Human body Essay

A trip to the cinemas or even to the local bookstore will reveal the present generation’s fascination with the folkloric undead. This fascination, however, is not a new one as most of the present â€Å"lovable† undead characters are actually just old characters that have been given a make-over. From the charismatic vampires of Anne Rice in her Vampire Chronicles series to the morbid and gruesome zombies in the films, the folkloric undead have taken on a new shape from the early 19th century. Perhaps, the change can be attributed to a more imaginative set of authors and writers but then again much of this change can also be attributed to the developments in science and medicine which have allowed for a deeper understanding of the human body and the undead who feast on them. The vampires that Anne Rice creates are more seemingly human than they are vampire. This personification allows the reader to identify with the characters. As Anne Rice carefully describes every sinew and vein that runs down the potential victim’s neck, the reader feels as if he or she were the one taking that fatal bite. Dracula and Frankenstein have also been given more human sides as we see in the movies. The tale of love and revenge has no application to things which are not human. This is something that these writers and directors have realized. In order to capture the attention of the audience, one must be able to personify these characters and give them feelings and even appearances that can be mistaken for human beings. While arguably Frankenstein may be far from being human in the sense of the word, his feelings of revenge and even loyalty at times is too human to be mistaken for anything else. By employing the literary device such as personification and developing an understanding of the human body, today’s writers have evolved the genre from the simplistic undead of the earlier century.

Hengisbury Head Coastal Processes

What are geomorphic processes and how do they affect the coast at Hengistbury Head? Setting the scene Hengistbury Head is a scenic and historic headland near the town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England. It stands mid-way between Poole harbour and Hurst spit and forms the main division between Poole and Christchurch Bays. Coastal Processes| Description| Sub Aerial | Coastal erosional processes that are not linked to the action of the sea. Erosion occurs via rain, weathering by wind and frost. Its impact is often seen in soil creep, slumping and landslides. Corrosion| When waves approach the coastline they are carrying material such as sand, shingle, pebbles and boulders. Abrasion occurs when this material is hurled against cliffs as waves hit them, wearing the cliff away. | Human activity| Much building and recreation occurs at the coast, and this increases pressure on cliff tops, making them more liable to erosion and subsidence. The building of sea defences upsets the dyna mic equilibrium of the coastline| Hydraulic pressure| Cliffs and rocks contain many lines of weakness in the form of joints and cracks.A parcel of air can become trapped/compressed in these cracks when water is thrown against it. The increase in pressure leads to a weakening/cracking of the rock. | Corrasion| When waves approach the coastline they are carrying material such as sand, shingle, pebbles and boulders. Abrasion occurs when this material is hurled against cliffs as waves hit them, wearing the cliff away. | Coastal Transport| Description| Solution| Minerals are dissolved in seawater and carried in solution. The load is not visible.Load can come from cliffs made from chalk or limestone, and calcium carbonate is carried along in solution. | Suspension| Small particles are carried in water, e. g. silts and clays, which can make the water look cloudy. Currents pick up large amounts of sediment in suspension during a storm, when strong winds generate high-energy waves. | Saltati on| Load is bounced along the seabed, e. g. small pieces of shingle or large sand grains. Currents cannot keep the larger and heavier sediment afloat for long periods. | Traction| Pebbles and larger sediment are rolled along the seabed. |

Equity and Cost Methods in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equity and Cost Methods in Accounting - Essay Example The cost method, therefore, shows a bigger value for the investment than the equity method. Since dividends under the cost method are a form of revenue, they create taxable income. For example, if the Investee Corporation pays out $1.50 per share in dividends in 2011, Investor Corporation’s income is $12,000. In the 25 percent tax bracket, its tax liability would be $4,000. The equity method affects income greatly and hence has an effect on income taxes. Suppose Investee Corporation records income of $100,000 in 2011. Investor Corporation would record income of $20,000. The tax liability would $5,000. Income is more volatile than the dividend yield hence the equity method is more likely to affect the Investor Corporations tax liability. Since earnings of the investee corporation keep changing from year to year, it would be recommendable that the Investor Corporation should use the fair value method. That would help it avoid reporting the share of the investee’s earnings and losses that it bears. The changes in earnings of the Investee over the years will, therefore, have little effect on the value of the investment over

Determine whether ethnocentrism or ethical relativism apply for Essay

Determine whether ethnocentrism or ethical relativism apply for specific cross-cultural business circumstances - Essay Example Therefore, business leaders and executives should critically evaluate their business circumstances, especially for those involving specific cross-cultural situations, in order to avoid applying ethnocentrism, which may jeopardize the business transactions. For instance, one of the parties to the business contract may pull away if he or she feels considered as a junior partner to the contract due to his or her culture or religion (Egger, 2008). Ethical relativism is a similar practice to ethnocentrism whereby an individual tends to make ethical choices basing on what he or she feels is reasonable or right in accordance with an individual’s own value system or belief. Globalization intensified the interaction of different cultures across the world. This demands that business leaders as well as executives apply considerable accommodation to new cultures and beliefs whenever dealing with cross-cultural business transactions to avoid offending the other party to the contract or bus iness deal. In most circumstances, business leaders use language barriers as a basis to judge other cultures, e.g. the fact that English is the international language in the world does not mean that those who do not know the language do not have anything valuable to offer. Therefore, it is necessary to apply considerable accommodation to such cultural differences in order to foster understanding, e.g. hiring an interpreter to mediate between them during a business transaction (Guffey, Rhodes & Rogin, 2008). International business ethics refers to the standardized cord of ethics or norms that guides the conduct of transacting businesses in an international field. Due to the conflicting provisions of cultures as well as religions across the world, business have to adhere to the set cord of ethics while doing international business in order to facilitate smooth transaction across various cultures. Furthermore, international business ethics enables the companies as well as their represe ntatives and agents to stay above ethnocentrism or ethical relativism. However, global leaders as well as guardians of international trade such as the United Nations have a stipulated set of recognized norms that businesses have to abide to, such as the UN Global Impact. This provision enables businesses to engage professionally when confronted with cross cultural business circumstances as well as maintain cordial business relations with their partners (Jhingran, 2001). Some of the common aspects of international business ethics include: Environment friendly technologies Eradicating corruption, extortion, and bribery Promote environmental responsibility. Eliminate employment discrimination. Eliminate forced and compulsory labor. Eradicate child labor and slavery. Foster international cooperation. Despite the need to conform to international business ethics, there are situations that require business executives as well as marketing professionals to apply local culture when determinin g their ethical practices. This is especially in cases where the business transaction has a lot more sentimental value as compared to its commercial value. Take for instance in a business transaction that involves dealing with antiques and traditional artifacts such as monuments, curving, drawings and idols. These artifacts have a certain protocol of handling them, failure to which it may cast an evil

Theories essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Theories - Essay Example In regards to the theories, artists will use a piece of the previous artworks so that they can achieve success in their latest artwork (Schmidhuber, 2012). This makes a pattern that identifies the artist. See Apendix 1. The sociocultural theories are used when considering if the piece of art has cultural and value systems. This theory is used to look at the environmental conditions that may have influenced the piece of art. It also checks how the economy is a factor while creating the piece of art. The economic condition of the artist while producing the piece of art bares a huge influence on the final piece. It also explores the possibility of political conditions during the production of the piece. This theory takes a more physiological approach. The theory dates back to the Russian revolution. The theory is closely associated with the Russian psychologist Les s. Vygotksy. He stated that the social design of regrets is the main influence on an artwork. The personal, social design and regrets come second The expressive theories investigate if the artist tried to express his personality on the art piece or he expressed the views of the world. This theory was created out of the Romantic Movement. This crashed with the classifications which placed an individual at the center of the artwork. The theory states that good art should show the artists emotions and felling successfully. The art piece should communicate these feelings to the ones looking at the piece well. The today’s definition of art has been derived from this particular theory (Bourne, 2001). A good piece of art should be able to express all these theories successfully. These theories are used to classify paintings and deduct reason from them. They help in understanding what the artist was thinking about while making the painting. All the three theories have different dimensions and each dimension applies to a specific painting so as to make a good analysis. For example the

What does the state of the British media tell us about society in Essay

What does the state of the British media tell us about society in Britain - Essay Example In the world of today, media has become as necessary as food and clothing. As per Shakeel (2013) â€Å"It has played significant role in strengthening the society. Media is considered as "mirror" of the modern society, infect, it is the media which shapes our lives. The media of a certain country is a true mirror for portraying the cultural values and issue happening in a country. British media is of high standard and report on many issue which gives the public an image of British society. The sections like art, sports, entertainment, health and education. Britain being a cosmopolitan country does have a cultural and social mannerism different to other countries. British Media mostly present political and news and information on Royal family. According to Negrine(1991,pg.12-30) â€Å"The value of "political communication" in the dictionary of useful, catch-all phrases to describe the relationship between mass media and politics comes at a price in precision†. Although, the me dia does not reflect much on the life of common men it does give out what is British society is like. The nature of British media The British media has its own peculiarities and in Europe, Britain falls third to Germany and Estonia regarding the total number of newspaper published. Also the British Press market is the second largest in Europe with regard to newspaper circulation. The frequency of British newspaper is divided as weekly, daily and Sunday newspaper. The media of Britain greatly cover economic and political news. The media has the function of public enlightenment. The celebrity gossip and sports is a major portion in British media. The British media is also extensively interested in royal affairs. Unlike other countries, Britain has a regulated media. According to Enders(2011) â€Å"Until now, Britain has regulated commercial media far more tightly than the BBC and you argue that it is time for a change†. The British media has been a bit conservative in compariso n to other media in Western countries. The country always had to keep the royal status of the country. However, the British news papers are information rich and same goes with television media. However, politics is a major topic area for British media. Apart from this entertainment and sports get lot of media attention. Crime, sex and stories of human interests are also a part of the British media. According to (Gonzalez) The British national press provides a variety of political views, interests and levels of education. The British media does give out certain ideas as follows about their society Britain as a class conscious society British media has been one which shows class segregation and it has been partial to different classes. The media always represented the royal families and celebrities as the wealthiest and influential. The upper class was shown as the well bred and cultured people. The media has consistently showcased royal families as the ideal British people. The upper class is shown to be intelligent and sophisticated. (Thorpe) â€Å"But class-warfare, whether waged by politicians or the media, merely diverts attention from those living in deprivation†. The upper class is shown to hardworking, wall mannered and decent. The media has always shown upper class people in a positive manner and hence we can see that the British society is class conscious. Class discrimination is highly visible from the fact that the media as television or newspaper is consistently publishing or broadcasting news related to royal families an

New fuel cell technology used to replace APU in new boeing 737 and Essay

New fuel cell technology used to replace APU in new boeing 737 and airbus A320 - Essay Example It is monitored and controlled by the Electronic Controller. There are actually many different kinds of APUs used in the Boeing 737, created by a few different manufacturers. The AlliedSignal APU has the highest power rating at 90kVA up to 31,000 ft. (Brady, 1999); this power rating drops at higher altitude. Fuel cell technology is currently able to match this 90 kilo-Volt-Ampere power rating, in order to replace this APU. This has been demonstrated in test flights of hydrogen-powered aircraft, as described below. ‘The SOFC uses jet fuel as the reformer in the proton exchange membrane to give a 440kW APU that is 75% efficient compared to the conventional 40-45% efficient APUs. This would give a typical fuel saving of 1,360t for a 737 over a year. It is actually a hybrid gas turbine / fuel cell due to the sudden surges in demand eg engine starts and gear retraction etc. The SOFC will use air from a compressor passed through a heat exchanger for its gas turbine section. A potential drawback is that it has a 40min start-up time, so it would have to remain on for the whole day and depending upon its noise levels this could be a problem at airports which require the APU to be shutdown during the turnaround. ‘ The efficiency of SOFCs over conventional APUs is large; although the long start-up time might be prohibitable. The technology needed for a SOFC APU to replace the current Boeing APU may be available by 2010, but it could take much longer. Boeing was working in conjunction with Airbus to develop the necessary technologies to replace the APUs with fuel cell technology, since they essentially share the same supplier pool, but they were ready to split when it came to time to develop competitive finished products. The technology for building hydrogen-fueled aircraft has already been demonstrated. The Airbus A320 Fuel Cell Demonstrator was first publicly presented in Berlin in 2008. The fuel cell system provides 20kW of

