Whats a Good ACT Score for an Honors Student

What's a Good ACT Score for an Honors Student SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It can be hard to tell what counts as a good score on the ACT, especially for high-achieving students. In this article, I'll explain what competitive ACT scores arefor an honors student and what that means for you. But first let's define our terms! What Is an Honors Student? Answering this question is tricky becausenot everyone or every school agrees.Some schools have specific honors classes, and enrolling in these is what wins you the title. Other schools name students to an honor roll based on their GPAs. Still others may associate the term "honors" with a certain level of class rank. Whatdo we all seem to agree on?Honors students are, relative to the general high school population, higher academic achievers. This means that their goals on the ACT are likely to be higher, too, so as to keep their standardized test scores in line with their grades, and, ultimately, so as to keep them competitive as applicants to more elite schools. What Is a Good ACT Score? It's a little tough to nail down an exact definition of a "good" score, because there's no single number that marks the boundary between a good score and a bad one.What a good score looks like for any given student ultimately depends on what they want to do with it and who they're competing with. For most student, getting a good score is less about hitting an arbitrary number and more about landing in a range that makes you look attractive to the schools you hope to attend. Your score goal will be very different if you're looking at Ivy League schools than if you're looking at your local state school.Ultimately, agood score is thescore that gets you where you want to go. Nonetheless, you are being compared to the other applicants, so can it be helpful to understand how you stack up against your peers. Think of that ideal ACT score as a ticket to your dream school. Good ACTScores for Honors Students We ran some statistical analyses to answer the delicate question of what a good score really looks like for an honors student. We used what's called a Monte-Carlo method, which is a lot more accurate than just lining up percentiles and comparing those. You see, just because you're a topstudent at your school, that doesn't necessarily make you a toptest taker. Why not, you may ask? For one thing, high schools select honors students based on criteria other than the ACT. For another, some students withhigh GPAs struggle with low ACT scores. Our analysis take thesevariations into account. Based on our data, we've compiled high, average, and low scores for both honors and high honors students. Honors Students We're defining these as the top third of high school students. It's possible that some of these students are not recognized as honors students at their schools, and it's possible that some students recognized as honors students at their schools are not among this third. Let's look at the range of scores for this group: A low score(25th percentile) is24 An average score (median) is 26 Ahigh score (75th percentile) is 29 You'll notice that these scores are clusteredfairly close together. That's because it's really a pretty small range of scores, all things considered. Combine that fact with a steep bell curve distribution, consider that we're looking at the far ends, and, sure enough, you wind up with this cluster effect. High Honors Students We're defining these as the top tenth of high school students. These students are the ones most likely to be in high honors programs, though the same disclaimer applies here as it did before. Let's look at the range of scores for this group: A low score(25th percentile) is29 An average score (median) is30 Ahigh score (75th percentile) is32 Notice that these scores are clusteredextremely close together. As you get up to the highest scores, every point counts. Be a total miser when it comes to those points- pinch your proverbial pennies. Take-Aways Honors students, and especially high honors students, have to put in extra effort to distinguish themselves from the crowd. The difference between a decent showing of a score and a home-run of a score can be entirely in the details. What's Next? Start putting in the work to prepare for this test nice and early. Spend a little time figuring out just how long you should devote to preparation. Aim for perfection:a score of 36 is hard, but possible. What if you don't have the luxury of time? Read about stellar last-minute programs to prepare for the exam. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Nafta and Mercosur essays

Nafta and Mercosur essays While still in office, President Bill Clinton emerged from a meeting with 33 Western Hemisphere leaders and made an ambitious pledge. By 2005, he promised, a ''Free Trade Area of the Americas would stretch from Alaska to Argentina'' and ''will be the world's largest market.'' He had the idea of combining all trading blocks and emerging as one huge western connection. The question now remains, should the new President strive to accomplish the goal of Clinton? Would the combination of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the South American Common Market (MERCOSUR) be a good idea, or even possible? Would it be in our best interests to link ourselves in contract with not only Canada and Mexico but Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as well? The answer is definitely yes. As it is now, NAFTA is starting to fail in many peoples eyes. Though it has brought success to some, it has caused distress for most. The inclusion of the South American countries and the MERCOSUR ways could only make the United States more successful economically. To understand why things need to change in order to better our economy we must first know the background information. On January 1st, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect, creating the worlds largest free trade area. Among the main objectives is the liberalization of trade between Canada, Mexico and the United States, to stimulate economic growth and give the NAFTA countries equal access to each others markets. Some of the promised benefits were 200,000 new U.S. jobs from NAFTA per year, higher wages in Mexico, a growing U.S. trade surplus with Mexico, environmental clean-up and improved health along the border. The most important feature of NAFTA that would benefit the people is employment and the promise that NAFTA would create hundreds of thousands of new, high paying jobs. There was also a promise that wages in Mexico would increase due t...

