Racism By Toni Morrison Analysis - 982 Words

The noble laureate winning author Toni Morrison comments that â€Å"racism hurts in a very personal way† (Bouson 103). This might be a hint towards the long term generational consequences that racism causes. Having the entire future generation jeopardized by the concept of racism is indeed a pain that will hurt anyone who has love for his/her community. Morrison believes that the lives and relationships of people are affected by racism as she remarks â€Å"Because of it, people do all sorts of things in their personal lives and love relationships based on differences in values and class and education and their conception of what it means to be black in this society† (Bouson 103). Here Morrison very clearly points out that racism, whether subtle or†¦show more content†¦Susmita Roye, for example, believes that through her novels Morrison tries to bring light to the invisible members of the black community in a world where black girls have to suffer the perils of racism (212). The author describes how the parental attitudes of the black parents can shape the outlook of their children (Roye 212). Ayda Rahmani describes the effects of racism on women and the challenges of being raised in such a community as described by Morrison in The Bluest Eye (61). Since these women might one day be mothers it is important to consider the effects of racism on their womanhood. It is has been presented earlier that in Morrison’s view the relationships are greatly affected by racism. This implies that the behavioral patterns are also affected by racism. Amanda Putnam describes the violent behaviors of black females stemming from racism as described by Morrison in her novels (5.2). Such violent choices may affect children thus having multigenerational consequences. Natà ¡lia Fontes de Oliveira describes motherhood as depicted by Toni Morrison in Sula and AMercy. The author makes an attempt to describe what experiences the black mothers had during slave ry and afterwards (68). Many people argue that racism has been a thing of the past and is no longer a strongShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Bluest Eye1555 Words   |  7 Pagesbe a victim of sexual assault but also, the punishment of the offender. Toni Morrison, The author of The Bluest Eye, a victim of segregation, deals with sexual assault and segregation in her book. Chole Anthony Wofford, who goes by the name of Toni Morrison when writing her books, was born in Lorain, Ohio on February 18, 1931. Her father had several jobs to support their family, while her mother worked as a domestic worker. Toni lived in an integrated neighborhood. However, she did not become awareRead MoreSelf-Hatred and the Aesthetics of Beauty in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison1287 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Topic: Discuss the issues of self-hatred and the aesthetics of beauty in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. What role do they play in the novel and how do they relate to its theme? Self-hatred leads to self-destruction†¦ Self-hatred is something that can thoroughly destroy an individual. As it was fictitiously evidenced in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, it can lead an individual to insanity. Toni Morrison raises the idea that racism and class can detrimentallyRead MoreEssay on Themes in Song Of Solomon2113 Words   |  9 PagesToni Morrison is one of the most talented and successful African-American authors of our time. Famous for works such as The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved, Morrison has cultivated large audiences of all ethnicities and social classes with her creative style of writing. It is not Morrison’s talent of creating new stories that attracts her fans. In contrast, it is her talent of revising and modernizing traditional Biblical and mythological stories that have been present in literature for centuries.Read MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison2396 Words   |  10 Pagesthe American literature that deal directly with the legacy of slavery and the years of deeply-embedd ed racism that followed, the general storyline of Toni Morrison’s novel, â€Å"The Bluest Eye†, does not engage directly with such events but rather explores the lingering effects by exploring and commenting on black self-hatred. Nearly all of the main characters in †The Bluest Eye†, by Toni Morrison who are African American are consumed with the constant culturally-imposed notions of white beauty, cleanlinessRead MoreRacism In Othello Analysis829 Words   |  4 PagesLittle, Arthur L. â€Å"An Essence That’s Not Seen: The Primal Scene of Racism in Othello.† Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 3, Oct. 1993, p. 304. In this article, the author relates the idea of primal scene to racism in â€Å"Othello†. Primal scene is a psychoanalysis theory by Sigmund Freud. This theory claims once a child imagines or sees their parents having sexual relations they will be unable to repress this image from reappearing in theirRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Recitatif1135 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary Analysis Paper: â€Å"Recitatif† by Toni Morrison Many authors write fictional novels about historical events. A common topic written about is the racial integration between African Americans and whites during the 1950’s. Although the short story â€Å"Recitatif† explicate many different themes, the central topic of Morrison’s writing is about racism. Throughout the story, the author expresses examples of hatred between black and white races at the shelter, the different encounters they have, andRead MoreToni Morrison s Beloved And The Bluest Eye2300 Words   |  10 PagesLiterary Analysis Paper Toni Morrison s Beloved and The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison is known for her use of poetic language. In many of her writings Morrison captures the pursuit of African Americans identities(Parnell). Considering Morrison never experienced the horrific tragedies she writes about, she is a witness to many identities that were destroyed by society depiction of them. The themes that Toni Morrison illustrates in her works Beloved and The Bluest Eye demonstrates how Toni Morrison worksRead MoreToni Morrison s Beloved : Dehumanization Of Slavery And Its Effects On African Americans And Their Basic Forms Of1268 Words   |  6 PagesToni Morrison’s Beloved shows the dehumanization of slavery and its effects on African-Americans and their basic forms of existence—specifically motherhood. Morrison depicts the strong maternal bond between Sethe and her children. Most importantly, her use of Sethe’s controversial act of infanticide shows the lengths that Sethe will take to protect her children from slavery. Morrisonâ€⠄¢s depiction of Sethe’s motherhood shows how slavery has deconstructed the Eurocentric expectations and traditionsRead MoreBeloved Essay3346 Words   |  14 Pagesthese biases in our communities.† The first standard of the Critical Race Theory is the critique of liberalism. Critique of liberalism claims that the liberals have not done enough to aid the African Americans in the fight for equal rights since racism continues to exist in the American society. This can be seen through the Garners, who are owners of a plantation called â€Å"Sweet Home† in Beloved. â€Å"In Lillian Garner’s house, exempted from the field work that broke her hip and the exhaustion thatRead MoreBeloved : A Reconstruction Of Our Past1705 Words   |  7 PagesKarla Ximena Leyte Professor John Crossley Short Close Reading Paper #2 November 20, 2015 Beloved: A reconstruction of our past Beloved by Toni Morrison is a reconstruction of history told by the African American perspective, a perspective that is often shadowed or absent in literature. Her novel presents a cruel demonstration of the horrors endured by slaves and the emotional and psychological effects it created for the African American community. It unmasks the realities of slavery, in which

