Virtuality vs. Reality

Your Name Eng. 111-01 Teachers Name Virtuality Vs. Reality Computers have become one of the most sought-after devices to date. One reason perhaps is the overwhelming popularity of the internet. Seems as if no one is immune to using the internet and even some restaurants offer free wi-fi for their patrons. There is virtually nothing that can't be done on the internet.Because of its popularity, everyday millions of people log on the internet either for online shopping, socializing, or researching. Going to malls and department stores may soon be a past activity for the busy person due to the popularity of shopping on the internet. People may chose shopping online because it is very convenient, cheap, and variety is offered right at a person's finger tips. First of all, the convenience of shopping online is very time saving, and it eliminates the need to drive around to several different stores searching for that perfect gift.For example, a person can shop right at home using a smartph one, a laptop, or an Ipad in the convenience of her own bed. In addition to being convenient, online shopping can be money saving. Searching for deals online can save an individual a lot of money. Besides finding deals on the internet; moreover, staying home, and purchasing online can also save tremendously on gas expenses. While saving money is a good asset of shopping online, included in shopping online is the wide selections of websites to chose from.Depending on what a person is looking there is always something unique that can be found shopping online. Since there are so many stores available right in the palm of one's hand, why would anyone want to leave home? In brief, if one makes up her mind to stay home and do online shopping, she would not only be saving time and money but can also have the world wide web of shopping readily available at her finger tips. Having considered shopping online to being popular for the busy person, it is also reasonable to look at socializing th rough the internet as a preferred way that most timid people communicate.One example of social communicating online is the constant use of Facebook. People from all walks of life, from different ages, different nationalities, and social classes sign on to Facebook everyday to keep up with the statuses of their Facebook friends, comment on their statuses, or to simply see how their friends are doing. An individual can also use Facebook to stay in contact with far away family members, to search for missing family members, to communicate with old classmates, or to play online games with their Facebook acquaintances.In addition to connecting with people on Facebook, there are several online gaming websites that cater to a more eccentric way of socializing. For instance, a game called, â€Å"World of Warcraft† is a widely played game where one can socialize with another individual through in-game chat messaging. In this online gaming world, individuals can communicate with one ano ther, help each other complete missions, and conquer the game. Online gaming is also an easier way of conversing for a person who is intimidated by meeting new people in real-life.Finally, a person can meet new people through online dating more simply than meeting them in person. Online dating would eliminate the nervousness one feels in real-life and would give way to a more relaxed person. Not only will an individual be more comfortable, but online dating would allow her to be more herself. Individuals who engage in online dating can socialize through messaging, email, the dating website, or cell phones. There are several different ways using the internet can bring people together whether it be Facebook, online gaming, or online dating.Thirdly, conducting research online is another important feature of the internet and adds to its popularity. For example, a student has a project due at school and instead of spending hours looking in a library,the student, on the other hand, can go right to a computer and find all the information he needs to complete his project. Not only can a student find research material for his school project, but can also find ideas for craft projects. Searching online can be very helpful when it comes to â€Å"do-it-yourself† projects.Mothers can go online to research craft ideas she and her child can do together as family time. Moreover, mothers can not only find â€Å"do-it-yourself† projects, but can use the internet for researching recipes. There are thousands and thousands of databases full of recipes. From easy thirty minutes meals, to crockpot cookers, and baked goods, characteristics of these recipes can be found on several different websites. For instance, if an individual wants to find a recipe for banana read, all that one would need to do is to go online and Google banana bread recipes. In conclusion, with people using the computer every day, it is no wonder that the internet has become so popular. Because an individual can shop, socialize, and research areas of interest on the computer, society has become dependent on the internet. The ultimate question is have we as a society become more comfortable with machine than to come face to face with man.