Patriarchal Society and Neo-patriarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Patriarchal Society and Neo-patriarchy - Essay Example An example of a patriarchal society and family system is that of the Muslim societies in Arab countries (Sharabi, 1988). Their society is "male dominated, male identified, and male centred." Neo-patriarchy is a modernized form of patriarchy but not modernity (Sharabi, 1992; Tamadonfar, 1994). Sharabi demonstrates this as exemplified by the Arab world. by showing how authentic change was blocked and distorted forms and practices subsequently came to dominate all aspects of social existence and activity--among them militant religious fundamentalism, an ideology symptomatic of neo-patriarchal culture. Elhum Haghighat (2005) says a neo-patriarchal society is a "modernized" patriarchal society going through rapid economic development and modernization as in many oil-producing countries since the mid-1950s. As explained by Sharabi (1988), the process of modernization is a uniquely European phenomenon. Accordingly, only Western societies experienced modernization in a "pure" sense because it happened without interference from other nations. Today's developing countries would not follow the footsteps of Western nations because of their dependent political and economic position and their cultural differences (Sharabi, 1988; Haghighat, 2005). Canada. Canada. The concept of neo-patriarchy greatly helps to understand the case of Canada. Canada is multicultural and therefore may be considered highly neo-patriarchal. In Sharabi's (1988) model, the patriarchy in Canada is cultural in social structure. Understandably, there are dominant and minority groups, as well as contending cultures and religions. Ziba Mir-Hosseini (2005) mentioned Canada as a place where Muslims live as a minority. A spate of media stories about multiculturalism in Canada is nothing new (Fahlman, 1994). During one of their recent elections, there was controversy as to whether multiculturalism should be an "official" government policy with funds attached to encourage minority and ethnic groups. That the policy leads to a fragmented society of too many identities as in Indo-Canadian, British Canadian, and such like was felt by most (Fahlman, 1994). Many argue that if a group wants to keep their cultural traditions, all taxpayers should not fund these, as each group should fund their own activities (Fahlman, 1994) In Europe, Canada is ranked as one of the countries with secular government ranking (Haghighat, 2005). This means the government promotes neither religion nor irreligion. There is hostility based on the perception that "special groups" are getting not only privileges but preferred treatment in Canada. For example, the Ontario employment equity policy has created negative feelings among "older" Canadians towards new minorities (Fahlman, 1994). One look at the National Anti-Racism Council of Canada (NAARC) website ("Canada," 2007) is very much informing on Canada and its conditions. For example, it is inferred that there is racial discrimination in that country. The United Nations is deemed to have required the Canadian Government to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination as shown in its shadow report of July 2004. The report, covering a wide range of issues including immigration, employment and human rights, presents a community perspective on the status of compliance with the Convention by the Canadian government.

Summary one page ISO9000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary one page ISO9000 - Essay Example In identifying this system, the ordering and relationship of the processes are critically defined. Second, management responsibility is the thorough implementation and development of the specified management system utilized by the company with the emphasis to the customer’s satisfaction to a given product. Moreover, it involves the creation of policy and objectives inherent in a company. Third, resource management refers to the determination and validation of the company’s human resources, infrastructure, and work environment. For the human resource in particular, the ISO 9000 identifies the competency of the personnel in line with his or her designated work. Fourth, product realization is mainly characterized by planning and application of the processes, design, and production of the customer-oriented product. The planning phase points to the identification of the processes, verification, monitoring and other related activities specific to the product. And production phase is the company’s activity to monitor and control the release, delivery, and distribution of its products. And fifth, the measurement, analysis, and improvement of the ISO 9000 are largely marked by the demonstration, quality control, and continuity of the effectiveness of the quality management system. For the analysis, the important data are identified, collected, and analyzed to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of quality management system. By and large, ISO 9000 is customer-oriented set of standard aimed to fulfill and satisfy the customer’s needs and

