1.Who owns fresh water resources? Who should?
The government of the country where the water resources are located, own them. However, they often sell the water resources to companies and therefore lose ownership. This is adventageous for the population, because companies charge too much money for the water and it the government should own water resources in order to take care that every one has even access to this necessity.
2.What did your presentation do well? What will you improve next time?
A positive aspect about my presentation was that it provided a good link to the thesis and backed it up with information from both point of views. There is still much room for improvement such as using more terminology and improving the design of the power point.
Montag, 1. Dezember 2008
Global trade is slowing
Global trade is slowing
Global trade is slowing
The Japanese export market did not survive the economic crisis without harm. In the previous years, Japan could always rely on increasing demand for its export from developing and emerging countries, but the drop in exports of 7,7 % in Ocotober has shown that emerging-economy demand for its goods has also been hit. Japan is only an example of a rich country which is affected by slowing trade. Germany which is known for its high-quality exports has also experienced a heavy decline. Since high-quality goods have high elastic demand, the demand for these goods decreases massively when there is an economic crisis. Poor countries, however, who normally produce cheap quality goods are better off at the moment, because the goods tend to be necessities that people still buy in bad times. Poor countries are facing the problem that they are lacking trade credit for finance due to the global shortage in liquidity caused by the financial crisis. Now, export credit agencies and the World Bank try to restore the liquidity in the market by providing more money.
Global trade is slowing
The Japanese export market did not survive the economic crisis without harm. In the previous years, Japan could always rely on increasing demand for its export from developing and emerging countries, but the drop in exports of 7,7 % in Ocotober has shown that emerging-economy demand for its goods has also been hit. Japan is only an example of a rich country which is affected by slowing trade. Germany which is known for its high-quality exports has also experienced a heavy decline. Since high-quality goods have high elastic demand, the demand for these goods decreases massively when there is an economic crisis. Poor countries, however, who normally produce cheap quality goods are better off at the moment, because the goods tend to be necessities that people still buy in bad times. Poor countries are facing the problem that they are lacking trade credit for finance due to the global shortage in liquidity caused by the financial crisis. Now, export credit agencies and the World Bank try to restore the liquidity in the market by providing more money.
Donnerstag, 30. Oktober 2008
Squeezing the accelerator
Due to economic recession, hedge funds believed that the car company VW would also have problems selling its cars. That's why they thought VW shares were highly overvalued and would soon be falling. So, hedge funds lended 12 % of the VW shares from investors and did something called a short selling. However, hedge funds hadn't taken into account that the biggest VW investor, Porsche, had a cash-settled call option to increase its present shares at VW from 35 % to 74 %. So when Porsche announced that it wants to increase its shares at VW, this caused an explosion of the share value of VW. Thus in order to minimize losses, hedge funds had to quickly buy VW shares at a much higher value at which they had lended them. This again caused the value of VW shares to rocket. Early estimates suggested that the hedge funds' losses could be as much as $ 30 billion.
Mittwoch, 1. Oktober 2008
One world
One world
Due to globalization,national companies have become more integrated in the gloabl economy. The positive side of globalization is that it has the potential to increase productivity and living standards everywhere. However, critics of globalization predict that increasing competition from low-wage developing countries will destroy jobs and push down wages in rich economies. Even 50 years before World War 1, there was a period of globalization which was driven by reductions in trade barriers and a sharp fall in transport costs. This previous trend of globalization ended with Worl War 1, which was the cause for trade protectionism and tight restricitons on capital movement. After World War 2, big economic powers realized that it was important to reduce trade barriers in order to recover. They set up an arrangement on tariffs and trade, called the Bretton Woods system. In the 1970s the Bretton Woods system collapsed which led to the rebirth of the global free market in which goods and money were floating. The two factors, an improvement in technology and liberalization, were responsible for the increased flows of money and goods. Methods used to measure the degree of product- market integration have shown that many countries openness to trade hasn't changed a lot since 1913 and that prices converge across countries which is due to the persistence of import barriers. Product markets are not even close to being integrated across borders as within a nation and even the financial markets are not fully integrated yet. While product and capital markets have become increasingly integrated, labour markets have not, since labour is less mobile than it was in the second half of the 19th century. These facts don't conclude that globalization is not happening. As opposed to the pre 1914 globalization period where large parts of the world didn't participate in the world economy, more economies than ever are taking part in the globalization process today. In the future, new technology will encourage further integration and make it even harder for protectionist governments to block trade. In addition, organizations like the World Trade Organization give stability to free trade. All that awards globalization a good foundation to be more durable than it was before World War 1.