Advantage of internet in doing business

Convenience Reduced or no face to face contact with the customer. The business schedules time for customer response rather than being at the demand of the customer , as In telephone or face-to-face contact Business can attend to their customers at any time, not just during normal trading hours Vela social network, business can not only communicate with customers quickly but also retrieve customers' feedback Immediately and directly. SavingsNo shop rent If business Is only conducted on the Internet May need less staff and enables to hire excellent workers from all over the world for various tasks, such as: translating Job, business writing or seeding, code writing for website. Having a website Is a constant form of advertising to the public as It means information is available about services, products, business, promotions, contact detail, etc Business does not need to transport goods from ware house to shop, but an send them directly to the customers from the warehouse.Save marketing cost: traditional mass marketers have to send out thousands of postal mails to customers in order to introduce new products or services. Owing to internet, namely electronic mail (email) business saves such big amount of cost for postal expense and email printing cost. Speed Orders can be sent immediately, and transactions can be settled online. Funds are electronically transferred from the customers' account to the business after authorization.The transaction date is collected in electronic form and entered into an accounting package. Via social network, business can not only communicate with customers quickly but also retrieve customers' feedback immediately and directly instead of positively waiting for customers' comments via phone or complaint letter. Quickly reach target customers and study characteristic of target markets

Deconstruction Final

Leadership's contingency theory focuses on the importance of a leader related to heir situation, (Morehouse 2010, p. 123); transformational theory focuses on a process that changes and transforms people, (Morehouse 2010, p. 200); and authentic leadership focuses on leadership being morally grounded and responsive to needs, (Morehouse 2010, p. 237). Aristotle Rhetoric discusses how a leader must be able to observe and discern what persuasion might be effective using deferent internal arguments. Aristotle defines pathos as emotions of the listener, ethos as character of the speaker and logos as logic or reason.Leaders must master rhetoric skills In both written and verbal communications to succeed. Immunization that strikes a positive chord with the listener Is Important in order to guide a team to achieve a goal. Each leader in 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society had a clear goal and understood how to drive their group that goal. 12 Angry Men is in a sass's courtroom, where 12 men fro m various backgrounds and different personalities, find themselves deciding the fate of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father.The vote must be unanimous and without doubt, with a guilty verdict resulting in the death of the young man facing trial. Dead Poets Society Is In a 1 puffs all male boarding school, (Walton Academy), which prides Itself on excellence, tradition, honor, and discipline. Walton Is rolled In Its' educational methods and Is not open to today's ‘talking outside the box' mentality. John Keating is a new poetry professor and a Walton alumnae, who wants to Inspire Nils young men to KICK at ten world Transiently, to â€Å"suck ten marrow out AT life†, (Oxford University Press USA, 2011), and find their own place in the world.With 12 Angry Men, Juror #8, (Fond), was not the assigned Jury leader but emerged as the primary leader within minutes of the group sequester. Fond's situation allowed his leadership traits to apply with success. Fond's leader ship was due to his ethical need for a Jury decision without reasonable doubt. Fond is authentic when presenting his reasoning for the not guilty vote. After casting the single not guilty vote, Fond used inductive reasoning to ask questions that triggered a battery of emotional and logical discussions ensuing internally and externally with each man.Fond appealed to each of the 11 other Jurors by asking probing questions and his first being â€Å"l Just want to talk†¦. Let's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first† (Lumen, 1957). This inductive statement is also an appeal to emotions of others, asking them to engage before making such a pivotal life decision. Fond was using pathos or emotions to persuade. This results in the group allowing a one-hour deliberation before taking a second vote. Fond requested the second vote be secret ballot, showing his supportive skill, to allow those not quite comfortable to vote their conscience .Juror #9, (Sweeney), is the first to change his vote to not guilty, basing it solely upon Fond's single stand signifying character the eldest of the group. Fond was using ethos or hereafter to persuade. After Sweeney's not guilty vote, Fond continues his appeal using logical arguments, presented in a manner that promote respect of others, statements as â€Å"suppose that†¦. † And â€Å"is it possible. Fond is appealing to those quieter, possibly of lower social status and unsure to voice their thoughts.Fond's rhetoric of emotion, character, and logic appeals to each Juror in differently and draws them into to his goal of discussing the trial and ensuring their decision is without doubt. Fond begins to gain their respect and supportive input into the discussions. Juror #5, (Clunking), relates to the accused as he grew up in similar situation and once he moved to reasonable doubt, assists in logically arguments with how a switchblade knife is used. Clunking physically ac ts out how a person would use a switchblade. Fond transforms other Jurors into leaders and supporters of reasonable doubt argument.Fond questions the fact that the knife used to kill the father is unique, he wonders if there could be other similar knives to the group. The knife that killed the father is brought to the Jurors and as the group discuss its' uniqueness. Fond resents a second knife identical to the knife of evidence. This one act of logic presents reasonable doubt. Another example of logical argument is the eyeglass marks on the female witnesses' nose. The female witness identifies the young man at night as the murderer; noise awoke her and she saw the young man from her window. The female witness had nose marks but no glasses during the trial.Fond asks Juror #4, (Marshall), who wears eyeglasses if anything else besides glasses could make nose marks like found on the female witness. Marshall says no. As Fond gathers support, en moves Trot Inactive to actively reasoning W alt social arguments, presents more passion and his own thoughts causing reasonable doubt. An example of his passion is specific to El train argument. Fond goes to great lengths on asking if someone is able to hear other noises over the El Train, if there was enough time for the elderly male witness to make it from his bed to the door while the El Train passed.Fond counts off the length the elderly male witness would have to walk from his bedroom to the apartment door, would the old man be able to make the distance in the time of the El train passing. This is an appeal to logic and contradicting to the witnesses' statement. Fond exhibits contingency theory aspects, maneuvering through the discussions with the other Jurors, due to his position of power because of logical arguments. Fond rewards or punishes Jurors based on their level of support with his attention level.Fond accepted a cough drop from Juror #2, (Fiddler), but refused gum from juror #7, (Warden); offered water to Sween ey but not to Juror #10, (Begley). 