E-Business Model Essay Example for Free

E-Business Model Essay An e-Business Model can is said to be an integration of business and trading models combined with associated protocols e.g. HTML, ASP, EBXML, EDI, etc into a business mechanism which uses the Internet as a medium of transaction (McGann 2002). Following are examples of the 5 primary e-business models: Business-to-consumer (B2C) . Here, vendors sell their products over the web to their customers. Barnes Noble.com is an example, where customers can buy old and new books, DVDs, Toys, games etc. The customers have the flexibility of buying at any time without leaving their home or office. The model of revenue is sales of goods using credit card or services like Paypal. Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) – The most popular example of a C2C model is e-bay. Here, people to auction the items they own to other people directly. A person can be both buyer and seller, at the same time. Revenue is generated by transaction fees charged per item sold to buyers and in some cases, sellers Consumer-to-business (C2B) – One of the examples for C2B models is com, which allows the consumers who post a message telling the car names, models, price limit etc., and dealers bid for them. Fees paid by participating dealers form the bulk of revenues for this company. Business-to-business (B2B) – An example of B2B models is com, which   provides corporations with an easy way to distribute safety materials to satellite plants and fill out OSHA reports online. The revenue model is charging for services provided by the company. Business-to-government (B2G) – NSW government’s e-tendering is an example of a B2G model. This website is mainly used by the business people to apply to various tenders released by the government. The tender applications usually require fee for the successful submission, which forms the revenue model scheme.    References Winkle W.V, â€Å"How Internet business models work†, http://www.smartcomputing.com/articles/archive/R0502/20R02/20R02.pdf?guid= Trygstad R, â€Å"IT as a business model†, 2003, http://www.itm.iit.edu/574/week3/Week3.ppt#19 McGann S. T, â€Å"Capturing the dynamics of e-business models†, 2002, http://domino.fov.uni-mb.si/proceedings.nsf/Proceedings/28006F6E9D7E2959C1256E9F00368211/$File/mcgann.pdf

LSD (for Chemistry Class) :: essays papers

LSD (for Chemistry Class) Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) LSD), a potent hallucinogenic drug, also called a psychedelic, first synthesized from lysergic acid in Switzerland in l038. Lysergic acid is a white odorless drug, a component of the mold of ERGOT. Ergot is a product of the fungus Claviceps purpurea. Th e bio-active ingredients of ergot are all derivatives of lysergic acid. LSD is a semi-synthetic derivative of lysergic acid. Thus LSD is an "ergot" - like substance. The drug evokes dreamlike changes in mood and thought and alters the perception of time and space. It can also create a feeling of lack of self-control and extreme terror. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) also goes by names like: acid, sugar, Blotter, Sugar Cubes, Blue Unicorn, Acid, Cid, Sid, Bart Simpsons, Barrels, Tabs, Blotter, Heaven ly blue, 'L', liquid liquid, Microdots, Mind detergent, Orange cubes, Orange micro, Owsley, Wedding Bells, windowpane, etc. LSD is very potent: the effective dose is measured in micrograms (ug) -- however, the lethal dose is literally thousands of times that, making the drug essentially non-toxic. LSD is non-addictive, and there have been only a few cases of possible overdose where people ingested extremely large amounts of the drug (Alan et al., 1978; Griggs et al,. 1977). LSD can be administered a number of ways, the most common : orally though paper, sugar cubes, on a piece of gelatin, or by pill ; intravenously or intramu scularly. A standard dose with noticeable hallucinogenic effects is about 100-200 ug. The intensity of the trip is proportional to the size of the dose-- it is interesting to note, though, that the duration of the trip seems to stay the same at higher dos es (Freedman, 1984). Physical effects include drowsiness, dizziness, dilated pupils, numbness and tingling, weakness, tremors, and nausea. Transient abnormal thinking induced by LSD, such as a sense of omnipotence or a state of acute paranoia, can result in dangerous behavior. Long-term adverse reactions such as persistent psychosis, prolonged depression, or faulty judgment have also been reported following LSD ingestion but whether these are a direct result of ingestion is difficult to establish. Althoug h LSD is not physiologically addicting, the drug's potent mind-altering effects can lead to chronic use. In the 1960's LSD use was widespread among people who sought to alter and intensify their physical senses; to achieve supposed insights into the unive rse, nature, and themselves; and to intensify emotional connections with others. The drug has been tried as a treatment for infantile autism, for alcoholism, and to accelerate psychotherapy, but no medical use has been established.

