The Governments Role in the Economy

In the narrowest sense, the governments involvement in the economy is to help correct market failures or situations in which private markets cannot maximize the value that they could create for society.  This includes providing public goods, internalizing externalities (consequences of economic activities on unrelated third parties), and enforcing competition.  That being said, many societies have accepted a broader involvement of government in a capitalist economy. While consumers and producers make most of the decisions that mold the economy, government activities have a powerful effect on the U.S. economy in several areas. Promoting Stabilization and Growth Perhaps most important, the federal government guides the overall pace of economic activity, attempting to maintain steady growth, high levels of employment, and price stability. By adjusting spending and tax rates (known as fiscal policy) or managing the money supply and controlling the use of credit (known as monetary policy), it can slow down or speed up the economys rate of growth and, in the process, affect the level of prices and employment. For many years following the Great Depression of the 1930s, recessions—periods of slow economic growth and high unemployment often defined as two consecutive quarters of decline in the gross domestic product, or GDP—were viewed as the greatest of economic threats. When the danger of recession appeared most serious, the government sought to strengthen the economy by spending heavily itself or by cutting taxes so that consumers would spend more, and by fostering rapid growth in the money supply, which also encouraged more spending. In the 1970s, major price increases, particularly for energy, created a strong fear of inflation, which is an increase in the overall level of prices. As a result, government leaders came to concentrate more on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending, resisting tax cuts, and reining in growth in the money supply. A New Plan for Stabilizing the Economy Ideas about the best tools for stabilizing the economy changed substantially between the 1960s and the 1990s. In the 1960s, the government had great faith in fiscal policy, or the manipulation of government revenues to influence the economy. Since spending and taxes are controlled by the president and the Congress, these elected officials played a leading role in directing the economy. A period of high inflation, high unemployment, and huge government deficits weakened confidence in fiscal policy as a tool for regulating the overall pace of economic activity. Instead, monetary policy—controlling the nations money supply through such devices as interest rates—assumed a growing involvement. Monetary policy is directed by the nations central bank, known as the Federal Reserve Board, which has considerable independence from the president and the Congress. The Fed was created in 1913 in the belief that centralized, regulated control of the nation’s monetary system would help alleviate or prevent financial crises such as the  Panic of 1907, which started with a failed attempt to corner the market on the stock of the United Copper Co. and triggered a run on bank withdrawals and the bankruptcy of financial institutions nationwide. Source Conte, Christopher and Albert Karr.  Outline of the U.S. Economy. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of State.

The Determinants Of Successful Influence On The Success Of...

I. Introduction Arms transfers are one of the foreign policy tools that are used to make a recipient comply with donor’s desires. Although the primary goal of such manipulations is to change a recipient’s behavior, not every attempt to do so ends up with success. Thus, defining the determinants of successful influence is one of this research strand’s central puzzles. Despite the fact that both international relations (Sislin 1994) and comparative politics scholars (Paul 1992; Tal 2006; Wheelock 1978) look at conditions under which arms influence attempts succeed, there was surprisingly little attention paid to the role of transferred weapons’ type. Hence, in my research I investigate the effect of delivered weapons’ type on the success of arms influence attempt. II. Previous research on political leverage of arms Two types of influence models can be distinguished within the scholarly literature on political influence of arms. In the first model the deployment of weapons is used as a threat to make an adversary comply with the desires of weapons possessor (Schelling 1967). Under this setting the engagement of states in diplomatic relations prior to political crisis which requires such actions from the weapons’ possessor is not a necessary condition. In this context arms capability to hurt is turned into the bargaining power, and advantage is gained by playing on an adversary’s instinct to survive and avoid pain (Schelling 1967, 2–6). In the second model not arms per se,Show MoreRelatedThe Streets Of The New York Stock Exchange1236 Words   |  5 Pagesthe 1% leaving negative influence on the 99%. 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Marshall School of Business Essay Example For Students

