Friday, March 20, 2020

The natural resource base of a country is fundamental to any explanation of its level of national economic development Essays

The natural resource base of a country is fundamental to any explanation of its level of national economic development Essays The natural resource base of a country is fundamental to any explanation of its level of national economic development Essay The natural resource base of a country is fundamental to any explanation of its level of national economic development Essay Essay Topic: Fun Home In this essay I aim to show the true importance of natural resource to the economic growth of a country. I will be discussing Japans and Canadas economic situation as well as comparing it to Saudi Arabia in relation to the availability of natural resources. Indicators such as GNP per capita, Literacy rates, and the countries exports and imports will be studied to help suggest if a natural resource base is fundamental to national economic development of a county. Natural resources are a vital part in the development of the Worlds economy. There is lack of theory in terms of generalising about the relationship between resources and development. Japan is a good example. As explained Japan is a very rich economic country. Manufacturing is its strength but it has few natural resources. The countries successful economy is based on the export of high quality consumer goods developed with the latest technologies for example Toyota, Sony, Fujifilm and Panasonic are famous across the globe. One common pattern is for Japanese companies to import raw materials and then process them to make finished products, which are sold domestically or exported. In an often cited statement 1 (e.g. Cairns, 1994, p 782) Erich Zimmerman wrote resources are not; they become. Meaning that natural resources have no value until labour and capital is applied. Japan has one of the largest export based economies. Japan is 5th in the world for largest export of goods 2 $538.8 b illion (2004 est). In reference to table 1 it can be seen that machinery is Japans biggest export. Japan relies heavily on other countries for resources. Japans main agricultural product is rice, and most rice eaten in Japan is home-grown. Since Japan has little arable land compared to its population, it cannot grow enough wheat, soybeans, or other major crops to feed all its citizens. In fact, Japan has one of the lowest rates of food self-sufficiency of all industrialized countries. 5 Only 15% of Japans land is suitable for cultivation. This means it has to import a high percentage of its food from abroad. Japan is the largest market for US exports. Japan has had to build its enormous industrial output and high standard of living on a very low natural resource base. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. Mostly in terms of fossil fuels, particularly oil. It imports 90% of its oil. Due to the fact that In Japan they supply less that 1% of countries demand. Japan has more oil refining than oil production, and more oil consumption than oil refining. Looking at Table 2 it is notable that Japan is also very short on metal and mineral resources. With Machinery and Mineral fuels being one of the major imports. Japans imports of goods is to the value of $401.8 billion. Meaning Japan is making money from developing the imported primary material then processing these resources to export the manufactured goods. Despite Japan having a very poor resource base it is the 3rd largest economy in the world after USA and China. It has huge amounts of economic power, and its average income levels and standard of living are among the highest in the world.6 Japan GNP per Capita is $29,400 (2004 est.) 99% of the population are literate. 7For 3 decades economic growth has been spectacular 10% average in 1960s, 5% in the 70s and in 1980 4% growth. It is world leading in high technology, industry and has a strong work ethic. Industry is the most important sector of economy. Only 6% of the labour force engage in agriculture while 70% of the labour force, are in the service sector. Japan is among worlds largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods. Japan is a prime example of that a natural resource base is not fundamental to a countrys development. Its the ability to use and convert these natural resources for example iron ore into steal. 8Blessed with natural resources. From another perspective, the theory of development says that natural resource base is positive in the terms of the benefits for a country. For example Canada has a rich natural resource base. Its an extremely affluent, high tech industrial society with high standards of living. When looking at indicators Canada can be seen as a well developed country. GNP per capita is at an impressive $31,500. This ranks above Japan. The literacy rate for the population is 98%. 9 It has been said that the countrys high income and high standard of living is that its export of natural resource financed the growth and diversification of its national economy in a very beneficial way (Sheppard Barnes). Iron ore, nickel, and zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydropower are the main resources. These natural resources along with skilled labour and capital help to secure solid economical prospects. However Canada does not just export these primary resources, it uses them to produce manufactured goods such as; motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment, chemicals and fertilizers along with its natural resources such as timber.10Canada has a large amount of exports $315.6 billion. It is Ranked 10th in the world.It imports $256.1 billion. Canada mainly imports machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, crude oil and chemicals.11 Canada gains more capita from exporting than importing this is why it is an economically developed country with a GDP of $31,500- exports counting approximately for one third of this. Its exporting of natural resources and manufactured goods, has created a high level of economic development within Canada. This helps show that a good natural resource base is important to economic growth. It has been assumed that possessing natural resources benefits a country. However, experience has shown that for most developing countries possessing natural resources has not made them economically strong. Nowhere, is this more obvious than in the oil industry.12 This trend has been identified the resource curse by Richard Auty (1995). For example Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world. It holds 25% of the worlds oil reserves. It makes more money from exporting petroleum and petroleum products than importing machinery, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles and chemicals, 13its GDP is only $12 000- 40% of this and 90% of its oil earnings. 14Saudi Arabia holds a huge dependence on oil. In the past the demand for oil slowed and pulled oil prices down by more than a 1/3 causing Saudi Arabia economic uncertainty. In comparison although Saudi Arabia has this natural resource base, it fails to develop. Countries like the USA and Canada use technology and capital to exploit the natural resources to produce manufactured goods. Then use trade and exchange to create a profit. It does not use natural resources alone. As stated before this is shown from Canada GNP per capita of $31,500 which is relatively high in comparison to Saudi Arabia with a GNP per capita of $12,000 who just uses solely depends on its exports of oil. Japan a country with resource deficiency has GNP per capita of $29,400 because it gains access through trade and exchange. This shows that economic resource base is not always fundamental to a countries development. In conclusion it can be seen from the countries of Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia that a natural resource base is not always fundamental to the countrys level of economic development. One of the key issues that have been identified is that it is the access to natural resources through trade and exchange that is important. The use of technology, labour and capital thereafter produces manufactured goods that can then be exported resulting in strong economic growth. Depending on a natural resource alone is not enough to sustain economic development. Sheppard and Barnes (2003) help to summarise to a certain degree that natural resource base is not always fundamental to a countrys level of economic growth 15 It appears that the location of resource deposits is almost irrelevant to where geographically those resources will be used. Not natural resources alone that facilitate growth its right technology, the right culture, and the right markets.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