Research Problem Essay

1 WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM? A research problem is the situation that causes the researcher to feel apprehensive, confused and ill at ease. It is the demarcation of a problem area within a certain context involving the WHO or WHAT, the WHERE, the WHEN and the WHY of the problem situation. There are many problem situations that may give rise to research. Three sources usually contribute to problem identification. Own experience or the experience of others may be a source of problem supply. A second source could be scientific literature. You may read about certain findings and notice that a certain field was not covered. This could lead to a research problem. Theories could be a third source. Shortcomings in theories could be researched. Research can thus be aimed at clarifying or substantiating an existing theory, at clarifying contradictory findings, at correcting a faulty methodology, at correcting the inadequate or unsuitable use of statistical techniques, at reconciling conflicting opinions, or at solving existing practical problems. 2 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM The prospective researcher should think on what caused the need to do the research (problem identification). The question that he/she should ask is: Are there questions about this problem to which answers have not been found up to the present? Research originates from a need that arises. A clear distinction between the PROBLEM and the PURPOSE should be made. The problem is the aspect the researcher worries about, think about, wants to find a solution for. The purpose is to solve the problem, ie find answers to the question(s). If there is no clear problem formulation, the purpose and methods are meaningless. Keep the following in mind: †¢ Outline the general context of the problem area. †¢ Highlight key theories, concepts and ideas current in this area. †¢ What appear to be some of the underlying assumptions of this area? †¢ Why are these issues identified important? †¢ What needs to be solved? †¢ Read round the area (subject) to get to know the background and to identify unanswered questions or controversies, and/or to identify the the most significant issues for further exploration. The research problem should  be stated in such a way that it would lead to analytical thinking on the part of the researcher with the aim of possible concluding solutions to the stated problem. Research problems can be stated in the form of either questions or statements. †¢ The research problem should always be formulated grammatically correct and as completely as possible. You should bear in mind the wording (expressions) you use. Avoid meaningless words. There should be no doubt in the mind of the reader what your intentions are. †¢ Demarcating the research field into manageable parts by dividing the main problem into subproblems is of the utmost importance. 3 SUBPROBLEM(S) Subproblems are problems related to the main problem identified. Subproblems flow from the main problem and make up the main problem. It is the means to reach the set goal in a manageable way and contribute to solving the problem. 4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The statement of the problem involves the demarcation and formulation of the problem, ie the WHO/WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY. It usually includes the statement of the hypothesis. 5 CHECKLIST FOR TESTING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM | | |YES |NO | |1 |Is the problem of current interest? Will the research results have social, educational or scientific value? | | | |2 |Will it be possible to apply the results in practice? | | | |3 |Does the research contribute to the science of education? | | | |4 |Will the research opt new problems and lead to further research? | | | |5 |Is the research problem important? Will you be proud of the result? | | | |6 |Is there enough scope left within the area of reseach (field of research)? | | | |7 |Can you find an answer to the problem through research? Will you be able to handle the research problem? | | | |8 |Will it be pratically possible to undertake the research? | | | |9 |Will it be possible for another researcher to repeat the research? | | | |10 |Is the research free of any ethical problems and limitations? | | | |11 |Will it have any value? | | | |12 |Do you have the necessary knowledge and skills to do the research? Are you qualified to undertake the | | | | |research? | | | |13 |Is the problem important to you and are you motivated to undertake the research? | | | |14 |Is the research viable in your situation? Do you have enough time and energy to complete the project? | | | |15 |Do you have the necessary funds for the research? | | | |16 |Will you be able to complete the project within the time available? | | | |17 |Do you have access to the administrative, statistic and computer facilities the research necessitates? | | | | |TOTAL: | | |

Immigration Outline Essay

About 40% of illegal immigrants enter legally and then overstay d. Crime rate viii. .2011 saw 396,906 deportations ix. 216,698 had been convicted of crimes x. 44,653 convicted of â€Å"drug-related crimes† xi. 35,927 convicted of  driving under the influence xii. 5,848 convicted of  sexual offenses xiii. 1,119 convicted of  homicide III. Impacts: d. Economic xiv. They pay $7 billion in social security e. Law inforcement and expenses xv. costs $90 a day to keep them in detention facilities xvi. Identity theft  is sometimes committed by illegal immigrants who use  social security numbers  belonging to others xvii. f. Enviorment xviii. 45 abandoned cars on the Buenos Aires refuge near  Sasabe, Arizona  and enough trash that a volunteer couple filled 723 large bags with 18,000 pounds of garbage over two months in 2002. â€Å"[132] xix. Illegal immigrants trying to get to the United States via the Mexican border with southern Arizona are suspected of having caused eight major  wildfires  in 2002. The fires destroyed 68,413 acres (276. 86  km2) and cost taxpayers $5. 1 million to fight g. National security xx. out of the 48  al-Qaeda  operatives who committed crimes here between 1993 and 2001, 12 of them were illegal aliens when they committed their crimes, xxi. seven of them were visa overstayers, xxii. four of the 9/11 terrorists. Were illegal immigrants xxiii. llegal immigrants within the United States have attempted to carry out other terrorist attacks as well. IV. Democratic view on Illegal immigration: h.

