Stress in the Workplace, Its Signs; the Key Areas of Employee Stress Essay

Stress in the Workplace, Its Signs; the Key Areas of Employee Stress in the Workplace and Work-Life Balance - Essay Example This essay explores the several causes of stress in the workplace that may result in poor performance and other negative impacts in the workplace. These may include employees facing conditions of overwork, low levels of job satisfaction, job insecurity, and lack of autonomy and/or harassment in the course of work. Workplace stress has detrimental effects on the well-being of employees as well as an effect on health. Work-life balance refers to the policies that aim at achieving a greater complementary and equality or balance between work and various home responsibilities. The policies apply to all workers whether parenting or not. Lack of these policies would result in different forms of stress in the working environment. Failure to meet the work-life balance may result to stress in employees and may affect organizational performance. Individuals and organizations should be able to identify the stressors in workplace and design amicable solution to combat the issue. If there is an ea rly address on potential stressors, individuals and organizations may be able to alleviate the negative effects associated with stress. To handle the menace well, employees need to identify signs and possible stressors. On the other hand, managers need awareness on the effects of stress on employees and general performance of the company in terms of output. It is necessary for an individual to learn how to keep away from stress as it is necessary too for employers. A person who is subject to stress may show various signs. These signs may be inward or outward depending on the different people. Inward signs may consist of immediate body changes such as the change in heart rate, nausea, or vomiting. Other internal signs may include a feeling of anger, protest, frustration, guilt, embarrassment, memory loss, prolonged sleeplessness, and strange dreams. These indicate stress and require attention before affecting work and personal life. Outward signs are noticeable by colleagues and thos e in the managerial sector. They include increased smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug taking. Reduced performance, irritability, absenteeism, complaints about ill health and deteriorating relationship with colleagues may indicate stress.

Evaluating Democratic values of graduate students in the both Research Paper

Evaluating Democratic values of graduate students in the both government and private universities of the UAE . an Educational L - Research Paper Example The students are selected in a non-random manner from two private and two government universities in Abu Dhabi. The data is collected using a quantitative questionnaire with Likert Style questions, and the data is analysed using excel spreadsheets. The research findings indicate that overall, the students lack in appreciation of democratic values. Also, students who are older, are female and have a future plan of joining the private sector are more likely to have democratic values and imbibe them in their educational lives. It is also found that the teachers do not encourage classroom democracy and the libraries and the campus are not considered to be democratic. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Background 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Research Objectives 1.4 Research Significance 1.5 Research Methods 1.6 Summary Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Democratic Values 2.3 Research on Classroom Democracy Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3 .2 Research Approach 3.3 Research Methods 3.4 Research Design 3.4.1 Sample 3.4.2 Data Collection Method 3.4.3 Data Collection Instrument 3.4.4 Data Analysis Method 3.5 Research Validity and Reliability 3.6 Ethical Considerations 3.7 Summary Chapter 4: Findings and Analysis 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Findings 4.3 Summary Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1 Research Conclusions 5.2 Recommendations 5.3 Research Limitations and Scope for Future Research List of Tables and Figures Table 1: Age Distribution an Democratic Values Table 2: Gender and Democratic Values Figure A: Scores on democratic values Figure 1: Right to Life Figure 2: Right to Liberty Figure 3: Belief in Common Good Figure 4: Right to Justice Figure 5: Right to Equality Figure 6: Belief in Respecting Diversity Figure 7: Belief in Popular Sovereignty Figure 8: Age Distribution of Respondents Figure 9: Democratic Values and Age Figure 10: Gender and Democratic Values Figure 11: Gender Distribution of Students Figure 1 2: Gender and Democratic Values Figure 13: Plans after Graduation Figure 14: Future Plans and Democratic Values Figure 15: Enabling Active Student Participation Figure 16: Avoid using Textbook Only Instructions Figure 17: Encourage Reflective Thinking Figure 18: Encourage Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Figure 19: Discussing Controversial Issues with Openness Figure 20: Encourage Individual Responsibilities Figure 21: Encourage recognition and respect for Human Dignity Appendix A: Research Questionnaire References Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Background The UAE has been transitioning from an oil dependent country to a nation that has world class capabilities in almost all sectors of industry and services (Ibrahim, 2007). The transition from the oil-based economy to one that is more diverse requires that the country also develop a pool of indigenous and talented individuals that can take on the jobs and responsibilities to helm the companies in the near future (Godwin, 20 06). While traditionally, all sectors of the country are largely functional with the help of the foreign nationals and expatriate employees, the ultimate aim is to develop UAE nationals to take on these responsibilities at the earliest. Education therefore becomes an essential requirement for the country, and there is an overall focus and investment in this sector. The UAE is now focused on developing educational institutes and educational