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder - 907 Words

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency (Taber, 1968). This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder attempt to maintain a sense of control through painstaking attention to rules, trivial details, procedures, lists, schedules, or form to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost (Criterion 1). OCPD and OCD are often confused as they are thought of as being similar.†¦show more content†¦Psychological test that may help diagnose this condition include: †¢ The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV Disorders (SCID II) †¢ The Schedule for Non-Adaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) Treatment options for Obsessive-Compulsion Personality Disorder include medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac) may help reduce some of the anxiety and depression from this disorder. However, talk therapy (psychotherapy) is thought to be the most effective treatment for this condition. †¢ Psychodynamic psychotherapy helps patients understand their thoughts and feelings. †¢ Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can also help. In some cases, medications combined with talk therapy may be the more effective than either treatment alone. Hospitalization is rarely needed for people with this disorder, unless an extreme or severe stressor or stressful life event occurs whichShow MoreRelatedInformative Speech: The Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder997 Words   |  4 Pagessymptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. Thesis: Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is a disorder which involves an obsession with perfection, rules, and organization, which leads to routines and rules for ways of doing things. Organization Pattern: Topical Introduction I. Open with impact: One in every one hundred people are affected by OCPD. Even more are affected by its symptoms. II. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is a disorder which involvesRead MoreObsessive Compulsive Disorder And Borderline Personality Disorder850 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to yourdictinory.com, disorders are those defined as a confusion to disturb the normal mental or physical health functions. For example those who have learning disabilities that makes it hard for people to learn and concentrate in a classroom setting without getting frustrated. So today I will focus on two disorders along with the diagnostics, symptoms, and treatments for each. The information for obsessive-compulsive disorder and Borderline personality disorder will come from the Faces ofRead MoreObsessive Compulsion Disorder1045 Words   |  4 PagesObsessive compulsion disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder described by irrational thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive tasks (compulsions) (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder, 2013). When a person has obsessive-compulsive disorder, t hey may realize that their obsessions arent accurate, and they may try to overlook them but that only increases their suffering and worry. Eventually, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts to ease your stressful feelings. Obsessive-compulsiveRead MoreEssay on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)875 Words   |  4 Pagessevere Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder that triggers people to have unwanted fixations and to repeat certain activities again and again. Everyone has habits or certain ways of doing something with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder these habits severely interrupt the way they live their lives (Familydoctor.org Editorial Staff). About one in 40 people suffer from some form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ABRAMOWITZ). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder oftenRead More Disorders in Hawethornes The Birthmark Essay1019 Words   |  5 Pages In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Birthmark† you find a couple fairly prevalent disorders. Although psychology was as of yet not existence, Hawthorne describes them quite well. Alymer suffered from an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, while his actions caused Georgiana to develop a body dysmorphic disorder. Both of which attributed to the eventual demise of Georgiana. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alymer is an older scientist who marries a beautiful woman much younger then himself. EvenRead MoreAs Good as It Gets: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder1721 Words   |  7 PagesAs Good As It Gets: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder I chose the film â€Å"As Good As It Gets† and to focus on the character Melvin. Melvin displays many different behaviors throughout the movie such as anti-Semitic, narcissistic character, mysophobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I will be focusing on the cause and effect of Melvin’s dysfunction to do with his OCD. We will examine the character in the movie and explain the assessment, symptoms, diagnosis, causes, and treatments. â€Å"AsRead MoreObsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Nature vs Nurture Essay927 Words   |  4 Pagescertain personalities, traits and other characteristics that help shape them into the people that they become later in life. Meanwhile multiple other psychologists argue the nurture perspective. They believe that people are born as a blank slate and their experiences over the course of life help shape their personalities, traits, and other characteristics. One topic that can be argued from both perspectives is obsessive-compulsive disorder. People who develop Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are influencedRead MoreMake sure your nerves are not too sensitive before watching the melodramatic thriller Sleeping1700 Words   |  7 Pages Make sure your nerves are not too sensitive before watching the melodramatic thriller Sleeping with the enemy. Not many movies make me feel so frightened. I truly feel for the female main character and it is clear how psychological disorder of her loved on e literally destroyed her life. Laura and Martin seem a very four-year-ago happy married couple. They live in the beautiful house next to the ocean. What can you make more happy? But the nightmare has not started yet. He is successful investmentRead MoreTreatment Plan for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Essay1334 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will cover what obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is and how leisure education can be used to help these individuals who have been diagnosed with OCD. This essay will discuss the various characteristics that can be noticed with an individual who has been diagnosed with OCD and also introduce different leisure activities that can be used to help these individuals. The overall goal for this essay is to provide strong evidence showing that leisure education can be useful in helping individualsRead MoreOcd - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment131367 Words   |  526 PagesOCD / David A. Clark. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-10: 1-57230-963-6 ISBN-13: 978-1-57230-963-0 (hardcover: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-59385-375-0 ISBN-13: 978-1-59385-375-4 (paperback) 1. Cognitive therapy. 2. Obsessive–compulsive disorder. I. Title. RC489.C 63C57 2004 616.85†²2270651—dc22 2003020283 To my parents, Albert and Ardith, for their support and encouragement About the Author About the Author David A. Clark, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology

American International Competitiveness Free Essays

string(151) " industries over others in international trade have been stable and that key industry characteristics, such as labor intensity, have also been stable\." Since the beginning of the 1970s, the United States has experienced a virtual trade revolution. Trade has increased much faster than the economy as a whole. Both imports and exports expanded during the past 15 years. We will write a custom essay sample on American International Competitiveness or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the late 1970s, imports started outstripping exports by historically large margins. A merchandise trade deficit has been present every year since 1976. Moreover, this deficit has increased dramatically in the 1980s. What economic changes underlie the shift in U. S. competitiveness evidenced by the recent trade deficits? While economists who have addressed this question have employed different approaches, most have examined changes in macroeconomic variables to see if they generated the economic pressures that led to the recent trade deficits. Economists who have employed this approach have generally concluded that macroeconomic changes probably are the cause of the recent deficits. Although macroeconomic theory suggests that trade deficits may be associated with a wide variety of factors, two events in the late 1970s and early 1980s have received particular attention: the rise in U. S. aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand and the increase in U. S. interest rates relative to foreign interest rates. Both may have been spurred by the U. S. government’s budget deficit. The excess of spending over income provided a powerful expansionary fiscal policy while higher interest rates had to be used to attract foreign and domestic investors to finance the growth in debt. A relative increase in aggregate demand, whatever its source, is expected to lead to a trade deficit because a country’s demand for imports is positively associated with the level of its aggregate demand. In this instance, the theory predicts that U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S. exports as U. S. aggregate demand grows relative to foreign aggregate demand. A relative increase in U. S. interest rates can also lead to trade deficits by increasing foreign demand for U. S. financial assets. The link between financial flows that respond to interest rate changes and trade deficits is evident in standard balance of payments accounting relationships. The accounting relationships used in defining trade deficits require that a nation’s current account (comprised of the merchandise trade balance, the balance of trade on services, and net unilateral transfers) equals in size, but with opposite sign, the capital account. In other words, if there are capital inflows, then there must be a trade deficit. Given this accounting relationship, the inflow of foreign capital that is attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates must lead to a trade deficit to satisfy the fundamental accounting identities that underlie balance of payments accounting (McCulloch, 1978). While explanations of recent trade deficits that are based on fundamental macroeconomic relationships are attractive to economists, many commentators have advanced alternative explanations that are rooted in microeconomic relationships. These commentators believe that the microeconomic characteristics have changed in ways that explain the relatively sudden substantial increases in imports and net imports. In addition, public opinion, for one reason or another, has not fully accepted the power of the macroeconomic explanations for the trade deficits. We shall therefore investigate these explanations that have been offered by various sources. The logical connections between these microeconomic changes and trade deficits have not been clearly drawn. In particular, supporters of these microeconomic-based hypotheses have ignored the fact that (absent macroeconomic adjustments) changes in the exchange rate could compensate for shifts in microeconomic relationships, leaving trade flows in balance (Tarr, 1985). While the link between alleged microeconomic changes and trade deficits is unclear, empirical analysis of the microeconomic explanations can still be very useful. Specifically, if we find that the alleged microeconomic changes in the structure of trade have not occurred, then we will be in a position to reject the microeconomic explanations directly. For advocates of the microeconomic explanations, this approach may be more convincing than one that evaluates the microeconomic explanations indirectly through the use of general equilibrium or macroeconomic models. The microeconomic explanations have focused on identifying three types of microeconomic changes. First, there may be technological changes that alter trade flows. For example, changes in an industry’s technology may alter factor intensities so that particular inputs are less important to successful international competition. Second, policy changes may alter trade flows through their effect on the openness of U. S. or other economies or through their effect on the relative cost structure of U. S. manufacturers. Changes in tariff, quotas, or government subsidies clearly can have this effect, but other government policies may also be important. Third, the availability of needed inputs may change so that the competitive position of U. S. firms is altered. For example, when abundant mineral resources continue to be key for production, the U. S. position will change as the United States exhausts its relative supply of these needed resources. According to some commentators, any or all of these types of microeconomic changes might lead to growth in the manufacturing trade deficit. As a result, they have received substantial public attention. If changes in microeconomic factors are the source of recent trade deficits, we should observe a recent and major shift in the pattern of U. S. trade, since some industries will be more sensitive to changes in particular microeconomic factors than other industries or experience bigger changes in these factors. For instance, if relative U. S. wage rates have become more important in international competition, we should observe a particularly large rise in net imports in industries that employ relatively large amounts of high-cost labor or have