Business - International Trade Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business - International Trade - Assignment Example A safe guard restrains international trade. In 2002, the United States imposed a safe guard against steel products, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). The United States trade Representative asked the US international trade Commission (ITC) to begin an official safe guard investigation, under section 201 of the US trade laws. The request involved specifically asking the ITC to check whether steel imports were causing injury to the home steel industry. This was under 612, HTS product categories, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). In October 2001, the ITC made an announcement to the effect that it had discovered that steel imports had to a significant extent, caused injury to the domestic steel industry. In December 2001, the ITC made an announcement to the effect that a safe guard is to be imposed. This involved a relook into safe guard tariffs and quotas, (China Trade Remedy, 2011). During this period of time, the USTR began requested the US steel consuming industries and foreign steel exporters to start submitting petitions (China Trade Remedy, 2011). These petitions were meant to have their products removed from the upcoming safeguard. For this exclusion to be made they had to satisfy the USTR demand to know whether the domestic steel production was insufficient for the country. Why nations in the WTO refuse dumping: Dumping is an act of pricing that applies to international trade. ... It is a predatory practice, which is highly condemned, by the world trade organization, (WTO, 2012). This does not mean it’s necessarily prohibited. It is one of the things, which can utterly destroy domestic industries; therefore it calls for manufacturers to act with restraint. When local industries are hurt, the country has a lesser ability to do trade at the international platform. Dumping is a concern to the nations in WTO because it is an extremely expensive act to maintain, (WTO, 2012). It can take many years for it to work. The export country needs to subsidize the product that is being dumped. This can easily cause such a country to accumulate a large sovereign debt. It can even end up hurting the other aspects of the domestic trade in the export country. The other leading demerit of this predatory practice is that, it provokes retaliation from the trade partner. This leads to trade tariffs and barriers. The nations that are involved in this condemned practice can, th erefore, be censured by the WTO, (WTO, 2012). Dumping is rare, but when it happens, local manufacturers cannot avoid loses. This is because people buy the cheaper products. Are trade blocs recommended or not? A trading block is an agreement among governments whereby there is consensus to reduce or do away with tariffs and taxes that are imposed across the member states. These are sometimes referred to as free trade agreements, (Chase, 2005). They are simply intergovernmental trade pacts. Having trade blocs leads to easy and free access of goods or services, (Doole & Lowe, 2008). This easily causes the member states to specialize, which leads to quality of services being improved or better goods being delivered. Besides, at the level of the region, trade agreements lead to a variety of

The Practical Use of Research

The Practical Use of Research The term Research is an often misused term. Its usage in everyday language is very different from the strict scientific meaning. The Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as the study of materials and sources in other to establish facts and reach new conclusions. The term Research is a multi-faceted concept that has attracted numerous views. It is both a process and an outcome. But no matter the dimension, it should lead to understanding of an outcome. Research refers to empirical data collection in the pursuit of scientific endeavour usually in the form of an experiment, survey or evaluation (Australian Psychological Society, Code of Ethics). According to Osuala (2005), Research is simply the process of arriving at dependable solutions to problems through the planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Research is a most important tool for advancing knowledge, for promoting progress, and for enabling man to relate more effectively to his environment, to accomplish his purposes, and to resolve his conflicts. Another school of thought defines research as the process of investigation, an examination of a subject from different points of view. It is not just a trip to the library to pick up a stock of materials, or picking the first hits from a computer search, but the hunt for the truth. It is also getting to know a subject by reading up on it, reflecting , playing with the ideas, choosing the area that interest you and following up on them. In other wards it is a way you educate yourself (Denscombe, 1998). Creswell (2003) identifies research as the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is therefore the function of the researcher to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understanding to others. From the above definitions of the concept and from my own judgment, I can state from a broad sense of the word that research include the gathering of empirical data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge. It also involves a dedicated system of scientific methodology that can be used by researchers to arrive at the right conclusion. The three definitions above are not entirely different from my point of view because Denscombe, 1998, seem to explain that research