Protectionism in International Trade

Protectionism in International Trade Introduction In the growing debate over globalisation and free trade, it is difficult to focus on real policies under discussion. There are varied issues that focus on environmental destruction, markets, and exploitation among others, but one must relate globalisation to free trade in order to understand global trade policies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Protectionism in International Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Globalisation reflects the adoption of free trade policies for international markets by liberalisation of policies (Bhagwati, 2004). On this regard, countries liberalise their trade policies with other countries through elimination of policies that could deter trade or act as trade barriers. Some elements of trade barriers include â€Å"tariffs (high taxes on imported goods, which make them expensive) and subsidies from governments to domestic firms† (Spruiell, 2006). Both policies inhib it foreign firms from selling their products and services in local markets because of high prices (Friedman, 2000). The concept of trade policy is easy to grasp. That is, it reflects subsidies or tariffs, which governments adopt to protect foreign firms from selling in their countries. There are also other approaches to trade barriers, such as expensive trade license for foreigners, quotas, and a total ban on foreign goods among others. Protectionism refers to policy agendas, which aim to increase the number of tariffs and subsidies that governments use to prevent or minimise trades or exploitation that result from free trade in the international market. This essay focuses on protectionist measures, major arguments used by countries to justify protectionist measures, and challenges and opportunities protectionism presents to companies that wish to expand to foreign markets. Major arguments used by countries to justify protectionist measures Governments use several arguments to justi fy their protectionist policies. First, infant industries require government subsidies and strong protectionist laws to protect them from fierce competition from well-established firms in the global market (Bhagwati, 1988). Such budding firms may not be strong enough to endure challenges posed by competitors. Therefore, by protecting such domestic firms from external competition, the government allows them to thrive in the domestic market. Second, dumping also has facilitated the increment in protectionist laws. Dumping takes place when imported goods have significantly lower prices in foreign markets than the normal price in the country of origin.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Antidumping policies protect domestic market prices by ensuring that imports do not have ‘too low’ prices below the cost of production or have fair market prices. The US has u sed antidumping policies to protect domestic markets from cheap imports from China. Free trade could facilitate dumping, particularly in non-industrialised countries. Third, in some instances, governments have introduced protectionist laws because of national security issues. Such governments aim to reduce reliance on other countries to supply critical resources and services, which may not be available in periods of dispute. Although it is difficult to identify all industries that are vital for national security of a country, some governments aim to protect their IT and energy firms from foreign ownership. Fourth, some countries have relative cheap labour. Consequently, they produce goods at low costs, which result in lower prices in the international market. Such countries may create unfair competition in the market. However, countries with cheap labour like China have attracted investments than those with high costs of labour. Consumers want cheap products. Thus, if a country has expensive products because of labour cost, the domestic firms will lose market share to foreign firms. Fifth, some governments argue that protectionist laws enhance equality in income through protection of local jobs. These are the essence of high tariffs and subsidies for the domestic firms. From this argument, one can deduce that the US, which has an expensive steel industry, may not compete against the steel industry of Brazil, which is relative cheap. In such situations, the US steel industry may lay off workers in order to cut costs and remain competitive. Consequently, workers who depend on the industry will slip into poverty. From such competition, the steel industry in the US may collapse altogether after several years. Consequently, the US will rely on foreign suppliers of steel. If the US engages in diplomatic disputes or wars with Brazil or other countries with steel firms, it may not be able to get that vital resource for its domestic operation. Thus, the result could be devastating to the US economy. Another different reason for protectionism bears no economic advantages to any country. In this argument, countries note that their protectionist laws should reciprocate laws of their peers. That is, trade barriers should be high to reflect practices by other countries. China has applied this theory against the US in which it uses subsidies and tariffs as bargaining chip when negotiating international contracts. The bargaining chip theory does not support or oppose trade, but it considers protectionist law as a two-way approach. For instance, the US may lower steel tariffs for Brazil only if the latter agrees to lower its tariffs on other exports from the US.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Protectionism in International Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Countries that use the bargaining chip approach focus on enhancing trade opportunities, but strive to protect their domestic ma rkets as much as possible. Hence, they maximise exports and reduce harmful imports (Spruiell, 2006). Challenges and opportunities protectionism presents to companies that wish to expand to international markets Although the arguments for protectionism are compelling, trade protection could hurt economies of countries, which impose them too. Some countries are fond of retaliation. For instance, some reports had indicated that there were many discriminatory trade policies than liberalising ones (Miller, 2009). Miller notes â€Å"governments are applying protectionist measures at the rate of 60 per quarter, and more than 90% of goods traded in the world have been affected by some kind of protectionist measures† (Miller, 2009). Trade policies could result into few goods and high prices, which hurt economies and consumers. This may not be suitable for any firm that intends to expand