The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model One of the most important political ideologies used in the modern era especially by the Western countries is liberal democracy. A liberal democratic state involves of the goals of both liberalism and democracy. This essay will talk about the critiques of liberal democracy explaining the four criteria of liberal democracy and why it works or does not work in the context to the case study countries. In a liberal democratic model, it is necessary to have some basic criteria on liberal democracy. The four criteria that will be explored in relation to the case study countries are multiple distinct political parties, separation of power into different branches of government, an idea of equality and lastly secularism. According to Gordon Smith political parties are, the summation of pluralist tradition. This means political parties are very important because of the role they play in society. Pluralists debate that there should be multiple contenders in opposing centres of power as the power should not rest in one group rather be divided and diffused (Schwarzmantel, 1994:51). Political parties represent the public interests. Likewise, multi- party system creates diversity and competition in turn parties makes efforts and try out to reach to a larger group of people making their policies relevant. It emphasises different groups of interests within the liberal democratic state which prevents any one group from dominating. As each human being have different perspective of looking at the world, similarly each party might have a different interpretation on a policy because of the different ideals and values. The main aim of political parties is to capture state power. This pluralist view applies to a co untry like Russia where they have multi-party system. It is practically accurate to argue that at the national level Russia has attained at least a semi-pluralistic political system, with number of national parties and the strong influence of business interests. On the other hand Elite theory rejects the pluralist theory that power can be diffused and can be divided and spread among different groups of society. Elite theory argues that the power rests in the hands of few, who are wealthy. They assert that the average person cannot be heard because the power is usually concentrated in a few at the top. Democratic elite theorists argued that the decrease in internal party democracy and meeting process did not matter much, so long as competition between parties still give voters the final power. Elite theory says that two-party or multi-party system is usually dominated by an elite. For example in a country like USA elite theory works more than the pluralist theory. United States has two parties unlike the other countries that have multi-party system. In a multi-party system, political parties usually have specialised agenda which in turn represents their interests like environment, labor or business. But in America with a more generalised syst em, the two parties have to please a wider range of people to be elected. Consequently, both parties act neither too liberal nor too conservative. Many people agree that United States has a two-party system but there have been few cases where third party candidate won an election. Third party candidates have to struggle to get elected. The last time when the country saw a third party presented elected was in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln became President. In the view of elite theory they agree with the two-party system in United States as campaigns costs a fortune in this country. In their view the wealth buys the political power by recruiting capable individuals to serve the interests of the ruling class, and by financing the campaigns of politicians and the operation of political parties'(Module guide).Political parties are important for keeping the check and balance of power through peaceful means and are thus important in a liberal democracy. Without having any form of competition t hen from an elitist, then there would be only one outcome and that is whatever the elite considers the best then that will be the decision. In a country to be liberal democratic state power should be divided among different groups so that state cannot rule the masses on their own and the power is distributed among different factions of government. Pluralism critique of the state suggests a solution to how democracies can be realised in large and complex societies and how to achieve popular power and at the same time limit the power of the state. Pluralism is strictly against the totalitarian government. A pluralist society is on in which the decisions are taken by associations of citizens, acting independently of state. They assume state as a neutral actor which helps control conflicts and negotiations among groups. As all groups do not have equal resources or influence as some of the other groups in society, state does not favour any of the group rather remain neutral. Pluralism prefers a federal system of government in which power is divided among executive, legislature and judiciary. So that there is checks and balanc es and no one can misuse the power. Madison advocated a simple logic stating that, grant independent power to the different branches of government, and each member of that branch will have a personal interest in maintaining that power and preventing the other branches from carrying out their repressive designs. It means if the power is distributed among different bodies in the government, no person will be able to impose his or her will. Pluralist theory can apply to a country like France where there is a federal system of government although the executive is body is slightly stronger than that of legislature. However all the power does not rest with the executive, power also lies within the two remaining branches of government, the legislative, and the judiciary. The second critique which describes the state is elite theory. In their view, the separation of power is unimportant within the state because in the end unified elite hold the power. They assert that the elites will always hold power in the society in different forms and their nature will directly determine the properties of society in which they live. The post- war