Claudia – Cause & Effect

What are the main factors that threaten the brazilian’ savings?

Earn money is not an easy task. Manage it well and make it multiply over the years is still more complicated. According Mauro Halfeld, professor and financial consultant, the main factors that reducing the possibilities of savings are: spend more that you earn, the need to be constantly buying the expensive nature of the consumer society and the fear of investing.

Not spend more that you earn is already the first step to start savings, because you avoid paying one account more – the account of high interest rates, whether the overdraft, credit card or loan. Second, Halfeld shows us that we can spend less money making better options by changing our diary choices. Have you ever thought about reduce your expenses by choosing a low cost restaurant, hotel, trip, mobile and so one? You should prefer a new hotel than a well know and established one, for instance. Probably this new hotel could offer better prices because, yet, they don’t have enough guests. Therefore, you should try it and hope to see, at the end of the month, your bills become thinner.

Most of people don’t be aware about their truly needs and follow the consumer society buying goods that they, in fact, don’t need it. The advertisement tell us, all the time, that we deserve all kind of comfort or if we would buy deter products we will be smarter, more successful and beautiful. That’s why people like my neighborhood Vinícius, spend his hole salarie to buy a new car every year and it doesn’t matter how much it will be coast. The car is a great villain in the finances of a family. It’s correct to looking for safety, comfort and durability when people buying a new car, however, we should be careful to not fall down into the trap of advertising that seek to make us believe that our goods are an extension of our personality.

The third reason pointed is the fear the Brazilians feel to invest. In the past, Brazilians faced a hyperinflation, in which people just bought food and others basically items for their immediate subsistence. Besides this, there are lacks of personal financial education and accessible economics information that makes people to invest in a confident way. According the Halfeld’s last book, the fear of investing involves emotions as the fear of regret; have to sell stocks for a lower price than it cost and the overconfidence in some kind of successful investments in the past, such as real state, which make people more conservative and not diversify the investments portfolio. Therefore, just the positive and trustful economic brazilian scenario would change, little by little, the face of the new brazilian’s investors.

According all above mentioned, those are the main factors that threaten the brazilian’ savings and in the middle of so many risks, we wish that people may know what are the risks that actually worth.

Claudia – Cause and Effect – First Draft

What are the main factors that threaten the brazilian savings?

According Mauro Halfeld, professor and financial consultant, the main factors that reducing the possibilities of saving is the need to be constantly bying the expensive nature of their purchases of the consumer society, the fear of investiment and the expenses with the leisure time.

Claudia – Midterm Correction

Call the Major

What about the traffic in a big city?  Do you believe it could be possible to find easy solution for so many kind of troubles that a big city has involved? In a city like São Paulo, for instance,where lack alternatives in terms of public transportation and sustainable plans to development roads and high ways, and also, the number of vehicles increases more and more, what we are supposed to think about? In my opinion, I wouln’t be the major of the city.

The first point that I would stress is the absence of a plan to enlarger the highway “Tietê’s Marginal” ends with a great division of the public opinion; some defend this new project to develop more three lanes in each side of highway and on the other hand, people believe that this not a sustainable project for the environment.

Moreover, there are few alternatives of public transportation and the subway lines don’t cover the main areas of the city. Nowadays, the subway covers part of the east and north side. The south area is poorly covered.

As a consequence, the number of vehicles in the city is increasing a lot,  specially when the citzens are motivated to purchase a new car, as the corrent police from the governor incentives, with  the reduction of IPI taxes, for instance.

Therefore, after all the reasons above, I strongly believe that is quite impossible to find a simple solution for all this troubles that the traffic in a big cities is involving.

In my opinion, a joined efforts between the public power and the public opinion would promote some discussions to debate this great problem.  Afterwords were’s the major of São Paulo?

Claudia – Second Essay

Should the authorities banish the traffic of motorcycle in some of avenues and highways in São Paulo?  The number of accidents involving motorcyclists in São Paulo has increased a lot in the last six months. As opposed of the ideas which affirm that the use of motorcycle as alternative to reduce the traffic and make quite better the quality of life from people that lives in the city, the numbers of CET are alarming.

The motorcyclists are responsible for most than 60% of accidents that happens in whole city. Every morning CET registers, at least, five cases of motorcycle accidents. 99% of the cases occurs at the marginal and at May, 23th   Avenue, bringing to the traffic a chaotic situation.   The reasons of the accidents, according CET recently research, are focused in three points; the motorcyclists are not ready to drive, lacks of an effective control of the drivers by the authorities and lacks of a specific banner for motorcycle in which they would drive in a safety way.

