, so when I started pre-school, it was really different for me because there were a lot more kids than I was used to seeing. Since I did not know anyone, I didn’t talk very much. As I grew older and moved through school, I began to have more friends than I did back in pre-school. I was starting to talk more and be more active. I realized that the environment where I grew up had influenced who I am as a person. All this parts of my background make the person that I am. Another aspect of who I am is the hobbies that I enjoy doing. I like to listen to any kind of music except rock and rap. I enjoy playing sports such as soccer, basketball and football with my friends. I also enjoy off-road adventures, and playing with my two three-year old nephews. Another one of my hobbies is reading books especially medical books because I want to be a doctor like my parents. My family is probably the largest reason that makes me who I am today because it decides my personality, bias and character flaws. My dad and my mom are both dentists and although they are busy with their job, they always spend most of the time to take care of me. Being a working housewife, my mom tries very hard to be a good homemaker. She is an adventurous cook, and she is good. Unlike many of my dad’s contemporizes, he is a picture of health and vitality. I admire his dedication to his patients and work. Although my father is a strict disciplinarian, he can be jovial and caring at the same time. When I was sick, my parents would take off work and spend the whole day to pampering me back to health. My dad used to tell me that â€Å"as a human being, everybody made mistakes. Some people would deny to facing it but the smart people would have the courtesy to learn from them and not made them twice. † He also taught me how to be strong. He told me to except things as they happened and moved on. If I spent all day thinking about it, I could miss the things that made me happy. Not only did they teach me good moral values, but they also provided me with examples of good behavior and how to support my family. I was taught that my most important goal in life was to have a good education. My parents used to say that someday they would not be with me anymore, and if I wanted to have an economic independence, I had to have a good education. Then I started to think about that, and I decided to study abroad in America. I knew more friends and got more independent. Through that experience, I had a chance to experience both traditional Vietnamese culture and innovation American culture. I learned how to use my Asian background as a beneficial tool and to see myself as a unique person rather than as a vagrant. I was able to know and learn about each person and their culture; my personality changed from introverted to sociable. Henry Ford once said, â€Å"Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. † Each one of us is unique in the way that we interpret the influences on us and decide whether or not to accept these outside interventions in our self-molding. My history, my culture and my family’s environment are the most important parts of my life. They are things that help to shape who I am. I love being me and the person that I am. I am not perfect, and don’t try to be. I go through life with an open mind and take things in as they happen. I am me and that all I can be.

Allusion in Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare uses allusion in the play Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the themes of young love and youth being impetuous. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses allusion to reinforce these themes by putting in myths that have tragic ends much like the end of the play. One myth that Shakespeare uses in the play many times is Cupid and Psyche. Cupid is the Roman god of love. The myth of Cupid is that there was a king that had three daughters and each of them was beautiful but not as much of the youngest Psyche.She was so beautiful that she left the altars of Venus, Cupid’s mother, deserted. Venus then sent out Cupid to punish Psyche for distracting all the men from her and make her fall in love with a hideous man. Instead, when Cupid sees Psyche he shoots himself with the arrow and falls in love with her. Psyche is never allowed to see Cupid but they marry. One day her sisters told Psyche that Cupid was actually a serpent and tells her to sneak a look. When she does this she realize s that Cupid is actually beautiful and Cupid leaves and says he will never see her again.After this Psyche begs for Venus to let her see Cupid again and Venus makes her do almost impossible tasks but succeeds them. After this Cupid asks Zeus to give her immortality so she will not distract mortal men from Venus. The mythical reference of Cupid and psyche refers to love at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. Cupid has the power to make anyone hit with his arrow to love the next person they see. Romeo and Juliet feel that they were both pierced by Cupid’s arrow when they met. This allusion refers to the theme, love at first sight.This theme is seen in the book as a very powerful theme because over the course of a week Romeo and Juliet create an immense love for each other that cannot be matched. That is how this allusion drives the theme of the play. Another myth that Shakespeare uses