elite theory critique C. Wright Mills argued that important decisions made in United States policy making were most of the times made by unelected power elite. For example, Unites States has a federal system of government in which power is evenly distributed among the 3 bodies of government , namely legislature, executive and judiciary but there certain cases where there are power elite makes the decisions. For instance the head of a big American business corporation or even the President or his appointed staff. On the contrary, Marxist theory argues that economy is the most important element in the society and that the s ociety should grow towards a classless structure with an equal distribution of power. Each citizen should be treated equally irrespective of gender, cast and religion to live in peace. Thus, idea of equality should be present in every country which makes it an important aspect of a liberal democratic country. Marxist Theory can best explain that why there is inequality among countries. Marxists states that unequal distribution of wealth is caused by exploitation in production as well as distribution of wealth. Capitalism and notion of private property creates class differences and unequal distribution of power. Private property maximises the gap between rich and poor. For instance if a person owns a property, he gets to exploit people who dont which leads to other people working for the person who owns the property and can provide them with money. This form of organisation develops two classes, the bourgeoisie or ruling class who control and profit from the system and the working class who are much more numerous. In Marxist view wealth should be equally distributed am ong people. Rejecting this theory of Marxism, elite critiques argue that economic or social class forces do not determine what happens in society rather elites do. Italian writer Vilfredo Pareto criticises Marxists for overlooking the control of elite. For example in a country like America and Nigeria there is a huge income gap between rich and poor due to capitalism. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of elites which gives an adverse effect on the welfare of citizens. Utter poverty for a large percentage of the people of Nigeria is because of the mismanagement of the economy and widespread corruption by political elites. Therefore both the theories can be applied in the countries like Nigeria and United States. All the liberal democratic countries should accept that citizens should not be prevented from practicing their religion and the state is no one to interfere with the religious decisions of citizens or their institutions. Marxist sees religion as a feature only of a class-divided society. The theory argues that whichever class controls the economic production also controls the production and distribution of ideas in society via institutions such as church, education system and the media. For example, France has declared herself as a secular country having divided church and state during the French Revolution. However, over 80% of her citizens claim to be Roman Catholics, on the other hand 10% claim to be Muslim (CIA).In spite of being a secular state France does not allow manifestation of religion in public sphere. In 2004, an anti-religious law passed through legislature that banned the wearing of headscarves, turban, skullcaps, or large crosses in the public schools as (Graham, 109) .Therefore looking at this example of France it can be said that the Marxist theory can describe secularism in France as the person who is ruling is passing all the laws which controls all the power in the government and can influence any law in his favour. Moreover this law in the end can lead to divisions in society. Similarly, Pluralism accepts all the religions in the society and rejects the notion that there can be a single belief in religion or culture. That is, pluralism is a simple recognition of the fact that there are many different faith groups active in the country. Pluralist theory works well in the liberal democratic countries as they demonstrate well about secularism. Pluralist theory works well in religious country like United States which is a multi-cultural society consisting of many religious groups such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus.

Hemispheric Specialization: Effects of Drugs on the Brain

Hemispheric Specialization: Effects of Drugs on the Brain NANA KOFI BONSU AKUFFO LANCASTER UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTION The human body is divided into many parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain weighs about 2.75 pounds. The brain is made up of many cells, and I the centre of the body. The brain sends messages to all the other parts of the body (â€Å"The Human Brain.† 123HelpMe.com. 19 Feb 2015). The human brain is seen to be in a spherical form. A hemisphere is half of a sphere, so this means, the brain divided into two parts or hemispheres. There is the right and the left. These hemispheres appear to be identical, but closer examination reveals that they are highly specialized regions that serve different functions. The left hemisphere enables our ability to express ourselves in language. In over 95% of right-handed people the left hemisphere is dominant for speech. The figure is somewhat lower for left hander’s, approximately 70%, but still highly significant. The left hemisphere is better than the right at recognizing sequences of words and letters. It controls our logic, our reasoning, and our analytical thought processes. It can focus on details, however it has difficulty comprehending the whole picture. The perceptual functions of the right hemisphere are more specialized for the analysis of space and geometrical shapes and forms, elements that are all present at the same time (not so sequential like language). The right hemisphere is the creative half, it can see the whole out of parts, that is allowing us to connect puzzle parts together. The right hemisphere also plays an important role in the comprehension of emotion. However, the control of drug intake from childhood stages to late adulthood increases gradually in life. Even for medical purposes, the intake of drugs may not just help a patient recover but can also have other negative side effects that later on in life reveal themselves. Drugs affect brain pathways involving reward, that is, the dopamine system in the reward pathway. Within seconds to minutes of entering the human body, drugs cause dramatic changes to synapses in the brain. LITERATURE REVIEW Hemispheric specialization refers to the study of cognitive functions, dividing them up by the hemisphere of the brain responsible for them (www.ask.com/ science/define-hemispheric-specialization). Cognitive function refers to a person’s ability to process thoughts.  