 According the Brazilian Motorcycle Association, 80% of motorcyclists are in a great danger. Actually, they are not able to drive because they don’t renew its licenses and not up to date its knowledge by doing a course of defensive direction. Rafael Mendes, the president of this association tells us there is two kind of drivers – the professional drivers whom rarely are involved in accidents and the second group compound by people who just drive and are used to disrespect the rules and the others.

 Moreover, there is not an effective control of the motorcyclists. Every people can drive a motorcycle. For instance of what I am saying, there is the history of John Furtado, a waiter who worked to me at the Grand Mercure Hotel. Two years ago, he lost his job and started to work informally as a motoboy, without have had a single motorcycle driver license in his life.

 Finally, there isn’t a specific path of motorcycle in the avenues and highways. The motorcyclists used to drive between the cars, most of time in a high speed. In some avenues the major of SP enlarges the banners but it has been enough to solve the problem and guarantee that they would drive safety between the cars.     

 Therefore, in the light of the above mentioned, the free traffic of the motorcycles in the highways in São Paulo should be much more controlled or even prohibited in some avenues and highways. Authorities must not deny the urgency of the problem and should establish the rules to find a feasible solution for the motorcycle traffic.

Claudia – Writting #1

Growing up

In 2007 I had settled completely down in my profession. I had been working at a French hotel chain for five years as sales manager and I thought I was part of the team and that my job definitely made all the difference to the corporation’s results.

 Since I was approved for this position, I had been quite successful. I still remember my first challenge of improving the relationship between the hotel managers and the corporative central team. It was not easy, but I did it. Months later, we were working together in a specific project of sales.

 I have always seen myself as a very committed individual, devoting all my efforts in reaching the targets of company. My attitude and skills made me think that I was a respectable professional. I will never forget the admission’s interview with my first boss, where I was considered a fighter, a feature the company was looking for.

 However, I was completely wrong. Out of the blue, my boss told me the company was streamlining and that they didn’t need a person with a lot of experience, to whom they would need to pay high salaries and benefits. Therefore, they did not need me anymore.

 I couldn’t believe my ears. I had poured years of my life on that job. I felt as if I had been sleeping with enemy all along. I used to admire the company because of its values and beliefs, especially their career plan and the importance the company used to put on the employees. I have lost the number of the courses that the company let me take. In addition, I trusted in my work and my team and I would never expect to be fired in that moment.

 Fortunately, in less than two weeks, I got a new job at another hotel chain. The memory of this sad experience has allowed me to get more than just a new job. I was able to find a new profession that not only makes me happy but also provides me with the stability I am looking for.

Since 2007 my feelings have changed.  Although I am still working in the tourism area, I started to study and I found a new career, where all my experience and abilities may be employed in a much more stable scenario. In other words, the whole experience was definitely worth it.

Claudia – Writing #1

“ Involuntaries’ changes that make you grow up” 

In 2007 I was completely settle down and relax concerning my profession. I had been working at a French hotel chain for five years as sales manager and I thought I was part of the team and that my job definitely made all the difference to the corporation’s results.

 Since I had been approved for this position I had conquest many victories. I still remember that my first challenge was to make better the relationship between hotel’s managers and the corporative central team of the group. And I did it!

 My way of working always committed, and my devotion to hit the targets of company are examples of my skills and made me think that I was a good professional. I will never forget the admission’s interview with my first boss. He said to me: “- Claudia, you are a fighter and that is exactly what we are looking for!

 However, I was completely wrong. All of a sudden I was out of the blue. My boss told me that they were streamlining and that they didn’t need more a person with a high experience and consequently, a person who they must to pay high salaries and benefits. Therefore, they needed me anymore.

 I couldn’t believe in what I was hearing. I had put many years of my life on that. I felt as if, all the time, I was sleeping with enemy. I was totally disappointed. I use to admired the company because of its values and because I believed in the path that we were followed. Some of these beliefs framed the importance to develop the employees’ careers. (I lost the number of the courses that I did).   In addition, I trusted in my work and my team and I never could expect to be fired in that moment.

 Fortunately, in less than two weeks, I got a new job in other hotel chain, but this wasn’t enough for me. The memory of this sad experience allowed me to make more than just getting a new job. I had to find a new profession that not only makes me happy but also will not lack of stability.

Since 2007 many things have changed.  Even I still working on tourism area, I restarted to study and I found my way in a new career, which all my experiences and abilities may be employed in a scenario much more stable. Do you want to know what it is? Sorry, just when I get there. I hope it will be soon.