involves an in depth inquiry about a subject to make an informed judgment. Creswell, 2003, agrees with me that data or information obtained and process leads to an increase in knowledge of the subject. However, research is not only about the pursuit of scientific endeavours as stated by the Australian Psychological Society, Code of Ethics, (2001), but a social event as well. The limitation of scientific method must, however, be thoroughly understood. For example, science cannot deal directly with values. It can define some of the issues involved in making value-judgments, but the judgment themselves are outside the scope of science. Research is a tool for studying social events and learning about them and their interconnections so that general causal laws can be discovered, explained and documented. Knowledge of events and social laws allows society to c ontrol events and to predict their occurrence and outcomes. Research is oriented towards the discovery of the relationships that exist among the phenomena of the world in which we live. It is devoted to finding conditions under which a certain phenomenon occurs and the conditions under which it does not occur in what might appear to be similar circumstances. From the above discussions research is a series of linked activities. According to Atkinson and Bouma (1995) research processes has three main phases. These are phase one: Essential first steps Selecting, narrowing and formulating the problem to be studied. Selecting the research design. Designing and devising measures for variables. Setting up tables for analysis. Selecting a sample. Phase two: Data collection Collecting evidence or data about the research question. Summarizing and organizing data. Phase three: Analysis and interpretation of data. This involves Relating data to the research questions and hypothesis. Drawing conclusions Assessing the limitations of the study. Solution to the problem in the form of recommendation Making suggestions for further research. What Research is not Research does not include what is already known, but is reserved for activities designed to discover facts and relationships that will make knowledge more effective. Attempts to classify types of research pose a difficult problem (Best and Khan, 1993). This is because various textbooks suggest different systems of classification. These are classifications by: purpose of research; Method used in the research; and paradigm of the study. Research can be classified into two broad categories namely scientific or experimental research and social science research. For the purpose of my study I wish to explain research under social science. Social science research, irrespective of its type and nature, entails a degree of measurement. This involves categorizing and assigning values to concepts, and is diverse in nature and levels of operation. It is also a very useful procedure because it serves to ensure high quality in research. Diversity in research reflects diversity in the parameters that guide it. More precisely, it means diversity in the Ontology and epistemology that underlie the methodology, which in turn guide the research. Simply, methodologies produce different research designs, because they follow in their theoretical structure different ontological and epistemological prescriptions. Critique of my definition of research Concerns with the definition of research in my opinion may be raised by what I referred to as gathering of empirical data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge, hence a critique of my definition. Flaws or weaknesses in my definition. There has been considerable interest in recent years in the role of philosophical assumptions and paradigms in doing research. During the 1970s and 1980s prominent concerns were raised about the limits of quantitative data and methods often associated with positivism, the prevailing paradigm. Positivism assumes an objective world which scientific methods can more or less readily represent and measure, and it seeks to predict and explain causal relations among key variables. However, critics argued that positivistic methods strip context from meanings in the process of developing quantified measures of phenomena (Guba and Lincoln, 1994: 106). The issue therefore of empirical approach to research has been justified by its success in measuring quantitative research. However, in more recent years, scientists have been challenged to explain phenomena that defy measurement and their inability to quantitatively measure some phenomena and the dissatisfaction with the results of measurement of other phenomena which have led to an intense search for other approaches to study human phenomena. This interest has led to an acceptance of qualitative research approach which does not need empirical data to discover knowledge. One cannot help but to stuck by the success of qualitative research methods in the marketplace of academic ideas (Atkinson, 1995, p. 117). The background of using qualitative methods to study human phenomena is rooted in the social sciences. This tradition came about because aspects of human science were unable to be described fully using quantitative research methods. More recently, the practice of qualitative rese arch has expanded to clinical settings because empirical approaches have proven to be of limited service in answering some of the challenges and pressing clinical questions, especially where human subjectivity and interpretation are involved (Thorne, 1997, p. 28). However, the use of qualitative research has its own flaws as well. It is unable to study relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends. Empirical