experienced particularly large increases in labor costs. In contrast, if macroeconomic variables underlie the recent deficits, this type of structural shift in trade flows is less likely to be present (Drucker, 1985). As a result, we can reject many of the microeconomic explanations of recent trade deficits that have been advanced if we observe that economic relationships that traditionally have advantaged some industries over others in international trade have been stable and that key industry characteristics, such as labor intensity, have also been stable. You read "American International Competitiveness" in category "Papers" In the case of U. S. wage rates, if the relationship between wage rates and imports has not changed over time, and U. S. wage rates relative to those in other countries have not changed significantly, then wage rates are unlikely to have contributed to the increased trade deficit. Of course, if we do find that the alleged microeconomic changes have occurred, the growth in the trade deficit can not be attributed to them unless logical causal relationships can be identified that are consistent with international trade accounting identities. Factors associated with U. S. competitiveness in trade appear to have been relatively stable throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Manufacturing operations located in the States retain their traditional competitive advantage in production that requires sophisticated know-how and continue to experience a competitive disadvantage in production that uses unskilled labour intensively. Moreover, it appears that, to the extent change has occurred, these relationships have strengthened over time (Marston 1986). Yet, as others have pointed out, the competitive performance of many U. S. industries appears to have declined (Landau and Rosenberg, 1986). Can these two observations be consistent? The competitive performance of U. S. industries can decline because of changes that do not affect the relationships between trade flows and the industry characteristics. First, the characteristics of particular industries, such as their factor intensities, may have changed so that net imports increased. The higher unionization is associated with more imports, thus if unionization increased and this relationship remained stable, then unionization could be one cause of increased imports. Shifts in the relative competitiveness of an individual industry may reflect adjustments in the characteristics of the industry, within the context of stable comparative advantage relationships. For example, if strong RD efforts are associated with strong exports, but industries reduce their RD expenditures, export performance would be expected to decline even though the relationship between exports and RD was stable. Put slightly differently, when relative factor abundancies are stable, changes in industrial input requirements will be reflected in shifts in the trade balance of particular U. S. industries. The rankings of industries with respect to their trade flows have been quite stable. While there have been some shifts in position during the last decade, statistical tests indicate that the shifting has not been substantial. The rank order of manufacturing industries by the level of net imports in 1975 is highly correlated with the rank order that existed in 1984. Industry characteristics available in time series have also been quite stable. The values for industry characteristics in 1975 are highly correlated with their values in 1981. Moreover, the changes in mean values for these variables are relatively small, especially for the variables that are most directly related to the seven proposed explanations of the trade deficits that we analyze. The variables available in time series include the primary variables used in traditional trade models. Simple macroeconomic relationships suggest that the rise in the trade deficit is likely to be associated with changes in macroeconomic variables. If this is true, then one would expect that many industries experienced a rise in their trade deficits (Benvignati, 1985). Consistent with this prediction, nearly all U. S. industries experienced declining international competitiveness to some degree between 1981 and 1984. In addition to this general confirmation of the macroeconomic explanations for trade deficits, there is direct support for the view that recent inflows of foreign capital, attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates, and increases in U. S. aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand are responsible for recent trade deficits. Specifically, exchange rates rose during the period studied and this led to an increase in net imports, as the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows predicts. Also there appears to be a positive association between recent increases in relative U. S. aggregate demand and net imports, as the aggregate demand theory suggests. According to the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows, higher U. S. interest rates will attract foreign capital. Since U. S. financial assets are denominated in dollars, this will lead to an increase in the demand for dollars. Because increases in the value of the dollar make U. S. goods more expensive relative to foreign goods, there will be a reduction in the international competitiveness of U. S. manufacturers. This decrease in competitiveness is expected to be reflected in higher net imports, causing the trade deficit to equal the surplus on the capital account. There is empirical support for this argument. U. S. industries appear to have been under severe competitive pressure because of the relatively high value of the dollar. For example, in the automobile industry, it has been argued that about $700 of the roughly $2,000 cost disadvantage of U. S. automobile manufacturers in 1983 was due to the unusually high exchange rate (Detroit Battle, 1983). Similarly, in steel, machine tools, textiles, and many other industries, analysts have pointed to exchange rates as an important source of the U. S. competitive disadvantage. As a result, it is not too surprising that the increase in the value of the dollar between 1980 and 1985 was associated with a decline in the U. S. trade balance. While the adverse effect of the increased value of the dollar on the competitive position of U. S. industries seems to have been quite widespread, the effect has been larger in some industries than others. In particular, it appears likely that the effect will be largest for products where the demand for U. S. exports and imports was quite elastic, since these products are most sensitive to changes in relative prices. For example, estimates of price elasticities by Baldwin (1976) indicate that these elasticities are particularly large (between 3. 20 and 4. 