Law of Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law of Property - Essay Example She has also noticed that an apple tree in the adjoining garden has branches overhanging her own garden. She wishes to know whether she can cut the branches and whether she is entitled to keep any apples either taken from the branch or which fall from it. A. You are a trainee in a firm of solicitors consulted by Esther. Your principal has asked you to research the relevant law and report to the principal (in 1,000 words) on what are the legal principles regarding Outside the word limit, give a bibliography of all books and databases used to carry out the research, and give a list of all cases that you consulted (whether or not actually used in Part A of your answer), with their references. In order to be able to advise Esther of her rights over the items that have been removed from the property, the branches and apples overhanging her property and the watch found in the grounds it is necessary to examine the law surrounding chattels and fixtures as well as the law regarding property ownership. In relation to the items removed by the previous owner the law regarding chattels and fixtures would be applicable1. According to the maxim of ‘quicquid plantaur solo, solo cedit2’ which translates to mean that whatever is attached to the soil becomes part of it this would mean that if the seller of a property removed plants from the garden he could be in breach of the contract. In Elitestone Ltd v Morris [1997]3 the House of Lords divided the category of fixtures into chattels that have become part and parcel of the land and other fixtures. If an item can be removed from the property without damaging the fabric of the property the court will generally regard such items as chattels4. In this particular case in relation to the carpets it is unlikely that the court would regard these as a fixture as removing them does not interfere with the fabric of the property. The bell might be regarded as a fixture

The Consumer and Their Relation to the Commodity According To Marx, De Essay

The Consumer and Their Relation to the Commodity According To Marx, De Certeau, Horkheimer and Adorno - Essay Example Also, in the cases when an individual goes to a store and purchases a shirt, toy, a beverage or any other purchased commodity, they are arriving at the decision to do so as a consumer. On the other hand, a commodity is any physical substance, these including metals, foods, and grains – which is exchangeable with another commodity of the same kind, which traders buy or sell, typically though futures agreements Another characteristic of any commodity is that the price of the given product at any given time is subject to the law of supply and demand. Notably, risk is actually the fundamental reason on the basis of which – the barter trading of the basic farming commodities began (Ozanne & Jeff 129-144). According to the review of De Certeau’s publication: the practice of everyday life: walking in the city, the tactics and the strategies discussed are in operation during the process of making product choices among customers. These choices are, however, based on the c onsumers’ relationship to the different commodities that consumers encounter on a daily basis. The expressed viewpoint is drawn from the experiences of every person within the community. The argument is deliberately presented in a poetic manner. The book centers upon the uses that the consumers make of, from the things that they purchase, or that which they decide to buy. The book also talks of the different networks that are operating within the society, which play the role of helping people oppose and avoid the order presented by institutions. De Certeau goes further to argue that the disciplinary constructions contained by the institutions within the society are deflected by developed tactics: the participants within the society in question offer an anti-discipline. Further, the consumers within the society, through the same tactical development, make their own tactically developed paths, which are somewhat unpredictable. These paths that are formulated by the consumers ca nnot be described fully, from a formal, official or a statistical point of view (Certeau 76). These strategies, according to De Certeau, are predictive of the following: the Strategies themselves – require that the city or the subjects act as alienated from an environment, in that they have an appropriate place, an officially recognized place, which is seen externally. The tactics, on the other hand, have no properly established localization, and not necessarily alienated from each other, which means that they often mingle and interrelate with each other. Further, the tactics take place within the territory of the strategies. These tactics, also, tend to be opportunistic, in that they combine a diverse range of elements towards gaining momentary advantage. Everyday practices, are most times some of these tactics – which include the small maneuvers that allow for the realization of a momentary victory over the obstacle facing the subject at the time of need (Ozanne & Je ff 129-144). According to the account of Marx, in the account, ‘idealism and materialism,’ the account holds that, humans are made to exist in physical organizations – where these organizations are helpful to the man, as they help him create their own means of subsistence. However, the subsistence models depend upon the available means – which they find existent as well as tat which they have do develop. Further, the productive efforts of these individuals are reflective of their life, expressing themselves –

The quartering of british soldiers during the american revolution Essay

The quartering of british soldiers during the american revolution - Essay Example However as time passed by the revolution felt strong wind in its favor and that no doubt came from the common mass, without whom no revolution at any part of the world can experience a long lasting success. The erratic rules that were frequently imposed on the Americans by the British government, led by King George the third; combined with high level of taxes that were totally biased towards the Americans, initiated a slow burning furnace of hatred amidst the heart of many Americans. As referred by Ward â€Å"The quartering of troops on private property was one of the objectionable measures that contributed to the coming of the American Revolution.†1 The quartering act acted as a positive catalyst to hasten the outburst of the hatred of the American people that finally transformed into The Great American Revolution. The East Coast of America was the first to fall prey to the British Colonialism. In 1700s the mentioned place was colonized by the British and the period might wel l be marked as the initiation of an oppressive rule that was often erratic and clueless while governing those people whom it had colonized. The need of formation, implementation and monitoring of the law was indeed needed but with much more rationality that the British Government had shown. To maintain the domination on a foreign land and to look after the basic securities so that it should not fall in hand of the enemies; maintaining of troops is needed on that land. Maintaining a large troop will definitely seek the three basic needs of any human being, namely food cloth and shelter and all these involves a cost that has to be maintained from the government revenue. To solve this problem and to find a single solution to this double trouble the quartering act was thought of and implemented by the British Government. In brief the act required the people living in American Land to provide barracks, bedding, utensils, certain specific staple provisions as well as a daily quota of cide r and beer to the British troops implemented on American soil and all that at free of cost. Such an act must come with a prelude that acts as a veil on the eye of the commons and the Britons were masters in such act. During the French and the Indian war posting British troops in American land was indeed needed. Again it was obvious while those soldiers were looking after the safety of the colonists they should also provide shelter and food from their own account. This was a war time emergency and many Americans realized that. There was almost no resistance while quartering for British troops on American soil was passed for the first time during the Indian and French war. But it was expected as soon as these wars would be over the temporary law would also be abandoned. In sheer contrast the coming time witnessed the legalization of Quartering law for the first time in 17652. Again, quartering stressed the already tiring financial status of the colonial legislatures under further fina ncial burden3. However, the initial quartering act that was enacted in the month of