Due to globalization,national companies have become more integrated in the gloabl economy. The positive side of globalization is that it has the potential to increase productivity and living standards everywhere. However, critics of globalization predict that increasing competition from low-wage developing countries will destroy jobs and push down wages in rich economies. Even 50 years before World War 1, there was a period of globalization which was driven by reductions in trade barriers and a sharp fall in transport costs. This previous trend of globalization ended with Worl War 1, which was the cause for trade protectionism and tight restricitons on capital movement. After World War 2, big economic powers realized that it was important to reduce trade barriers in order to recover. They set up an arrangement on tariffs and trade, called the Bretton Woods system. In the 1970s the Bretton Woods system collapsed which led to the rebirth of the global free market in which goods and money were floating. The two factors, an improvement in technology and liberalization, were responsible for the increased flows of money and goods. Methods used to measure the degree of product- market integration have shown that many countries openness to trade hasn't changed a lot since 1913 and that prices converge across countries which is due to the persistence of import barriers. Product markets are not even close to being integrated across borders as within a nation and even the financial markets are not fully integrated yet. While product and capital markets have become increasingly integrated, labour markets have not, since labour is less mobile than it was in the second half of the 19th century. These facts don't conclude that globalization is not happening. As opposed to the pre 1914 globalization period where large parts of the world didn't participate in the world economy, more economies than ever are taking part in the globalization process today. In the future, new technology will encourage further integration and make it even harder for protectionist governments to block trade. In addition, organizations like the World Trade Organization give stability to free trade. All that awards globalization a good foundation to be more durable than it was before World War 1.
globalization
Globalization
This text focuses on the definition of important economic terms. Globalization is a movement that leads to more indipendence and its main effect is the dramatic increase of the amount of international trade and thus companies are able to sell their products in every market of the world. There are different types of corporations: multinational corporations with manufaturing, sales or service subsidies in more than one country, conglomerates whose asset growth is mainly due to the aquisition of other firms with unrelated products, and lastely merger which result from a fusion of two or more corporations. Competition is another important economic aspect. Its characterized by sellers of a product competing with other sellers and buyers of a product competing with other buyers in order to supply or aquire an economic service or good. One theme in the history of competition has been the monopoly, which means that there is only one seller of a certain product, who is able to control the prices in this particular industry. When talking about monopolies, the term "cartel" also has to be mentioned. Cartels are national or international organizations of manufacturers or traders that by agreement control the prices of goods in a particular market.
This text focuses on the definition of important economic terms. Globalization is a movement that leads to more indipendence and its main effect is the dramatic increase of the amount of international trade and thus companies are able to sell their products in every market of the world. There are different types of corporations: multinational corporations with manufaturing, sales or service subsidies in more than one country, conglomerates whose asset growth is mainly due to the aquisition of other firms with unrelated products, and lastely merger which result from a fusion of two or more corporations. Competition is another important economic aspect. Its characterized by sellers of a product competing with other sellers and buyers of a product competing with other buyers in order to supply or aquire an economic service or good. One theme in the history of competition has been the monopoly, which means that there is only one seller of a certain product, who is able to control the prices in this particular industry. When talking about monopolies, the term "cartel" also has to be mentioned. Cartels are national or international organizations of manufacturers or traders that by agreement control the prices of goods in a particular market.
Mittwoch, 24. September 2008
Grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock and means ‘’filthy’’ or ‘’dirty’’. The grunge scene took off in Seattle. Some theories reason that the birthplace of Grunge was Seattle, because the city was very isolated from trend metropolitans like New York or Washington and thus a completely new trend could develop. In addition Seattle is located in a very rainy area, so people gathered in houses to socialize and organized house parties where grunge became a very important element. Main characteristics of Grunge are heavily distorted guitars, contrasting song dynamics and depressive or angst-filled lyrics. At the beginning, in the 1980s, Grunge mostly existed underground, but in the first half of the 1990s, grunge achieved public attention due to the release of Nirvana’s album ‘’Nevermind’’ and Pearl Jam’s ‘’Ten”.