in the play is that of Phoebus and Phaeton. The myth of Phoebus and Phaeton is that a young boy who was the son of Phoebus thought he could do anything and was very impatient. One day the children at his school made fun of him and told him he couldn’t do everything.He went home to his mother and asked if he could do everything and she said yes because he was the son of the sun god Phoebus. She then told Phaeton to go ask Phoebus if he could do everything. He went to him and asked if he could do everything. Phoebus then promised him to let him do anything he wanted to try. Phaeton said he wanted to drive the chariot of the sun for one day. Phoebus then tries to get Phaeton to try something else but he refuses. He then goes on to say he will drive the chariot.Immediately after getting into the chariot Phaeton loses control of the horses because they knew it was not their master and did what they pleased. After a while of the horses wreaking havoc on the earth, Zeus struck down Phaeton and killed him and the horses immediately stopped. The allusion to Phaeton and Phoeb us helps drive the theme that youth is impetuous. The reason why this allusion supports one of the themes of the book is because in the play Romeo and Juliet both never thought about what they were about to go through with and how it might affect their lives.In the myth Phaeton never realizes that his father may be right in not letting him ride the chariot because it is extremely dangerous to someone with no experience. All of the characters in the story that were impetuous had early demises because of there impulsivity and having no regard of the repercussions of what may happen to them. Impetuousness also led to the demise of Tybalt and Mercutio in the play by them not thinking of the dangers if they fought. Those are the reasons why the allusion drives the theme of the play.Another allusion that Shakespeare uses in the play is the myth of Echo and Narcissus. The myth of Echo is that she is a nymph who loves to talk and is always talking and always has to get the last word in. One day Hera casts a spell on her so that she can only get the last word and says exactly what the person said and can never be the first. In one myth Echo meets Narcissus whom she falls in love with at first sight. Narcissus has a spell on him in which he cannot love anyone but himself. Echo tries to make contact with him but only annoys him because she repeats everything he says.When one of the nymphs prays to the avenging goddess to let Narcissus feel what it’s like to have affection but not have it returned. When he goes to drink water he sees his reflection and never leaves it because it is too beautiful. After gazing at it for a long time he dies. After he dies Echo goes into a cave until she dies. The allusion to Echo and Narcissus drive the theme of love at first sight. The reason why that theme is supported by the myth is because as soon as Echo saw Narcissus she loved him. If Narcissus wasn’t so in love with himself he may have loved her back.But in the end Echo and Narcissus both died for a love that wouldn’t happen and was cursed from the start. In Romeo and Juliet this is seen because Romeo and Juliet both loved each other but there love was forsaken because of there different families and flaws in there personalities. Juliet also says that if Romeo does not want to have her love then she will go into a cave and die there as Echo did. Another allusion that Shakespeare uses in the play is the one of Aurora, the goddess of dawn. The myth of Aurora is that she falls in love with the son of the king of Troy.She asks Zeus to grant him physical immortality in which he would live forever but he would still age. After he had lived far passed that of a normal mortal should have he lost the power to use his limbs. After he became extremely weak Aurora turned him into a grasshopper. The myth of Aurora helps drive the theme of love at first sight because she fell in love with Tithonus and always loved him even when he was a grasshopper and a n old man. In the play Romeo did not get out of bed because Rosaline had rejected him and he didn’t want to leave his room and he tried to create night in the daytime because he was depressed.After he met Juliet Romeo became extremely happy and this shows the theme of youth being impetuous also because he got over Rosaline so quickly. That is how the allusion helps drive the themes from the book. Once last allusion that Shakespeare in the play is the myth of Hermes. The myth of Hermes is about a messenger who was born by Jupiter and a mortal woman. He goes on to steal cattle from the sun god Apollo very sneakily. Apollo tells Zeus about this and then Hermes has to give them back. Apollo later goes on to forgive him and Hermes makes a lyre for him.After he grows up he is assigned to lead dead souls into the underworld. He was also promoted to watch Apollo’s herds when he was younger. This allusion supports the theme youth is impetuous because in the play to show that Ro meo wants to get the message to Juliet fast that he wants her love. Hermes the winged messenger could do it and get the message to Juliet faster than anyone. Romeo also uses it as a way to show that Hermes is delivering a message to him from heaven that he should be with Juliet. Those are the allusions that help drive the theme of the play.