Corporate Financial Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Financial Risk Management - Essay Example Therefore, it is recommendable for the firm to hedge against price volatility by buying futures contract. Table of contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Designing of the hedging strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 An assessment of the impact of the above hedging strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Advantages and disadvantages of futures contract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 Misuse of financial derivates†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Conclusion and recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...8 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Introduction Financial engineers have developed a number securities and derivates such as futures and contracts, these financial derivatives can be used in hedging and as risk mitigation strategies. In order to offer delineation of how financial derivates helps firm in militating against losses that may occur due to changes in market factors below is report on cooper works, outlining and delineating the process of is management through derivatives. Designing of the hedging strategy Hedging can simply be defined as mechanism of shielding the firm against losses that may occur due to changes in the market parameters. In the case of copper works the firm annual demand of cooper is vulnerable to the prices change, in the process of the interaction of the demand and supply of cooper. For the firm to mitigate price volatility which is beyond the control of the firm there is needed for the firm to buyer futures contract that would enable the firm hedge against the changes in prices of cooper. As policy of the firm to hedge 80% of its exposure therefore with each contract having a capacity of 25000 pounds then we can only hedge against 800000 pounds, equivalent to 32 contracts. In reference to the nature of the cooper market it was advisable to take long position on all futures contract, in addition to this the organization should have two future trade open at same as asset management technique to mitigate against sever losses that would otherwise occur if prices of future contract declined significantly. An assessment of the impact of the above hedging strategy Go Long for 32 contracts @ 372.30 cents Initial margin = $64000 Maintenance margin = $48000 Date Price futures contract in cents Profit/ loss Margin Account Notes October 2010 372.30 - $64000 February 2011 369.0 -$26400 $37600 Take $10400 to reinstate the margin level February 2011 370.2 - $48000 August 2011 365.00 -$41600 $6400 Take $41600 from cash to reinstate the margin level August 2011 364.80 - $4800 February 2012 377.00 $97600 $145600 February 2012 376.50 - August 2012 388.00 $92000 $237600 Total Gross profit/loss = $121,600 From the above the initial margin level can be estimated as follows, Initial margin level = 2000x 40x0.8= $ 64000 From the analysis above there are two margin calls to reinstate the maintenance level the total. Margin calls can be ascertained to be 10400+41600= 52000 should obtain from the cash deposited by the cash broker. Advantages and disadvantages of futures contract Many financial derivatives are primarily to mit igates the from risk but on top of this derivates also have the following benefits to the firm, 1. In future contract parties have

Ecological Concepts Essay Example for Free

Ecological Concepts Essay Ecology is the study of the relationship of between organisms and their environment, including both the living and nonliving compounds. Some of the ecological concepts include succession, energy flow between trophic levels, limiting factors, and carrying capacity. First, succession is a change in species structure of an ecological community over time. Over time species in the community become more and more abundant and may not be present at all one day. Also, sometimes new species might invade the community from nearby ecosystem. Ecologic successions occur as a result of drastic change in the environment or species inability to reproduce or grow in a particular environment. There are two types of successions primary and secondary. Primary succession is when an area that was not occupied previously is occupied by a new community. Secondary succession starts where natural vegetation is disrupted by humans, animals, or natural forces. Examples of ecological succession are fires, wind storms, floods, earthquakes, tornados, and forest fires. Energy flow between trophic levels is another ecological concept. Trophic levels are the feeding position in a food chain. This food chain involves primary producers, herbivores, primary carnivores, and more. Plants are