When Most is Enough

When Most is Enough When Most is Enough When Most is Enough By Maeve Maddox It must be one of those in your face gestures of defiance. It cant be that they dont know better. Im referring to the way so many bloggers create headlines that place a most in front of an adjective that already has the superlative -est suffix: The internets Most Rudest and Obnoxious people Mumbai, India is the MOST RUDEST city in the world The Seven Most Awesomest Idol Moments This Season A Gawker Guide to the Most Awesomest Election Ever Sometimes least is used instead of most in order to compare in the opposite direction: 100 Least Awesomest Things ever Then there are the online novels: at that very moment the most awfullest, most terriblest, most unpleasantest thing imaginable happened! Such pervasive examples of incorrect usage cant be much help to readers for whom English is not the first language. English adjectives form their comparative/superlative forms in one of two ways: 1. by adding the suffixes -er and -est: dark/darker/darkest; simple/simpler/simplest; mean/meaner/meanest 2. by using the words more and most in front of the basic adjective: pleasant/more pleasant/most pleasant awesome/more awesome/most awesome I wont go into the various rules based on number of syllables and stressed or unstressed vowels. Its probably enough to know that adjectives that are short and/or easy to say, form their comparatives with -er and -est. Polysyllabic adjectives that sound clumsy with those endings form their comparatives with more and most. Sometimes the choice is a matter of individual preference. For example, one speaker may prefer handsome/more handsome/most handsome while another likes the sound of handsome/handsomer/handsomest. When in doubt, go with the more/most construction. Most awesomest is not an option for the writer who desires to write standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?Quiet or Quite?

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Meaning of a single word Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Meaning of a single word - Essay Example Looking deep into the roots of a word can tell us about other words it was derived from, and a little know how of how foreign languages have influenced English. And finally the usage of a word tells us about how it should be used in a sentence. Many times people know the correct meaning of a word but they are confused about how to use it and they end up not using it at all. The correct usage while keeping in mind the sentence structure, subject verb agreement, and the placement of prepositions is essential in using any word in a sentence or a paragraph. All of these aspects are discussed below so that the meaning of the given word is clear and no difficulty is faced in its usage in any context. A lantern is a transparent protective covering, usually portable and used for carrying or holding a light. It is used to protect the light from wind and weather. It often has translucent openings so that the light could pass clearly. Lanterns emit out light in an expanded way and they also have handles in their framework. The top room of a lighthouse which contains a lamp or any other source of light can also be referred to as a lantern as it gives out light and illuminates the structure and the area. Similarly, the top most structure of a building which is either open or windowed from all sides to admit light or ventilate the entire interior building. It is always good to know a few synonyms of the words we are using in a text, because synonyms help in building the vocabulary. They also lighten up the text and urge the reader to read more. Every word has several synonyms in the least as they can have more than one meaning. The word lantern has many synonyms as well but they are all referred more or less to a source of light. One of the synonyms of lantern is beacon. A beacon is a light which is used as a signal or a guide. One of the meanings