Taxation - Assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Taxation - 2 - Assignment Example Correspondence audits usually entail a single issue such as dependent exemptions. Regardless of the three types of audit, IRS tax examiners make decisions as to whether to commend changes to the reported tax or to the audited tax issues. After the tax examiner recommends a change, the taxpayer has the right to appeal or agree with their tax change. The outcome of the taxpayer appeal determines whether the auditor’s recommendations may or may not be collected or assessed. The law states that an assessment of tax must be made within three years from the date the tax return was filed. However, there are circumstances under which this rule does not apply. i) If a taxpayer omits more than 25% of their gross income from their tax returns documentation. From a government point of view, an audit seeks to verify and ascertain the details on taxpayers’ return documentation. This would ensure that every individual is accountable for their tax obligations to the government. Persons at high risks of audits include households and individuals who list their deductions, especially if the deductions in specific categories such as charity or medical expenses are more significant than average. Another group of individuals at a higher risk of audit is professionals who run businesses such as doctors, and lawyers. These professionals often run their businesses on their own and are in charge of accounting functions of the business activities. As such, they are at high risk of IRS audits. b) This would be tax avoidance. Mr. P is considering the time period variable to reduce the burden of tax. It makes good business sense to for MR. P to record the sale of the asset in the previous year where the tax rate is less by

The determinants of the crises upon the technology firms in turkey Essay

The determinants of the crises upon the technology firms in turkey - Essay Example The business cycle or economic cycle refers to the ups and downs seen somewhat simultaneously in most parts of an economy. The cycle involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid growth of output (recovery and prosperity), alternating with periods of relative stagnation or decline (contraction or recession). These fluctuations are often measured using the real gross domestic product. To call those alternances "cycles" is rather misleading as they don't tend to repeat at fairly regular time intervals. Most observers find that their lengths (from peak to peak, or from trough to trough) vary, so that cycles are not mechanical in their regularity. Since no two cycles are alike in their details, some economists dispute the existence of cycles and use the word "fluctuations" (or the like) instead. Others see enough similarities between cycles that the cycle is a valid basis of studying the state of the economy. A key question is whether or not there are similar mechanisms that generate recessions and/or booms that exist in capitalist economies so that the dynamics that appear as a cycle will be seen again and again. Now let us closely observe the main types of business cycles enumerated by Joseph Schumpeter and others in this field have been named after their discoverers or proposers: 1. The Kitchin inventory cycle (3-5 years) -- after Joseph Kitchin. 2. The Juglar fixed investment cycle (7-11 years) -- after Clement Juglar. 3. The Kuznets infrastructural investment cycle (15-25 years) -- after Simon Kuznets, Nobel Laureate. 4. The Kondratiev wave or cycle (45-60 years) -- after Nikolai Kondratiev. Edward R Dewey, who formed The Foundation for the Study of Cycles, studied cycles in everything -- including economic data.... The paper tells that in the Juglar cycle, which is sometimes called "the" business cycle and is the main focus of this entry, recovery, and prosperity are associated with increases in productivity, consumer confidence, aggregate demand, and prices. In the cycles before World War II or that of the late 1990s in the United States, the growth periods usually ended with the failure of speculative investments built on a bubble of confidence that bursts or deflates. In these cycles, the periods of contraction and stagnation reflect a purging of unsuccessful enterprises as resources are transferred by market forces from less productive uses to more productive uses. Cycles between 1945 and the 1990s in the United States were generally more restrained and followed political factors, such as fiscal policy and monetary policy. Automatic stabilization due the government's budget helped moderate the cycle even without conscious action by policy-makers. Because the periods of stagnation are painfu l for many who lose their jobs, pressure arises for politicians to try to smooth out the oscillations. An important goal of all Western nations since the Great Depression has been to limit the dips, and until 2001 or so, a comparable period of economic malaise was avoided. Government intervention in the economy can be risky, however. For instance, some of Herbert Hoover's efforts (including tax increases) are wide, though not universally, believed to have deepened the depression. This was perhaps because his ideas were uninformed by Keynesian economics.