producers and in the first trophic level, herbivores form the second level, and carnivores from third and fourth trophic levels. As only small amount of energy is transferred to the higher level there are fewer organisms in higher levels. Limiting factors is the third ecological concept. Limiting factors limit populations from growing any larger than they already are. There are two types of limiting factors Abiotic and biotic. Abiotic factors are nonliving components that affect living organisms and biotic factors are living components. For example 50 foxes can live in an environment that has enough food, water, and space for 60 foxes, but no more than 60 foxes could live there. Lastly, carrying capacity is one the ecological concepts and is the population size of the species one environment can support. Food, water, habitat, and space are the factors that affect carrying capacity. For xample environment could have enough water for the community but not have enough space or food. Best example of carrying capacity is predator-prey relationship. For example in the Isle Royale National Park moose would overgraze the vegetation if wolves did not eat them, and without moose wolves would starve. Overall, these ecological concepts help up understand relationships between one species to another and to the environment they all live in. Also these concepts show how might changes in the environment affect species that live in it.

Accounting-Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Accounting-Financial Statements Essay Introduces the four financial statementsIncome Statement, Statement of Retained Earnings, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows. Accounting as the language of business is discussed along with an introduction of the various users of accounting information. Financial and Managerial accounting are compared. The four ways to organize a business – proprietorship, partnership, limited – liability company, and corporation, are discussed. An introduction and contrast of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is done. The Entity Assumption, Continuity (Going Concern) Assumption, Historical Cost Principle, and Stable – Monetary – Unit Assumption are explained. The accounting equation – Assets = Liabilities + Stockholder’s Equity is presented along with definitions and explanations of each component of the equation. A detail presentation of each of the four previously mentioned financial statements is given. Each account classification of the financial statements – assets, liabilities, stockholder’s equity, revenue, and expenses are thoroughly explained and examples of common account titles used are given. The process of evaluating a company through the use of the financial statements is shown. A discussion of business ethics in accounting decisions is done. An end of chapter summary problem emphasizes the preparation as well as understanding of the financial statements. An accounting vocabulary section explains all the new accounting terms. The End of Chapter Access Your Progress allows the student to determine how well he grasped the information presented in the chapter. Traditional exercises and problems solidify the student’s understanding of the material. Teaching Outline . Define a. Financial Accounting b. Managerial Accounting c. Contrast Financial and Managerial Accounting 2. Describe the users of financial information: a. Individuals b. Business Managers c. Investors d. Creditors e. Government Regulatory Agencies f. Taxing Authorities g. Nonprofit Organizations h. Other Organizations 3. Explain a. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) i. Generally Accepted Account ing Principles (GAAP) b. International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) i. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) c. Compare GAAP and IFRS 4. Define and discuss Accounting Principles, Assumptions and Concepts a. Entity Assumption b. Continuity (Going Concern) Assumption c. Historical Cost Principle d. Stable Monetary Unit Assumption 5. Introduce the Accounting Equation a. Define and discuss common account titles: i. Assets ii. Liabilities iii. Stockholder’s Equity b. Define and discuss common account titles; i. Revenue ii. Expense iii. Retained Earnings c. Discuss Paid in Capital and Dividends 6. Explain and Prepare the Financial Statements a. Income Statement b. Statements of Retained Earnings c. Balance Sheet d. Statement of Cash Flows 7. Use Financial Statements to evaluate business performance a. Explain the relationship among the financial statements 8. Ethics in Business and Accounting Decisions a. The role of judgment in making decisions b. Economic factors c. Legal factors d. Ethical factors Key Topics The financial statements are actually reports on how well or poorly a business performed during a specified period of time. Chapter one actually presents the four basic financial statements and other relevant information that is needed to adequately prepare the financial statements. First one must understand that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) develops the rules and guidelines in the United States that must be adhered to in preparing the financial statements. These guidelines are known as the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) develops the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) which are the international or global standards. Exhibit 1-3 gives an overview of the joint conceptual framework of