4) in the case of metal working machinery and office/computing machines. According to macroeconomic theory, imports are likely to vary positively with the level of aggregate demand, other things being equal. Specifically, as U. S. incomes rise, the U. S. demand for imports is likely to rise. Moreover, if U. S. incomes rise relative to foreign incomes, the U. S. demand for imports should rise relative to the foreign demand for U. S. exports. As a result, macroeconomic theory predicts that, during these periods, U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S. exports and growing trade deficits are more likely. At the end of 1982, the U. S. balance of payments deficit appears to have been reduced by aggregate demand effects, since the U. S. demand was falling relative to foreign demand. However, in 1983 and 1984 the U. S. economy grew relative to the economies of its trading partners (Economic Report of the President 1986). The relatively strong U. S. recovery and the general worldwide recession were associated with a sharp rise in the U. S. trade deficit (Economic Report of the President 1985). There is no conflict between the observation that U. S. trade deficits have risen and the finding that U. S. comparative advantage relationships have been relatively stable over the last decade. Evidently, there have been shifts in macroeconomic variables that have increased the level of imports in most industries, without shifting trade patterns across industries significantly. While other types of changes, such as shifts in omitted microeconomic variables or changes in the magnitudes of included variables, would also make the two observations consistent, these alternative explanations are not nearly as important. Moreover, simple macroeconomic theories and available empirical evidence suggest strongly that macroeconomic forces underlie the growth of recent trade deficits. Changes in most microeconomic variables have either been gradual or narrowly focused. As a result, they are unlikely to generate the large trade deficits that are observed. Only the changes in international capital flows (with associated changes in exchange rates) and, for part of the period, changes in the relative levels of aggregate demand, have been large enough and sharp enough to explain the sudden rise in net imports. The growth of direct foreign investment by U. S. firms during the last decade reflects, in part, the exploitation of their advanced technological and organizational know-how. This stability in the fundamental comparative advantage relationships is inconsistent with widely held views linking microeconomic changes to the growth in the trade deficit during the 1980s. Macroeconomic models provide explanations that are much more consistent with empirical observations. We conclude, as have macroeconomists, that changes in macroeconomic factors, rather than any of the many microeconomic explanations that have been advanced, underlie recent U. S. trade deficits. The comparative advantage structure that determines a country’s trade patterns changes only slowly. For the United States, comparative advantage forces have meant, and still mean, that the country is a net importer of commodities that are efficiently produced with relatively large amounts of unskilled labour and a net exporter of commodities that require the relatively intensive use of skilled labour. These basic relationships have not changed significantly during the 1970s or early 1980s. Similarly, the United States continues to be disadvantaged in industries that are energy-intensive, use depleting natural resources, or are heavily unionized. Higher minimum efficient scale requirements and higher RD intensity continue to be associated with both higher imports and higher exports. Only weak relationships exist between capital intensity or industry concentration and the strength of the U. S. trade position. The relationships between industry characteristics and trade flows are evident despite the presence of tariff and nontariff barriers and other government trade policies. Moreover, the effects of trade policies appear to be weak relative to the economic forces that result from differences in comparative advantage. Nonetheless, trade policies do have identifiable effects. As one would expect, U. S. tariff and nontariff barriers are associated with lower net import levels. However, the statistical findings for foreign trade barriers are less clear. We attribute this to the fact that U. S. exporters face different trade barriers in different countries. It may be the case that strong U. S. exports continue in many countries although these exports face substantial barriers in other countries. In addition, foreign trade barriers and industrial targeting efforts may arise as a reaction to U. S. export successes, yet not be strong enough to make a substantial reduction in U. S. exports in foreign markets generally. Analyses of U. S. imports and exports test the competitiveness of the States as a geographical unit. However, these analyses do not capture fully the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, since many U. S. firms are multinationals. To measure the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, output manufactured abroad using U. S. know-how must be considered (Marston, 1986). Similarly, U. S. output must be adjusted for output produced by foreign-controlled multinationals in the United States. To a large extent, the additional perspective offered by the analysis of the adjusted trade flow data simply confirms the findings based on the unadjusted data. The United States remains relatively strong in the same industries where it was strong in the previous decade. However, when the trade flow data are adjusted to reflect the presence of multinational corporations, some structural changes in trade patterns become evident. Basically, these changes evidence a strengthening of the relationships that have traditionally shaped U. S. trade flows. Apparently U. S. firms have increasingly exploited their more mobile competitive strengths by investing abroad. There is some evidence that this effort has been undertaken to overcome historical comparative disadvantages associated with producing in the States. Most notably, there is some evidence that this foreign investment is increasingly prominent in industries that are heavily unionized. Together, the analyses of adjusted and unadjusted trade flow data indicate that U. S. firms are not losing their relative competitive strengths. The adjusted data suggest that some changes are occurring in international direct investment, but these changes have not been echoed in changes in the composition of U. S. net imports. The gradual nature of any changes that are occurring highlights the basic stability of the structure of U. S. trade flows. The structural stability that we observe is consistent with the view that shifts in microeconomic relationships are not an important source of recent trade deficits. Absent evidence of changes, there is no reason to believe that these potential microeconomic issues contend with macroeconomic factors as the real explanations for the large observed increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Turning to the first two microeconomic explanations (high labor cost explanation and union work rule explanation), traditional relationships between labor market variables and trade patterns still hold. The United States continues to be at a comparative disadvantage in labor-intensive industries. To the extent there has been change, it has been gradual and statistically insignificant. Moreover, the United States appears to be doing well, and has slightly improved its performance, in high-wage industries. Evidently, the advantage continues in industries where human capital is important. While union activities have affected the structure of U. S. manufacturing industries, this impact has been different from that suggested in the second explanation. No