The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Example for Free

The Collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe Essay Analyses of the collapse of communism have followed a dialectical path since the early 1990s, explaining the implosion first as the direct result of US pressure, then as the inevitable fall of a flawed system, and finally, as a combination of the two. This fluctuation has occurred as national archives from both the East and the West have become increasingly accessible, giving historians a more complete picture of trends that may have contributed to the climate within the Eastern bloc at the beginning of the relevant period. Indeed, such documents have been instrumental in dispelling the view that the pivotal events of 1989 had relatively short-term roots. Some analysts have developed reasonable arguments tracing the fall of the Warsaw Pact back only as far as 1985, but for the most part, these are unsatisfying, ignoring critical factors such as the rise of the hawkists in America, and the role of world-wide peace movements. In addition, the release of top secret CIA files has shed interesting light on the under-rated Afghan conflict. These suggest that far from being yet another target for moralistic US containment, Afghanistan was set up by the Americans as an attempt to trap the Soviets in an exhausting Third World contest- to give them their own Vietnam. This discovery, and others relating to the nuclear arms race, technology, the media, and human rights debates, indicates that while not as active as initially supposed, the US was highly instrumental in bringing down European communism. At the same time, however, evidence of a self-perpetuating economic crisis, a crisis which was to spawn the powerful dissident movements in Eastern Europe, can be seen in Soviet archives as early as 1960. It could thus be argued that communism was, as an impractical, unpopular system, doomed to eventual failure. That this occurred on such a grand scale, however, and as early as 1989, must be attributed to Gorbachevs dramatic reform policies; these were in turn shaped by both external and internal pressures, as well as the particular political matrix, formulated under Khrushchev, in which Gorbachevs career began. In order to fully understand the forces that pushed Moscow towards such reforms, it is necessary to begin with the 1970s and the Soviet Union under Brezhnev. This was a period that left a strong legacy economically and thus shaped the local and international environments to a significant degree. A time of superpower dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, both East and West were feeling the strain of Cold War competition- President Nixon of the U.S. looking for a way to liquidate the Vietnam War, and Brezhnev beginning to find the arms race excessively expensive. Trade between the two sides increased, and the common goal of nuclear non-proliferation led to various limitation agreements, such as the ABM Treaty of 1972. It was within this context, as Brezhnev was finally able to turn his attention to the process of catching up with the West financially and technologically, that the extent of the economic crisis in the communist states first became apparent. Dissent in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and, to a lesser extent, East Germany, had rung the alarm bells frequently throughout the preceding two decades, but the dilemma had never really absorbed much of the leaderships notice until now. Due to poor management of state funds, corruption within the system- granting party officials special luxuries, and an unbalanced emphasis on industrial manufacture, living standards within the Eastern camp were at a universal low. This was despite successful oil and steel production, the proceeds from which went to the maintenance of the KGB and the military presence in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Commodities were difficult to obtain, having been sacrificed for power plants that were needed to support industry, and, as a result, labour productivity and life expectancy were on the decline. In addition, government subsidies ate up such a large portion of the state budget that foreign trade had to be restricted, and importing rationed. These conditions had long been the fuel for various dissident undercurrents, which were intensified by strict censorship; as Timothy Sowula puts it, nothing nurtures dissent like the inability to express it.1 Although not anti-communist in essence, being rather concerned with democratizing socialism than with implementing Western ideology, these movements, particularly in Hungary and Poland, called for a reduction in state control, and promoted pluralism, and were thus clearly founded on a lack of faith in communism as an economic mechanism. These groups would later develop into powerful policy-setting factions. That they should be given more freedom to express their views first dawned upon the Soviet leadership during Brezhnevs tenure, as the intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the crushing of Solidarity in 1981 proved destructively expensive both financially and in terms of propaganda. These trends- of economic decline and accompanying dissent- were clearly of predominantly internal beginnings. Basic faults in the system, such as excessive state control, corruption, over-emphasis on industry and the military, in addition to the characteristically repressive environment, caused the crisis situation to emerge as rampant by the 1970s. As recently upgraded spy systems relayed, irregularly it is true, updates on these problems to the West, they were picked up by hawkists within America and taken into careful consideration by those in charge of developing foreign policy. Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente had, once again, lost its luster in the eyes of many instrumental figures, and was viewed not merely as an expression of Americas weakness but also as a cause of it. 2 In addition, U.S. failures such as Vietnam and Watergate had damaged Western morale, and President Jimmy Carter was under pressure to make a strong reinstatement of American prestige. The main source of this pressure, a new political branch later branded neo-conservative, became prominent in the late 1970s, and followed Richard Piper in stating that: The notion that through accommodation you could change (the Soviets) was faulty. To change them you needed a very hard line policy.3 It was this branch, in control of perhaps the majority of the votes in the Senate by 1979, that formulated the adjusted US line: the exploitation of Soviet weaknesses in several different forums. The first arm of this strategy was clandestine support for the existing dissident movements in Eastern Europe. Solidarity, for instance, was largely dependent on printing equipment smuggled in from the U.S, using it to put out regular bulletins coordinating strikes, presenting political advice, and informing members of trade union meetings. The same equipment was also used to publish forbidden books and essays for Solidaritys extensive underground education system. This was not exclusive to Poland, either- evidence suggests that Washington furnished insurrectionist organizations in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany with similar printing machinery. This sponsorship effectively laid the platform for the reform campaigns that were launched both subversively and in the main-stream political arena. In addition, there are numerous records of visits by American politicians to pro-Western officials in Eastern Europe, encouraging them in their resistance, and helping them to develop the petitions that they placed before the leadership in their respective countries. Thus, it is clear that the U.S. did play a relatively influential role in developing the capacity of these movements, although they were, as already stated, self creating and sustaining. In other words, it would be fair to say that while it did not incite their sentiments, the U.S. did equip those who fought for the fatal reforms that would bring down communism. Another important forum of U.S. pressure was the human rights debate. This had begun in 1975 with the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, but had not really evoked wide interest until approximately five years later, as a strong realpolitik contingent in the West had spurned the human rights issue as an unnecessary ideological digression. It was only as Jimmy Carters public promotion of humanitarianism, a tactic which had been rarely used since Vietnam, succeeded in gaining popular support, that U.S. policy makers reincorporated the human rights line into their scheme. And, indeed, this proved a worthwhile investment. Inciting peace movements across the West, and providing the dissident factions in the East with a weapon with which to fight oppression, the Helsinki Final Act, when brought to life, became a powerful document in the context of Cold War competition. It provided a frame of reference by which the peoples of the world could judge both domestic conditions and superpower behaviour in the various conquests of the 1980s. It formed the foundation for reformist debates behind the Iron Curtain, particularly on the subjects of state sovereignty and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. While it gained great public acclaim as a rare superpower agreement to play by the same rules, however, the Helsinki process was in fact treated with little respect by its signatories. That the U.S. valued it as something that the media could use to bring out Soviet atrocities, both within its own quarters and in places like Afghanistan, more than as a genuine moral code, was evident in Washingtons ongoing support of brutal military dictatorships in Central America, and its collaboration with apartheid South Africa. Likewise, the Soviet Union ignored the terms of the act, which were not legally binding, and opposed the freedom of traffic and of the press that it stipulated. Ultimately, although thus under-rated by the Kremlin, the Helsinki Final Act was to facilitate one of the major exposà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of the communist system, officially dissolving the myth that communism was socialism with a human face.4 Of course, the success of this human rights operation depended largely on the media. In fact, it was as coverage of peace demonstrations in the West reached the East that an echo effect began to occur, winning support for the dissident movements and dividing central party regimes- a crucial hollowing process that would set up the later implosion. With the tight censorship exercised by Eastern regimes during this period, it may seem surprising that Western media so dramatically influenced areas such as Poland and Hungary, but highly developed technology had basically put an end to the shielding and isolating of peoples in communist countries. This was particularly true in East Germany- the normalization of relations with West Germany in August 1972 and resulted in East Germans being allowed to watch West German T.V. As had been the case throughout the Cold War, what happened in Germany set the tone for the rest of Europe. Combined with Washingtons equipping of Solidarity, this media traffic had under-estimated ramifications. Not only did it expose the peoples of the communist world to the human rights debate, it also, and perhaps more importantly, allowed them to experience the full extent of the disparity between living conditions in the East and living conditions in the West. This, a tribute to the merits of capitalism, and a tool for awakening civilians to their own economic repression, mobilized reformist movements in a way that even Washington, responsible for developing the technology for this project, had never anticipated. Running parallel to these subtler channels of pressure was the typically forefront issue of nuclear arms. And, indeed, a dramatic shift in U.S. nuclear policy around 1978-79 can be discerned, although demand for a zero option in Europe was a consistent theme throughout the relevant period. To return briefly to the 1970s and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente, we see the nuclear arms race denounced as pointless- a vicious circle.5 Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union made marked steps during this passage of the Cold War towards the dissolution of the contest- with the partial test ban treaty of 1968, and the ABM treaty of 1972. Approximately mid-way through Jimmy Carters term, however, the soft-line policy was reversed, and the U.S. began to pressurize the Soviets by developing MRVs, and escalating the production of unlimited weapons. In addition, NATO formulated a tough response to the previously unanswered SS 20 missiles, which allegedly targeted Western Europe. The proposed introduction of the Pershing II and Tomahawk missiles in West Germany and the Netherlands was a new approach, replacing the former agreement to engage in talks on the matter. That this shift coincided with the realization that the nuclear arms race was exhausting dwindling Soviet resources and morale, suggests that it was the direct result of new insights into Soviet behaviour. As American pressure in this arena continued to rise with the development of SDI, the reality that the USSR lacked the power to retaliate began to dawn upon those in charge of foreign policy. One would think, with the traditional gauge of Cold War tensions- the nuclear contest, in such a unilateral state, that superpower relations were becoming progressively peaceful. The irony that summit talks consistently coincided with outbreaks or accelerations in external conflicts demonstrated, however, that this was not the case. In fact, if the impression that the Soviets were suddenly more pro-dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente than the U.S. in the nuclear sense even emerged, Washington quickly eradicated it by turning the worlds attention to undoubtedly aggressive Soviet behaviour in the Middle East and Angola. Exploitation of the Soviet tendency to get involved in Third World conflicts became perhaps the focus of U.S. foreign policy during the late 1970s and early 80s, as can be seen in the most obvious and important example: Afghanistan. The superpower-funded war in Afghanistan was, as stated earlier, misunderstood until perhaps a few years ago. At the time of its occurrence, and during its immediate aftermath, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was generally defined as an extension of containment, justified with the characteristic moral charge and talk of liberating Afghan captives from an unwanted regime. According to this view, the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to suppress popular sentiments that threatened their dominance, prompting an objection and military response from the U.S. New evidence suggests, however, that the launch of the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan was hardly a reaction to Soviet movements. On the contrary, substantial U.S. activity was recorded in the area as early as 6 months before the deployment of the Red Army, as officials stirred up opposition to the government, promising military support for an insurrection. Mr. Brezezinksi, adviser to Carter at the time, sums this up, saying: According to the official version of history, aid to the moujahideen began during 1980after the Soviet army invadedBut the realitysecretly guardedis completely otherwise.6 Having established this, we can see that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan had a far from peaceable source; quite the opposite, the plan of action was to induce a Soviet military intervention.7 The purposes of this operation were multiple, but are encapsulated in Brezezinksis statement, quoted earlier, that this was the (Soviets) own Vietnam8- in other words, a conflict designed to exhaust economically, raise disputes at home, and as a touch-point for propaganda. And it worked, too. Domestically, by the time the conquest was five years old, and had claimed thousands of Soviet lives, it had become extremely unpopular, fuelling dissent, and disillusioning even faithful communists. Economically, a battle fought in the mountains with helicopters against the powerful US FIM-92 Stingers was expensive, and, in addition, created a rift between the Red Army and the Soviet leadership as the fighting went on past the desired date of departure. Further, since the West controlled the international media, it was able to present coverage of the exchange with a prejudice, emphasizing the Soviet atrocities and the number of civilian deaths. Human rights were, as one would expect, a major talking point within this context. In addition to undermining the Soviet Union in the above ways, Afghanistan was used as a pretext to end every vestige of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente. The promising grain trade that had sprung up between the U.S. and the East was abruptly brought to a close. Then, Washington pressured the Saudi Arabian leadership, which was co-operating with the CIA in Afghanistan, to lower oil prices, and thus undercut the Soviet monopoly. Simultaneously, the White House denounced the SALT II Treaty as meaningless, and began inciting people in the West to express their disapproval of Soviet actions by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The result of all these manouevres was a dramatic heightening in temperature in the Soviet Union, as it found itself stretched and tested at numerous points- economic, political, and military. It is clear, then, that it was a combination of both internal and external forces that shaped the political climate in Moscow in the critical mid-80s period. An additional factor, overlooked in that it is better defined as a context than as a force, was the legacy of dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and democratization that Khrushchev had left the communist party. While gradually eradicated from main-stream politics as its negative effects began to emerge in Eastern Europe and China, this remained an important influence in specific circles. It had a particular impact on those whose careers had begun under Khrushchev, as his anti-Stalinism left a lasting imprint on minds trained to worship an infallible Soviet leadership. These politicians, many harbouring inclinations towards democratization and reform despite Brezhnevs harsh Sinatra Doctrine, were to emerge as central figures in the Kremlin by 1985. This created an entirely new environment, uniquely receptive to the heightening pressure for refor m that was applied through the previously mentioned channels. Mikhail Gorbachev, a leading figure within this political contingent, was elected head of the communist party both as a result of the natural process outlined above, and as officials realized that the public would best submit to someone with plans for reform. His policies have been cited as the major cause of the collapse of communism, which is reasonable in a limited sense, but they must be viewed as the product of the existing domestic and international situations rather than as a theoretical digression. Faced with such economic, political, and military strain, Gorbachev virtually had no other choice than to seek to minimize Soviet expenses. And this meant, of course, reorganizing the empire for efficiency (perestroika). It also entailed pacifying the masses by giving them a voice; the policy of open discussion, known as glasnost, reduced censorship and allowed debates on ideology to take place. This approach was developed with the aim of liquidating factions such as Solidarity, by giving them certain concessions, for example, freedom of speech and of assembly. As later became evident, however, both this policy and perestroika had a far from calming effect in the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. Ultimately, Gorbachevs reforms destroyed communist rule because they compromised the central police force and terror necessary to its survival- allowing pluralism, and opening gateways to the West. This took place in both an economic and a political sense, so that capitalist influences infiltrated almost every sphere of Soviet society. The first of Gorbachevs policies to make an impact was perestroika, which was put before the Kremlin in June 1987, and began to affect the economic structure almost immediately. As early as August, the Soviet Union had begun to make overtures to British prime-minister Margaret Thatcher, arranging for Western businesses to be established on Soviet soil, and opening up the oil trade. A series of joint ventures were set up the following year, although they were never to achieve the stated goal of helping the USSR to advance technologically. At the same time, petroleum production was restored, state planning diminished, taxes regulated, and a law passed permitting private businesses to operate. These changes were to affect almost everyone- many negatively, as alterations in factory relationships caused workers to lose their jobs. In fact, this economic democratization actually worsened living conditions- that this occurred just as the people were becoming exposed to the comparative wealth of Western nations as traffic flow and the media opened up, ensured that perestroika contributed significantly to the fall of communism. This exposure came with the policy of glasnost, introduced in the Soviet Union in late 1987, and entailing the open discussion of communist ideology both through the media, and within the Party. Its inception was accompanied by Gorbachevs declaration before the UN that he would not intervene in the internal affairs of other Warsaw Pact countries. Together, these liberalizations virtually ended communist terror, opening the way for reform. In addition, the new media freedoms enabled programs detailing past Soviet atrocities, such as the gulags and the Great Purges, to be broadcast. At the same time, the inefficiency of Stalins mechanisms and the extent of state corruption in the past were made known in full to the public. This greatly undermined the peoples faith in the system- it eroded the CPs social power base, by bringing down its traditional corner stones- the hierarchy of the politburo, and CP dominance. The effects of these policies were first evident in Eastern Europe, as dissident movements supported by Gorbachev began to gain power. In Poland, for instance, the previously banned Civic Society was able to rise to a position where it could negotiate for economic reforms and other freedoms- freedoms which would eventually lead to pluralism. Hungary followed a similar course, its underground organizations receiving encouragement and inspiration from Gorbachev, and Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, while slower to get started, eventually experienced much the same thing. This process- the rise of dissent and the consequent introduction of non-communist elements into the party- escalated as it became increasing clear that Moscow had no intention of opposing democratization. It culminated in 1988-89, as a series of insurrections, some violent, some peaceful, brought about the reinstatement of free elections and the overthrow of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. This implosion is perhaps symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall, which occurred after Gorbachev liscensed Hungary to open its border and thus provide an escape route for East Germans. It was echoed in the Soviet Union two years later- the Red Army had staged a brief coup in the interests of a military intervention in Eastern Europe, and had failed. Gorbachev had tried to regain popular support, and had proposed a new constitution, dismissing the CPCC, but Estonia, Ukraine, and Belarus nonetheless declared their independence. By 1991, communist rule in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was over, and the world was left to reflect on the sad, bizarre chapter in human history,9 that had just been written. It can thus be confirmed that the decline of communism after 1985 was the direct result of Gorbachevs policies. And, in this sense, it was an internal force that brought about the actual collapse that occurred, although, as already established, this was shaped both by U.S. pressure and conditions within the Eastern bloc. It is important, in addition, not to overlook the role that American policy played in these latter years. That Reagan and Thatcher continued to build western economies that far outshone those in the East certainly kept the pressure on the communists. Likewise, Regan constantly challenged Gorbachevs commitment to peace, demanding that he open this gatetear down this wall.10 For the most part, however, the collapse was self-contained after 1985. It is perhaps best summarized by Erik Chenoweth in his article, Common Elements of Successful Opposition to Communism: pluralism is an anathema to communism andcan survive communisms system of terror, where the systems terror is balanced by societys opposition.11 1 Timothy Sowula, The Helsinki Process and the Death of Communism, 2002. 2 Richard Piper, Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente and Its Demise, 2001. 3 ibid. 4 Timothy Sowula, ibid 5 Colonel-General Nikolai Chervov, as quoted in Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente And Its Demise, 2001 6 Brezezinksi, The Afghan Caper, 2004 7 ibid. 8 ibid. 9 Robert Reagan as quoted in Misinterpreting the Cold War- www.foreignaffairs.org/19950/001fareviewessay5008/richard-pipes.html 10 ibid. 11 http://www.idee.org/cubaideas4.html