accounting developed by the FASB and the IASB. However, the SEC announced that it will soon require all American companies to adopt the IFRS. This adoption is currently slated to begin the initial phase in 2014 with all companies on board by 2016. The adoption of the IFRS by all American companies will facilitate the process of comparing financial statements of like industries globally. Also, it will eliminate the need of many companies to prepare several sets of financial statements. Accounting is often labeled as the language of business and there are external as well as internal users of accounting information. Individuals, investors and creditors, regulatory bodies as well as nonprofit organizations are just some of the noted users of the accounting information. The accounting information is expected to be accurate as well as timely in order to satisfy the need of the users. There are two different types of accounting that is needed by the users. They are Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting. Financial Accounting primarily provides information to the external users and managerial primarily serves the internal users. This information is used in each and every type of business organization. There is the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, and the corporation. Each of these businesses differs as far as the form of ownership and other accounting details however, each is dependent on accurate and timely information in order to operate at the optimum level. There are some key accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts used in adequately preparing the accounting records. The first one discussed in this chapter is the assumption entity. This is the underlying assumption, which can be taken by the users of the financial statements, that a business is a separate economic entity. Each business is treated as a separate and distinct entity to enable the accountant to adequately measure the financial performance of the business. The Continuity (Going Concern) Assumption is also discussed here. This is the assumption that the business will continue to exist long enough to use the existing assets for their intended purpose. If the business does intend to continue to operate and employ the assets as intended, it does not have to be disclosed in the financial statements. However, if there is an intention not to continue to operate it must be disclosed somewhere in the financial statements. The Historical Cost Principle is presented such that one will understand that actual cost is used as the valuing system for all accounting transactions. Actual cost is verifiable as well as unbiased and therefore used to insure that the accounting records are prepared in a relevant as well as reliable manner. The Stable Monetary Unit Assumption is also presented in this chapter. This is the assumption that the purchase power of a dollar does not fluctuate. That is, one can purchase the same amount with a dollar today that he/she could a year ago. This assumption allows the accountant to ignore inflation and add or subtract dollars from varying years without adjusting for inflation. This is sometimes difficult for students to understand because they have seen inflation as well as lagging economies however, the professor can assure the student that if needed there is a system developed to reliably compare statements from varying years. That system, however, is taught in upper level accounting courses. After developing an understanding of this material the student is then introduced to the Accounting Equation. That is: Assets = Liabilities + Owners’ Equity. It is imperative that the student understand the importance that this equation plays in preparing the financial statements. This equation presents the resources of a company as well as the claims on those resources. One must also note that this equation must be kept in balance at all times. Assets are presented as economic resources of the entity that are expected to be of future benefit. These resources have two types of claims against them: liabilities – outside claims and owners’ equity – insider claims. See exhibit 1-4 to help present the fact that the two sides must equal. The influence on stockholders’ equity by, paid-in capital, and retained earnings must be explained. Also, the manner in which revenue, expenses and dividends effect retained earnings should be explained. Remember to stress that dividends do not affect net income. They are not subtracted from revenue to determine the net income. Rather, they are subtracted from retained earnings. The financial statements are now to be presented. The Income Statement is the also referred to as the statement of operations because it measures the operating performance. It reports the revenues earned as well as the expenses incurred during a specified period of time. The expenses are subtracted from the revenue to determine the net income/loss for the accounting period. Net income is said to be the single most important item in the financial statements. The Statement of Retained Earnings is prepared after the Income Statement because the net income/loss from the Income Statement is needed to prepare the Statement of Retained Earnings. Retained earnings are simply the portion of the net income that the company has kept in the business. The Statement of Retained Earnings shows the changes that occurred in the retained earnings during the accounting period. Be sure to note that the net income