change in the relationship between unionization and U. S. trade flows has taken place. However, various studies do suggest that multinational corporations in unionized industries have shifted larger and larger shares of their output overseas. Apparently, this direct investment has added to U. S. -controlled output, rather than entirely substituting for exports from unionized industries located in the States. The third and fourth explanations (foreign government trade practices explanation and OPEC cartel explanation) involve actions taken by foreign governments. Foreign governments do not appear to have uniformly targeted â€Å"U. S. industries†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, industries where the United States has had a competitive advantage. While foreign government interventions are evident, these efforts vary from country to country and do not appear to have a significant effect on overall U. S. trade patterns. This does not mean that particular foreign tariffs, nontariff barriers, or targeting subsidies could not disrupt natural trade flows. However, it does mean that currently these effects are limited among our major trading partners (Maskus 1981). Actions by foreign governments that may have supported OPEC’s efforts to raise energy prices did not significantly alter the structure of U. S. manufacturing trade, as the fourth proposition contends. The increases in world energy prices during the 1970s were dramatic and clearly had a significant effect on the overall balance of payments. However, only when trade flows are adjusted to recognize the presence of multinationals is there a significant change in the comparative advantage structure across manufacturing industries. Turning to the fifth microeconomic explanation (declining RD explanation), U. S. firms have not lost their comparative advantage in RD-intensive products. While U. S. imports of high-technology products have increased over time, so have exports. Moreover, the overall structural relationships that determine U. S. comparative advantages with respect to RD do not appear to have changed significantly. To the extent change is evident; it appears that the growth of U. S. multinational firms has allowed them to exploit their comparative advantages in high technology through their foreign affiliates. The remaining explanations (inadequate investment explanation and antitrust explanation) involve policies of the U. S. government. According to these two explanations, high taxes on capital formation and overly aggressive antitrust enforcement efforts have undermined the competitiveness of U. S. firms. The notion that relatively high taxes on capital, and resulting lower U. S. investment rates, have led to a growing U. S. disadvantage in capital-intensive industries is not confirmed by the statistical tests. While some earlier studies using 1958 to 1976 data found that the United States had a growing comparative disadvantage in capital-intensive industries, this trend did not continue in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Maskus 1981). The United States was a strong exporter in industries where economies of scale (MES) are important. Moreover, we did not find substantial advantages of concentration beyond the levels associated with these plant- level scale economies. There also was no sign of significant changes in the comparative advantage relationships with respect to scalerelated or concentration-related variables. Conclusion Given the stability of U. S. comparative advantage relationships over time, why has the U. S. trade deficit increased by so much? For some industries, the rise in net imports may simply reflect the fact that the characteristics of the industry have changed, so U. S. firms no longer have a comparative advantage. In particular, when the know-how needed to produce a commodity becomes standardized and cheap labour becomes a relatively more important input, we should expect that U. S. manufacturers will lose share to foreign manufacturers. As is suggested by simple macroeconomic models, much of the rise in net imports appears to be attributable to macroeconomic forces that have more than offset the advantages that U. S. firms have traditionally had in some industries. In fact, most industries have experienced increased levels of imports, suggesting that economy-wide changes underlie the problem. Examination of macroeconomic variables that could produce this type of shift in trade flows confirms that the rise in interest rates with the associated increase in the value of the dollar and, during some recent periods, the relatively rapid growth of U. S. aggregate demand appear to have stimulated net imports generally. Generally, there has been relatively little shifting in either comparative advantage relationships or in industry characteristics that affect imports and exports. Indeed, the growth in direct foreign investment, which appears to support the most dramatic changes that have occurred, has been associated with the exploitation of traditional U. S. advantages. Moreover, the shift in the overall position of the United States relative to its trading partners has been fairly general, which is consistent with the argument that individual microeconomic explanations are unlikely to explain much of the recent rise in U. S. trade deficits. Given this finding, it is probable that the U. S. recent loss in competitive position is largely attributable to macroeconomic forces. In particular, it appears likely that changes in relative interest rates and levels of aggregate demand best explain most of the recent increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Both of these may be related to large increases in the government’s budget deficit. The rise in trade deficits during the 1970s and 1980s led to substantial concern about the competitiveness of U. S. firms. Many of the microeconomic explanations that have been advanced to explain the recent deficits do not appear to be supported by available empirical evidence. Because these microeconomic explanations do not explain the recent trade deficits, policy prescriptions based on shifting microeconomic variables are a poor bet to change trade flows fundamentally. In particular, wage restrictions, trade restrictions, subsidization programs, and policies that promote market concentration are unlikely to alter the trade deficit substantially. Indeed, efforts to implement these policies are likely to hurt U. S. competitiveness, as interest groups attach riders to legislation that promotes their special interests at the expense of the broader economy. Focusing the public debate on microeconomic factors rather than macroeconomic factors seems to be, at best, ill-advised. It tends to distract the public from the real, difficult issues of government deficits, international investment, and economic growth. More likely, it provides a convenient cloak in which to wrap the costly protections so fervently sought by special interest groups that ultimately increase costs, retard productivity growth, and harm consumers. Since the strategic use of trade policies can disadvantage one country at the expense of another, it is better to view findings as indicating that care must be taken in responding to recent trade deficits. Specifically, policy makers must be careful that they are not so caught up in the dramatic deficits that they accede to special interest