in countries, which tend to retaliate against trade policies. Foreign firms may not be able to comp ete against inefficient protected domestic firms. Governments that impose tariffs in order to protect their emerging firms create unfair competition in free trade. However, consumers will face higher prices and poor quality of services and products. In other words, firms with quality products may not expand to countries with high tariffs and subsidies because of possible unfair competition or expensive trade licence. Protectionist policies lower efficiency. Some economists claim that free trade may lead to loss of jobs in the importing country. However, economists have argued that competition created by foreign firms could enhance efficiency of local industries, quality of goods, and lead to sales growth and employment. Arguments for protectionist laws are compelling, particularly in saving domestic jobs. A government may be right in protecting local jobs in a local steel industry, preventing the industry from bankruptcy and mismanagement by imposing relatively higher tariffs on imp orts (Griswold, 2001). On the other hand, a government may fail to account for individuals who work in other firms supported by steel products. Other foreign factories can buy steel at world prices and manufacture steel products lower costs. Consumers will buy such products from other foreign countries with lower prices.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This implies that American firms, which manufacture steel products, will experience declines in sales and may lay off a significant number of employees. They may also go out of business or seek for additional capital from investors. This was the case when President Bush enacted high tariffs on steel in the year 2002. On this note, one must ask whether it is important to save some jobs at the expense of others or government should leave economic forces and efficiency to control markets. This point illustrates that protectionist policies have costs to the imposing country. In most cases, one may fail to notice such costs associated with protectionist measures. This happens because one can observe any changes in a given industry, but fail to notice the overall impacts because such impacts are widely distributed, affect many industries and customers. Countries argue in favour of protectionist measures to protect domestic firms and avoid relying on foreign industries. Thus, if a country leaves its industries unprotected from global forces, they may collapse and cause reliance on foreign products. However, this situation may not be bad because free trade does not operate in that manner for both developed and emerging economies. For developed economies, competition from foreign firms should allow domestic firms to re-examine and re-engineer their processes and enact the needed reforms so that they can become stronger and compete effectively with foreign firms. Moreover, it is also unlikely that domestic firms can lose all capacity to manufacture products for the local market. It is also imperative to understand whether industries in emerging economies require protection. Many emerging economies believe that they require protection from well-established multinational firms. However, this is a folly argument. Since some countries gained their independence from former colonial masters, they considered any imports as â€Å"other forms of colonialism and dependence on fo rmer masters† (Spruiell, 2006). Consequently, many countries adopted import substitution policies. Under the import substitution policy, governments controlled how their countries utilised available resources in attempts to manufacture all products they previously imported. This strategy did not lead to any economic growth. Instead, a number of emerging economies fell into deep debt crises while struggling to manufacture all products. On the contrary, East Asia has shown that developing countries can â€Å"export all products they can easily and cheaply manufacture and import products they cannot produce locally without high economic costs† (Spruiell, 2006). Globalisation has improved because many countries have noted that it is sound to maximise the production and export of products and services they can produce cheaply and easily. On the other hand, such countries also maximise importation of products they cannot manufacture. This results into a rapid economic growth. In this manner, countries rely on their comparative advantages and strategies to create value in the global market. According to Spruiell, â€Å"the principle of comparative advantage means that every nation, no matter how undeveloped or poor, has a comparative advantage in producing some goods† (Spruiell, 2006). However, many countries may not adopt open market policies because protectionism is a ‘bargaining chip’. Hence, the argument for protectionism under this theory still holds because nations may only reduce their trade barriers and tariffs if they can get some values from other countries. Otherwise, they claim that domestic firms will have to compete in the global market against other firms, which have protection and government subsidies. Proponents of protectionist measures and bargaining chip strategy question why a domestic industry should face competition from other industries, which get subsidies from their governments. Government subsidies allow ind ustries to produce and sell products at lower costs than costs of production. Thus, proponents of protectionism justify their position as attempts to eliminate unfair competition. However, when one focuses on comparative advantages, they must recognise that the concept requires countries to open their domestic markets and focus on exports to boost their economies. Protectionist laws deny consumers to buy cheap products. Moreover, such laws only protect a few selected business interests to the detriment of the entire economy. Foreign firms may find it difficult to establish their operations in countries, which protect their domestic industries from competition. Generally, countries experience economic growth when they are free to trade with other countries without many trade barriers. Countries with open borders are likely to facilitate foreign investments and trade as investors will find few trade barriers while consumers will buy products at lower prices. Thus, even subsidies may o nly favour open market countries because producers are likely to export their products to such countries. In addition, countries with open markets are likely to import products at low costs (Schiff and Schiff, 2010). Consequently, they will focus on developing their productive industries and enhancing their economic