Cognition  primarily refers to things like memory, the ability to learn new information, speech, and reading comprehension. In most healthy individuals the  brain  is capable of learning new skills in each of these areas, especially in early childhood, and of developing personal and individual thoughts about the world. The brain has two halves orhemispheres. The two sides look like mirror images. This is calledbilateral symmetry. The wordbilateralmeans two-sided, while symmetrymeans the two sides look the same. So bilateral symmetry refers to the fact that the brain consists of two halves that are nearly mirror images of each other. Some function locations vary depending on the dominant hand of the patient. In general terms, literary functions are focused in the left hemisphere, particularly in right-handed people, while creative and figurative functions center in the right hemisphere. Also well-known is that the brain isâ€Å"cross-wired†, with theleft hemisphere controlling movement on theright side of the body, and theright hemispherecontrolling theleft side of the body. Most, but not all, of the different structures, lobes and organs of the brain have a left and right hemisphere element, andcommunication between the hemispheresis achieved by means of a thick bundle of nerve tissues known as thecorpus callosum, which effectively makes a full brain out of two half-brains. HANDEDNESS AND LANGUAGE PROCESSING It was the French physiologistPaul Brocain the 1860s (as well as his less well-known countryman and near contemporary,Marc Dax, almost 30 years earlier) who noted that, at least in general terms, a person’s handedness tends to indicate aspecialized hemisphere on the brains opposite side, so that a right-handed person probably has a left-hemispherelanguage specialization, andvice versa. Indeed, for almost a century, until theWada test(a technique involving the anaesthetizing of one side of the brain using a drug such as sodium amytal or sodium amobarbital) was introduced in the 1960s, a person’s handedness was just about the only clue an operatingneurosurgeonhad about which hemisphere of a patient’s brain was probably the one specialized for language. Following Brocas findings, it was initially assumed thathandedness and the hemispheric dominance of speech processing were inextricably and intimately connected. However, it soon became apparent, even to Broca, thatexceptions and mismatches existed, and that perhaps the association wasnot as fixedas he had initially thought. Although the incidence of right-hemisphere language dominancedoesincrease more or less linearly with the degree of left-handedness, it turns out to be not quite as simple as that. In fact, after the work of Springer Deutsch, Damasio Damasio, and others in the 1990s, we now know that, although about 95% of right-handersdo haveleft-hemisphere dominance for language functions, only around19% of left-handershave right-hemisphere language dominance, with another20%or so processing language functions inboth hemispheres(the incidence of language distribution inambidextrous peopleis broadly similar to that found in left-handed people). Other studies report percentages for left-handers of 70%, 15% and 15% (rather than 61%, 19% and 20%), but the finding all suggest that, perhaps unexpectedly, some60% 70% of left-handers process language in the left hemisphere, just like right-handers. Indeed, around 93% of all people have left hemisphere language dominance (http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/brain.html). One half-brain is not â€Å"logical† and the other â€Å"intuitive,† nor is one more â€Å"analytical† and the other more â€Å"creative.† Both halves play important roles in logical and intuitive thinking, in analytical and creative thinking, and so forth. All of the popular distinctions involve complex functions, which are accomplished by multiple processes, some of which may operate better in the left hemisphere and some of which may operate better in the right hemisphere, but the overall functions cannot be said to be entirely the province of one or the other hemisphere. And far from having separate lives, the two halves work together. They are not isolated systems that compete or engage in some kind of cerebral tug-of-war; one is not an undisciplined child, the other a spoilsport that throws schoolyard tantrums. Rather, as we have stressed, the brain is a single, marvelously complicated, and deeply integrated system. Like those of a well-maintained bicycle, the parts of the brain do have different functions but, like the parts of a bike, they are designed to work together. Finally, as we discussed earlier, there is solid evidence that none of us relies primarily on one or the other hemisphere. We all use all of our brains; none of us are truly â€Å"left-brained† or â€Å"right-brained.† DRUG ADDICTION A drug is, in broadcast terms, a chemical substance that has biological effects on human beings and animals. In  pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.  Pharmaceutical drugs  may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for  chronic disorders. Recreational drugs  are chemical substances that affect the  central nervous system, such as  opioids  or  hallucinogens. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are the most widely consumed psychotropic drugs worldwide. They may be used for effects on  perception,consciousness,  personality, and  behavior. Many recreational drugs are also medicinal. Some drugs can cause  addiction  and habituationand all drugs have  side effects. Many drugs are illegal for recreational purposes and international treaties such as the single convention on narcotic drugs  exist for the purpose of legally prohibiting certain substances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug).