groups that have inappropriately linked their troubles to those of the economy as a whole (Krugman, 1986). History provides very little reason to believe that such objectivity is possible in trade policy. Failure to exercise caution has its risks. Not only can the improper protectionist policies cause sizeable immediate losses, but they may also lead to longer term losses as well. For example, it may be short-sighted to impose import restraints on products that are key inputs into subsequent production activities, since this can have adverse effects on domestic producers that use these inputs. Indeed, protectionist policies of this type may have long-run adverse effects on the protected industry, since potential customers may choose to locate abroad and, as a result, not be well-positioned to purchase the input from U. S. suppliers even after protection is no longer necessary. In addition, poorly designed protectionist efforts can trigger trade wars, as foreign governments retaliate to unjustifiable U. S. trade restraints. Indeed, the threat of spiraling beggar-thy-neighbor policies continues to be a key reason for supporting free trade, even in a world that offers strategic opportunities. Reference: â€Å"Detroit Battle: The Cost Gap,† New York Times, May 28, 1983, pp. 35, 37. Baldwin R. , U. S. Tariff Policy: Formation and Effects,† study prepared for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U. S. Department of Labor, June 1976. Benvignati A. , â€Å"The Commodity Composition of U. S. Intra-firm Exports,† FTC, unpublished, 1985. Drucker P. , â€Å"Where Union Flexibility’s Now a Must,† Wall Street Journal, September 23, 1985, p. 30. Economic Report of the President, U. S. Council of Economic Advisers. Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office, annual editions from 1972 to 1987. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Marston R. , â€Å"Assessing Japanese Competitiveness,† NBER Reporter, Winter 1986/ 1987, pp. 12-16. Maskus K. , The Changing Structure of Comparative Advantage in American Manufacturing, Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Research Press, 1981. McCulloch R. , â€Å"Research and Development as a Determinant of U. S. International Competitiveness,† Harvard Economic Research Discussion Paper 609, March 1978. Tarr D. , â€Å"Trade Deficits, Trade Policy and the Value of the Dollar,† paper for conference, Trade Policy: Free or Fair? , November 19, 1985. How to cite American International Competitiveness, Papers

Conceptual Framework or Structure Development †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Conceptual Framework or Structure Development. Answer: Introduction: A business model is a conceptual framework or structure that works to provide support to product viability or the viability of a company. The business model includes goals and the purpose of a company and how it will plan to achieve them. All the business policies and the business process that a company follows and adopts are part of the business model. The business model is a description that how a company captures, delivers, creates the value for its customer and also for itself. Due to the emergence of a computer, the usage of the business model also came forth (Harvard Business Review., 2018a). Literature review on the Business model and disruption- a Business model is a term which has been used for several years. From the beginning of a business, the companies try to innovate. Define and create the business models from the initiation of the business. The term business model was first coined by a financial journalist named Michael Lewis. He predicted that the companies in future will be based on the business models that will be connected to the internet. Business models have no fixed and formal connection with the theories in economics. It is really hard to designate the components and the processes that will be necessary for the business and defines the values of a company fundamentally. Business models are also considered by some authors as a model for making money. According to some authors, a business model is an economic concept that will create produce costs and revenues. The business model is a system of activities and resources, that creates the values which are use ful for the customers and in turn generates revenues for the company (Slavik Bednr, 2014). Disruptive innovation is a management term that describes an innovation with respect to the value and market network and this eventually leads to the displacement of the established market alliances, market products. Innovative production and the production systems are based on the new technologies that help in competition to gain the sustained differentiation. Technological advancements have resulted in the companies to establish their business. This has also resulted in the emergence of threats to the established business as well. specifically, this is valid for a certain type of disruptive technology like the Additive Manufacturing. Addictive manufacturing is considered to displace the conventional manufacturing technology and also at the same time open up other types of possibilities in future. Disruptive technologies are the ones that are ones that have a far-reaching effect on the value creation and future structure of the business. It is also important to note that the disruptive technologies differ a lot from the sustaining technologies. With respect to the traditional form of the performance criteria, the established products underperform through the disruptive technologies (Amshoff et al., 2015). Analysis of threats and opportunities Dominos Pizza restaurants caused by the advancement of the smart connected products- In the fast food service industry, the connected technology has found its place. The Dominos pizza has now taken into account the IoT deployment and also help in improving the management process (Harvard Business Review, 2018b). The internet of Things also assists in the predictive maintenance, customer satisfaction, food safety and temperature monitoring. Total Connect Now Operations Performance Suite (TCNOPS) is built with respect to the needs of a company (VoIP-Info., 2018). It has the highest Quality Routing Protocol broadband connection, this suite helps in bringing the Small and mid-size businesses to come together in this connected age. This leads to a real-time monitoring system which is proactive and full-fledged. Working with a lot of the hardware vendors which includes the Zen and Samsung has led to the effective build of the restaurants with the optim al levels of the internet of things deployment for the customers and the clients, it also ensures that the restaurants operate in accordance with the regulatory compliances. Previously, the restaurants used to rely on the workers to control the temperature manually by keeping a note on the temperature variance. This results in noncompliance and the company have to pay the hefty price. This is a scenario for one restaurant and can be worse if there are 100 restaurants. The presence of the real-time temperatures displayed is great for the assistant and the store managers. The temperature monitoring system even gets better when it sends the alerts to the upper management system (Planet Retail, 2018). The implementation of the Internet of things has led to the task automation. This includes the monitoring the store temperature and also