is added to the beginning retained earning balance and the dividends are subtracted in order to determine the ending retained earnings balance. The Balance Sheet is prepared after the Statement of Retained Earnings because the ending retained earnings balance is needed to prepare the Balance Sheet. Statement of Financial Position is another name given to the Balance Sheet because it actually measures the financial position of a company. This statement reports on the assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity of a company. A good way to help the students understand the information given by the Balance Sheet is to tell them that it gives a quick snapshot view of the financial status of the company on one day. That day is generally the end of the accounting period. The sum of the assets is expected to equal the sum of the liabilities and the stockholders’ equity. See exhibit 1-9. The Statement of Cash Flow measures the cash receipts and payments. This statement reports on cash flows from three major activities: operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities. The net increase/decrease in cash from these three activities is then determined and added to the beginning cash balance to get the ending cash balance. In the financial statement conclusions it is important make sure the students know the purpose of each financial statement. It is also important that the students know the order of preparation as well as the formulas for each financial statement. Good business requires decision making, which in turn requires the exercise of good judgment. Making good judgments in business in general and accounting in particular should take into account not only economic, but legal and ethical dimensions as well. The last section of the chapter presents an ethical decision making model that is used consistently throughout the rest of the book. Use of the model emphasizes that good decisions are not always based just on the basis of how much money a company can make immediately.

The Liberal International Economic Order Economics Essay

The Liberal International Economic Order Economics Essay The issues of the environment were not in the minds of the framers of the Liberal International Economic order (LIEO) when they met together at Bretton woods towards the end of World War II. LIEO was focused on promoting peace after the post war and destroy the economic competition that was destructive to the relationship between the countries of the world. LIEO is the key to future stability, peace and security globally. Right after the end of the Second World War, the World Bank creation, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the International Monetary Fund established the foundations for the organization of a liberal trading order. These institutions promoted the state sponsored dedication to markets and ensured economic prosperities to the developing nations. Governments realized that liberal trading arrangements and efficiency of the market are essential prerequisites to realize the potential for the economic, political and social progress after Second World War. The expansion of the liberal trading order, the strength of the free market and the freeing of capital from domestic restrictions which was visualized by the framers of the Bretton Woods Institution took precedence over the provision of social development and on account of this people were left with the false promise that the efficiency in and of itself would produce political, social and environmental progress. Therefore even if the initial purpose was achieved, the numerous multilateral organizations created for the purpose of promoting a new LIEO has also created negative impacts. They have been instrumental in making the Governments exerting strong influence often with considerable but not with all the features of a centrally planned economy which is very much essential for the progress of a country. Therefore, the Governments must ensure that their actions do not affect the purpose of the Liberal International Economic order (LIEO). The United States of course played a vital role in the development of Liberal International Economic order (LIEO) the reason being as a dominant economy, it carried the primary burden of military defense for the entire free globe and it opened its huge market to foreign competition and free trade and it was able to and willing to carry on the burden of free trade as it was a powerful and rich country. At this point of time, the United States made the dollar a universally accepted parallel currency by fixing a relationship between the gold and the dollar and committed to exchanging at any point of time these two units. Therefore I believe that this regime could not have been developed without the influence of hegemony such as the United States. I do believe that the decline in United States influence signals a threat to the LIEOs continued existence because the United States was no longer considered the dominant economic power as before. This might prove a threat to the LIEOs existence as they mostly depend upon the United States as they do not have sufficient resources and most of the time the expertise they required and funded or supplied by the United States. There is a considerable loss of the dominance of dollar which signals a threat to the LIEOs existence because they were solely dependent on the currency of the United States for their functioning. The breakdown of hegemonic stability