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock and means ‘’filthy’’ or ‘’dirty’’. The grunge scene took off in Seattle. Some theories reason that the birthplace of Grunge was Seattle, because the city was very isolated from trend metropolitans like New York or Washington and thus a completely new trend could develop. In addition Seattle is located in a very rainy area, so people gathered in houses to socialize and organized house parties where grunge became a very important element. Main characteristics of Grunge are heavily distorted guitars, contrasting song dynamics and depressive or angst-filled lyrics. At the beginning, in the 1980s, Grunge mostly existed underground, but in the first half of the 1990s, grunge achieved public attention due to the release of Nirvana’s album ‘’Nevermind’’ and Pearl Jam’s ‘’Ten”.
Mittwoch, 17. September 2008
Summary of Chapter 2
The second chapter of 'No Logo' deals with the increasing influence by brands on society. Brands have set themselves the goal to not only brand their prodcuts, but furthermore brand people's lifestyle and culture. That's why brands decide to sponsor cultural events, like music festivals or sport tournaments. However, brands are not happy with the numerous regulations on advertisement, so that they create their own festivals where they are free to choose how to advertise their products. One good example for a sponsorship is the involvement of the clothing company J-Crew in the movie Dowsons Creek. J-Crew provides the clothing for the actors and in return for that they attain a perfect product placement for their product.
The increasing popularity of music and especially music artists and music groups constitutes a new platform for brands to advertise on. So, brands sign contracts with famous music artists, like Jay-Z to promote their brands. A good example is the Rolling Stones concert tour which was the first sponsored tour in music history.
Next to music, sports becomes another significant advertising platform for brands. Again, brands sign contracts with famous sports stars to promote their products, with the intention that young people buy these products to become part of their lifestyle. Its all about brands trying to appeal to the consumer's lifestyle and Michael Jordan is a perfect example of this development in the sports business. Nike and Michael Jordan are so closely linked to each other that they have become synonyms for each other. So the athlete Michael Jordan has become his own brand.
The increasing popularity of music and especially music artists and music groups constitutes a new platform for brands to advertise on. So, brands sign contracts with famous music artists, like Jay-Z to promote their brands. A good example is the Rolling Stones concert tour which was the first sponsored tour in music history.
Next to music, sports becomes another significant advertising platform for brands. Again, brands sign contracts with famous sports stars to promote their products, with the intention that young people buy these products to become part of their lifestyle. Its all about brands trying to appeal to the consumer's lifestyle and Michael Jordan is a perfect example of this development in the sports business. Nike and Michael Jordan are so closely linked to each other that they have become synonyms for each other. So the athlete Michael Jordan has become his own brand.
Montag, 15. September 2008
The Doha Dilemma
Doha Dilemma
May 29th 2008
What is to blame for the global food crisis? Is it government intervention in agriculture or free farm trade that is responsible for the current price spikes on food, which primarily affect the poor? Even though critics of a free farm trade think that only the government can guarantee food security and stop the unfair situation of the poor people, whose businesses are disadvantaged by rich world's subsidies, free farm trade doesn't necessarily preclude these points and furthermore it has shown that free farm trade alleviates poverty in most of the cases.
The argument of food security can be countered at the example of North Korea. In this country, people experience an increase in food prices, since trade barriers prevent the export of food especially rice. Thus, the global supply of rice is disrupted and farmers cease producing rice which makes rice scarce and therefore the price of rice goes up.
A study executed by scientists of the world bank have shown that free farm trade would reduce poverty in most of the cases. On the other hand, another study has shown that due to free farm trade, staple foods will get more expensive (slash of subsidies) and thus increase poverty. However, this study has only taken staple food into consideration as opposed to the other one, which focused on all farm goods. And that's why the effect of expensive staple food can be outweighed by the increased demand for farm exports as the rich countries cut the tariffs.
So in conclusion, these two studies suggest that the nature of trade reform matters, since it would be more sensible to fight poverty by cutting tariffs than slashing rich world's subsidies. It can be said that free farm trade is not a cause for the global food crisis, however the crisis has shown that it is important to establish the right reforms.
May 29th 2008
What is to blame for the global food crisis? Is it government intervention in agriculture or free farm trade that is responsible for the current price spikes on food, which primarily affect the poor? Even though critics of a free farm trade think that only the government can guarantee food security and stop the unfair situation of the poor people, whose businesses are disadvantaged by rich world's subsidies, free farm trade doesn't necessarily preclude these points and furthermore it has shown that free farm trade alleviates poverty in most of the cases.