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Problem Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem Identification - Essay Example Shortage of health care professionals in hospitals is currently one of the greatest challenges for Hallways hospital management. Hallways hospital has been experiencing the challenge of shortage of nurses for a while now, and the implications seem to be affecting the organization severely. The main contributing factor towards the shortage of nurses in Hallways hospital has been the poor remuneration for the nurses. Despite having many tasks to perform in terms of providing services to patients, the nurses never get proper remuneration that is equal to the effort they put in their work. With the poor remuneration, a majority of students joining collages prefer to pursue other courses that they believe offer better pay than the health care sector . The shortage of health care professionals in the hospital occurs, despite the health care industry growing at the rate of 2.5% faster than other industries annually (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). The shortage of health care professionals has had severe implications for the hospital. First, with the few numbers of nurses, there is the aspect of overworking the nurses, making them fatigued. This has in turn contributed to poor service delivery to patients, which has in turn affected the hospital’s reputation (Buerhaus, Straiger and Auerbach, 2009). Secondly, considering that, the shortage of nurses is a problem that cuts across the health care industry, acquiring of the nurses has become a very complicated issue. Acquisition of nurses requires that one is able to offer appropriate remuneration and better working environment with better incentives. Majority of health care professionals require continuous training in order to enable them enhance their skills and knowledge pertaining to the provision of better and most effective health care services (Huston, 2009). This requires that anyone employing the health care professionals provide

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Globalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Globalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Introduction What is globalization? Globalisation is the integration of cultures and economies across geographical boarders. Globalisation has made trade and communication possible throughout the world in the shortest possible time. Compare and contrast the main features of globalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The difference in globalisation in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries are:- While free trade was imposed on the rest of the world markets in third world countries were opened simply because they were not independent nations. Direct foreign investments increased rapidly during 1870 to 1913. The first half of the nineteenth century saw free trade being practiced only by Britain. However, in the twentieth century government debt became tradable in the global market for financial assets. The similarities in globalization in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries are:- In the nineteenth century international trade was attributed to trade liberalization, direct foreign investment increased rapidly during the nineteenth century. Lending at international bank was also substantial. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century witnessed a significant integration of international markets to provide a channel for portfolio investment flows. The cross-national ownership of securities including government bonds reached very high levels during this period. Also in the twentieth century there was an increase in the degree of openness in most countries, in international trade, investment and finance. While the second half of the twentieth century witnessed a phenomenal expansion in international trade flows. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/deglobalisation-what-is-it-and-why-britain-should-be-scared-1521674.html (accessed 01 November 2010 6:23 a.m.) What is deglobalisation? Deglobalisation is the disintegrations of the economies of the world to their individual status where they do not engage in trade, imports and exports with other countries. To what extent has the 2008 crisis and recession brought about deglobalisation? Globalisation brought with it free trade of goods and services between countries and boarders. Many persons left their countries of birth to migrate to other countries in search of a better life, nurses from as far as Trinidad were and still are being employed in England and America. Persons from anywhere in the world can go to America and enjoy a doubles which is a Caribbean (East Indian) delicacy. The debate on globalization continue as people try to make sure that the benefits of global trade outweigh the costs for all countries. However, with the recession of 2008 many developed and developing nations have felt the impact of the recession specifically in Europe and the United States. Recession is caused by inflation, where to much money is chasing to little goods. In Ireland, many home owners took out a second mortgage to purchase second homes. Regretably many of home owners were unable to repay these loan and the banks took control of thes properties. In many instances these homes were sold for less than the homeowner was owing to the financial institution. Many persons who migrated to these countries in search of a better standard of living and employment opportunities are now leaving these countries and returning to their country of birth. This is as a result of an increase of unemployment due to many companies being unable to pay its workforce and meet its overhead expenditures. Though economies of the world are experiencing economic recession, globalisation have to a large extent allowed many countries to survive since countries can still trade their goods and services with other countries with the hope of rebuilding their economies. To what extent do the positive aspects of globalisation outweigh its negative effects? According to Deepak Nayyar globalization is the expansion of economic transactions and the organisation of economic activities across the political boundaries of nation states. Globalisation is associated with increasing economic openness, growing economic independence and deepening economic integration in the world economy. Globalisation has allowed persons from all economic brackets to be exposed to what the world has to offer in terms of goods and services. Negative effects of globalization are:- Nayyar however, stated persons who cannot afford to purchase these goods and services are left frustration or alienation which can lead to increase in crime, violence and drugs. Some seek refuge in ethnic identities, cultural chauvinism. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago whenever an international performer is coming in there is usually a high incidents of robberies since persons who cannot afford to attend these show robs others in an attempt to do so. Globalisation have also resulted in a widening in the gap between the rich and the poor in the worlds population, as also between the rich and poor people within countries has widened. Income distribution within countries also worsened with globalization and income inequality increased. The incidence of poverty increased in most countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1980s and the 1990s. Nayyar further went on to state that much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia experiences a sharp rise in poverty during the 1990s. Unemployment in the industrialised countries has increased substantially since the early 1970s and remained at high levels since then. Due to trade liberalisation there has been an increase in wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers since the labour market being liberalised has also become highly competitive. An example many skilled construction workers from other caribbean countries and also China are being used locally in Trinidad in the construction section since there has been in short of this expertise in this area locally. M. Panic stated in the article negative issues with support what Nayyar also stated in his article the evidence of which are as follows:- Does Europe need neoliberal reforms? the extremely objectionable nature of the unregulated, free market version of the system was demonstrated globally in the 1930s with devastating consequences: its inherent tendency to prolonged and costly crises (the Great Depression, mass unemployment), social deprivation and division (extreme poverty for the many in the mass unemployment), social deprivation and division (extreme poverty for the many in the midst of great wealth for the few)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ German economic growth and levels of unemployment, for so long among the most impressive in the industrialized world, were only slightly better. Again, empirical evidence in support of the neoliberal claim that unemployment in Germany was caused by over-regulation was found to be extremely weak (Fuchs and Schettkat, 2000, p. 238) Conclusion While, many world trade and export-led growth strategies are collapsing, surplus countries face big obstacles in expanding domestic demand, and many emerging market economies are in deep trouble. World trade is collapsing much faster than expected-and much faster than predicted on the basis of the past example of this can be seen in the United States and Europe specifically Ireland where many homeowners are unable to pay their mortgages. Globalisation have also resulted in the devaluation of the US dollar which is a direct impact of the recession that the country is presently facing. For any nation to be imbalance globally can only work to this country and its population disadvantage since the negative impacts are not only economic but also far reaching social issues. Therefore based on the information listed above I can conclude that the negative effects far outweigh the positive. APPENDIX A C:Documents and SettingsRAVidaleDesktopWorld trade volume rose in August after a dip in July; Eurozone only advanced market to see export growth; World industrial production also grew_filesWorld-trade-oct262010.jpg