theory, collective goods, and free riders are as follows: Hegemonic stability theory: Identical to the materialization of hegemony, when a single nation rise to hold military and economical powers in a given situation along with the formation of international economic stability based on liberal principles which is a mixture of liberalism and mercantilism which paves the way for the elimination of fears is called as the theory of Hegemonic stability. Here, the mercantilists and realists hold common views that the key to global economic order is the balancing of power among competing state actors. Collective goods: Everyone has equal chances of deriving benefits in the case of collective goods. Irrespective of a persons contribution in the case of service or taxes in the military, national security is a collective good from which everyone within a country benefits. The majority of economists view an open international economy as a collective good. Free riders: Those who make the fullest use and exploit a common good are called as free riders. Imposition of trade restrictions by a nation and getting away from the negative impacts and thereafter deriving the maximum benefits from the free trade policies prevailing in other nations takes place with regard to free riders, But nevertheless, without rules and someone to enforce the rules, the cooperation required to maintain a common good is tedious to achieve. 7. International trade has contributed to the economic development throughout the industrialized world and blended the cultures and traditions of different countries together and contributed to the cooperation among different countries with regard to sharing of resources though exports and imports which helped to maintain a positive equilibrium. Even though the world trade is increasing at a faster pace and it is favorable according to the world trade economists, it still has its own negative sides after the global economic crisis that hit the world in 2008. The global economy suffered severe losses and it paved the way for unemployment which increased drastically throughout the world for the past two years. In spite of all these setbacks, the rules and principles of world trade organization have assisted governments in keeping the markets open is provided for the world trade as there is some considerable improvement in world trade. An economic policy which is meant to favor domestic producers of services and goods is called protectionism. I read an article the other day by David Leonhardt of the NYtimes which fundamentally proposed the idea that China has adopted the biggest policy of protectionism since the World War II by intervention and manipulation of the foreign exchange markets and by following strict measures of protectionism creating negative impact for itself and countries like the United States (David Leonhardt, 2010). When a nation is having protectionist policies, producers are protected against competition from the foreign firms with the help of import restrictions where as free trade is a policy where commodities are allowed to cross borders or boundaries without restrictions. The reason behind why some governments favor protectionism is, as soon as foreign commodities are made available in the domestic market, the domestic industries suffer heavy losses because the foreign goods are available at cheap prices or the producers who export commodities to other countries are able to keep costs low due to the subsidies of the foreign government. Therefore the governments hold the views that it can increase the demand and market for the domestic goods by closing the market to foreign producers and marketers and by imposing strict quotas and import tariffs so that the domestic economic situation doesnt get bad and derives maximum benefit. Even though protectionism is intended for protecting domestic companies, this is not always the case. There is also a darker side: companies will tend to use the old technologies and they will seldom take any initiatives to produce innovative products and there is no spirit of good competition. Countries that go by protectionism are often faced by export barriers or restrictions from other countries who give the same response to countries that go by protectionism. Inflation of prices for prices and commodities takes place and the domestic compani es may start fleecing the consumers by fixing their own prices when there are no foreign competitors. In order to maintain a balance of trade surplus, a country can make exports to the foreign sector which exceeds imports from there and a balance of trade surplus takes place for a country if its domestic economy produces commodities which are in high demand by other countries and purchased by foreign countries enabling the country to increase its exports, the value of which is greater than the value of imports produced by the foreign countries. Therefore a country must ensure that its makes maximum use of its own resources and after catering to its own need must ensure that there is no wastage and should find out the potential market abroad where there is high demand for its commodities which are lying in surplus. For example, Brazil is the colossal producer of coffee in the world and after catering to its own need in a substantial manner, it exports the rest to foreign countries thereby creating a favorable method to maintain balance of trade surplus. It has the capability of export ing huge quantity of coffee seeds which surpasses all