strength. Therefore, protectionism presents challenges to foreign firms that seek to expand in international markets in terms of several trade barriers, unfair competition with protected domestic firms, and expensive trade licences among other challenges. Such firms should seek for investment opportunities in open market countries with liberalised trade policies. This would lead to economic success through high volumes of trade because open markets facilitate trade. It is also important to understand the major beneficiaries of protectionism. Generally, when governments introduce protectionist policies, they aim to protect some industries but not others. On this note, gov ernments would consider industries, which could have significant influences on domestic politics (Hazlitt, 1988). For instance, in the US, governments have selected their influential steel, agribusiness, textile, and lately IT industries for protection against any foreign competition or acquisition. However, other unprotected industries have faced fierce competition from foreign firms, as well as higher prices of products from the protected domestic industries. One may focus on the protected industries and note that they are highly important for the government. However, industries have deep relations when viewed from economic principles. One must acknowledge that arguments for protectionist laws have some merits. For instance, governments save jobs, avoid financial ruins through subsidies, and could be critical in seeking for trade partnership in the global market. However, for every benefit of protectionist laws, governments must make subjective decisions on industry protection and identify industries that will incur costs of domestic protection (Lindsey, 2001). Governments should not select industries for protection based on their political influences, and they should apply economic principles and treat all industries in the same way. Protectionism comes with economic costs, which are not easy to ignore. Thus, fundamental issues should not be about potential costs. Instead, the focus should be on industries, which will bear such costs. While governments can provide responses to such questions, people also have economic freedom to choose their products. Recent trends The most common trade barriers exist between the US and China. These two countries show how protectionist laws work in a global market. However, apart from the US and China trade wars, other countries have trade barriers too. Miller noted that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) released a report, which indicated that many countries were yet to refrain from protectionism (Miller, 2009). The WTO me mber countries had â€Å"130 protectionist measures to implement† (Miller, 2009). Some of these protectionist measures included â€Å"state aid funds, higher tariffs, immigration restrictions and export subsidies† (Miller, 2009). For instance, in 2009, Russia focused on a comprehensive increment of all tariffs, Japan concentrated on reviewing its sanitation laws to restrict food imports while South Africa embarked on reviewing its spending patterns to favour firms owned by the blacks at the expense of white-owned firms. From the above figure, â€Å"China has been the main target for most governments’ protectionist laws† (Miller, 2009). China faces trade barriers from 55 countries, which have enacted measures to restrict Chinese exports (Miller, 2009). The US and Japan have 49 and 46 protectionist measures respectively. On the other hand, the growing economy of Brazil has attracted Chinese imports. Consequently, Brazilian government has introduced some â €Å"non-tariff trade barriers and protectionist measures, particularly in the automotive and light manufacturing sectors† (Deloitte, 2012) to protect domestic industries. Impacts of protectionist measures First domestic firms, which depend on government protection and subsidies, may not be able to compete well in the export global market. Import barriers are responsible for high prices due to high costs for intermediate needs. Consequently, export products become highly priced than the global market prices. This may force such domestic industries to lose market share to foreign firms. Moreover, there are also possibilities of retaliation from other countries. Second, protectionism affects the entire economy of a country as any rise in the cost of product leads to a drop in the gross domestic product (GDP). Third, protectionist measures also affect the global economy negatively as world exports and incomes drop. Finally, protectionist laws slow down economic growth for all nat ions. In other words, the global market requires complete liberalisation to improve actual incomes for emerging economies. Therefore, for any foreign firm seeking to expand its operation in the international market, it should choose countries without several trade barriers, protected industries, and government interference. Conclusion The concept of protectionism emanated to control trade issues that resulted from international trade. However, not all market issues require protectionist laws like some economists had believed. Today, some economists have argued and demonstrated that protectionist laws are ineffective and inappropriate ways of fixing market failures. One major challenge is that protectionist laws protect few individuals and leave majorities to bear the ultimate costs. Not even the poor masses who work in such industries should bear the costs. However, in most cases, protectionist measures place huge responsibilities on individuals who least deserve them. That is, only few individuals benefit from protectionist laws. Overall, protectionist laws are major obstacles to economic growth as this essay has shown. Thus, an open economic strategy can facilitate economic growth and eliminate trade barriers. Reference List Bhagwati, J 1988, Protectionism, MIT Press, Cambridge. Bhagwati, J 2004, In Defense of Globalization, Oxford University Press, New York. Deloitte 2012, Competitive Brazil: Challenges and strategies for the manufacturing industry, Intergraf Ind. Grfica Ltda, Brazil. Friedman, T 2000, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. Griswold, D 2001, Walls of Steel, Carlton Press Corporation, New York, NY. Hazlitt, H 1988, Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics, Three Rivers Press, New York. Lindsey, B 2001, Against the Dead Hand: The Uncertain Struggle for Global Capitalism, Wiley, New York. Miller, J W 2009, Protectionist Measures Expected to Rise, Report Warns. Web. Schiff, P and Schiff, A 2010, How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes, Wiley, New York. Spruiell, S 2006, Protectionism Tariffs, Subsidies, and Trade Policy. Web.