Service Concept Profiling And The Servqual Model

Service Concept Profiling And The Servqual Model In this assignment I am going to conduct a critique of the following service management ideas, theories, concepts and techniques; specifically with reference to their purpose, application and limitations and with regard to how these service management ideas, theories and techniques may contribute to the development of a successful business: Service concept, Service concept profiling and The SERVQUAL model. Service concept purpose, The service concept has been defined variously throughout the years, Haskett (1986), defines it as the way in which the organisation would like to have its service perceived by its customers, employees, shareholders and lenders, i.e. the organisations business proposition. It has also been defined as the elements of the service care package, this is related to what Collier (1994) named it as customers benefit package, i.e. the things that provide benefit and value to the customer. Another definition of a service concept states that a service concept identifies the proposed nature of the business; it is the service in mind that the organisation wishes to create. The service concept helps the organisation focus on the value that it can provide to customers.(Robert Johnston Graham Clark, 2008, p 461). Application A service concept can be broken down in to three stages, firstly the organising idea, this is the essence of the service bought, or used, by the customer. Secondly, the service experience, this is the customers direct experience of the service process which concerns the way the service provider deals with the customer and finally the service outcome, this is the result for the customer of the service (in particular, the benefits provided, the resulting emotions and assessment of value for money). (Robert Johnston Graham Clark, 2008, p 42). An example of a successful on-going business in terms of ideas, theories, concepts and techniques is a company called Metso, they are global supplier of technology and services to customers in the process industries, including mining construction, pulp and paper, power, oil and gas. Their service concept consists of; performance services, this increases product efficiency, optimises quality and improves environmental performance; availability services, this maximises asset availability and optimises total life-cycle costs of assets and finally engineering services, this helps complete projects on time and within budget, also helps maintain and develop competency of personnel. (Metso automation, 2010) Another example is Alton Towers, Organising idea: A great day out at a theme park. Service experience: exhilarating and entertaining, large car parks range of food outlets, good souvenir shops etc. Service outcome: Lots of rides, Great day out, Full day out etc (Robert Johnston Graham Clark, 2008, p 43) One other example is letsgototurkey.com, they categories their service concept into three parts: firstly, before purchase- this is when the company offers information about the region and property portfolio, provides flight information and pick up service from the airport. Secondly, during purchase- this is when they provide full information about the area and buying procedures, and also organising all procedures such as opening a bank account, translator and preparing all necessary paperwork. Finally, after purchase- assisting with registration of utilities, recommending the best shops around, helping with insurance and applying for a residence permit. Furthermore, the company has another option called property care, in which membership holders can benefit from certain things while they are away such as bills being paid, taxes being paid routine security checks are made and they also deal with relevant companies for insurance, maintenance, engineering etc. (Letsgototurkey.com, 2012) Contribute to the development of a business (benefit) Limitation Service concept profiling Purpose The service concept can also be used as a strategic tool, the service concept profiling tool is simply a diagnostic tool that will help an organisation to analyse its service concept. It is merely a tool that can give an organisation a visual representation of their service concept, by doing this, a service organisation can decide whether they need to change their service concept in view of what the competitors are doing/achieving, so as a tool it can provide a basis for a new service concept. The service concept can be used to create organisational alignment by developing a shared understanding and making it explicit (Robert Johnston Graham Clark, 2008, p 65). Managers can also assess the implications of design changes using capability mapping. Furthermore developing a service concept can create differentiated services and drive strategic advantage. An example of a business using a service concept profiling is 4sl consulting, their profiling method identifies an organisations maturity and effectiveness through; effective management and governance for delivering IT change; service life cycle management from strategy through operations and continuous service improvements; cost transparency for service pricing and charge back. The company finds these results through one-to-one meetings or via workshops, each with a robust and comprehensive assessment method. Service profiling results in an initial set of gaps, issues and constraints prepared alongside an action plan to bring immediate benefits. (4sl consulting, 2012) Application Contribute to the development of a business (benefit) Limitation With regard to limitations with regard to the service concept profiling tool, it is only a tool and as such it is a good starting place and may indicate to an organisation what element of the service concept may need to change, but does not take into consideration external factors such as what is happening in the macroeconomic environment. It also does not take into consideration the change management activities that follow on from changing the service concept. Suggestions Further, I would suggest that it might be critical to get the customer involved in profiling and i am not sure that organisations actually do this. The SERVQUAL model Various service quality models have been developed to measure service quality through firms in many businesses. Due to its relation with customer satisfaction it is very important to review service quality models. Moreover service quality has had a major impact on practitioners, managers and researchers because of its results in customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and company profitability. The most commonly known measuring tool in terms of service quality in the development of a successful business to reach success is an instrument called SERVQUAL. This model was developed by Parasuraman et al (1985; 1988). The research based on this instrument has been used in marketing literature and also used in various industries in terms of the variety of factors which influence and contribute towards the development of a successful business. Along with Parasuraman, Zeithmal and Berry, these three authors made substantial contribution to the understanding the concept of service quality and the factors that influence it. The SERVQUAL model has been productively used for measuring service quality in many service businesses. It has been used inmany contexts for example, service quality in hospitals, telecommunications, insurance companies etc. They originally identified four gaps in the organisation that can cause quality problems. These quality problems cause a fifth gap, which is difference between customer expectations of service and perceptions of the service actually received. (Jusuf Zekiri, 2011) The SERVQUAL Model has five dimensions which are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. If these dimensions remain constant this will unlock the door to consumer loyalty and provide outstanding levels of quality consumer care service within the service organization. However, not all dimensions are equal due to the fact that some dimensions are more towards the high levels of importance within the service organization as oppose to the other dimensions All dimensions are important to customers, but some more than others. Service providers need to know which are which to avoid majoring in minors. At the same time they cant focus on only one dimension and let the others suffer (Chris Arlen, 2008). An example of a a sector using the SERVQUAL model is Mobile Telecommunication Limitation Conclusion In conclusion These factors, theories and techniques collectively are part of the essential elements in terms of reaching the relevant necessary internal aims and objectives set, which help build, develop and improve an existing successful service organisation.50%of businesses dont survive within the first few years so its absolutely critical that service organisations grow and flourish in exceptional high levels of quality they deliver. Performance targets must be smart, measurable, achievable, realistic and time constrained In regards to the SERVQUAL model, it is an extensively used tool to assess external service quality, it can also be modified to assess the quality of the internal service provided by departments within a company to employees in other departments.

Impact of Interprofessional Working on Service Users

Impact of Interprofessional Working on Service Users The purpose of interprofessional education is to allow students from multiple health care disciplines learn together in the same learning environment, gaining a greater understanding of each disciplines roles and contributions. Barwell, Arnold and Berry (2013) points out that interprofessional learning has shown to create teams that work together more effective and improve patient’s experience. This essay is aimed at discussing how service user’s experiences are influenced by interprofessional working. Furthermore, it will critically analyse how increase knowledge of other professional roles, service-user centred care (SUCC) and hierarchy influences the care received by service users (SU). An interprofessional working is defined as the relationship between two or more professionals working together, combining their skills and knowledge to provide quality, individualised care for patients (Nancarrow et al, 2013). In order to optimise the health care and well-being of the SU, health care professionals must work together to achieve the best possible outcomes. This is further supported by Department of health (2010) stating that, to optimise the care of the SU, successful interprofessional working is essential. According to Bridges et al (2011), elements of interprofessional working include; responsibility, coordination, accountability, communication, cooperation, assertiveness, autonomy and mutual trust and respect. This is the partnership that creates an interprofessional team designed to work on common goals to improve SU’s outcomes and experience. However, Robertson (2011) accentuated that, if there is no interprofessional working between health care professionals it can results in lack of coordination, poor communication with SU, increased lengths of stay in the hospital, increased service costs and death. As revealed in tragedy associated with the death of Victoria Climbie and Peter Connelly (Baby P), ineffective team work and poor communication among health care professionals contributed to the care experienced by SU. For this reason, the Lord Laming led inquiry (2003) emphasised the need for health care professionals to work together more effectively to improve service user’s health and well-being. SU are people who use health and social services, or who are potential user of health and social care services (Essen, 2010). SUCC is fundamental as it involves putting patients and their families at the heart of all decisions as suggested by De Silva (2014). Putting SU at the centre of their care will enhance emotional well-being and increase sense of SU empowerment and self-esteem. Similarly, Kelly, Vottero Christie-McAuliffe (2014) highlighted that interprofessional teams establishes a partnership between SU and their families to ensure decisions respects SU needs and preferences. This has the potential to improve SU satisfaction with their care as well as their clinical outcomes. Hence, providing reassurance, making SU more informed, providing support, comfort, acceptance and confidence are the basic functions of SUCC (Longtin et al, 2010). Although there is an agreement to Longtin et al (2010) and Kelly, Vottero Christie-McAuliffe (2014) evidence, however it has been argued that overwork and staff shortages are the main barriers to SUCC observed in the practical setting (PelZang, 2010). Likewise, West, Barron and Reeves (2011) study found sample of nurses working in 20 acute London hospitals were asked to complete a postal questionnaire based on a prototype employee survey established in the United States and adapted by the authors for the use in the United Kingdom. According to their findings, nurses are aware that there are deficits in standards of care in areas that are mainly important to patients. Their result found that 64% feel overworked and report that they do not have enough time for SU and their relatives. The heavy workload also reduces the time spent by nurses collaborating and communicating with other professionals, which can have a direct effect on patient’s safety. Furthermore, Dunn (2003) identified that lack of time, wisdom and motivation acts as barriers to SUCC. Owing to time and staff constraints, health professionals do not often sit with their patients, and when they do, they often listen to their concerns hurriedly (Buerhaus et al, 2006). This can be seen as one of the leading causes of poor communication and information and was linked to poor care and ineffective treatment outcome. Effective and efficient communication in interprofessional working is critical for the provision of high quality care (Mitchell et al, 2012). Epstein and Street (2011) articulated that patient values good communication, want to share in decisions and be treated with empathy and compassion. Besides, a shortage of staff results to rituals and routines of practice which hinder the development of SUCC in the hospital. PelZang (2010) added that, even in health care practices where SUCC is valued, the need for caring for many patients at a time can undermine profe ssional’s ability to provide physical and emotional support and respect for their SU preferences. Various research has found that SUCC improve the experience SU have of care and help them feel more satisfied, reduce how often people use services which will in turn reduce the overall cost of care, encourage people to lead more healthy lifestyles, such as exercising and eating healthier, improve SU knowledge, confidence and understanding in dealing with their health problems, ultimately, improving how confident and satisfied professionals feels about care provided (Adams, Maben and Roberts, 2014, Tsianakas et al, 2012, Eaton and Roberts, 2015). However, despite the significant of the positive outcomes of SUCC, Weinberg, Cooney-Miner, Perloff, Babington and Avgar (2011) noted that decision-making in interprofessional health-care teams is often hierarchical rather than collaborative. The authors recognised that those at the top have the greatest influence. This is in agreement with the views of Daniel and Rosenstein (2008) who mentioned that hierarchy differences can come into play and diminish the collaborative interactions needed to ensure that the proper treatment are delivered appropriately. Hence, this is detrimental to the delivery of SU care, consequently limiting SU from decision making regarding their care. Eisler and Potter (2014) emphasised on the need to avoid the negative influence of hierarchy on the quality of care delivered to SU as all members of the teams including the SU and relatives must participate in decision making and planning, so as to propel team work that will move the team forward for the best int erest of the SU. It is essential that health-care professional’s work together with SU and share knowledge, this way team members can contribute to a healthy work environment where all team members including SU feel empowered, engaged and respected (Fund, ‎2012). Working with other professionals is part of day-day practice in health and social care (Day, 2013). Within a team collaboration is only truly gained when everyone is working towards common goals, with a shared understanding of the means to reach them (Sheehan, Robertson, and Ormond, 2007). This has to be based on mutual trust and respect between team members, understanding, recognising and valuing each other’s skills and values endorsing what each member contributes to the team (Mitchell et al, 2012). Hence, in order to have a successful interprofessional practice, each team must agree to individual roles and responsibilities and have knowledge of other professional roles (Sutter et al, 2009). Interprofessional teams are established to meet the needs of SU (McDonalds et al, 2010). In order to provide the most effective and comprehensive service users care, team member must develop and maintain readiness to utilize the knowledge and skill of the interprofessional team members (Brdiges et al, 2011). McDonalds et al (2010) further discussed that; all health team members must have an understanding of the knowledge and skills that each team member can contribute in a given situation. Spaholt (2012) agreed to this and stated when health care professionals understand each other’s role and able to communicate and work together effectively, SU are more likely to receive safe quality care. Thus this will allow members of the team to be able determine who is best-suited to implement any given intervention that is required for effective SU’s care. Although Spaholt (2012) evidence was important, however the limitation of this study is the size of the sample was small whic h affected the generalizability of the study to larger population. Nevertheless, Kanaga Prestridge (2011) argued that, when roles and responsibilities are not clearly understood by team members, there is potential for essential tasks to be overlooked or duplicated. They further recognized that role overlap has been noted to exist in interprofessional care. McDonalds et al (2010) supports the argument of Kanaga and Prestridge(2011) evidence and stated that, when team members belongs to professions that are similar in terms of analysis, implementation, planning and evaluation of SU’s care, overlapping professional skills that lead to conflict and tension among member of the interprofessional team occur. Indeed Hartmann and Crume (2014) expressed that conflicts among member of the team can adversely have an impact on SU’s care and experience. So, to avoid this tension and conflict, health care team members should develop competence in recognising the skills which they can contribute to the team, as well as the knowledge and skills that o ther members of the team possess (Caldwell and Atwal, 2008). Pellat (2007) emphasised that, when a team member see other team members as having similar or overlapping roles, team members should clearly designate the professional who will assume responsibility for that aspect of care on behalf of the team. This will save time and effort for the team members and avoid frustration for the SU as long as findings are communicated efficiently among members of the team (McDonalds et al, 2010). In conclusion, SU’s care and outcomes are improved by effective collaboration and joint working between professions. Conversely, it is important to note that poor interprofessional collaboration can greatly have a huge impact on the quality of SU’s care. Thus skills in working as an interprofessional team, gained through interprofessional education are essential for high quality care. Undertaking this essay and participation in the interprofessional learning has allowed student to gain a clearer understanding of the importance of interprofessional working in improving SU’s clinical outcomes and experience.

