International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example Globalization has further increased international trade as now countries are able to trade easily through flexible negotiations that will put away restrictions that may undermine trade between countries (Reuvid & Sherlock, 2011). International trade has provided grounds for increased competition, and this means that there are competitive prices in the market, which will see to it that consumers benefit from quality products, which are offered at low costs. International trade has resulted to the global economy which operates on the forces of demand and supply meaning that the prices of products are affected by events that occur globally (Aswathappa, 2010). For example, the political unrest in Libya caused the prices of gas to inflate in the whole world, and this clearly shows how the global economy works. Research shows that international trade is focused on by nations so that the citizens’ standards of living can be increased through the provision of various products and crea tion of job opportunities. International trade theories provide explanations, which will elaborate on the patterns global trade takes and the benefits that arise from it. The theories gives reasons as to why nations trade and why it is good to trade. This paper seeks to explain the theories that explain why countries engage in international trade and goes ahead to explain the benefits that countries get from international trade. Mercantilism Theory This theory was in application in the economic system of the 16th to 18th centuries, and its main objectives was to increase the wealth of a nation imposing regulations on the governments interests so as to ensure that the government had control on all of them (Ajami & Goddard, 2006). It was based on the fact that countries could accrue wealth in the form of precious metals, which is not practical because if every country decided to want to export and not importing from other countries, the worldwide economy would be sluggish due to restr iction of free trade. The theory was mainly used by colonial governments such as Britain, France and Spain, which practiced the zero-sum –game that implied that wealth was scarce and countries could only benefit by taking advantage of the resources of their neighbors (Kerr & Gaisford, 2008). These governments would take advantage of their colonies by charging them high prices for imports and low for their own exports. This theory is seen as a hindrance to international trade as it was seen to favor exports and hinder imports in the colonial countries. Absolute Advantage Theory This theory was developed by Adam Smith (1776) and explains that a company has an advantage if it can produce the more products with similar resources or the same amount of products using fewer resources than its trading partners (Ajami & Goddard, 2006). With this in mind it follows that the country with the absolute advantage will be able to produce and export commodities at a lower cost than its tradi ng partners, and this will be the basis of its trade relations with the partners. This is because the absolute advantage will have the propensity to reduce costs of production and at the same time increase profits which will in turn boost the economy. This theory further explains that market forces should determine trade and restrictions such as tariffs and quotas should be eliminated hence this destroys

Do concerns for safety influence the effectiveness of the outdoor Dissertation

Do concerns for safety influence the effectiveness of the outdoor learning environment for children - Dissertation Example In practice, it has been proved that the value of outdoor learning in improving the learning abilities of a child is unique. Still, because of safety reasons, barriers are often set in regard to outdoor learning activities, a problem appearing both in the context of school and the family. Moreover, the perceptions of people on the importance of outdoor learning seem to be differentiated. For certain people, the value of outdoor learning activities is unique allowing the child and the teenager to develop his cognitive skills. For others, these activities are just part of the learning process. This means that under certain terms, the limitation of these activities would be welcomed in order to serve a need of higher importance. Securing the health and safety of children and teenagers is considered as such need. The increase of accidents and violent incidents during outdoor learning activities worldwide seems to justify such trend. ... the teachers and the parents, are not fully aware of the value and the needs of these activities. It is suggested that the increase of outdoor learning activities worldwide is initiated, despite the high risks involved, under the terms that outdoor learning providers are appropriately trained for providing effective support to the children participating in such activities. Chapter One – Introduction 1.1 Overview of the study The study aims to present the various implications of the relationship between outdoor learning and safety. Particular emphasis is paid on the effects of safety on the design and quality of outdoor learning. The improvement of the learning skills of children and teenagers has been a key challenge for educators worldwide. Outdoor learning has been proved as a key tool for facing the above challenge. However, the development of outdoor learning around the world faces significant barriers. Most commonly, the need for ensuring the health and safety of children and teenager is used as a justification for preventing the expansion of outdoor learning. The above practice leads to the decrease of the value of childhood. Indeed, it has been supported that ‘childhood is becoming undermined by risk aversion’ (Gill 2007, p.10 in Bilton, 2010, p.27). At the same time, the concerns on children safety have led to the limitation of the freedom of children to travel to school alone. In a relevant research it has been estimated that ‘in 1970 a percentage of 80% of children aged 7 and 8 years used to travel to school on their own’ (Tovey 2007, p.3); in 1990 ‘this percentage has been reduced to just 10%’ (Tovey 2007, p.3). It is clear that safety has highly affected childhood. Outdoor learning