Friday, January 17, 2020

Twelve Angry Men Exposes the Weaknesses of the Jury System as Well as Its Strengths

Twelve Angry Men exposes the weaknesses of the jury system as well as its strengths – The Jurors within Twelve Angry Men portray individual aspects of a 1950s American culture, all with their own take on the American Jury system. The closed minded, sheep like attitudes of the Jurors illustrates the McCathic mentality of the public which directly reflects the weaknesses within the American Jury system. Though flawed in many aspects one juror displays the key strength in the American justice system when dealing with serious crimes, a unanimous vote must be accomplished through the consideration of reasonable doubt. The question remains throughout if Juror 8 had not been present would the verdict of been the same? Would reasonable doubt of been taken into consideration? And was the American justice system strong enough to uphold their value of innocent until proven guilty. Throughout the play there are many references to the judicial concept of â€Å"reasonable doubt†. This theme is a thread that runs its way through all the deliberations and eventually exposes the weakness of the whole system as well. Reasonable doubt can be a very difficult term to understand. If a jury has any reasonable doubt that the accused may not have committed the crime, then it must enter a not guilty verdict. Each person has their own opinion of the term reasonable doubt and therefore there is much contrast found across the jury room exposing the weak point in the American judicial system. None of the jurors believe they were cheating the accused out of a fair trial or had any initial doubt in their minds that he was guilty and yet as the case is further picked apart each juror finds a point of clarity in the unravelling of evidence and a better understanding of the term reasonable doubt. A juror’s individuality is a clear fault in the American jury system as the truth or the facts are never the same in the mind of another. With individuality also come strengths. If it had not been for juror 8# the accused would of surely of been found guilty, as the intellect of one courageous man slowly turned the verdict around. With a string of evidence that 8# slowly brings forward such as the replica murder weapon and the re-enactment of the neighbours shuffle to the front door to become an eye witness to the killers escape each juror sheds a different light on the events. After gaining the trust of one elder the others follow ‘it’s not easy to stand along’ and yet juror 8# shows the view of the minority in his refusal to be intimidated with the majorities McCathic method and the subtle backing of a wise old man, together shows the strength that one can have on the judicial system and the outcome of a very serious case. It is clearly evident the polarisation enforced within the judicial system as a result of naivety and ignorance of a typical jurors regarding legal concern exposing with it underlying weakness. In relation to the plays characters it is clear that personal bias is seeping into the grounds of which the case is built on creating instabilities regarding plausibility. Such opinions are depicted by juror 3 and his personal inclusion of his own son into the decision making process creating prejudice that all of â€Å"these kids† are of the same substance. If it was not for the brave actions of juror 8 in standing up and pointing out â€Å"he is not your son† then a verdict would have been reached based on the jurors own personal conflicts expressing with it an underlying weakness of the American jury system and community perspective. There are many individual aspects that add to the pros and cons of the 1950s American jury system. These are shown subtly through 12 angry men’s contrasting personalities and the process in which t they come to their decision.