Elements of The Lord of the Rings in Final Fantasy VIII Essay -- Lord

Elements of The Lord of the Rings in Final Fantasy VIII      Ã‚  Ã‚   J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is arguably the most influential work of fantasy literature in modern times. Its epic tale of good against evil and its surreal world of magical and unusual characters and places have captured and enchanted readers since its publication half a century ago. The story of the struggle to destroy the One Ring still influences numerous tales of adventure in literature, film, and role-playing games. Since the advent of role-playing video games, the Final Fantasy series has endured in a genre where many other games seem to blend together. It marks a standard in the world of role-playing games in much the same way The Lord of the Rings marks a standard in fantasy literature. This essay shall examine these two epic adventures and show some of the ways in which Final Fantasy VIII draws upon elements from The Lord of the Rings.    At the center of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is the basic struggle between good and evil, manifested through the battle over the One Ring. The story draws upon traditional Christian theology and ideas about good and evil, right and wrong. Goodness in The Lord of the Rings is represented by selflessness and an interest in the good of all, with a willingness to give of oneself for the good of the whole. However, the border between good and evil is not always clear, and characters are not necessarily completely good or completely evil. Selfishness, greed, and hunger for individual power are destructive forces for evil within individual characters, and characters must use their own moral compass to choose whether to strive for good or give in to the temptation of evil. Even... ...Merry and Pippin or Zell Dincht. Perhaps it is the vulnerability in characters like Frodo Baggins or Squall Leonheart; seemingly 'regular guys' who are thrust into extraordinary situations and who persevere for the forces of good in the world. Regardless, both The Lord of the Rings and the Final Fantasy series are works that have managed to grow beyond the narrow bounds of their genre, and both will likely remain influential standards by which other works are judged.    WORKS CITED Final Fantasy VIII. SquareSoft/Electronic Arts. 1999. Final Fantasy: Worlds Apart. Final Fantasy VIII home page. Tolkein, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. New York: Ballantine Books, 1954. ---. The Return of the King. New York: Ballantine Books, 1955. ---. The Two Towers. New York: Ballantine Books, 1954.   

Persuasive Speech: Do Not Eat Fast Food -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade the audience not to eat fast food. Relevance: You all have probably experienced fast food sometime throughout your life. Credibility: The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning fast food is greasy, oily, unhealthy garb, yet most of us consume junk food on a daily basis anyway. There are over 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the US. People frequent them because of convenience (quick and usually cheap). In such a fast-paced society, people are eating more fast food than ever before (Stefanov, Sebastien). Preview: I am now going to inform you about what fast food is, what a typical meal contains, why fast food is unhealthy. Body I. A. What is fast food? 1. Fast food is any food that is quick, convenient, and usually inexpensive (Fast Food Facts). a. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. The term "fast food" refers to precooked foods such as fries or pizza that typically must be used within a few hours, or they become dried out and unpalatable (Ali, Sam). b. Fast food places like McDonalds, Burger King, Jack-in-the-box, Wendy’s, Whataburger, etc., are all considered fast food restaurants. II. A. A typical meal and some facts 1. According to the "Nutritional Facts" that are posted on McDonald's web site, one Big Mac contains 540 calories and 29 grams of fat, which is 45 percent of the national recommended daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet, according to McDonald's. One large order of fries contains 500 calories and 25 grams of fat, which is 38 percent of the recommended daily value. The 32-ounce Coca-Cola Classic adds another 310 calories (Ali, Sam). a. Harvested potatoes contain about 80 pe... ...com/article/7532/>. "Fast Food Facts." Center for Young Women's Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . "Fast food facts from the Super Size Me Web site ." The VivaVegie Society, Inc. . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. Manohar, Uttara. "Fast Food Facts: Effects of Fast Food." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . Stefanov, Sebastien. "fast food calories - AskMen." AskMen - Men's Online Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . White, Janice. "Why Fast Food is Bad for You." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. .

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay -- Fitzgerald Great Gatsb

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, there is a constant feeling of movement and the desire to get away. Nick, Gatsby, Wilson, Tom and Daisy all move, or have the intention of moving. Not only does this movement seem to foreshadow events in the book, but it also seems to lead to the conclusion that society as a whole in the 1920's was rather unstable and was undergoing constant change. Not all the characters move in the same way, and this shows how different their backgrounds and lifestyles are. The main movement seems to be from west to east. Throughout the decades man is said to be progressing through the steps of evolution and toward the setting sun, or east to west. The characters move in opposite direction from which the sun sets, which seems significant to the physical and psychological patterns of the characters. The two main characters that movement affects are Nick and Gatsby. The movement of Nick and Gatsby in this direction shows us how their personalities and feelings change as the sun goes down. There are also the various meanings that the sun has, that seems to map out, or affect their near future. The sun foreshadows Nick and Gatsby's actions and emotions, which in turn are affected by the many representations the sun has. Jay Gatsby is a character that the sun affects in such a way that it becomes a symbol of his ability to direct his will and, when put together with his dream, this gives him a sense of purpose. Jimmie Gatz was born in a town in Minnesota. After changing his name to Jay Gatsby, he moved to West Egg, Long Island in order to start a new life revolved around impressing Daisy. Here the sun represents a psychological belie... ...nd that they, "had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late."(139) Just as the colors begin to bloom in the dazzling night sky they fade and disappear out of sight, just as Nick moves away. The rising sun has been used to describe progress and evolution, but as the sun travels backwards, it shows people for who they really are. The light is shone hard on the characters, so much so that they have nothing to hide behind. This minor action seems to set and change the entire novel at the same time. It also fits in perfectly with the flow or plot of the book. It shows how the characters are slowly opening up to their surroundings, and how much the sun, metaphorically, affects them. Throughout the novel, the sun has shone light on certain characters to show the power and hidden creativity of the unconscious mind.