A Tale of Two Cities Essay: Vengeance and Blood :: Tale Two Cities Essays

Vengeance and Blood in A Tale of Two Cities In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens depicts how pointless the revolution becomes when the original goal of equality becomes lost when the anger, frustration, and desire for revenge of the third estate is finally discharged. The trial of Charles Darnay, the words and actions of Madame Defarge, and use of symbolism and foreshadowing show how anger drove the revolution to a state of pointlessness. One major reason the revolution became out of hand was due to unscrupulous people running the courts and the imprisonment of innocent people for no reason. Charles Darnay happens to be a character in dire trouble, when he finds himself being imprisoned and tried before an unjust tribunal. Darnay was a wealthy man who left France, but returned to help a former servant and " was accused by the public prosecutor as an emigrant, whose life was forfeit to the Republic, under the decree which banished all emigrants on pain of Death" (413). One way to impose revenge on the higher classes was to sentence them to death for little or no reason, which was the case with Darnay. At his second trial Darnay realized that " before the unjust Tribunal, there was little or no order of procedure, ensuring to any accused person any reasonable hearing. There could have been no such Revolution, if all laws, forms, and ceremonies, had no first been so monstrously abused, that the suicidal vengeance of the Revolution was to scatter them all to the winds" (457). The chaotic and murderous atmosphere within the courts reflected the frenzied state that lay outside of its dreaded doors. Another example of revenge can be seen in the character Madame Defarge. Madame Defarge represents the people in France who gave in to hate to satisfy the hurt and pain that had churned inside of them for so long, and is finally released in murder and acts of revenge. She was a woman without pity and virtue. For " it was nothing to her, that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefathers; she saw, not him, but them. It was nothing to her, that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live" ( 524). Many people showed this same type of vindictiveness, which created a curtain that blocked the original goal of the third estate. A Tale of Two Cities Essay: Vengeance and Blood :: Tale Two Cities Essays Vengeance and Blood in A Tale of Two Cities In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens depicts how pointless the revolution becomes when the original goal of equality becomes lost when the anger, frustration, and desire for revenge of the third estate is finally discharged. The trial of Charles Darnay, the words and actions of Madame Defarge, and use of symbolism and foreshadowing show how anger drove the revolution to a state of pointlessness. One major reason the revolution became out of hand was due to unscrupulous people running the courts and the imprisonment of innocent people for no reason. Charles Darnay happens to be a character in dire trouble, when he finds himself being imprisoned and tried before an unjust tribunal. Darnay was a wealthy man who left France, but returned to help a former servant and " was accused by the public prosecutor as an emigrant, whose life was forfeit to the Republic, under the decree which banished all emigrants on pain of Death" (413). One way to impose revenge on the higher classes was to sentence them to death for little or no reason, which was the case with Darnay. At his second trial Darnay realized that " before the unjust Tribunal, there was little or no order of procedure, ensuring to any accused person any reasonable hearing. There could have been no such Revolution, if all laws, forms, and ceremonies, had no first been so monstrously abused, that the suicidal vengeance of the Revolution was to scatter them all to the winds" (457). The chaotic and murderous atmosphere within the courts reflected the frenzied state that lay outside of its dreaded doors. Another example of revenge can be seen in the character Madame Defarge. Madame Defarge represents the people in France who gave in to hate to satisfy the hurt and pain that had churned inside of them for so long, and is finally released in murder and acts of revenge. She was a woman without pity and virtue. For " it was nothing to her, that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefathers; she saw, not him, but them. It was nothing to her, that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live" ( 524). Many people showed this same type of vindictiveness, which created a curtain that blocked the original goal of the third estate.

A christmas carol :: essays research papers

Charles Dickens believed it was up to him to inform the people of Britain of the social problems occurring around Britain. While Dickens was a young man, he suffered from poverty along with his mother and father. His father was imprisoned for dept and Charles wanted to become a social reformer. Dickens used these problems as themes for his book ‘A Christmas Carol’. These themes involve poverty, pollution and a changing of ways. Dickens used Scrooge, the main character in the book at first to show how current society was at the time and then at the end, after the visits from the three ghosts, how the society could be. At the start of the book Scrooge is anti-social, greedy and extremely selfish. I believe this is how Britain was at the time. Then, after the visits from the three ghosts scrooge changed and I think that that is what Dickens wanted Britain to do. The first of the three spirits is the ghost of Christmas past. It had the body of someone elderly, but was surprisingly youthful and powerful. The ghost is described as ‘a strange figure- like a child; yet not so much like a child as like an old man’. It held a brimmed cap, evidently an extinguisher for its head, from which jetted a clear, pure stream of light. This stream of light symbolises that Christmas is a happy time and should be full of light and joy. On the other hand, the extinguisher cap that the spirit was holding was made by people like Scrooge, who use the cap to hide the light of Christmas. The second spirit is the ghost of Christmas Present. It is a great giant, dressed in a green and surrounded by piles of food. The spirit has a garment, which hangs loosely on him that shows his capacious breast. I believe that this is supposed to show how free and open the spirit is. Another similarity to his openness is his hair. This is described as, ‘dark-brown curls were long and free’ this makes the spirit seem to be totally natural and genuine. The spirit is made to seem kind and cheerful. There are a few phrases suggesting this such as, ‘its open hand’, also it is portrayed as having an antique scabbard with no sword in it which shows that the spirit wanted peace. This proves the spirit is gentle and caring.