12 Angry Men is biased in presentation, (I. E. All white male Jury, Puerco Rican/ minority accused, effectiveness of America's Judicial system, Juror personal biases), and within some of Fond's arguments, (I. . Ignoring some aspects of discussions). Each Juror also brought some personal bias to the story: Juror #g's (Cob) intolerance of most anything or Juror #ass's, (Begley), racists aspect of us/them mentality.Fond's character bias appears through ignoring of topics he did not agree with or did not help his reasonable doubt argument, (ignoring the thought of sunglasses also causing nose marks the same as eyeglasses). With Dead Poets Society John Keating was a leader due to his situation of being a Walton Academy professor. At the same time, his leadership is contingent upon the needs of his ‘key students. Todd is new to Walton but is following in his older brother's valedictorian status, which causes self-doubt. Neil desires control over hi s own life but his father is dismissive and overbearing.Charlie is the most outspoken of the group but desires more freedom. Knox is painfully shy. Keating starts his first class off extraordinary; challenging students to think for themselves, be daring, communicating they are powerful men who have a wonderful life to live. Settings first class is interactive and passionate; he is interested in the boys and their thoughts. Keating presents poetry in a different light; it is what ascribes humans. Keating challenges the boys to live life to the fullest by showing them past alumnae pictures and stating, â€Å"They're not that different from you, are they?Same haircuts. Full of hormones, Just like you. Invincible, Just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, Just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, Just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? † (Hok iest Dead Poets Society, 2011). This question alone invokes emotion and logic, which are woo of Aristotle internal arguments, (pathos, and logos). He is appealing to their youth to KICK toward transformation of all. ten Torture.I Nils Deigns ten teacher-student connection Ana Keating is interesting to the boys. The boys find Seating's old yearbook where he has Dead Poets Society, (DIPS), as an activity, which prompts them to ask about it. Keating tells the boys is it a secret club where boys meet in a nearby cave to read poetry, discover life and become true to themselves. Neil decides that the group should start DIPS up again, find their own place in the world, allowing poetry to inspire. The boys initiate a new DIPS, with Todd Joining as long as he does not have to read poetry aloud.Keating is using inspired motivation to enable his students to grow and expand their minds beyond the rigid Walton walls. DIPS is a method allowing the boys to challenge their own beliefs and be creati ve, which is intellectual stimulation. DIPS meetings ensue in a nearby cave at night where the groups of boys begin to read poetry, share their thoughts and dreams, discuss subjects, allow rebellious behavior, and bond. This is a step in team building, support, and starting to lead heir own lives. The boys are building trust, collaboration, and are transforming into leaders of themselves.As the movie progresses, Keating gains more stamina and enthusiasm because of the boys' responses. Keating uses unorthodox yet inspiring ways of pushing the boys to self-awareness and thinking for themselves. Keating presents how individuals in a group conform without awareness by having the boys march as a group, at first discordant, but soon in unison. Keating berates Todd to create a poem off the cuff in front of the class and Todd succeeds. Keating expresses his pride with Toddy's success: â€Å"Don't you forget this†, (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011).Keating has each stud ent stand on his desks to see the room from a different perspective. All these acts touch on transformational leadership points: idealized influence, motivation, or intellectual stimulation. The students themselves continue to transform, becoming more like independent and freethinking. Neil auditions for a play and secures a part knowing it will displease his father. Knox is interested in a girl named Chris, who has a popular football player boyfriend. Nook's vision of dating Chris is clear and as he finds self- inference secures a date with Chris.The group is supportive of each other via various examples: Neil tossing Toddy's duplicate birthday gift from his parents into the wind, the boys attending Nil's play, and the boys supporting Knox in his quest for Chris. The boys are cohesive. Seating's inspiring direction in the hands of young men is unregulated and without the tempering of experience. The boys do not understand where to draw the line in the quest for becoming individuals . Charlie sends a letter from â€Å"DIPS† to Welter's administration requesting acceptance of women. Welter's administration is splashed and demands the culprit for punishment.Charlie admits guilt, does not supply DIPS memoir names, Ana receives punishment. Keating attempts to point out expression must be tempered with logic with â€Å"There is a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for', (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011). Keating suggest Neil tell his father, (Mr.. Perry), how he feels about acting and that he wants to take part in the play. Mr.. Perry disapproves of Neil participating in the play, however, Neil does not tell Keating this. Neil participates in the play. Mr..Perry removes Neil from Walton and tells him he will attend military school and become a doctor. Neil is not self-assured enough or experienced enough to withstand his father's rule and commits suicide. Mr.. Perry blames Keating for his son's death a nd request a school inquiry. The school headmaster, and to a degree the parents, coarse the boys to sign documents stating Keating is the cause of Nil's suicide. Walton Academy dismisses Kitten. The next day the headmaster takes over Settings somber poetry class during which Keating enters to secure his belongings.As Keating is leaving, Todd stands upon his ask exclaiming â€Å"†Oh captain, my captain†, (Weir, 1997). Todd finds his voice, his inner leader and expresses his support and appreciation to Keating with this one act of defiance. In conjunction, Toddy's statement is an emotional and character appeal to the boys to do the same. One by one the boys forever changed by Keating stood on their desks. Dead Poets Society biases appear in presentation and in characters. Walton Academy is a learning institution that is not open to other methods of teaching.It appears the means is more important than the end, which is not true for all educational institutions. The movie d oes not explore fully the impact Keating had on other professors. In a short snip toward the end, Keating sees another professor taking his class outside which alludes to his impact but no farther. Keating bias is realism and idealism, shown by his action of ripping out the first chapter of the poetry class book, which is the realistic method of poetry. Keating is not open to teaching poetry methods. 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society are not only entertainment movies but also lessons in leadership and rhetoric.