Marshall School of Business Essay University of Southern CaliforniaMARKETING 465GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGEMENTSpring, 2011Faculty:Dennis A. Schorr, Ph.D. Office: ACC 226Phone: 740-5041E-mail: Office Hours: Mon. 3:30-5:30 P.M. or by appointmentCourse Objectives:The major objectives of this course are to: a) Understand the key characteristics of various country markets and howto develop marketing plans in diverse environments b) Appreciate the limitations of an ethnocentric approach tointernational marketing and develop a complex, global perspective onmarketing c) Understand the role of marketing in a companys global strategy andlearn how to develop global marketing strategies d) Develop a multidimensional, nuanced perspective on marketingstandardization vs. adaptation and learn how to balance the pressuresfor globalization vs. localization of the various elements of themarketing mix e) Appreciate the roles of global, regional, and local brands in acompanys portfolio and learn how to manage effectively each type ofproduct or serviceIn support of these goals, the course is divided into five major topicareas. The first topic area focuses on the opportunitiesandchallenges of international marketing and how to assess countryenvironmental factors that are most relevant to the management ofinternational marketing. The second topic area concentrates on how toselect markets to enter and how to develop international and globalmarketing strategies. The third topic area examines the similaritiesand differences in product markets across countries and how to developmarketing strategies for various types of products and services. Thefourth topic area deals with how to develop product policy in theinternational contextincludingthemanagementofbranding,positioning, product attributes, and packaging. The fifth topic areaisconcernedwithhowtodevelopdistribution/retailing,advertising/promotional, and pricing policies in the internationalcontext including how to manage the tradeoffs of standardization vs. adaptation associated with each element of the marketingmix. Throughout the course, a variety of country markets in various regionsof the world will be discussed and a variety of different types ofproducts and services will be addressed. Class Sessions:The class sessions will focus on the understanding of major concepts,frameworks, and analytical tools used in global marketing and theapplication of these concepts, frameworks, andtoolstotheunderstanding of real-world situations. The textbook chapters aredesigned as background reading to introduce the major concepts in thefield. Readings are chosen to expose you to recent trends in globalmarketing. Case discussions will develop your skills in applying theconcepts to actual managerial situations. Assignments and exerciseswill also assist in developing your knowledge and competencies in thearea. Class sessions will consist of lectures in which conceptualmaterial will be clarified and of discussions of cases, readings,exercises, and concepts to allow you to practice applying thematerial. Before each class session, you should read the assignedtextbook chapters, readings, and cases and be prepared to discuss themin class. Course Evaluation:25%Midterm Exam25%Final Exam10%Class Participation10%Group Assignment # 110%Group Assignment # 210%Group Assignment # 310%Group Assignment # 4As an important part of the learning in this course comes from class,you are expected to participate actively in class sessions. The levelof class discussions and how much you gain from them depend in largepart on how well prepared you are for each class and how actively youtake part in the discussions. Thus, your level of preparation forclass sessions and participation in discussions will be factored intothe final evaluation. I realize that occasionally it is not possibleto attend class. You can miss up to three class sessions without itaffecting your grade; however, if you miss more than three sessions,it could have an impact on your participation grade. Occasionally, Iwill ask groups to make informal presentations in class; theseinformal presentations will be factored into the participation grade. Enduring Love EssayCourse Outline:Week 1Introduction and Overview:International Marketing Opportunities and Challenges1/11 No Preparation for Today1/13 Textbook: Chapter 1 (KG)Week 2International Marketing Opportunities and Challenges:Assessing the Cultural and Social Environment1/18 Textbook: Chapter 4 (KG)Case:Marketing an Industrial Product in LatinAmerica (Case 14-2 KG)1/20 Case:Barbie: Growing Pains as the AmericanGirl Goes Global (To Be Distributed)Week 3International Marketing Opportunities and Challenges:Assessing the Economic, Financial, and TechnologicalEnvironment1/25 Textbook: Chapter 2 (KG)1/27 Case:From Communism to Capitalism: VietnamsEconomic Transformation (Case 2-3 KG)Week 4International Marketing Opportunities and Challenges:Assessing the Political and Regulatory Environment2/1Textbook: Chapters 3 5 (KG)2/3Reading:Article on European Integration (PCR)Case:Gambling Goes Global on the Internet(Case 5-2 KG)Due: Group Assignment # 1Week 5Global Marketing Strategy:En tering New Markets and Allocating Resources AcrossCountries2/8Case:Citibank: Launching the Credit Card inAsia Pacific (PCR)2/10 Textbook: Chapter 6 (KG)Week 6Global Marketing Strategy:Understanding the Relationships Between Business Strategyand Marketing2/15 Textbook: Chapter 16 (KG)2/17 Case:Proctor Gamble Europe: Vizir Launch(PCR)Week 7Global Marketing Strategy:Balancing the Pressures for Standardization vs. Adaptation2/22 Case:Kao Corporation (PCR)2/24 Textbook: Chapter 9 (KG)Due: Group Assignment # 2Week 8International Product and Service Markets:Analyzing Customers and Competitors3/1Textbook: Chapter 7 (KG)Case:Emdico (A) (PCR)3/3Case:The Youth of the World Proclaim, We WantOur MTV! (Case 7-3 KG)Week 9International Product and Service Markets:Analyzing Company Resources and Level of MarketDevelopment3/8Exam:Midterm Exam3/10 Case:McDonalds Expands Globally WhileAdjusting Its Local Recipe (Case 1-2 KG)Week 10Global Product Policy:Managing Branding and Positioning3/22 Textbook: C hapter 17 (KG)Reading:How Global Brands Compete (PCR)Case:Fair Trade Coffee: Ethics, Religion, andSustainable Production (Case 4-2 KG)3/24 Textbook: Chapter 10 (KG)Case:Samsung Electronics Co.: Global Marketing Operations (PCR)Week 11Global Product Policy:Designing Product Attributes and Packaging3/29 Reading:The Battle for Chinas Good-Enough Market (PCR)Case:The Smart Car (Case 10-2 KG)3/31 Case:Procter Gamble: Balancing Global vs. Local Concerns in the Worldwide Feminine CareBusiness (PCR)Due: Group Assignment # 3Week 12The Global Marketing Mix:Analyzing the Advertising, Promotional, and CommunicationsEnvironment4/5Textbook: Chapter 13 (KG)Case:Cola Wars in China: The Future is Here(PCR)4/7Textbook: Chapter 14 (KG)Case:The Global Brand Face-Off (PCR)Week 13The Global Marketing Mix:Developing Advertising, Promotional, and CommunicationsCampaignsThe Internet and Global Marketing4/12 Textbook: Chapter 15 (KG)4/14 Case:DeRemate.com: Building a Latin AmericanInternet AuctionSite (PCR)eBay in Asia (Case 15-2 KG)Due: Group Assignment # 4Week 14The Global Marketing Mix:Managing Pricing and Distribution Channels4/19 Reading:A New Alliance for Global Change (PCR)Case:Unilever in India: Hindustan LeversProject Shakti (PCR)4/21 Textbook: Chapters 8 ; 11 (KG)Week 15The Global Marketing Mix:Managing Distribution Channels and Retailing4/26 Case:Carrefour Seeks Growth Abroad (Case 12-2KG)Costco: The Globalization of an Americ anRetailer (On Blackboard)4/28 Textbook: Chapter 12 (KG)Week 16Final Examination5/11 Due: Final Exam, Wednesday, May 11, 2:00PM-4:00PM