oTHELLO :: essays research papers

Othello Essay In Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello†, the role of women is deeply emphasized; the significant characters of the play Othello, Iago, and Casio, each have a lady that stands behind him. These women each have commitment to remain faithful and respect their husband's needs, especially Desdemona and Emilia. Desdemona is the victim of this play; Shakespeare portrays her as the loyal wife even up to her death. Throughout the story, Desdemona appears to live for her husband. Desdemona's one goal in life is to please her husband. Emilia represents another aspect of female strength, less logical character, which relies on her sense of instinct. She understands her role as a wife (act 4, scene 3) Emilia is talking to Desdemona about husbands. " Yet we have some revenge. Let husbands know Their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour, As husbands have. What is it they do When they change us for others? Is it sport? I think it is. And doth affection breed it? I think it doth. Is't fraility that thus errs? It is so too. And have not we affections, Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?"(page 217 line 104-113). Emilia and her husband Iago have different affiliation than Desdemona and Othello. Desdemona and Othello truly love each other, while Emilia, having no common sense of hatred towards Othello, has never actually loved Iago. She educate Desdemona, she is ignorant of Iago's evil nature and is also unsuspecting of his plot against Othello. Bianca appears to have a very insignificant role in the play, yet she as a major role in the death of Desdemona. Bianca’s relationship with Cassio, seems as though Bianca really wanted to have a relationship with him, (scene 3, act 4).

Academic Cause-Effect Paragraph Writing

CAUSE – EFFECT PARAGRAPH VERBS *LEAD TO Lack of vitamin B leads to Beriberi. Carelessness leads to forest fire. *CAUSE Traffic congestion causes stress Family problems cause alcoholism Factories cause air pollution *IS CAUSED BY Stress is caused by traffic congestion. Alcoholism is caused by family problems. Air pollution is caused by factories. *GIVE RISE TO Headphones give rise to deafness. Lack of communication gives rise to divorce. *BRING ABOUT Global warming brings about climate change. Lack of affection brings about injecting heroine among teenagers. *IS DUE TODrought is due to lack of rain. Obesity is due to consuming fast food. *RESULT FROM/STEM FROM/ ARISE FROM Air pollution results from hydrocarbon emission into the air. Sleeplessness stems from stress and addiction to the internet. Erosion arises from heavy rain. *RESULT IN Lack of love results in juvenile crime. Unemployement results in suicides. *CAUSE SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING The internet has caused people to acc ess information easily. *LEAD SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING His actions led him to lose his job. *ENABLE SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING Computerization enables us to cut production costs by half. HELP SOMEONE DO/TO DO SOMETHING Using a computer helps you save/to save your precious time. CONJUNCTIONS Let’s put these ideas into a sentence, using different conjunctions SINCE/ AS/BECAUSE/INASMUCH AS/ON THE GROUNDS THAT (†¦icin) Since he was in a hurry, he took a taxi. FOR (icin) She didn’t go to work yesterday, for she was ill. EFFECT OF Stress is the effect of noise pollution. Brain tumor is the effect of using mobile phones. RESULT OF Environmental pollution is the result of burning plastic bottles. High blood pressure is the result of the excessive use of salt.THEREFORE/SO/THUS/HENCE (bu yuzden) Payment was received two weeks after it was due. Therefore, you will be charged a late fee. CONSEQUENTLY/ AS A CONSEQUENCE / AS A RESULT/ /ACCORDINGLY (sonuc olarak) Our economy was p oor. Consequently, many people were forced to move elsewhere in order to find jobs. DESPITE/IN SPITE OF/REGARDLESS OF/NONWITHSTANDING /FOR ALL (ragmen) Regardless of / Nonwithstanding/ For all/ Despite/ In spite of our request, he didn’t alter his plans.ALTHOUGH/THOUGH/EVEN THOUGH/IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT/DESPITE THE FACT THAT (ragmen) Although it was dangerous, he decided to do it. Because of stress and addiction to the internet, Due to the heavy fog,Owing to On account of ( Noun/ Noun Phr/ Ving) ,As a result of | people may suffer from imsomnia. the tragic accident occured. sentence| OWING TO ON ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT ————- , —————- (-den dolay? DUE TO BECAUSE OF Owing to the fact that communication was so poor, we couldn’t contact you. MOREOVER/FURTHERMORE/ALSO/BESIDES/IN ADDDITION†¦(bunun yan? s? ra) The cameras will deter potential criminals. Moreover, they will help police a great deal when a crime actually is committed. IN ADDITION TO/ BESIDES/AS WELL AS/ APART FROM (ayr? ca, bunun yan? s? a) Apart from his work, his only real interest is baseball. TOPIC SENTENCES The basic/main causes of sleeplessness reasons for| are | stress and internet addiction. | The cause of global warming are greenhouse gases and pollution. The reasons for global warming are the increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other human activities. The reasons why + SENTENCE| are| (Noun/ Noun Phr/ Ving)| The reasons why + SENTENCE| are that | SENTENCE| The reasons why people start smoking are social acceptance and stress.The reasons why people start smoking are that young people are attracted to the ‘image' they associate with smoking and they are under a lot of stress. *BENEFICIAL FOR Watching foreign channels on TV is beneficial for improving your second language. â€Å" *Sleeplessness primarily/basically/mainly stems from stress and internet addiction. *Sleeplessness is primarily/basically/ mainly caused by/ due to stress and internet addiction. Use some of the following structures / connnectors while introducing your supporting ideas and examples Introducing supporting ideas:The first/basic reason is †¦.. The second