Reasons for Free Trade Essay

Free trade can be defined as the situation whereby governments impose no artificial barriers to trade that restrict the free exchange of goods and services between countries with the aim of protecting domestic producers from foreign competitors. The argument for free trade is based on the economic concept of comparative advantage. Comparative advantage is the economic principle that nations should specialize in the areas of production in which they have the lowest opportunity cost and trade with other nations, so as to maximize both nations’ standards of living. FREE TRADE |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Free trade allows countries to obtain goods and services that the |An increase in short term unemployment may occur as some domestic | |cannot produce themselves, or in sufficient quantities to satisfy |businesses may find it hard to compete with imports. However, the short| |domestic demand. |term rise in unemployment should correct itself in the long term, as | | |the domestic economy redirects its resources to areas of production in | | |which it has a comparative advantage. | |Free trade allows countries to specialize in the production of the |Free trade can create barriers that make it more difficult for new | |goods and services in which they are most efficient. This leads to a |businesses and new industries to emerge as they are not protected from | |better allocation of resources and increased production within |larger foreign companies. | |countries, and throughout the world. | | |Free trade encourages the efficient allocation of resources. Resources |A process called ‘dumping’ may occur wherein production surpluses from | |will be used more efficiently because countries are producing the goods|some countries are sold at  unrealistically low prices on the domestic | |in which they have a comparative advantage. |market, pricing efficient domestic industries out of the market and | | |harming them. | |A greater tendency for specialization leads to economies of scale, |Free trade may produce negative externalities i.e. child labor. | |which will lower average costs of production and increase efficiency | | |and productivity even further. |Free trade may encourage environmentally irresponsible production | | |methods because some producers in some nations may produce goods at a | | |lowest cost due to weaker environmental protections and environmentally| | |damaging practices within that nation. | |International competitiveness will improve as domestic businesses face |Allocation of resources will tend to move to the more efficient and | |greater competitive pressures from foreign producers, and governments |competitive producers. | |will encourage domestic industrial efficiency. | | |Free trade encourages innovation and the spread of new technology and | | |production processes throughout the world. | | |The opening up of global markets leads to higher rates of economic | | |growth and increased real incomes. Hence, free trade leads to higher | | |living standards. This is a result of lower prices, increased | | |production of goods and services and increased consumer choice as | | |countries have access to goods that a lack of natural resources may | | |otherwise prevent. | | REASONS FOR PROTECTION Protection refers to government policies that give domestic producers an artificial advantage over foreign competitors. Infant Industries New industries generally face many difficulties and risks in their early years. They usually start out on a small scale, with costs that are proportionately and relatively higher than the more established films competing in the international arena due to economies of scale. Hence, it is argued that these ‘infant industries’ require protection in the short run to enable them to expand their scale and reduce their costs of production so that they may compete with the rest of the world. For this argument to be valid, protection should only be temporary, otherwise there would be no real incentive for industries to reach a certain level of efficiency so that they can compete viably without protection. Historically, industries that have received assistant as infant industries have continued to rely of this assistance for many years. The infant industries argument has been used as a pretext referring to industries that would never have survived otherwise, hence economists do not generally accept the infant industry argument as an argument in favor of protection. When governments provide help to new industries now, this tends to involve direct assistance and lasts for a very limited time. Prevention of Dumping The process of dumping may be used to dispose of large production surpluses or to establish a market position in another country. These low prices are usually only of a temporary nature however they can harm domestic producers as they cannot compete, forcing them out of business, hence causing a loss in a country’s productive capacity and resulting in higher unemployment. The only gain from dumping is that consumers will benefit from lower prices in the short term, but is is only temporary as producers will put up their prices again once the local competition is eliminated. Under such circumstances, it is generally into economy’s best interest to impose restrictions on such imports. Using protectionist methods to prevent dumping is considered to be the only reason for protection that is widely accepted by economists. Despite this, in recent years the WTO has questioned whether countries might be abusing their entitlement to prevent dumping and falsely accusing efficient low-cost foreign producers of dumping as an excuse to give domestic producers an artificial advantage. Protection of Domestic Employment One of the most popular arguments in favor of protection is that it saves local jobs. If local producers are protected from competition with cheaper foreign imports, the demand for local goods will be greater – labour as a derived demand of the demand for goods and services, will be in higher demand, hence creating more domestic employment. Despite this, there is little support amongst economists for this argument. Protection tends to distort the allocation of resources in an economy away from more efficient