Economics Syllabus

CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations Correspondence related to the syllabus should be addressed to: The Pro-Registrar Caribbean Examinations Council Caenwood Centre 37 Arnold Road, Kingston 5, Jamaica, W. I. Telephone Number: (876) 920-6714 Facsimile Number: (876) 967-4972 E-mail address: [email  protected] org Website: www. cxc. org Copyright  © 2008, by Caribbean Examinations Council The Garrison, St. Michael BB 11158, Barbados This document CXC A20/U2/08 replaces CXC A20/U2/03 issued in 2003. Please note that the syllabus was revised and amendments are indicated by italics and vertical lines.First Issued 2003 Revised 2008 Please check the website www. cxc. org for updates on CXC’s syllabuses. RATIONALE1 AIMS 2 SKILLS AND ABILITIES TO BE ASSESSED2 PRE-REQUISITES OF THE SYLLABUS3 STRUCTURE OF THE SYLLABUS3 UNIT 1: MICROECONOMICS MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY 4 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY 17 UNIT 2: MACROECONOMICS MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY27 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES28 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS36 OUTLINE OF ASSESSMENT44REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES 55 REGULATIONS FOR RESIT CANDIDATES56 ASSESSMENT GRID57 RESOURCES58 GLOSSARY59 T T he Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) are designed to provide certification of the academic, vocational and technical achievement of students in the Caribbean who, having completed a minimum of five years of secondary education, wish to further their studies. The examinations address the skills and knowledge acquired by students under a flexible and articulated system where subjects are organised in 1-Unit or 2-Unit courses with each Unit containing three Modules.Subjects examined under CAPE may be studied concurrently or singly, or may be combined with subjects examined by other examination boards or ins titutions. The Caribbean Examinations Council offers three types of certification. The first is the award of a certificate showing each CAPE Unit completed. The second is the CAPE diploma, awarded to candidates who have satisfactorily completed at least six Units, including Caribbean Studies. The third is the CAPE Associate Degree, awarded for the satisfactory completion of a prescribed cluster of seven CAPE Units including Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies.For the CAPE diploma and the CAPE Associate Degree, candidates must complete the cluster of required Units within a maximum period of five years. Recognized educational institutions presenting candidates for CAPE towards the award of the Council’s Associate Degree in nine categories must, on registering these candidates at the start of the qualifying year, have them confirm in the required form, the Associate Degree they wish to be awarded. Candidates will not be awarded any possible alternatives for which they d id not apply. T ? RATIONALEEconomics is the study of how society provides for itself by making the most efficient use of scarce resources so that both private and social welfare may be improved. The subject, therefore, covers the study of individuals, households, firms, government and international economic institutions as they attempt to make better use of scarce resources. The study of Economics enables individuals to develop a better understanding of the economic issues which affect them and the world in which they live. It will also enable students to offer informed comments on economic matters.The knowledge gained from this course in Economics will be of lifelong value to the student. The influence of the subject on all areas of activity should stimulate the individual to continue reading and conducting research in Economics. It is recognised that persons doing this course may be drawn from different backgrounds and may possess different interests. Some may wish to study Econom ics as preparation for further specialisation in the subject. Others may study the subject to complement other subject disciplines, such as, careers in finance, accounting or law.Some students may see the subject as one worthy of study in its own right. Students of Economics will be able to contribute, significantly, to economic and social development in the Caribbean and the wider world by acting as catalysts for wider awareness of social and economic issues. A study of Economics at the CAPE level will be of benefit to all students by introducing them to the philosophy which underlies everyday economic interactions. The study will also train the student to think logically, critically and impartially on a variety of contentious issues. AIMS The syllabus aims to: 1. promote understanding of the basic principles and concepts of economics which are accepted in large measure by economists while recognising that the field is changing continuously; 2. develop an appreciation of the variou s methods used by economists in analysing economic problems; 3. develop an understanding of the global economy and of the relationships between rich and poor nations with respect to international trade and finance and the most important international financial institutions; 4. ncourage students to apply economic principles, theories and tools to everyday economic problems, for example, inflation, unemployment, environmental degradation, sustainable development and exchange rate instability and to contribute meaningfully to any dialogue on these issues; 5. encourage students to apply economic theory to the critical issues which affect the small open Caribbean-type economy; 6. encourage students to evaluate contentious economic issues so that decision-making may be informed by logical and critical thinking; 7. sensitize students to the need for ethical behaviour in the conduct of economic transactions. SKILLS AND ABILITIES TO BE ASSESSED The assessment will test candidates’ ski lls and abilities to: 1. identify and explain economic theories, principles, concepts and methods; 2. interpret, analyse and solve economic problems using economic models and concepts; 3. develop structural and reasoned expositions and evaluate economic theories and policies. PRE-REQUISITES OF THE SYLLABUS Successful participation in this course of study will be enhanced by the possession of good verbal and written communications skills. A good foundation in Mathematics would be an asset to students doing this course.STRUCTURE OF THE SYLLABUS The Syllabus is arranged into two Units. Each Unit consists of three Modules, each Module requiring 50 contact hours. UNIT 1: MICROECONOMICS Module 1-Methodology: Demand and Supply Module 2-Market Structure, Market Failure and Intervention Module 3-Distribution Theory UNIT 2: MACROECONOMICS Module 1-Models of the Macroeconomy Module 2-Macroeconomic Problems and Policies Module 3-Growth, Sustainable Development and Global Relations Lists of reso urces are provided in the syllabus. The lists provide information that may be helpful for the study of each Module.It is advised that the topics listed in the sections do not necessarily follow sequentially. Teachers may thus introduce certain concepts before others. It is recognised that Economics may be taught using a strictly qualitative approach or a strictly quantitative approach. However, a proper mix of the two approaches is critical to the understanding of the subject at this level. Teachers are advised, therefore, that proper delivery of the subject would involve the integration of the two approaches. ? UNIT 1: MICROECONOMICS MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLYGENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: 1. appreciate the main problem of economics namely, the allocation of scarce resources and the inevitability of choice; 2. understand the laws, principles and theories governing demand and supply; 3. understand the basic tools of economic analysis. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: Central Problem of Economics Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of scarcity; 2. apply the concept of opportunity cost in a variety of real-life situations; 3. explain the concept of production possibilities frontier (PPF); . use the production possibilities frontier to indicate constant returns, diminishing returns and increasing returns; 5. account for shifts in the production possibilities frontier (PPF); 6. differentiate between positive and normative economics; 7. outline the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative mechanisms by which resources are allocated. CONTENT 1. The meaning of scarcity, free goods and economic goods. 2. (a)Definition of opportunity cost. b) Choice: what, how and for whom to produce. UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) ) The concept of opportunity cost applied to economic agents (individuals, households, firms and governments). 3. (a)Assumptions: maximum output attainable, g iven full employment and constant state of technology. (b)Regions: attainable, unattainable, efficient and inefficient levels of production. 4. Production possibilities frontier: slopes and shapes. 5. Use of production possibilities frontier to show growth and technological change. 6. Examples of positive and normative statements. 7. Different types of economic systems: traditional, market, planned and mixed. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVESTOPIC 2: Theory of Consumer Demand Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of utility; 2. explain the law of diminishing marginal utility and the limitation of marginal utility theory; 3. explain the meaning of indifference curves and budget lines; 4. explain consumer equilibrium using the marginal utility approach; 5. explain consumer equilibrium using the indifference curve approach; 6. isolate the income and substitution effects of a price change; 7. explain effective demand; 8. derive the demand curve using both the marginal utility and indiffe rence curve approaches; 9. ifferentiate among normal, inferior and Giffen goods; 10. distinguish between shifts of the demand curve and movements along the curve; UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) 11. identify the factors that affect demand; 12. explain the meaning of consumer surplus; 13. explain price elasticity, income elasticity and cross elasticity of demand; 14. calculate numerical values of elasticity; 15. interpret numerical values of elasticity; 16. assess the implications of price elasticity of demand for total spending and revenue; 17. state the factors that determine the price elasticity of demand.CONTENT 1. Utility: total, marginal, cardinal (marginalist approach), ordinal (indifference curve approach). 2. (a)Explanation of diminishing marginal utility. (b)The main assumptions and limitations of Marginal Utility Theory. 3. Indifference curves and the budget constraint (budget lines). 4. The law of equi-marginal returns. 5. The point of tang ency of the budget line to the indifference curve. 6. Income and substitution effects of a price change. 7. Effective demand. 8. Deriving the demand curve using the marginal utility as well as the indifference curve approach. . Normal, inferior and Giffen goods using the indifference curve approach. 10. Shift versus movements along demand curves. 11. Price and the conditions of demand. 12. Consumer surplus including graphical representations. UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) 13. Price, income, and cross elasticities. 14. Calculation of values of elasticity. 15. Classification and interpretations (sign and size); including the drawings and interpretations of graphs. 16. The implications of price elasticity of demand for total spending and revenue. 17.Factors that determine the price elasticity of demand. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Theory of Supply Students should be able to: 1. identify the factors of production; 2. explain the term production functio n; 3. differentiate between the short run and long run; 4. explain the law of diminishing returns; 5. calculate total, average and marginal physical product; 6. explain the relationships among total, average and marginal physical product; 7. identify the stages of production as they relate to total, average and marginal product; 8. calculate total, average, marginal and other costs; 9. xplain the relationship among total, average and marginal costs; 10. explain why supply curves are usually positively sloped; 11. explain the concept of producer surplus; 12. explain the shape of the short run and long run supply curves; UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) 13. explain returns to scale and the concepts of economies and diseconomies of scale; 14. distinguish between a movement along the supply curve and a shift in the supply curve; 15. explain the concept of elasticity of supply; 16. calculate elasticity of supply; 17. interpret elasticity of supply. CONTENT . Factors of production: land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. 2. Relationship between output and input. 3. Fixed and variable factors. 4. The law of diminishing returns. 5. Calculation of total average and marginal physical product. (See suggested teaching and learning activities). 6. Change in the relationship as input increases. 7. Production and its stages, as they relate to the total, average and marginal product including the use of graphs. 8. (a)Fixed cost, variable cost, total cost, marginal cost, average fixed cost, average variable cost, average total cost, sunk costs. ) The shape of the long run average total cost curve. c) Productive optimum. 9. The relationship between total, average and marginal cost including the use of graphs. 10. Relationship between quantity supplied and price. 11. Producer surplus including graphical representations. UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) 12. Relationship between marginal cost and the average cost in the short run and long run. Explanation of why the supply curve is the section of the marginal cost curve above the average variable cost and average total cost. 13. (a)Long run and economies of scale. ) Factors determining economies of scale. c) Internal and external economies of scale. d) Diseconomies of scale. 14. Price and the conditions of supply. 15. Concept of elasticity of supply. 16. Calculation of elasticity of supply. 17. Classification and interpretation (size of coefficient) including the drawing and interpretation of graphs. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 4: Market Equilibrium Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of the market; 2. explain market equilibrium; 3. calculate equilibrium price and quantity; 4. outline factors that cause changes in equilibrium; . evaluate the impact of price controls on market equilibrium; 6. analyse the effects of taxation and subsidies on market equilibrium. UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) CONTENT 1. The concept of the market. 2. Equilibrium price, equilibrium quantity. 3. Use of demand and supply data to calculate equilibrium price and quantity. 4. Changes in conditions of supply and demand. 5. The effects of price ceilings and price floors on equilibrium. 6. (a)The effects of taxation and subsidies on market equilibrium. (b)The incidence of an indirect tax.Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in the teaching and learning activities listed below. 1. For topic 1, Central Problem of Economics, let students provide examples from personal life, the home, firms and government to demonstrate opportunity cost and the production possibilities frontier (PPF). 2. For topic 2, Theory of Consumer Demand, let students derive their own schedule and plot the demand curve for commodities which they use in their everyday lives. 3.For utility, use water or any other drink to show the different levels of satisfaction (utility). Use the data to derive total and marginal utility curves. 4. For the concept of elasticity, teachers may use two types of materials, one that could change in varying degrees and the other which remains the same regardless of circumstances. Teachers should then apply this concept to market conditions illustrating the concepts of elasticity and inelasticity. 5. For deadweight loss, teachers may use the graphs for consumer and producer surplus to show how market intervention may lead to loss welfare (deadweight loss). 