reason is that †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Another reason for sleeplessness is / is that†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The reason why people start smoking is social acceptance. The reasons why people start smoking is that young people are attracted to the ‘image' they associate with smoking. GIVING EXAMPLES For example, †¦ To illustrate, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. For instance, †¦.. In other words,†¦.. †¦ (n) †¦. such as/like †¦. (n)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ That is, †¦. That is to say, †¦.. Namely,†¦. TO SUMMARIZE we use All in all,†¦.. In brief,†¦. In short,†¦. In a nutshell,†¦.. To sum up,†¦.. To summarize,†¦.In conclusion,†¦. To conclude,†¦ Briefly,†¦.. Shortly,†¦.. What are the cau ses of road accidents / watching TV? ROAD ACCIDENTS Having road accidents every day has three main reasons. The major cause of road accidents is careless drivers who are responsible for the death of other people. By ignoring the rules and drinking on roads, they bring about car crashes and lead innocent people to die deliberately. According to a survey conducted in 2003, 4 out of 10 people in the U. S. A. passed away due to road accidents. Furthermore, weather conditions sometimes give rise to road accidents.That is to say, when roads are wet or icy, it is hard to control cars. Hence, it is required to check the weather conditions before driving and take some necessary precautions for our safety. Another cause of road accidents is that there are too many cars on roads. In our modern world, every family member has a car; therefore, it is inevitable to have heavy traffic in metropolitans. In other words, the fact that families have more than one car causes trafic jam . This chaos lead s people to have both physical and mental problems.That is, it is so easy to have car accidents if there are millions of cars on roads. All in all, lack of consciousness, unsuitable weather conditions and excessive number of cars are responsible for road accidents. TV Watching television is a good way of improving one’s English for several reasons . First of all, one can learn new words by watching broadcasts on TV. News is a good source of picking up new words about current events and world issues. In this way, foreign channel viewers can hear authentic English full of useful words. Secondly, by following episodes such as Lost†, â€Å"Prison Break†, and â€Å"The Simpsons†, one can learn daily expressions which are commonly used in daily English. Finally, while watching TV, it is possible to improve one’ s listening skills. Although one may not understand everything on TV, one can get familiar with the sounds of English and the pronunciation of wor ds. Besides, the more one listens to English, the more one understands. Therefore, it will be good practice to listen to songs on MTV or Number 1 TV where hundreds of songs appear a day. In short, TV enables learners of English to better their English in an enjoyable way.

International Business Strategy Hill

International Business Strategy FALL 2010 Course Outline 1. motivation and description of the course Companies today confront an increasing array of choices regarding markets, locations for key activities, outsourcing and ownership modes, and organization and processes for managing across international borders. This course focuses on the international dimensions of strategy and organization, and provides a framework for formulating strategies in an increasingly complex world. The goal of this course is to provide the foundations for taking effective action in the multi-faceted world of international business. 2. ourse structure The structure of this course follows a logical sequence where first the international environment is analysed in relation to the international strategies of firms. Next, we study the optimal scope of the firm across geographic markets, and whether a firm should diversify – or expand its scope across different geographic markets. Such a scope economy can either be demand side, when the firm can replicate a strategy that works well domestically in a country that was previously missing that product or service, or supply side, when a firm seeks to exploit a valuable resource from within a new market. In the first case, a firm arbitrages a product or a strategic capability into a new market whereas, in the second case, it arbitrages the factor cost advantage of a new market. We will also see that in order for the firm to extend the scope of activities under its own management to a foreign country, there has to be some market failure present preventing that firm from simply licensing or selling its valuable resource to an indigenous firm – or buy it from an indigenous firm in the case of supply-side scope economies. As most cross-border expansion of significance currently occurs through M&A or alliances, we look at the particular hallenges such operations entail for the firm. Finally, we examine how the off-shoring of activities may help firms to better compete in the global economy. Method The course proceeds through a combination of lectures, readings, and making use of the case method. You should have completed the set readings prior to a class and be prepared to answer t he case questions in class. This means that you should have read the assigned case for a class and be prepared to answer the questions on that case. Some classes have Optional Readings, which are simply listed in case you have particular interest in reading further on a topic. Case analysis involves an enhanced role for class discussion, supplemented by lecture material. Generally, the goal of class discussion is to arrive at a collective analysis of the issues presented by the materials. Analysis of international strategy issues is not accomplished through the routine application of formulas, but rather through reasoned analysis under conditions of limited information, uncertainty, by individuals and groups from different backgrounds and with particular schemas and ways and structures of organizing knowledge. With a case, you should be able to identify the key issues, problems, and opportunities facing the central protagonists, to articulate and evaluate alternative approaches to tackling the problems, and to describe the course of action that you recommend and the reasons for your recommendation. Case selection criteria in part includes variation across contexts and you should be able to port and apply the frameworks, concepts and tools from one case, context and part of the course to another. Course Readings The principal textbook for the Course is: Hill, Charles W. L. 2011. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. NY: McGraw-Hill International Edition (Eighth Edition). Readings from this textbook are supplemented by cases and other readings. 3. assessment Individual grades for this course have two components: – Class attendance + assignments(25%) – Written exam (75%) 4. course overview and materials 27 September Introduction and course structure Globalization and regional integration Learning Objectives: †¢ Explain the phenomenon of globalization; Explain why managers today need a global perspective; †¢ Describe the effects of globalization on markets and production; †¢ Explain how technology and innovation support globalization; †¢ Globalization versus regional economic integration; †¢ Business strategies and regional integration. Reading: Hill, Chapter 1. Globalization Chapter 8. Regional Economic Integration. Optional Reading: P. Dicken. 2007. Global Shift mapping th e changing contours of the World economy, 5th edition, London: Sage Publications. October What makes countries and regions different? The role of culture, institutions and political and economic systems. Learning Objectives: †¢ Identify the business and economic implications of differences in culture; †¢ Understand differences in political and economic systems of countries; †¢ Discuss the role of public policies in relation to the competitiveness of a country; †¢ Explain how indicators of a country’s competitiveness can help firms decide where to locate production activities. Reading: Hill, Chapter 2: National Differences in Political Economy. Chapter 3: Differences in Culture. Optional Reading: E. Thompson, National Competitiveness: A Question of Cost Conditions or Institutional Circumstances, British Journal of Management, Vol. 15, 197–218 (2004). 11 October International trade theory, foreign direct investment and competitiveness Learning Objectives: †¢ Explain the evolution of different trade theories; Discuss the relevance of the New trade theory and Porters diamond; †¢ Discuss the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the world economy, and the changing patterns of FDI over time; †¢ Present different theories that explain why a company would undertake an acquisition rather than a Greenfield investment; †¢ Explain horizontal FDI, and suggest the conditions under which it may be most applicable; †¢ Explain vertical FDI, and suggest the conditions under which it may be most applicable. Reading: Hill, Ch. 5, In ternational Trade Theory, Ch. 6. The Political Economy of International Trade Ch. 7. Foreign Direct Investment . Optional Reading: Dunning, John. 2009. Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor? (+ Comments). Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 40, No. 1, 5-41 The Global Competitiveness Report, 2010-2011, World Economic Forum, Geneva 18 October Successful FDI promotion: how regions seek to influence corporate FDI For corporate FDI to be successful, it should pre-empt or be aligned with the FDI priorities of the host country and region. International businesses cannot achieve durable advantages if it is out of sync with the aspirations of policy makers in the ‘go-to’ locations. Hence executives should seek to understand such aspirations and the related strategies. This module explores how policy makers seek to make their constituencies more attractive for FDI. It addresses the challenges that both National Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) and Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) face to develop successful strategies and to see these through to implementation. In this context, the module will cover both the offer that IPAs and RDAs can provide to corporate FDI decision makers, as well as the delivery thereof. Real life examples will be used to understand what works and what doesn’t work today – both for mature economies (e. g. Western Europe), transforming economies (e. g. Central Europe) and emerging economies (e. g. Asia). Learning Objectives: †¢ Understand the prevailing economic development concepts and FDI promotion strategies; †¢ Explore the pro’s and con’s of the strategies; †¢ Understand the prevailing incentive schemes that regions use to attract corporate FDI; Understand the EU’s policies towards incentives; †¢ Distil common guidelines for policy makers; †¢ Understand what corporations can and should do to capitalize on local economic; development concepts and FDI promotion strategies. Optional Reading: Michael E. Porter, 1990. The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press 25 October The Strategy of International Business: Creating value from internationalisation Learning Objectives: †¢ Understand how internationalisation can create value; †¢ Measure the contribution of an internationalisation strategy; †¢ Assess the business model of the firm in an international context. Discuss how firms should handle the complex international environment; †¢ Suggest the reasons why firms may decide to enter international business, and identify the benefits from international strategies; Case: CEMEX Reading: Hill, Ch. 12, The Strategy of International Business, pp 419- 447 Extra note: â€Å"The value of a global strategy: the ADDING framework†. Extra note: â€Å"Adapting the business model to international markets†. Discussion Questions: 1) What benefits have CEMEX and the other global competitors in cement derived from globalization? Use the ADDING framework in answering this question. 