scientists who support the Cartesian framework believe that if objective measurement cannot be assigned to a phenomenon, then the importance and thus the existence of the phenomenon may be in question. Many contemporary scientists and philosophers question the value of this system, particularly in situations that include humans and their interactions with other humans. Data quality is very important for the research purpose and if care is not taken often, critics think the nature of data collection could lead to the production of large amounts of useless information. Empirical data should not be the approach of investigating social actions to interpret and understand the actors reasons for social actions, but to subject their action into reality. Information and facts Others may say that what may be a piece of information to one researcher may be irrelevant to another. Therefore how do we determine relevant information or facts for research? Quantitative research methodology has its weaknesses, among other things for the way in which it perceives reality, validity and the methods it uses as well as the relationship it establishes with the researched. Qualitative research methodology has been criticized, among other things for not being able to cope with demands related to reliability, objectivity, representativeness and the value of collected data. Advancement of Knowledge; Again, critiques think that in research people may omit evidence that may not agree with their opinion and could produce inadequate information which does not represent the facts. In other words, beliefs may be established on insufficient evidence. Therefore improper conclusions or inferences owing to personal prejudices may be drawn. The common response to these criticisms is that, these concepts are strengths and not weaknesses of my definition. With the underlying terms or concepts that I have used in my definition, let me consider the following; Empiricism. Empirism goes back to the writings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and is directly associated with the work of Francis Bacon (1651-1626), John Locke (1632-1704) and David Hume (1711-1776). Empiricism supports the view that knowledge come through experience mediated through the senses and insight can only be achieved through pure experiences. Empiricism assigns a high value to experience and gives primacy to facts. Hence, observation and experience offer the basis of knowledge. For Hughes, (1990), opinions are reflections of our impressions of reality. In a more radical form, empiricism argues that only things that can be verified empirically exist. What cannot be verified does not exist; truths that are not based on experience are meaningless. Quality of data. Often, data collection is essential for a reliable and valid research. Data collection entails decisions and action regarding the collection of the information required to address the research question. Data processing entails grouping, presentation, analysis and the interpretations of the findings. Examine and compare data after which data should be conceptualized and analyzed qualitatively or quantitatively. Empirical data are generally relevant for analysis. Research Information here refers to any relevant material that is useful for and during the study. They may include key informants, study groups, events and methods of data collection and assistants. Ways of Gaining / advancing Knowledge The means by which man seeks knowledge to his problems can be classified under broad categories; tenacity, authority, and science. The Method of Tenacity; under this situation people hold firmly to the truth, that they know to be true because they hold firmly to it, because they have always known it to be true. Frequent repetition of such truths seems to enhance their validity. People also infer new knowledge from propositions that may be false. The Method of Authority; this method establishes belief. If the Bible says so, it is so. If a mother says it, it is true. Life could not, in fact, go on without the method of authority (Osuala, 2005). The Method of Science; Francis Bacon (1561-1626) planted the seeds of acquiring modern scientific knowledge. He suggested that conclusion should be based on observed facts. The triangulation of both inductive and deductive reasoning gave birth to the scientific method. This method has self-correction aspects which it is believed no other method of attaining knowledge has. There are built-in checks all along the way of this method. These checks are so conceived and used that they control and verify the scientists activities and conclusions to the end of attaining dependable knowledge outside himself. A scientist does not accept a statement as true even though the evidence at first looks promising. Dependable knowledge is attained through science because science ultimately appeals to evidence; propositions are subjected to an empirical test. Conclusion: From the above discussions research in my opinion is a process by which we come to know what we want to know. It is a series of linked activities but should not be seen as a set of rigid steps to be followed. The obvious function of research is to add to existing store of knowledge and sometimes remove inappropriate or inapplicable theory. The three definitions and my personal own on research all go to add to further clarify the meaning of research as being purposive in the solution of a given problem, demands logical and objective approach, involves gathering data from primary and secondary sources. It also demands accurate and adequate knowledge about what already exist and how others have tackled it.