6.For stages of production, allow students to derive the total average and marginal product curves using simulated data. Use the results of the graphs to point out the different stages of production. An example is given below. UNIT 1 MODULE 1: METHODOLOGY: DEMAND AND SUPPLY (cont’d) GRAPH SHOWING THE STAGES OF PRODUCTION [pic] (i)Stage 1occurs up to the point where APPL is at its maximum. (ii)Stage 2 occurs fr om the point where APPL is at a maximum up to the point where MPPL is zero. In this stage new workers add to total physical output. (iii)Stage 3 occurs when MPPL is negative. The producer will operate in stage 2.In stage 1 there is insufficient labour being used (up to the point where MPPL is at its maximum) and the output per worker is increasing. In stage 3 the producer gets no addition to total physical output from additional workers. It would be possible to have more total physical product with less labour applied to a fixed factor (say machinery). UNIT 1 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: 1. appreciate the distinction between the different types of market structures; 2. develop awareness of the causes of market failure; . appreciate the measures that can be adopted to reduce or eliminate market failure; 4. appreciate the arguments which suggest that government intervention may not necessa rily improve economic performance. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: Market Structure Students should be able to: 1. outline the goals of the firm; 2. explain how firms measure profits; 3. explain the concepts of average, marginal and total revenue; 4. explain the concept of market structure; 5. outline the characteristics of the different market structures; 6. distinguish among the different market structures; 7. xplain the factors that influence the pricing and output decisions of the firm; 8. calculate measures of industrial concentration; 9. interpret measures of industrial concentration. UNIT 1 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION (cont’d) CONTENT 1. Profit maximization, growth, satisficing, sales and revenue maximization, market dominance. 2. Total revenue, total cost, normal and economic (abnormal) profit. 3. Relationship between average, marginal and total revenue. 4. Types of market structures: perfect competition, monopoly including price discrimin ation, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and cartels. . Characteristics of the different market structures. a) barriers to entry; b) control over market and price; c) nature of the good; d) numbers of buyers and sellers; e) competitive behaviour and performance. 6. Focus on all characteristics of the different markets in addition to profit maximization. a) Examples of close approximations of market structures in the Caribbean. 7. Marginal cost and marginal revenue, total cost and total revenue, marginal cost pricing and average cost pricing. 8. Herfindahl Hirschman Index – the percentage of an industry’s output produced by its four largest firms (four-firm concentration ratio): pic] where si is the market share of firm i in the market, and n is the number of firms. 9. (a)Interpretation related to market structures. b) Limitations of measures of industrial concentration. UNIT 1 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECT IVES TOPIC 2: Market Failure Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of economic efficiency; 2. distinguish among private goods, public goods and merit goods; 3. distinguish between social costs and private costs and social benefits and private benefits; 4. explain the concept of market failure; 5. explain what is meant by deadweight loss; . outline the causes of market failure. CONTENT 1. Inclusion of discussion of Pareto efficiency. 2. (a)Examples of private goods, public goods and merit goods. (b)Discussion of issues of rivalry and exclusion. 3. Social costs, private costs, social benefits, private benefits, external costs, external benefits. Use of graphical representations. 4. Divergence of social costs and social benefits and efficiency. Use of graphical representations. 5. Deadweight loss including verbal and graphical representations. 6. Causes of market failure: a) monopoly; b) public goods and merit goods; c) externalities: positive and negative;UNIT 1 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION (cont’d) d) divergence between social and private costs and social and private benefits; e) imperfect information; f) asymmetric information: adverse selection and moral hazard; g) open access to resources; h) lack of property rights (squatting, streams, ocean); i) non-existence of markets (for trading). SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Intervention Students should be able to: 1. evaluate the measures used by government to correct market failure; 2. evaluate the measures used by the private sector to correct market failure. CONTENT 1.Measures used by government to control market failure: a) -regulation; – anti-trust policy; – taxation; – privatisation and deregulation; – state ownership; – subsidies; – legislation; – market creation (tradable permits); b) pros and cons of government intervention; c) -merits and demerits; – effectiveness of intervention in Caribbean societies (effect of small size in relation to policy making). UNIT 1 MODULE 2: MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET FAILURE AND INTERVENTION (cont’d) 2. Private Sector Intervention: (a)corporate code of conduct; (b)corporate social responsibility; (c)voluntary agreements; (d)corporate ethics.Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in the teaching and learning activities listed below. 1. For price discrimination, teachers could identify the first, second and third degree price discrimination using different examples from students’ experiences. Teachers should then illustrate by use of diagrams. 2. For the kinked demand curve model, teachers may use the daily newspaper or mobile phone industry as examples. UNIT 1 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: . understand what accounts for the returns that accrue to the owner s of the factors of production; 2. appreciate the issues surrounding poverty and the measures used to alleviate poverty; 3. develop skills in applying microeconomic analysis to critical social issues involving income inequality. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: The Demand for and Supply of Factors Student should be able to: 1. explain the rewards of the factors of production; 2. explain the concept of derived demand; 3. outline the marginal productivity theory; 4. apply the marginal productivity theory to the demand for land, capital and labour; 5. nalyse the factors affecting the supply of land, capital and labour; 6. analyse the factors determining rent, interest and wages; 7. distinguish between transfer earnings and economic rent. CONTENT 1. Rent, interest, wages and profits. 2. Derived demand. 3. (a)The assumptions and limitations of Marginal Productivity Theory. (b)Marginal Physical Product, Marginal Revenue Product and their relationship. UNIT 1 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY (con t’d) 4. The value of the Marginal Product: a) land; b) labour; c) capital – using present value (use of graphical representation required). 5.The fixity of land, the supply of loanable funds and the labour supply. 6. The demand for and supply of factors. 7. Numerical, graphical and verbal explanations of transfer earnings and economic rent. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 2: Wage Differentials Student should be able to: 1. explain the concept of wage differentials; 2. analyse imperfections in the labour market; 3. analyse the effect of labour mobility on wages; 4. explain the concept of compensating wage differentials; 5. explain the role of Government, Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations in the pricing of labour. CONTENT 1.Differences in wages within industries and among industries. 2. Imperfections on the demand side (for example, differences in marginal productivity) and on the supply side (for example, geographical immobility). 3. The mobility and immobility of labour; geographical (migration of workers), occupational. 4. Compensating (equalizing) differentials. UNIT 1 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY (cont’d) 5. The minimum wage rate; monopsonies; migration of workers; collective bargaining; trade union strategies, the role of employers’ associations; efficiency wage. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Income inequality, Poverty and Poverty AlleviationStudents should be able to: 1. differentiate between size and functional distribution of income; 2. explain the concept of income inequality; 3. explain the measures of income inequality; 4. explain the measures used to reduce income inequality; 5. distinguish between absolute and relative poverty; 6. outline factors that contribute to poverty; 7. explain why certain categories of people are more susceptible to poverty than others; 8. evaluate the different ways used to measure poverty; 9. outline strategies used by Governments to alleviate poverty; 10. analyse the economic costs of poverty; 1. assess the economic benefits of government intervention to alleviate poverty. CONTENT 1. Size and functional distribution of income. 2. How income is distributed. 3. Lorenz curve measurement of income inequality; and Gini coefficient (interpretation only). 4. Measures to reduce inequality: taxes, subsidies, transfers. UNIT 1 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY (cont’d) 5. Absolute versus relative poverty. 6. Factors that contribute to poverty including: a) social and physical environment; b) discrimination – gender, race; c) restrictions on certain economic activities; d) non-ownership of resources; ) family size; f) single parent; female- headed families. 7. Persons who are most susceptible to poverty: (a)people with special needs; i) physically challenged; ii) elderly; iii) youth; iv) single parent families; v) indigenous people; (b)reasons – Limited access to employment, level of training, legislation, availability of income to share among family. 8. Wa ys used to measure poverty: a) basic needs; b) poverty line; c) head count; d) UNDP Human Development Index (HDI). UNIT 1 MODULE 3: DISTRIBUTION THEORY (cont’d) 9. Strategies to alleviate poverty: a) transfer payments; b) free education and health care; ) housing; d) minimum wage legislation; e) equal employment opportunities; f) Government employment creation(special works programmes). 10. The cost of poverty, including: a) unemployed human resources; b) lower potential output; c) inefficient allocation of Government expenditure; d) social and environmental costs. 11. Economic benefits including: a) provision of education and health leading to development of human capital; b) improvement in well- being as measured by the UNDP (HDI); c) more equitable distribution of income. Suggested Teaching and Learning ActivitiesTo facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in the teaching and learning activities listed below. 1. Use knowledge from topic 3, unit 1, Theory of Supply, to derive the demand curve for factors of production. 2. Teachers may use graphical representation of the Lorenz Curve to illustrate unequal distribution of income. Teachers should also relate the Lorenz Curve to the GINI coefficient. Also show the effect of taxes on the Lorenz Curve and the GINI coefficient. UNIT 2: MACROECONOMICS MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMYGENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: appreciate the notion of National Income accounting and the importance of these accounts for macroeconomic theory and policy; 1. understand the views of the classical keynesian and monetarists schools; 2. understand the factors that influence the level of investment in an economy. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: National Income Accounting Students should be able to: 1. explain the circular flow of income; 2. explain the concept of National Income Accounting; 3. explain the different ways of der iving National Income Accounts; 4. nterpret National Income statistics; 5. use National Income accounts to analyze the performance on an economy as a whole; 6. derive real GDP from nominal GDP; 7. explain the limitations of GDP. CONTENT 1. Economic agents. 2. Gross Domestic Product (GDP),Gross National Product (GNP) and other measures. 3. Calculation of GDP, GNP and their components (personal income, disposable income), Net National Income (NNI), and per capita income; avoidance of double counting. UNIT 2 MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY (cont’d) 4. Total measures: a) GDP at market prices; b) GDP at factor costs. 5.Use of National income accounts to measure economic performance over time and to make inter-country comparisons. 6. Calculation of real and nominal GDP using the price deflator. 7. Limits of National Income Accounts as a measure of well-being: a) non-inclusion of the informal sector (the underground economy, illegal activities); b) non-payment for do-it-yoursel f activities; c) non-accounting for externalities, environmental degradation (Green GDP); d) the fact that it measures changes in the value of output but not changes in the quality of life. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 2: Classical models of the MacroeconomyStudents should be able to: 1. explain why within the classical model, all employment is voluntary; 2. explain how full employment is restored in the classical model; 3. explain the factors that influence aggregate demand; 4. explain the factors that influence aggregate supply; 5. interpret the classical long run supply curve; 6. explain price level determination within the classical model; 7. use the classical aggregate demand and supply model to show changes in the price level and employment. UNIT 2 MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY (cont’d) CONTENT 1. Flexibility of wages and prices. 2.The role of wage price and interest rate flexibility. 3. The factors that influence aggregate demand: a) consumer spending; b) investmen t spending; c) Government spending; d) net export spending. 4. Factors that influence aggregate supply including changes in input prices and incomes. 5. The assumptions of the vertical aggregate supply curve. 6. The interaction of the classical aggregate demand and supply curves. 7. Shifts in the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curves. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Basic Keynesian Models Students should be able to: 1. explain the consumption function; 2. xplain the relationship between saving and consumption; 3. calculate the simple multiplier; 4. explain the effect of changes in investment on national income; 5. explain the effect of government spending on national income; 6. describe the effect of withdrawals and injections on national income; UNIT 2 MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY (cont’d) 7. explain the relationship between net exports and national income; 8. determine the equilibrium level of national income; 9. explain inflationary and deflationary gaps. CONTE NT 1. Autonomous and induced consumption. 2. (a)Income = consumption plus saving. b)marginal propensity to consume and save. (c)average propensity to consume and save. 3. Simple multiplier [pic]. 4. Relationship between changes in investments and national income. 5. Government’s expenditure and its effects on national income. 6. (a)Concepts of injections and withdrawals in an economy. (b)The effect of injections and withdrawals on national income. (c)Small multipliers in the Caribbean context due to leakages. 7. (a)Relationship between net exports (x – m) and national income. b) Exports as an injection and imports as a withdrawal. 8. Determination of equilibrium income using: a) 45 o line or E=Y; ) withdrawals and injections approach; c) the Keynesian aggregate demand and supply curves (long run and short run). UNIT 2 MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY (cont’d) 9. (a)Full employment level of output. (b)Actual level of output. (c)Equilibrium level of national i ncome could be either below, at or above potential level of output. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 4: Investment Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of investment; 2. differentiate between the investment demand curve and the investment curve; 3. explain the accelerator theory; 4. outlinethe factors that account for the volatility of investment.CONTENT 1. Investment (induced and autonomous). 2. (a)Marginal efficiency of capital (investment demand as a function of expected rate of return). b) Marginal efficiency of investment (non-interest rates as determinants of investment demand, taxes, costs, stock of capital goods on hand expectations). 3. Accelerator theory of investment. 4. Determinants of investment: a) The accelerator; b) Durability; c) Irregularity of innovation; d) Variability of profits, expectations and interest rates. UNIT 2 MODULE 1: MODELS OF THE MACROECONOMY (cont’d) Suggested Teaching and Learning ActivitiesTo facilitate students’ attainment o f the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in the teaching and learning activities listed below. 