production towards areas of less efficient production. In the long run, this is likely to lead to higher levels of unemployment and lower growth rates. On the other hand, by phasing out protection it is is hoped that better and more lasting jobs will be created in sectors that are more internationally competitive. Furthermore, if a country protects its industries, it is possible that other countries could retaliate and adopt similar protectionist policies. The net result could be that the economy would maintain employment in less efficient protected industries but lose employment in more efficient export industries. Defense and Self-Sufficiency Non-economic reasons Defense: so that they can be confident that in a time of war that they would still be able to produce defense equipment. Self-sufficiency of food supplies. Historical reasons†¦ When a country adopts this approach it must accept that it may gain self sufficiency at the expense of higher living standards that would be achieved from specialization and free trade. Other Trade unions often argue that producers should be protected from competition with countries that produce using low-cost labour. This is seen as a means to protect the better living standards of workers in high income economies. It is related to another argument that it is unethical to buy products from countries that may use unethical practices I.e. child slavery, because it would further encourage the exploitation of these people. Countries may sometimes block trade in goods because of environmental factors, such as the environmental harm involved in the production of certain goods. Overseas producers may be able to produce some items cheaply because the producers are environmentally irresponsible and do not have to comply with the tougher environmental standards that apply in advanced economies. Eg: 2011 Live Cattle Export Crisis Australian export restrictions of live cattle were imposed in 2011 because of the deemed unethical treatment that Indonesia treated the live cattle with. Offended by Australian criticisms of its animal welfare standards, Indonesia announced that it would reduce the number of import permits issued for Australian cattle by around 2/3rds, and buy more live cattle from other countries instead. METHODS OF PROTECTION A tariff is a government imposed tax on imports. It has the effect of raising the price of the imported goods, making the domestic producer more competitive domestically. Figure 2.2 reveals the following: The curves SS and DD represent domestic supply and demand. P is the price of imported goods if there was no tariff applied. At this price consumers demand Q1 domestic producers supply Q1 and the quantity imported would be QQ1 If a tariff of PP1 is imposed, all of which is passed to the consumer, demand will contract to Q3, domestic supply will expand to Q2, and imports will fall to Q2Q3 Following the imposition of the tariff the government will raise revenue of ABCD |Economic Effects of a Tariff | |Domestic producers supply a greater quantity of the good. Tree fore the tariff stimulates domestic production and employment | |More domestic resources are attracted to the protected industry. This leads to a reallocation of resources towards less efficient producers | |Consumers pay a higher price and receive fewer goods. This redistributes income away from consumers to domestic producers. | |Tariff raises government revenue | |Retaliation effect can be experienced. In that case any increased production and employment gains for the import-competing industries would be | |offset by losses in the nation’s export industries. | An import quota controls the volume of a good that is allowed to be imported over a given period of time. The quota guarantees domestic producers a share of the market. Figure 2.3 reveals the effect of an import quota: The curves SS and DD represent domestic supply and domestic demand P is the price at which the imported goods would sell if there was no quota imposed. At this price consumers demand Q1, domestic producers would supply Q, and the quantity imported would be QQ1 If the government imposed a quota restricting the imports to Q2Q3, this would have the effect of raising the price of imported goods to P1. This price would allow domestic supply to expand to Q2 |Economic Effects of a Quota | |Domestic producers supply a greater quota of the good. Therefore the quota stimulates domestic production and employment | |More resources in the economy are attracted to the protected industry. Therefore there will be a reallocation of resources from other sectors | |of the economy | |Consumers pay a higher price and receive fewer goods. This redistributes income away from consumers to domestic producers in the protected | |industry, and results in lower overall levels of economic growth. | |Quotas do not generate revenue, however govt can raise a small amount of revenue by administering the quota through selling import licenses | |allowing firms to import a limited number of goods | |As with tariffs, the imposition of a quota on imports can invite retaliation from the country whose exports may be reduced because of the | |quota. This can result in lower exports for the country that initiated the import quota. | Countries may also use tariff quotas. Goods imported up to the quota pay the standard tariff rate, whereas goods imported above the quota pay a higher rate. Subsidies involve financial assistance to domestic producers, which enables them to reduce their selling price and compete more easily with imported goods. In Figure 2.4 this is shown by a rightward shift of the domestic industry’s supply curve from SS to S1S1, which results in a lower market price P1. Businesses will be able to sell a higher quantity of their product on both domestic and global markets. The quantity produced increases from Q –> Q1 The size of the subsidy in per unit terms is the vertical distance between the S and the S1 curves |Economic Effects of a Subsidy | |Domestic producers supply a greater quantity of the good. Therefore, the subsidy stimulates domestic production and employment in the protected| |industry. | |More resources in that economy are attracted to the protected industry, leading to a reallocation of resources from other sectors