Hypertext as a Medium for Writing Essay -- Exploratory Papers

Hypertext as a Medium for Writing This paper will compare and analyze theoretical ideas found in Hamlet on the Holodeck by Janet H. Murry focusing on Chapter 10 â€Å"Hamlet on the Holodeck† as it relates to hypertext as a specific medium for writing, and Writing Space by Jay David Bolter focusing on Chapter 7 â€Å"Interactive Fiction† and chapter 8 â€Å"Critical Theory in a New Writing Space† and their emphasis on digital poetry and the increased role of the reader in the reading process. The information taken from these two works will then be compared to the interactive hypertext webpage entitled â€Å"Heading South† by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) English graduate student, Cheryl Ball. In relation to hypertext, the role of the reader seems to be more interactive than that of a typical offline reading. A large amount of evidence supporting the assumption that the reader plays an increased â€Å"interactive† role in interactive or hypertext material is found in both Hamlet on the Holodeck and Writing Space. These examples show how Cheryl Ball’s poetry is easy to follow and how readers are able to play an interactive part in observing her material. As background information relating to digital poetry and the readers’ role, Janez Strevhovec, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Academy of Visual Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia states, â€Å"Today digital poetry provides us with new, provocative, and challenging, to sensitivity even testing forms of experiencing. It is a medium that can only be understood on the basis of analysis of the present world of the new media, and new perception forms, which originate in the interface culture† (Streh ovec 4). Strehovec’s description of digital poetry simply addresses that it is presented in a new-aged... ...-established outcomes or only a few to choose from. I believe using hypertext as a medium for writing can only increase the importance placed on the reading, not lesson it. The information from Bolter, Murray, and what I have gained from evaluating Ball’s web site has helped me to become better aware of different aspects of hypertext, and what I will and will not use when creating my own webpage. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. Maywah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2001. Strehovec, Janez. â€Å"Text as a Loop/On the Digital Poetry.† The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2003. [Retrieved from the World Wide Web 15 March 2004]. http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Strehovec.pdf

Pursuing Perfection: Society, Media and Beauty

Beauty has been long defined as a set of attractive features a certain individual appreciates. It is a generally accepted notion that beauty remains to be declared by the one who sees. However, as time went by, people’s sight blurred and along the chaos, this individual’s notion of beauty became the one and only truth. Being sensitive to what is real beauty is as dull as it sounds inefficient.To simply redefine what is beauty is never simple. Influenced from certain icons, highlighted by flashing media, and affirmed by many socialites, beauty has become more than a description of the face. Women had to be always pretty and slim.Men had to be muscular and strong. It has become a high demand in the market where hobbies and little appreciation became obsessions. The American society would almost chant miracles by cosmetic surgeries. The media plays a major influence, the society tolerates the subtle imposition, and the person within grasps the whole idea with both arms. Me dia Affirmation Media affirms the silent speculation of how people define beauty. People think they will not fit in with other people and ad commercials will show them how they can be happier when they are as beautiful as their models. It will be a challenge, the ad would say, but worth doing so.Little did the audience know that they were simply trying to sell their products that truthfully caring for their lives. To be young and full of physical life is the only key to happiness. According to website Media Awareness Network, ads take advantage of the insecurities of the people. Those who are not beautiful should use their products. When they use the products, and achieve the kind of beauty they desire, then their lives would be worth living. These ads could be as simple as the right clothes to wear for the season or the latest trend in cosmetic surgery available in the market today.Regardless of what product it is, it will make their lives perfect, or so their ad says so. Media has presented different options: shampoos, soaps, perfume, lipstick, make-up, clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, and even underwear. Media would allow people to choose to make them feel the freely did so. But each item on the racks and shelves of malls and grocery stores lead to say one thing: if you want to be beautiful, use it until you are. Society and the Tasty Bait In this regard, media hands over a product as a bait, and society takes a bite on it.In any generation of people, what others think and feel about a certain person mattered a lot to that person. It dictates how they should fit in into society and how they can be truly happy when they are truly beautiful. When the ads say a person will have to be slim so that others would even find true friends, then it would seem then that the basis of relationships is shallow to begin with. For every culture, beauty is defined differently. However, in the latest trends of fashion and influences, and the rise of a global market, one con strued definition has crossed borders.It made the world want that kind of beauty. The kind that is rather superficial than appealing to certain existential individuals and society is most appealed by it. It is one thing to have all forms of media present a definition of beauty, it is another when the rest of society applies these bait to everything it was intended for. Website Associated Content noted that media