other imports which will help it to maintain balance of trade surplus. The balance of payment imbalances needs to get cleared by the succeeding suitable methods for the purpose of maintaining a consistent balance of trade surplus. By making imports cheaper, the exports of a nation could be less competitive. This usually ends up in correcting the surplus of a current account which is also helped by the upward shift in the currency value of a nation. With the help of an agreement between the nations to fix their rates of exchange against each other, any disproportion that is taking place by rules based and changes in exchange rates which are negotiated could be sorted out. Fixed adjusting rates of exchange rates which is the systems of Bretton Woods is a crucial example of a rules based system. When a country adopts a regime of policy which centralizes currency decisions in the hands of a central government by controlling the movement of capital, discouraging imports and encouraging exports, such a policy is called as neomercantilism. Allowing more effective fiscal and monetary policy by increasing the level of foreign reserves is the goal of the policies of neomercantilsm. This is believed to provide greater control and autonomy to the government. Japan and Germany have been believed to have derived the maximum advantages of the neomercantilist trade policies. Most of the nations of the world always believe that the trade policies of neomercantalism always work for them and fail to notice its negative side. When every country starts following the neomercantilist trade policies, they discourage imports and start concentrating only on exporting. A nation definitely has the need to encourage imports when it is crucial for the welfare of the country and if majority of the nati ons follow this policy, the rest of the countries will follow the same and when they cut down imports, they are discouraging and preventing the other countries to export. The countries which follow this policy should observe the comparative advantages of both export and import. The way in which value can be created by trade for both parties even when one could produce all goods with fewer resources than the other is highlighted by comparative advantage. This encourages for the occurrence of gains of trade which can be beneficial to both the parties that is the country which exports its commodities to another country and the country which imports the commodities exported by the other country. Rationalization of neomercantilist trade policies is possible when there is cooperation among the countries involved in international trade. Developing countries need to participate more vigorously in trade negotiations during trade agreements with mutual trust and confidence with other nations.

Technology and Art Essay -- Computers Artists Essays

Technology and Art Many centuries ago, art was rendered inaccessible by the masses and was reserved for the few high society members who had the means of access to appreciate history in the making. Through the use of technology, art has been made hugely accessible by the ability to trade media forms, mainly through the Internet and other technological means. Much like the printing press was for literature with Gutenberg in 1445, technology has heightened art and moreover, the expression of it. Technology has enhanced art through the main use of graphics, both computer and animation, the communication of it, and musically it has enhanced the quality and distribution. It has launched us into the twenty-first century full steam and will continue to come up with new innovations and ideas to keep the momentum going for many years to come. Art has always been an expression guarded for the seemingly elite in classical history and this idea continued to survive throughout most of art history until the late 1800’s when finally, slowly, the barriers broke down and the masses were opened up to the various forms of expression. Although they were exposed to simple art forms, such as local works that were produced by seemingly grass-root artists or possibly the artworks displayed in the Catholic Cathedrals meant to add a meaning of sophistication and reverence to display Christ, this was mostly evident in the Medieval and possibly Gothic periods, while the Renaissance proved to be a cleansing period of the old and a new wind rushing through the stodgy halls of antiquity. But the catch about the Renaissance was that it was mainly present in a seemingly isolated and controlled environment, unlike the false pretense that ... ...seum technologies. Huws, Ursula "Nature, technology and art: the emergence of a new relationship?." Leonardo v. 33.no1 (2000): p. 33-40. Art Abstract. 4 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Art Technology. In this article, the author discusses about the technology and art’s new relationship. The article talks about artist who developed their style along with the development of technology and the opposite. However, little information was used for the write-up of the paper. Kerman, Staci "Building bridges between art and technology: rapid prototyping and manufacturing." Metalsmith v. 20.no3 (2000): p. 36-43. Art Abstract. 4 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Art Technology. In the article, author talks about her own experiment with new technologies for art. She talks about the benefits she gained from the new technology and development of her own ways of using the technology.