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On the 1st of March 2005, my summer term started with Business English 2. I teamed up with two nice girls, we will talk about Financial Management on the 10th of May 2005.

Our Team: BiancaBellora, KathrinSchoenfelder and ReneKiesler.

2005-03-01: Lecture Administration

Basically, Business English 2 is an intense reading exam. This is easy for some and hard for others. Anyway, just in time sometimes is not in time.

Business English 2 is -- similar to Business English 1 -- a mixture of business and country information. We will also repeat the government and election procedures, like in Business English 1.

There are 25 people and 8 topics. So most groups consist of 3 people, some of 4.

• English2Topics and administrative notes

2005-03-08: Electoral Systems

Today, we heard about the british and the american electoral system.

This is important for the test!

Sophies idea to do a little quizz at the end of her presentation was very refreshing. Funnily, today one of the presentators was missing.

• ElectoralSystemUK
• ElectoralSystemUS

The sad thing about todays lecture of course was something different: Bianca left the team! There is an overlapping of the english course and another course, so she had to switch to another english 2 lecture.

But we will not have to talk about financial management only in a team of two. No, today a different girl joined our team as well.

2005-03-15: Social Wellfare

Next time, we will hear about the social wellfare systems of UK and US. The concept "Krankenkassa", which has been introduced by some Monarch a while ago to take away the workers arguments pro social democrats, is actually something Germany had earlier than Austria.

Social Security

Note: the presentators talked pretty fast, I had a hard time writing everything down.

potential questions

"What do the terms mean"?
"What does social security mean"?

Aspect of this life in US / UK

• SocialSecurityUK
• SocialSecurityUS

Austria

Notes from Mr. Gauster-Filek. Austria has universal health insurance called Krankenkassa. It is mandatory / required. But what are the benefits compared to private / personal health insurances?

Who is covered? Everyone who works or is retired after working. But students over age are not covered by parents.

In UK, everyone is covered. Even tourists!

Private insurance is based on age.

Btw. Swizzerland doesn't have universal health insurance either.

Advantages It's affordable, there are few people who are uninsured. Almost 100 percent are covered.

The problem: Our society is getting older, we spend more on health insurance.

The WGKK has a big deficit, the government workers (BVA) have a small profit. Everyone pays the same, whether healthy or not.

Not covered: Tourists, asylum seekers

Disadvantages private health, cost based on certain criterias / factors (age and health) most health insurances will exclude pre-existing conditions.

Diabetes: one of the worst health problems imaginable.

National: Big pool, everyone takes out and put in, cost stable

Private: Profit oriented, cost going up

What helps in Austria

• public housing: elderly in need go there
• public nursing home: you need attention (medical care, ...)

Mid Term

- language related work
- grammar
- composition (general writing, writing in connection, with the reading)
- readings

Last modified 2005-03-31 20:15 by rck