The argument of food security can be countered at the example of North Korea. In this country, people experience an increase in food prices, since trade barriers prevent the export of food especially rice. Thus, the global supply of rice is disrupted and farmers cease producing rice which makes rice scarce and therefore the price of rice goes up.
A study executed by scientists of the world bank have shown that free farm trade would reduce poverty in most of the cases. On the other hand, another study has shown that due to free farm trade, staple foods will get more expensive (slash of subsidies) and thus increase poverty. However, this study has only taken staple food into consideration as opposed to the other one, which focused on all farm goods. And that's why the effect of expensive staple food can be outweighed by the increased demand for farm exports as the rich countries cut the tariffs.
So in conclusion, these two studies suggest that the nature of trade reform matters, since it would be more sensible to fight poverty by cutting tariffs than slashing rich world's subsidies. It can be said that free farm trade is not a cause for the global food crisis, however the crisis has shown that it is important to establish the right reforms.
Mittwoch, 10. September 2008
Lifestyle vs. Product Advertisement
1. Advertisement: Sprite Commercial:
What is being sold?
This lifestyle commercial sells the idea of being cool, hanging out with cool people, being able to do crazy things (play basketball in a swimming cool), so simply gives you the impression that you can do whatever you want.
How is it being sold?
The commercial is based on the weird idea of playing basketball in a swimming pool. So this idea conveys freedom, light-heartedness and differentiation. Since, the target demographic of Sprite is mainly the teenage population, Sprite promotes these values, because they are important to teenagers and appeal to their lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1latJ7K8zc
2.Advertisement: Red Bull Commercial:
What is being sold?
This product commercial conveys the impression that you, if you drink Red Bull, you appeal to girls and that you can fly, meaning that you get so much energy from the dirnk that you can do whtaever you want.
How is it being sold?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x9iYweART4
What is being sold?
This lifestyle commercial sells the idea of being cool, hanging out with cool people, being able to do crazy things (play basketball in a swimming cool), so simply gives you the impression that you can do whatever you want.
How is it being sold?
The commercial is based on the weird idea of playing basketball in a swimming pool. So this idea conveys freedom, light-heartedness and differentiation. Since, the target demographic of Sprite is mainly the teenage population, Sprite promotes these values, because they are important to teenagers and appeal to their lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1latJ7K8zc
2.Advertisement: Red Bull Commercial:
What is being sold?
This product commercial conveys the impression that you, if you drink Red Bull, you appeal to girls and that you can fly, meaning that you get so much energy from the dirnk that you can do whtaever you want.
How is it being sold?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x9iYweART4
Montag, 8. September 2008
Summary of Chapter 1
The first chapter deals with the emergence of the term branding. At the beginning in the 1880s, the company's main focus lays on manufacturing their products and promoting them as necessities that are lifechanging. However mass production leads to the fact that everyone can produce identical products which requires companies to create an image around their products to be more diverse from the other competitors. Companies like Nike realize that marketing trend early and become pioneers in executing this idea called ''branding''. This trend about creating a brand that appeals to the customer's lifestyle keeps going and reaches its peak when in the 1980s the company KRAFT is sold for 6 times its value. This example of KRAFT shows that the idea of a brand is much more worth than the actual product that a company produces. So due to branding companies keep spending more and more money on advertisement, having finally realized that the brand is more important than the product. However, inexpensive products make life hard for brands. People find it hard to stay loyal to a brand when they can get the same service for a better price from a cheaper provider. As opposed to Malboro who really suffered from competing with inexpensive product providers, Nike doesn't experience a decline in profits and brand loyalty. That's because Nike really understands to apply the idea of a brand not only to the product, but also to the very fabric of the company (''branded to the bone''). So this again illustrates the importance of a brand and its impact on peoples' conscience.