of the | |economy where production and employment will fall. | |Consumers pay a lower price and receive more goods, however they pay indirectly whether they buy it or not through higher taxes. | |Subsidies impose direct costs on government budgets. This means that governments have fewer resources to allocate to other priorities | |i.e.education and health care | |While economists are generally opposed to protectionist policies, they often prefer a subsidy over a tariff because subsidies tend to be | |abolished more quickly since they impose costs on the budget, rather than generating revenue. | Local Content Rules specify that goods must contain a minimum percentage of locally made parts. The return is that the imported component does not attract a tariff. AUS used this to protect its motor vehicle industry in the past. Export Incentive Programs give domestic producers assistance such as: Grants Loans Technical advice (marketing, legal info) Encourage businesses to penetrate global markets or expand their market share The popularity of such programs has grown considerably in recent years as nations have moved to a greater focus on capturing foreign markets, rather  than protecting import-competing businesses, as a strategy to achieve higher rates of economic growth and employment. Technically, export incentives do not protect businesses from foreign competition in the domestic market, but they are nevertheless artificial barrier to free trade. |Overall Economic Effects of Protectionism ($$) | |In addition to the effects that protectionist policies have on domestic economies, they can also have overall impacts on the global economy. | |Global protectionist policies have the overall effect of reducing trade between nations. The WTO has cited research estimating that a | |far-reaching Doha agreement would remove protectionist policies that are currently costing the global economy between $US 180billion to $US | |520billion in exports every year. | |Overall, protectionist policies reduce living standards and reduce global economic growth by shielding inefficient producers. The Institute for| |International Economics in Washington DC has estimated that protectionism is reducing gross world product by between $US 300billion and $US | |700billion each year. | |Protectionist policies make it more difficult for individual economies to specialize in production in which they are most efficient. Businesses| |are less able to achieve economies of scale and therefore have lower profits and lower dividends. With less competitive pressures, prices for | |goods and services in individual economies are higher. | |The negative economic impact of the protectionist policies of trading blocs tends to be greatest for developing economies, which are excluded | |from access to the markets of advanced economies. | Doha agreement: an agreement that is aimed at achieving major reform of the  international trading system through the introduction of lower trade barriers and revised trade rules. A trading bloc occurs when a number of countries join together in a formal preferential trading arrangement to the exclusion of other countries. THE ESSAY Different countries have different factor endowments and intensities. Nations engage in international trade as a means of specializing in production, increasing the productivity of their resources and realizing a larger output and economies of scale than by pursuing self sufficiency or autarky. Free trade occurs when there is an absence of protective barriers such as tariffs, quotas, subsidies and voluntary export restraints, which tend to divert trade, rather than create trade or new trade flows. [economic independence or self sufficiency]. A reason for a country specializing in the production of goods in which it has a comparative advantage–the economic principle that states that even if one country can produce all goods more efficiently than another, trade will benefit both countries if each specializes in areas of production that have the lowest opportunity cost and trade with other nations–is that overall standards of living will be maximized for the nations in which trade is occurring between. Figure 1 shows this. Country X has an absolute advantage in the production of both computers and wheat. According to the principle of comparative advantage, Country X is more efficient in producing computers than Country Y since the opportunity cost of wheat production is 1 unit of wheat in Country X, compared to 2 units of wheat in Country Y. Hence Country X has a comparative advantage in computers. However, Country Y has the comparative advantage in wheat, with an opportunity cost of 0.5 computers per unit of wheat, while Country X has an opportunity cost of 1 computer. Through specialization, Country X can produce 100 computers and Country Y 80 units of wheat, or 90 computers and 10 units of wheat for an overall 90  computers and 90 units of wheat within the hypothetical economy, 20 more than the aggregated 70 computers and 90 units of wheat if each country was to produce with half their resources for one good and half on the other. Free trade has several other advantages: Free trade allows countries to obtain goods and services that they cannot produce themselves, or in sufficient quantities to meet domestic demand due to a lack of adequate resources. Free trade allows countries to specialize in the production of goods and services in which they have a comparative advantage. This leads to a better allocation of resources and increased production within countries, and throughout the world. Free trade encourages the efficient allocation of resources. Resources will be used more efficiently because they are being used in the production of goods in which they have a comparative advantage. Free trade leads to a greater tendency for specialization, which should result in economies of scale as seen in Figure 2 wherein average costs decrease with an increase in output. International competitiveness will generally improve due to free trade as domestic businesses face greater competitive pressures from foreign producers, and because of governments encouraging domestic industrial efficiency. Free trade encourages innovation and the spread of new technology and production processes throughout