2) What explains the better than average performance of CEMEX? How does this relate to industry specific factors and the competition within the industry? 3) What makes CEMEX’s internationalization process so effective? What procedures and techniques are used? 4) In what other countries could CEMEX profitably expand its business? What are important factors to be considered for entering new markets. 1 November Holiday 8 November The Strategy of International Business: Design and implementation Learning Objectives: †¢ Outline the basic strategies undertaken by MNEs, and specifically focus on how they relate to the needs for local responsiveness and cost minimization; †¢ What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a global strategy? †¢ Discuss how firms should handle the complex international environment. Reading: Ghemawat ,P. â€Å"redefining Global Strategy, Chrossing Borders in a World Where Differences Matter†, Harvard Business School press, Cambridge, MA, 2007. Chapter 3 – Global Value Creation. Case: BRL Hardy Discussion Questions: ) What are the driving forces behind BRL Hardy to become a global company? 2) What is the source of tension between Stephen Davies and Christopher Carson? How effectively has Steve Millar handled the differences? 3) Should Millar approve Carson’s proposal to launch D’istinto? Why or why not? 4) What recommendations would you make to the organization concerning the conflicting proposals for Ke lly’s revenge and Banrock Station? What would you decide to do as Carson? As Millar? 15 November The Organization of International Business: Organizational architecture of the International firm. Learning Objectives: Identify the different kinds of organizational structures and internal control mechanisms that international businesses can use to manage global operations; †¢ Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized decision systems; †¢ Present the basic types of organizational forms that multinational firms use; †¢ Describe the control systems and integrating mechanisms available to multinational firms; †¢ Show how the organizational architecture, control systems, integrating systems, and decision making choices multinational firms have available must be consistent with their strategy and industry environment. Case: BRL Hardy Reading: Hill, chapter 13, The Organization of International Business, pp 449-484. Optional Reading: Verbeke, Alain, Kenworthy,. Thomas. 2008 . Multidivisional vs metanational governance of the multinational enterprise, Journal of International Business Studies, 39( 6) : 940-956 22 November Growing internationally to become a world leader. The case of AB InBev. Invited lecture by Mr. Beni Roos, former executive director Interbrew 29 November Entering foreign markets Learning Objectives: †¢ Present the advantages and disadvantages of six different modes of entering new countries and markets; †¢ Bring together the issues of FDI theory and the issues of strategy and organization to better understand why different firms may make different decisions regarding the best modes of entry; Case: Lincoln Electric Reading: Hill, chapter 14, Entry Strategy and Strategic Alliances, pp. 487-518 Optional Reading: Kim, W. Cha, Hwang, peter. 1992. Global Strategy and Multinationals’ entry mode, Journal of International Business Studies, 23, 29-53. Discussion Questions: 1. Put yourself in CEO John Stropki's shoes. Should Lincoln Electric expand into India by investing in a major production facility there? 2. If you were to expand into India, would you enter through acquisition, a greenfield site, or some type of joint venture? Which factors would inform your decision among these entry mode choices? 3. In which countries is Lincoln Electric likely to be most successful or least successful? Why? How would this guide your own choice of where to place Lincoln Electric's production facilities abroad? 4. When Lincoln Electric goes to India and other countries, what factors should determine how much it adapts its core incentive pay-for-performance management practices to local labour market norms? Should Lincoln Electric follow the adage â€Å"when in Rome, do as the Romans do,† or should it seek to always replicate the recipe behind its success in the home plant in Cleveland? 6 December Cross-Border Arbitrage and Outsourcing Learning Objectives: Understand cost, resource, and market-based advantages of on-shore, near-shore and off-shore locations and their implications for â€Å"roles† of operating units, and how to exploit differences across countries to directly create value; †¢ Present the phenomenon of outsourcing jobs from â€Å"advanced nations,† such as the United States or Western Europe; †¢ Understand that while much attention is paid to t he economic differences across countries – such as through offshoring and outsourcing – there may be important arbitrage differences based on cultural, administrative, and geographic differences. Reading: Hill, chapter 16, Global Production, Outsourcing and Logistics, pp 562-586 Optional Reading: Ferdows, Kasra, 1997. Making the most of foreign factories. Harvard Business Review (March): 73-88. AT Kearney, 2009. The shifting geography of offshoring Lewin, Arie Y. e. a. , 2009. Getting Serious About Offshoring in a Struggling Economy, Shared Services News (February): 19-23 Discussion Questions: 1) What are corporate risks associated with outsourcing, and what can be done to mitigate these risks? 2) Are wage arbitration based outsourcing tactics soon to become redundant as result of global wage cost escalations? 3 December Setting up international strategic alliances Learning Objectives: †¢ Discuss the role of strategic alliances, their advantages and disadvantages, †¢ Highlight the factors critical to making alliances work Reading: Hill, chapter 14, Entry, Strategy and Strategic alliances, pp 487-518 Optional Reading: Reuer, Jeffrey. (2004). Strategic alliances: Theo ry and evidence. New York: Oxford University Press. Case: Lasserre, P. ; Flament, A. ; Fujimura, S. ; Nilles, P. , Renault and Nissan – A marriage of reason. INSEAD (2001) 20 December Review session