Ufos exist Essays - Ufology, Unidentified Flying Object, Free Essays

Ufos exist Essays - Ufology, Unidentified Flying Object, Free Essays Ufos exist The Existence of UFOs is Real? Was that merely a shooting star streaking across the night sky, or was it a glimpse of some sort of alien aircraft? I believe that we are not the only intelligent life forms that exist in this vast universe, and it is my opinion that the earth has been visited by extraterrestrial beings. Sightings of unusual aerial phenomena date back to ancient times, but only after 1947, have UFOs been widely discussed because of publication worldwide. Moreover, many things support this concept of UFOs existence such as sightings, crop circles, encounters, and abductions. Furthermore, Area 51, which is a top-secret military facility that the government would not discuss about to the public, has been at the center of the UFO existence controversy for many years. The government denies its existence, but how do you explain the 240 or more white Jeep Cherokees patrolling an area that does not exist? This and many other factors are what contribute to the mystique of the highly restricted place called Ar ea 51 and the existence of flying saucers known as UFOs. Although, there is no official data or record about the UFO sighting, according to folk tales, it can be said that people does observed such flying objects since historic times. The first sighting of UFOs is marked since the late 1800 by most of the researchers. Private pilot Kenneth Arnold made the most famous and prominent UFO sighting in the year 1947. In addition, he claimed to observe nine circular objects in the skies over the state of Washington and described these objects like saucers skipping over water. There the term Flying Saucer was born. This event led to the reporting of similar reports in different parts of the world at different times. Moreover, according to a rough estimate, about 60% of such reports are hoax or due to some other reasons. While, some of the objects noticed in the sky were definitely Nguyen 2 astronomical in nature like comets and asteroids. However, some UFOs reporting were also a result of disillusion like clouds. There are certain natural phenomenons that give rise to various hypothetical shapes formation on the astronomical horizons. Most of these halos are also perceived by naked eyes and are called as UFOs by populace. Since 1947 there have been UFO sightings in almost every country sometimes there is something called a UFO wave, which for a short time UFO sighting increases rapidly in one certain area. For instance, UFO waves occurred in Italy in 1954 and in the United States in 1947. Furthermore, nobody can explain anything about these waves and attempts to link them with hysteria, mentality and stress have all failed. However, a good amount of 40% cases are still left to be researched. There are enough evidences that rule out all the possible human errors, psychological aspect and hallucinations. In addition, the reports do claim the presence of extra terrestrial components in the earth's atmosphere on scientific analysis. There are also people that often report the marks that are supposedly left by an alien spaceship at grounds, known as trace case. Such incidents are reported mainly by the inhabitants of remote and rural areas. Furthermore, similar evidence to support the reality of abduction events has been lacking or relatively uncompelling but the physical evidence events such as trace case has been more successful. For instance, a trace case that occurred near Trans-en-Provence, France, on January 8, 1981. The witness was working in his garden when he heard a low whistling sound. Upon turning around, he saw an ovoid object in the sky that approached the terrace at the bottom of the garden an d landed. The witness moved forward cautiously to observe the strange phenomenon but, within a minute, the object rose and moved away in the same direction from which it had arrived. It continued to emit a low whistle. The witness approached the scene of the apparent landing and observed circular depressions, separated by a crown, on the ground. Scientists and researchers are working extensively to mark the presence of life on other planets and their possible intervention in earth's atmosphere. However, no significant milestone has yet been reached by any of the

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