1. For topic 1, teachers should pay special attention to the rules of accounting working from the GDP down to consumption and savings. Teachers should also deal with the concepts such as market price and factor costs, as well as real GDP and normal GDP. Make use of the circular flow diagram from the closed economy to the open economy. 2. For topic 2, Classical Models of the Macroeconomy, teachers should use graphs to emphasize flexibility and the automatic return to equilibrium. . For topic 3, teachers could demonstrate the operation of the multiplier by using data to show the successive rounds of spending. Calculations and graphical representations of the multiplier are required. 4. Use the 45 ° line and average demand and average supply to show inflationary and deflationary gaps. 5. For topic 4, Investment, teachers may use tables to illustrate and expla in the accelerator, that is, the necessity to increase expenditure, constantly, for investment. UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: nderstand the reasons why an economy may be characterised by unemployment and how intervention may be used to improve economic performance; appreciate the role of the Central Bank in the economy; understand monetary and fiscal policy and their applications; understand the nature and burden of the national debt. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: Unemployment and Inflation Students should be able to: 1. explain what is meant by the labour force; 2. explain the unemployment rate; 3. distinguish between unemployment and underemployment; 4. evaluate the costs of unemployment; 5. explain the causes of unemployment; 6. valuate the policies used to reduce unemployment; 7. explain the causes of inflation; 8. distinguish between real and nominal variables; 9. explain how inflation is me asured; 10. explain the causes of inflation; 11. evaluate the effects of inflation; UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) 12. evaluate the policies used to combat inflation; 13. explain the relationship between the unemployment rate and inflation. CONTENT 1. Employed and unemployed. 2. The unemployment rate. 3. Unemployment and underemployment. 4. The effect on output, income and growth: additional financial burden on the state; social costs. . Labour immobility, other market imperfections, structural changes in the economy, inadequate aggregate demand, increase in labour force participation rate, seasonality, intervention. 6. Fiscal policy, monetary policy, wage subsidies, retraining programmes, investment tax credit, employment tax credit, government employment programmes, reducing market imperfections. 7. Inflation: general price level. 8. Real and money wages: a) real and nominal GDP; b) real and nominal interest rate. 9. The GDP deflator; the reta il price index; the producer price index. Calculations and limitations of the indices. 10.Demand shocks, supply shocks, increase in the money supply growth rate. 11. The costs and benefits of inflation: the impact of redistribution of wealth; impact of business activity and growth, impact on the balance of payments. 12. Income policy, monetary policy, fiscal policy and supply side measures. 13. Trade-off between inflation and the rate of unemployment: Phillips curve – stagflation. UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 2: Monetary Theory and Policy Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of money; 2. outline the functions of money; 3. explain the demand for money; . explain the supply of money; 5. explain monetary policy; 6. explain how the money supply is controlled; 7. explain how money is created in the banking system; 8. explain why residents substitute foreign for domestic currency; 9. explain the Quantit y Theory of Money; 10. outline the types of monetary policy; 11. describe the effects of monetary policy on national income; 12. evaluate the limitations of monetary policy. CONTENT 1. (a)The meaning of money. (b)Types of money: token and commodity. 2. Functions of money. 3. (a)Liquidity Preference Theory. (b)Motives for holding money (transactions, precautionary, speculative). UNIT 2MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) 4. The money supply (M1, M2). 5. Monetary policy – expansionary and contractionary policies. 6. (a)The role of the central bank in creating high-powered money (monetary base). (b)Instruments of monetary control: i) open market operations; ii) discount rates; iii) financing fiscal deficits; iv) reserve requirements; v) moral suasion; vi) interest rates. 7. (a)Excess reserves. (b)Credit creation. (c)The money multiplier. 8. The nature of currency substitution and hoarding. 9. The Quantity Theory of money. 10. (a)Tight monetary policy (in flation). (b)Easy monetary policy (unemployment). c)Balance of payments. 11. How monetary policy affects national income. 12. Limitations of monetary policy including the fact that it is: a) permissive, not compelling and only creates the environment; UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) b) difficult to control the money supply of foreign-owned commercial banks; c) difficult to eliminate lags in monetary policy; d) weakened by fiscal indiscipline. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Fiscal Policy Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of fiscal policy; 2. outline the goals of fiscal policy; 3. explain the nature of the budget; 4. xplain the balanced budget multiplier; 5. outline methods of financing budget deficits; 6. evaluate the limitations of fiscal policy; 7. distinguish between discretionary and non-discretionary fiscal policy. CONTENT 1. The meaning of fiscal policy. 2. Fiscal policy as a means of addressing: a) aggregate demand; b) unempl oyment; c) inflation; d) balance of payments. UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) 3. The nature of the budget: a) taxation, revenue, transfer, expenditure; b) budget surplus and budget deficit; c) balanced budget. 4. Explanation of the balanced budget multiplier. 5.Methods of financing budget deficits including external and domestic borrowing. 6. Lags and potency of fiscal policy. 7. (a)Expansionary and contractionary. (b)Automatic stabilizers. Specific objectives TOPIC 4: Public Debt Students should be able to: 1. explain the national debt; 2. explain the cause of the national debt; 3. evaluate the effects of the national debt on the economy; 4. explain the burden of the national debt; 5. evaluate ways of reducing the debt burden; 6. interpret the debt service ratio; 7. calculate the debt service ratio. UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d) CONTENT 1. The national debt: ) stock/flow; b) fiscal indiscipline; c) domestic and foreign debt. 2. The causes of the national debt. 3. The effects of the national debt on the economy: a) output and investment decisions; b) exchange rate pressures; c) inflation; d) crowding out and crowding in. 4. The responsibility for debt repayment. 1. Management of the national debt: a) internal and external borrowing; b) taxation; c) debt rescheduling; d) debt forgiveness. 2. Interpretation of the debt service ratio. 3. Calculation of the debt service ratio (principal plus interest as a percentage of export). UNIT 2 MODULE 2: MACROECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLICIES (cont’d)Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in the teaching and learning activities listed below. 1. For topic 1, Unemployment and Inflation, teachers should use the Phillips Curve to show the relationship between the unemployment rate and inflation rate. 2. For topic 2 (money multiplie r), show the various rounds in the money expansion process as done in the multiplier. Use Central Bank Acts and Reports for data gathering. 3. For fiscal policy, there is no need for students to derive the balanced budget multiplier.This should only be explained. 4. Teachers should emphasize the causes of the national debt and the burden it places on future generations. UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: 1. understand the basic concepts of growth and development; 2. understand the impact of imports and exports on the macroeconomy; 3. understand the balance of payments accounts and appreciate the causes and consequences of balance of payments crises; 4. become aware of the benefits and costs derived from current integration arrangements, such as CARICOM, FTAA and the EU; . understand the role and functions of international economic institutions. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 1: Growth and Sustainable Development Students should be able to: 1. distinguish between growth and development; 2. explain the concept of sustainable development; 3. outline the factors that determine growth; 4. outline the factors that contribute to sustainable development; 5. explain the concept of human development; 6. anaylse the structural characteristics of Caribbean economies; 7. analyse the impact of the region’s structural characteristics on sustainable economic development. UNIT 2MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) CONTENT 1. Differences between growth and development. 2. Current growth versus the well-being of future generations. 3. Differences between exogenous (technical change) and endogenous growth (capital accumulation, human capital). 4. Economic, social and environmental factors. 5. Indices of human development including mortality rates, literacy, per capita income, life expectancy. 6. Structural characteristics of Caribbean ec onomies including: a) small size; b) openness; c) composition of exports; d) resource base; e) poverty; f) economic dependence. . Implications for regional economies: a) dependence on aid; b) preferential trade agreements; c) foreign direct investment (FDI); d) vulnerability to natural and man-made change; e) changes in world prices. UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 2: International Trade Students should be able to: 1. analyse the role of imports and exports in a small open economy; 2. outline the factors that influence exports and imports; 3. explain the effects of foreign exchange earnings on a small open economy; 4. explain the theory of comparative advantage; 5. valuate the arguments for protection; 6. evaluate the arguments for Trade Liberalisation; 7. outline methods of trade protection; 8. explain the commodity, terms of trade; 9. interpret changes in the commodity terms of trade; 10. calculate the commodity, terms. CONTENT 1. The role of exports in creating domestic income and the role of imports in generating income for foreigners. 2. The factors which determine exports and imports including: a) international price; b) domestic production; c) domestic prices and exchange rates; d) international economic activity as it affects the tourism market in the Caribbean; UNIT 2MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) e) shifts in international demand and the emergence of substitutes; f) changes in International Income. 3. Foreign exchange earnings from exports: a) access to capital goods; b) the export multiplier; c) access to consumer goods; d) increased domestic production. 4. The theory of comparative advantage. 5. Arguments for protection including: a) infant industries; b) employment; c) food security. 6. Arguments for Trade Liberalisation including access to technology, availability of cheaper goods and services. Application of the theory of comparative advantage. . Methods of protection including: tariffs, quotas and other non-tariff methods. 8. Explanation of the commodity terms of trade. 9. Interpretation of changes in the commodity terms of trade. 10. Export price index divided by import price index multiplied by 100. UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 3: Balance of Payments and Exchange Rates Students should be able to: 1. explain the balance of payments; 2. distinguish between the current account and capital account; 3. analyze the causes and consequences of balance of payments disequilibria; 4. utline the policy measures for correcting balance of payments disequilibria; 5. explain exchange rates; 6. explain exchange rates determination; 7. distinguish between fixed and floating exchange rate regimes; 8. describe the effects of the exchange rate changes. CONTENT 1. Explanation of the balance of payments. 2. Capital items and current it ems. 3. The causes and consequences of balance of payments – disequilibria. 4. Policy responses to balance of payments crises including: a) devaluation; b) expenditure switching; c) expenditure reducing measures. 5. Explanation of exchange rates. 6.Determination of exchange rates. UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) 7. Fixed and floating exchange rate systems (fixed, free floating and managed float). 8. The effects of exchange rate changes. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 4: Economic Integration Students should be able to: 1. explain the main forms of economic integration; 2. evaluate the costs and benefits of economic integration; 3. evaluate the objectives of Caribbean integration; 4. analyse the implications of international integration arrangements for Caribbean economies. CONTENT 1. Main forms of economic integration, including: ) free trade area; b) customs union; c) common market; d) economic union. 2. The costs and benefits of economic integration including trade creation and trade diversion. 3. The objectives of CARICOM and the rationale for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). 4. The significance of integration movements, for example European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for Caribbean Economies. UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TOPIC 5: International Economic Relations Students should be able to: 1. xplain the role and functions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); 2. explain the role of international financial institutions (IFI’s); 3. explain the term multinational (transnational) corporation; 4. explain the nature of foreign direct investment; 5. outline the potential benefits and disadvantages of foreign direct investment; 6. explain the term globalisation; 7. describe the factors responsible for globalisation; 8. evaluate the effects of globalisation on developing countries . CONTENT 1. The role and functions of the WTO. 2. The role of the IMF and World Bank in the International Financial System. . Explanation of multinational (transnational) corporation. 4. The nature of foreign direct investment. 5. Potential benefits and disadvantages, including: a) access to technology and capital; b) access to markets; c) access to management skills; d) repatriation of profits; UNIT 2 MODULE 3: GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL RELATIONS (cont’d) e) transfer pricing; f) crowding out of domestic businesses. 6. The concept of globalisation. 7. Forces driving globalisation, for example, technological innovation, trade liberalisation, and liberalisation of capital markets. 8.Implications of globalisation for developing countries with particular reference to the greater Caribbean (greater competition, access to markets, access to technology, cheaper prices and greater variety of goods, loss of preferential markets). Suggested Teaching and Learning Activ ities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Module, teachers are advised to engage students in examining the structure of the economies of the Caribbean and the problems of imports and exports using international partnership agreements and policies. Teacher should ensure that students could distinguish among; ) Terms of Trade; b) Balance of Trade; and c) Balance of Payments. ? OUTLINE OF ASSESSMENT Each Unit of the syllabus will be assessed separately. The same scheme of assessment will be applied to each Module in each Unit. Grades will be awarded independently for each Unit. Candidate assessment on each Unit will comprise two components: i) External Assessment undertaken at the end of the academic year in which the Unit is taken. This component contributes 80% to the candidate’s overall grade. ii) Internal Assessment undertaken throughout the course of the Unit. This contributes 20% to the candidate’s overall grade. EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT | (80%) | |Paper 01 |Forty-five multiple-choice items, fifteen (15) on each Module. |30% | | |(1 hour 30 minutes) | | | | |Paper 02 |The paper consists of three (3) sections comprising six (6) questions spread across |50% | | |(2 hours 30 minutes) |all Modules in the Unit.Each section contains two (2) essay type questions from which| | | | |candidates are required to attempt one (1). | | | | | | |INTERNAL ASSESSMENT FOR EACH UNIT | | |