distorts the meaning of beauty but the society takes as it is. One could even say that society even confirms the ads and everybody else should follow. People should always be beautiful and sexy no matter who or where they are.Weakling Within There will always be the option to not follow the trends and be themselves no matter how eccentric they are. But as the society dictates, the individual is more inclined to follow. This means that other affairs associated with that person is influenced by the constantly changing trends. YGoY Beauty Tips even noted that even in employment , employers also consider the physical attributes of a person before hiring them under their wing. However, as observed of majority of America, they failed to consider other attractive qualities of a person that cannot be observed by the eye by first glance.Being intelligent with a great sense of humor can also be considered as beautiful. The individual is weak and insecure. It has made them quite gullible and the companies have taken advantage of this by blasting all avenues of media possible solutions. They are saying, one will have to feel beautiful to be less miserable. With ads presenting mostly physical beauty than essential beauty, an individual will assume that beauty should start from the skin, instead of from the heart. Companies catered to the fears and insecurities and turned them around to make them buy the product to solve their problems.These assumptions, according to the abovementioned website, were affirmed by a research study. People strongly believe that physicall y beautiful people are happy and content with their lives. It has become their personal goals to reach this level. They failed to see that without being the epitome of beauty, one can achieve great happiness as well. But because the society applies what the media says, an individual bends to these trends. As another article from Associated Content said, beauty is demanding. Conclusion In the end, the definition of beauty today is the misconception of what is really most important in life.It deludes the public and make them feel secure enough to get into the next day. It pushed people to believe that you always have to fit in. Little did these people know that they are just being succumbed to buy certain products and make other people happy. Certain people bend for it and others end being obsessed with it. Beauty became a form of evil when it should be most appealing even with eyes closed. Beauty has been defined by media, as a marketing strategy to continually have their products on sale. Society takes on the definition beyond that an economic exchange. They made it as a way of life, indulging at what the media offered.The individual succumbs to the manipulation to alleviate their own insecurities. With this, one loses the essence of being an individual. Being who you are no longer mattered and fitting in did. Being happy is not being able to express oneself completely. Instead it is about being beautiful and always appealing to anyone’s eyes. They pursue perfection. But how could anyone continuously look at a person’s face, and appealed by it, if the words that come out of their painted lips are not as the plastic face has promised? References (2005). What are the notions of beauty in society. Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://beautytips.ygoy. com/general-tips/effects. php. (2006, December 20). Society and the pursuit of society. Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/103679/society_and_the_pursuit_of_b eauty. html? cat=9. (2008). Beauty and body image in the media. Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty. cfm. Little Lady. (2006, November 8). Media distortion of beauty. Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/84381/media_distortion_of_beauty. html? page=1&cat=60.

An Independent Teenager

As an independent teenager, I would say that I can do anything I want. I can precede living ordinarily without any disturbance and obstacle. But there are certain things that I can’t live without it. In the other word, my day will be ruined and fidget if I lost or missed the thing. One example of the thing I can’t live without is my Nikon D90. It is a Digital SLR camera. The camera brings me a lot of memories and sentimental value. I bought it by myself using my very own money and effort. It cost me around RM8,000 excluding the other accessories. The lens only cost me around RM5,000. What make this camera to be part of my life not just because it is very expensive, but I used the camera to gain extra profit every weekend. I am a part time photographer, so the camera was my primary gadgets to shoot pictures. Usually every weekend I was paid to become a wedding photographer. If there is no wedding on the weekend, I’ll go for an outing with my camera. Anywhere I go, I will bring along my camera including to the toilet and in the examination hall. . I rather walk alone with my camera than my own girlfriend. But that doesn’t disturb our relationship because she really understands my interest & hobby. What makes the camera very special for me because I felt that I have a talent on capturing pictures. It suits me very well. The other thing that I can’t live without is my laptop. This laptop was given to me by my father as a present of my 19th birthday. This is my first laptop, and I’m still using it until now. This laptop helps me a lot. One of the purpose of this laptop is for doing my assignment given by lecturers. Before my dad gives me the laptop, I was forced to go to the cybercafà © spending some money to do my assignment. Now, I can do my assignment in my house. Other than doing assignments, I use the laptop for editing. The wedding pictures that I took on the weekend will be edited using my laptop before go for printing. This can be the prove that my laptop was fully used for important purpose, not for streaming and chatting via facebook. Both things were my precious life. I can’t live without my Digital SLR camera & my laptop. If one of them were missing, my life can be ruined and I might be crazy or dead!