the world because of increased competition. Free trade typically leads to higher rates of economic growth and increased real incomes, leading to higher living standards; this is a result of low prices, increased production of goods and services and increased consumer choice. Although free trade has clear benefits in theoretical terms, it can lead to a number of disadvantages. The imposition of free trade tends to result in a short term increase in unemployment as some domestic producers may find it hard to compete with imports. However, this generally corrects itself in the long term as the domestic economy redirects its resources to areas of production in which it has a comparative advantage. Free trade may make it more difficult to establish new businesses and new industries if they are not protected from larger foreign competitors as new businesses and industries generally have higher costs in the starting phases because of a lack of scale, hence they would find it harder to compete. Free trade may result in ‘dumping’ wherein foreign countries may sell goods in the domestic market for unrealistically low prices to sell off their production surpluses or to establish a market position, hurting efficient domestic industries. Free trade may encourage environmentally or ethically irresponsible production processes because producers in some nations are able to produce goods at a lower cost due to weaker regulations or enforceability of these deemed irresponsible production practices. Alternatively to free trade is protection. Protection refers to any artificial advantage given by governments to domestic industries to protect them from international competition. Free trade relies upon the interplay of market forces to secure the benefits that derive from it[efficient resource allocation, higher living standards and greater competition from international specialization and exchange]. However, in reality, historically most countries have tended to impose at least some forms of protection to assist local producers in the face of foreign competition. This is primarily for these reasons: ‘Infant Industries’ arguably need temporary protection to expand their scale and reduce their costs of production so that they can compete viably in the global market as they usually start on a small scale with higher costs (see Figure 2). In theory this argument is plausible, however in practice, industries have tended to rely on this assistance for many years without a real incentive to reach a level of efficiency so that they are able to compete without protection. For this reason, governments tend to involve direct assistance when helping infant industries that lasts for a very limited time. Protection is used to prevent dumping that may harm domestic producers, potentially forcing them out of business and causing a loss in a country’s productive capacity and higher unemployment. Using protectionist methods to prevent dumping is considered to be the only reason for protection that is widely accepted by economists. Despite this, in recent years the WTO has questioned whether countries might be abusing their entitlement to prevent dumping as an excuse to give domestic producers an artificial advantage. One of the most popular arguments for protection is that it saves local jobs. This is on the premise that if domestic producers are protected from foreign competition, the demand for local goods will be greater and hence, labour as a derived demand of the demand for goods and services, will be demanded at a higher level. Despite this, protection tends to distort the allocation of resources in an economy away from efficient production towards area of less efficient production and in the long run, this is likely to lead to higher levels of unemployment and lower growth rates. Furthermore, other countries may retaliate with similar protectionist methods. Some arguments used to justify protection may not be solely based on economic grounds. For example, major powers generally want to retain their own defense industries so that they can be confident during times of war that they would still be able to produce defense equipment. Similarly, protection  may be used for self-sufficiency of food supplies – for example, Japan experienced famine twice in the 20th Century due to wartime blockades that prevented imports of food supplies. Trade unions in advanced economies often argue that producers should be protected from competition with countries that produce using low-cost labour. This is to protect the better living standards of workers in high income economies and to not endorse unethical practices that exploit people in less developed nations. Countries sometimes block trade of goods because of environmental factors, such as the environmental harm involved in the production of certain goods in some foreign nations. Environmental regulations across countries are not universal, hence protection is arguably better for the global environment overall. Main protectionist policies include: tariffs, quotas, subsidies, local content rules and export incentives. A tariff is a government-imposed tax on imports, making domestic producers relatively more competitive. [pic]

2 Discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2 Discussions - Assignment Example It has been noted that Wal-Mart does not pay their workers fairly. The company also overworks its part-time employees and do not offer them other work benefits. This is contrary to what the company advocates on websites. The management function that describes my strength is planning. I am a greater planner, as everything, I do in life I have to draw a plan. For example, I plan on how I go over my school work each and every week. However, the other function, which can help me in my management style is organizing. Since I am perfect in planning, I need to learn how to organize to be a better manager. Management and leadership are two different ideas but go hand in hand. The two characteristics that differentiate leadership from management are that leaders are innovators while managers are administrators; and the second trait is that leaders develop while managers maintain. This is because leadership is acquired while management is taught (Developing a Leadership Style, 2015). Developing a Leadership Style (2015). What is the Difference Between Management and Leadership? Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2015, from