Montag, 1. September 2008
Samstag, 30. August 2008
Universal
Sub companies of Universal:
Film:
Production/Distribution
Universal Studios
October Films (partial owner)
United International Pictures (partial owner)
Cinema International BV (partial owner)
Internet:
Universal Studios
New Media Group
VivendiNet
Vizzavi (European multi-access portal)
Music:
Universal Music Group:
MCA Records
PolygramIsland/
Def JamMotown
Decca RecordsGeffen/
DGC Records
Universal Records
Interscope Records
Rising Tide
TV:
Production/Distribution
Universal Television Group
Multimedia Entertainment
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (partial owner)
USA Networks Inc. (partial owner)
Canal+ (Europe)
Publishing:
Books/Magazines
Havas Press (France)
Telecoms:
Cegetel (a leading private French wireless operator)
Vivendi Telecom International
Film:
Production/Distribution
Universal Studios
October Films (partial owner)
United International Pictures (partial owner)
Cinema International BV (partial owner)
Internet:
Universal Studios
New Media Group
VivendiNet
Vizzavi (European multi-access portal)
Music:
Universal Music Group:
MCA Records
PolygramIsland/
Def JamMotown
Decca RecordsGeffen/
DGC Records
Universal Records
Interscope Records
Rising Tide
TV:
Production/Distribution
Universal Television Group
Multimedia Entertainment
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (partial owner)
USA Networks Inc. (partial owner)
Canal+ (Europe)
Publishing:
Books/Magazines
Havas Press (France)
Telecoms:
Cegetel (a leading private French wireless operator)
Vivendi Telecom International
Mittwoch, 27. August 2008
toy truck
At first sight, the toy truck looks like an ordinary truck that was produced for small kids to play with. Of course, this is one of the many functions of the toy truck, however there is a bigger idea behind the truck than it just being regarded as a toy. As you look closer, you will notice that there are two logos on the package. Quite logically, the Matchbox logo, because Matchbox is the company which manufactured the truck. Besides the Matchbox logo you will also find the bright and shiny Mcdonald's logo. However for someone who is not a marketing expert, this seems kind of strange, because you wouldn't associate Mcdonald's with toys, but rather with food. This weird observation can be explained by the term of external corporate synergy in which two totally different companies work together in order to reach a bigger target demographic and thus create more buzz about their product. Matchbox on the one hand benefits in this partnership from the huge recognizability value that Mcdonald's has on kids. So when kids see the toy truck with the Mcdonald's logo on it, they will most certainly buy it. Mcdonald's on the other hand tries to expand its market or get better access to its target demographic by collaborating with a company that produces a product which is very appealing to kids.
The opposite of an external corporate synergy, emphasized by the example of Matchbox and Mcdonald's, is an internal corporate synergy. An internal coporate synergy is also driven by the profit motif, however the fundamental difference is that, as the word internal suggests, in an internal corporate synergy, two companies of the same coporation are working together. An example for an internal corporate synergy is the new released of a movie produced by paramount pictures. In order to creat buzz around the new movie, paramount pictures asks MTV to advertise the upcoming movie in a special edition. Since both companies belong to the viacom group, this is doubly profitable for viacom, since the advertisement campaign results in many people watching the movie which is good for paramount pictures and MTV is rewarded by high viewing rates.
The opposite of an external corporate synergy, emphasized by the example of Matchbox and Mcdonald's, is an internal corporate synergy. An internal coporate synergy is also driven by the profit motif, however the fundamental difference is that, as the word internal suggests, in an internal corporate synergy, two companies of the same coporation are working together. An example for an internal corporate synergy is the new released of a movie produced by paramount pictures. In order to creat buzz around the new movie, paramount pictures asks MTV to advertise the upcoming movie in a special edition. Since both companies belong to the viacom group, this is doubly profitable for viacom, since the advertisement campaign results in many people watching the movie which is good for paramount pictures and MTV is rewarded by high viewing rates.
Vision of students today
My average class size is 15
All my teachers know my name
I complete 80% of readings assigned to me
I will read 10 books this year
6 hours of sleep during the year
1 hour spent on watching tv every day
I spend 3 hours a day online
I spend 10 minutes on phone
I spend 2 hours a day listening to music
6 hours in class
1.5 hours a day eating
1.5 hours a day on homework/ studying
All my teachers know my name
I complete 80% of readings assigned to me
I will read 10 books this year
6 hours of sleep during the year
1 hour spent on watching tv every day
I spend 3 hours a day online
I spend 10 minutes on phone
I spend 2 hours a day listening to music
6 hours in class
1.5 hours a day eating
1.5 hours a day on homework/ studying
Donnerstag, 21. August 2008
global me
Diesel (Italy)
Napapijri (Norway)
Boss (Germany)
Nike (America)
Adidas (Germany)
Sony Ericsson (Japan)
Acer (Taiwan)
Languages: German, English, French;
Places lived before: Germany;
Napapijri (Norway)
Boss (Germany)
Nike (America)
Adidas (Germany)
Sony Ericsson (Japan)
Acer (Taiwan)
Languages: German, English, French;
Places lived before: Germany;
Abonnieren
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