monitoring the temperature of the exhaust systems, refrigeration system, and the production tables. The information collected is then fed into the wallboard display of the visual performance software suite. Data is provided along with the other real-time and historical data which includes the local weather, telephone line status and staff performance. The temperature alerts provide a chance to avert major accidents. Beyond temperature monitoring for the purpose of compliance and food safety, the deployment of the internet of things also includes the incorporation of the smart thermostats for controlling the ambient temperature control and the smart building functionality. The TCNOPS has the real-time alerts that help to monitor the when the door of the freezer is kept open for too long and for the purpose of proactive maintenance offers a predictive analysis. The deployment of the TCNOPS is very attractive and it only includes the 150 dollars per month (IoT Agenda, 2018). The threats arising from the implementation of the internet of things is the loss of jobs, over-reliance on the technology and the breach of privacy. The privacy issues are a big question and it relates to who controls the internet of things? There are glitches and errors that occur consistently within this technology and the also includes the risk of breaching the privacy of the consumer data. The over-reliance is one of the biggest faults of the internet of things. Nos system is error and fault free, thus depending too much on a single technology may lead to devastation in the future. The final threat is the more devices that get connected to the internet, the number of jobs will be lost. The automated tasks within the purview of the internet of things will lead to fewer prospects of employment (Internet Of Things, 2018). Business model framework by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010)- The 4 different pillars include the product pillar, customer interface pillar, infrastructure management pillar, financial aspects pillar. The product pillar has the value proposition model element: Domino's Pizza serves pizza and the associated food products via its restaurants and the home delivery provisions (Dominos.com.au., 2018b). The customer interface provides with the 4 different business model element: customer segments- the segments of the customer that Dominos especially focuses ranges from age 6 to 60 years; channels- the customers are connected via the SMS, emails, telephone calls and app queries; Customer relationships- the link via which the Dominos tries to establish itself with the customer is the quality pan pizzas. The infrastructure management includes the following business model elements: key resources- the key resources are the different constituents of a pizza and the different suppliers through whic h Dominos maintains its stock; Key activities- the key activities ranges from the opening of the restaurants that serve Pizzas and home delivery of the pizzas according to the demand for home delivery (Dominos.com.au., 2018a); key partners- the key partner is the IFTTT inclusive that helps to provide the real-time tracking of the pizza delivery. The financial aspects pillar provides with 2 business model element: revenue streams- the Domino's pizza makes money via the online order through the app and earn revenues via serving pizzas via its fast food restaurants; cost structure- a Domino's pizza store costs around 450,000 dollars and also includes an initial franchise fee of 60,000 dollars (Dominosfranchise.com.au., 2018). Business model perspectives- Business models as a profit formula: Domino's pizza sales have increased 5 times since the year 2005 and the revenue earning has increased 7 times. The shares at the same time have increased by 30 times. The issues price has increased by 2.20 dollar. According to the network of the company, the Domino's Australian franchise has experienced profitability. The Domino's pizza focuses on the profit formula and emphasizes on the selling a pizza for 5 dollars by delivering pizza within 10 minutes. The products are sold with added discounts which also help in earning more profit (Financial Review. (2018). Business models as the value proposition- the core value proposition of Domino's pizza is the fast delivery of the pizza. Domino's provides the assurance of delivering the pizza within a 30-minute deadline and the company also charges extra money for a super-fast delivery of pizza within the deadline of 10 minutes (dominos, 2018). Thus from the above study, it can be concluded that the smart integration of the internet of things into the fast food restaurants of Domino's pizza has led to the increase in the efficiency of the fast food restaurants. The effective monitoring of the temperature in the restaurants has led to the effective management of the perishable goods. Finally, the two business models that are for the study are the business model for value proposition and business model for profit formula. Reference Amshoff, B., Dlme, C., Echterfeld, J., Gausemeier, J. (2015). Business model patterns for disruptive technologies. International Journal of Innovation Management, 19(03), 1540002. dominos. (2018). dominos. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.dominos.co.in/hot-pizza-30-minutes-delivery-guarantee-at-dominos-get-pizza-hot Dominos.com.au. (2018a). Domino's Pizza | Order Pizza Delivery Online | Food Delivery Takeaway. Dominos.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.dominos.com.au/ Dominos.com.au. (2018b). Domino's Corporate - Domino's Pizza. Dominos.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.dominos.com.au/inside-dominos/corporate Dominosfranchise.com.au. (2018). Domino's Franchise Australia - FAQ. Dominosfranchise.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.dominosfranchise.com.au/frequently-asked-questions Financial Review. (2018). Domino's Pizza system profits under spotlight. Financial Review. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.afr.com/business/retail/dominos-pizza-franchise-system-under-spotlight-20160707-gq0jxa Harvard Business Review. (2018a). What Is a Business Model?. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-is-a-business-model Harvard Business Review. (2018b). How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://hbr.org/2014/11/how-smart-connected-products-are-transforming-competition Internet Of Things. (2018). Internet of Things Advantages and Disadvantages - Internet Of Things. Internet Of Things. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://internetofthings.net/internet-of-things-advantages-disadvantages/ IoT Agenda. (2018). Domino's Pizza IoT deployment delivers temp monitoring, food safety. IoT Agenda. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/feature/Dominos-Pizza-IoT-deployment-delivers-temp-monitoring-food-safety Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation: a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. John Wiley Sons. Planet Retail. (2018). DOMINOS PIZZA monitors temperature with IoT tech. Planet Retail. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/158763 Slavik, S., Bednr, R. (2014). Analysis of business models. Journal of competitiveness, 6(4). VoIP-Info. (2018). Welcome to the VOIP Wiki - a reference guide to all things VOIP. - VoIP-Info. VoIP-Info. Retrieved 17 April 2018, from https://www.voip-info.org/