People with learning disabilities Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

People with learning disabilities - Case Study Example This has led to an increased number of people with learning disability (LD) and aging-related health problems such as dementia, which has resulted in changes in social and service delivery needs. Service needs for this population are further increased because of continued deinstitutionalization of people with LD, resulting in increased community presence of people with high physical and mental morbidities. Certain subgroups of people with LD have specific increased age-related risks, such as those with Down syndrome, who have genetically based increased risk for dementia (Janicki et al., 1999). Others , such as, those with Cerebral Palsy have been noted to have a high risk of physical aging related deterioration, particularly relating to mobility (Strauss et. al., 2004), sometimes starting in young adulthood. (Jahnsen, 2004) The existing demographic pattern of increased longevity in people with LD points to a continued future increase in the proportion of older adults with LD, but does not adequately address the more significant changes in the prevalence of associated physical, mental and behavioral problems, as well as functional deficits in these cohorts, which will have an impact on their need for support. Even in currently older adults with LD there is a dearth of broad, linked data that would be helpful to planners, but more problematically, these cohorts may not be good models for the future extrapolation. Current older adults have lived vastly different lives than cohorts who will be the older adults of tomorrow, and these differences will very likely have a profound effect on all aspects of intellectual, emotional, medical and functional outcomes in late life. Extrapolating care requirements for older adults with LD from older adults without LD is not appropriate, as those with LD have had more restricted life experiences, with reduced functional independence and coping skills, generally have no adult children to assist in late life functioning. (Jenkins, 2005) Services for Older People with Learning Disabilities in UK In recent years some remarkable changes have been noticed not only in the lifestyle of people with LD but also in the services provided to them. Rehabilitation of a number of such people back into the society has resulted into the closure of several LD institutions and hospitals, whereas in past it is evident through studies the such treatment periods used to be unknown and at times ended up with the death of patients. Such a policy change is actually a result of a publication "An Ordinary Life" (King's Fund 1980). This publication motivated the masses about the merits of spending life at home within the community in comparison with an isolated hospital or nursing home. This viewpoint of f normalization was later embraced by most of the supporting bodies function with older people with LD and normal community life was considered as more helpful for the rehabilitation of such a group (Wolfensberger 1972). Dagnan et al. (1998)

Critical Evaluation Of Shareholder Wealth Maximisation Research Paper

Critical Evaluation Of Shareholder Wealth Maximisation - Research Paper Example As we enter the 21st century, calling it the postindustrial era or postmodern era, the moral status of the shareholder wealth maximization for the corporate activity has changed. Shareholder wealth maximization is exempt for moral scrutiny, within the disciplines of financial economics and corporate culture. This concept is undeniably protected against the critics by the theory of invisible hand that each individual company that competes in pursuit of shareholder wealth maximization ultimately leads to maximum cumulative economic advantage. "Many managers have considerable discretion to substitute their own interest for that of the stockholders. Stockholder and manager interests can conflict or be independent in significant respects. The extent to which firms are managed in stockholder interests vary considerably" (Findlay & Whitmore, 1974). The term itself appears to entail a narrow worldly focus on shareholders but in reality, it really stands for a focus on the equity market value disclosed in the company's price of the stock. In this respect, the finance manager who is in pursuit of shareholder wealth maximization is in fact only concerned with the things that can have an effect or impact on the company's price or value of stock and therefore, other stakeholders can influence company value. Critical Evaluation of Stakeholder Approach An approach to strategic management was proposed by Edward Freeman in 1984 called the stakeholder approach. The traditional view of corporate strategy, stakeholders were associated with terms such as owners or stockholders of a company. According to Freeman, he described the term stakeholder more broadly and included in his definition that any group or an individual who can influence or is influenced by the company's objectives and goal is a stakeholder of that company. In order to understand the stakeholder model, it should be recognized that this model does not only imply any concern only for the stockholders but also for the stakeholders such as animals or the environment. The concern for finance managers at this point is ineradicably inter-twined with a company's finance concern. A company that is insensitive to the concerns of the stakeholders will not be able to rise financially and therefore would not be able to cater to the needs of the stakeholders.The stakeholder model als o has many drawbacks. The interests of the stakeholders of any company can deviate sharply from one another and managers pursuing the path to keep all the stakeholders happy, who have no sense of compromise, can do more damage than those managers who put the shareholders first in their doctrine and objectives. In modern times, the interests of the stakeholders are inter-twined as aforementioned. To elaborate, employees are shareholders in the company due to the investment in the pension funds.