Light And Darkness In Oedipus Rex - 1467 Words

Wisdom and folly, truth and falsehood, peace and suffering are all different forms of light and darkness. To the ancient Greeks, whether one is in darkness or light is determined by their ability to see spiritually, which they believed the physically blind were capable of. This contrast between spiritual sight and mere physical sight is a major theme in Oedipus Rex, the Greek tragedy written by the legendary Sophocles, a Greek playwright so skilled that he won the Festival of Dionysus approximately twenty times with his masterfully crafted tragedies (Buller). Oedipus Rex is a tragic journey of self-discovery as King Oedipus uncovers his origins and how he unwittingly fulfilled the oracle that he will marry his mother Jocasta and kill his†¦show more content†¦Until I came – I, ignorant Oedipus, came – (36-37) Oedipus’ speech about his accomplishments reveals his arrogant nature and reveals that Oedipus revels in the glory of his achievements; blinding himself to his faults. In addition, Oedipus’ sudden flash of rage at Teiresias upon the seer’s refusal to prophecy, despite the seer’s warnings of the pain and anguish the prophecy would bring demonstrates the very rash, quick-tempered nature that led Oedipus to kill his own father Laius (48). Oedipus certainly is very knowledgeable, but he lacks wisdom as he refuses to see his faults and heed the warnings of others. Moreover, even Oedipus calling himself â€Å"ignorant† can be seen as mere false humility, as his rash, arrogant nature is revealed yet again when Oedipus accuses Creon of being the â€Å"proved plotter† against his life and a â€Å"thief† trying to steal Oedipus’ crown (40). Despite Creon handling such an outrageous accusation with care and producing sound arguments as to why he would not be interested in the throne, Oedipus clings to his argument that Creon is plotting to usurp the throne obstinately. He even has a petty argument with Creon about who is right, and Oedipus insisted thatShow MoreRelatedThroughout most famous Greek literature, a great hero usually saves the day. In the story of900 Words   |  4 Pagesusually saves the day. In the story of Oedipus though, the good man with one minor flaw goes through great pain. This pain in the play Oedipus Rex is the focal point for the whole play. Almost every aspect of the play builds up and foreshadows Oedipus’ fall from power, and entry into pain. Sophocles in his tragedy Oedipus Rex creates a mood of dramatic irony using the dualities of sight and blindness, and light and darkness. This dramatic irony highlights Oedipus’ hamartia and in doing so SophoclesRead MoreFree Oedipus Essays : Forms Of Light And Darkness1600 Words   |  7 Pages FORMS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS IN OEDIPUS REX As a key theme in Greek literature, it has been mentioned that truly the only ones who can see are blind. Specifically in the play â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, Sophocles has focused on nurturing the idea that there is no requirement of eyes for having a real sight, as there requires an ability for seeing beyond the dimension of elements. As per Sophocles, one should not have the ability of seeing something, but one must have the ability of understanding it (Eskin,Read MoreThe Flaws Of Arrogance In Oedipus Rex By Sophocles796 Words   |  4 PagesBenjamin Whichcote once said, â€Å"None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.† The words ring true through the character Oedipus whose tragic flaw of arrogance brought his downfall. In his timeless play, Oedipus Rex, author Sophocles unflinchingly illuminates the haughtiness and hubris displayed by the hero Oedipus. Through his candid exploration of the ship/captain and light/dark motifs, Sophocles makes an effort to ultim ately bring the reader to the realization that arrogance creates an illusionRead MoreOedipus Rex Analisys895 Words   |  4 PagesIn Oedipus Rex, Sophocles portraits one of the most intriguing and fascinating traits of the human nature: the search for truth regarding who we are and the realization of the paths reserved by our future fate. The play starts with the presentation of the main character: Oedipus, the king of Thebes. Sophocles presents Oedipus to the reader as a majestic figure who addresses his attention to the people of Thebes from his palace. The city had been hit by a devastating plague due to Laà ¯os (theRead MoreOedipus, A Liar, By Sophocles839 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus remains blind throughout the play, both figuratively and literally. The play is about a man named Oedipus whose fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. His biological parents, knowing about the Oedipus’ prophecy, abandons him, and continue with their lives. However, Oedipus is saved, but spends his life running away from his adoptive parents (who he believed to be his biological parents), afraid that the prophecy may come true. As the audienceRead MoreThe Tragic Tragedy Of Oedipus Rex1161 Words   |  5 Pages Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex exemplifies the psychological conflicts that arise as an individual undergoes a drastic realization of character, ultimately leading him on a search to recover his true identity, and along the way bringing to light the darkest demons of his past. The play unfolds through a calamitous tone, which foreshadows the impending downfall of the ruler of Thebes, Oedipus, and the consequences that this downfall will bring to him and all of those around him. The calamitousRead MoreOedipus Rex1350 Words   |  6 PagesGreek Tragedy The Greek drama Oedipus Rex is clearly a tragedy. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis. Interestingly, even though Oedipus the King came before Poetics, Sophocles’ play illustrates Aristotle’s rules for classical drama. Oedipus the King particularly displays a tragic emotion, a tragic character, and a tragic fall. Aristotle also writes that such a drama ought to haveRead MoreOedipus Rex : A Tragic Journey Of Self Discovery1804 Words   |  8 PagesBoth wisdom and folly, truth and falsehood are different forms of the same thing: the relationship between light and darkness. To the ancient Greeks, whether one is in darkness or light is determined by their ability to see spiritually, which they believed the physically blind were capable of. This contrast between spiritual sight and mere physical sight is a major theme in Oedipus Rex, a Greek tragedy writt en by the legendary Sophocles, a Greek playwright so skilled that he won at the Festival ofRead MoreOedipus Rex Literary Synthesis1483 Words   |  6 Pages2012 The Tragic Destiny of Oedipus Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is one of the most well- known tragic plays in existence. Oedipus, the King of Thebes, is the victim of a curse in which he must suffer the tragedy of his own unchangeable fate. The tragic heroism of Oedipus befalls him because of his heroic qualities and his loyalty to his Thebans and to himself. His unchangeable destiny affects so many others throughout the play. These others’ subsequent suffering that Oedipus brings upon them helps contributeRead MoreEssay Applying Platos Allegory of the Cave1649 Words   |  7 PagesApplying Platos Allegory of the Cave to Oedipus Rex, Hamlet,and Thomas Becket Plato was one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He is recognized all over the world as one of the greatest minds of all time. Knowledge is required under compulsion has not hold on the mind.(Durant 24). Platos dialogues are the fruit of a rare mind; but the could not have kept their perennial freshness if they had not somehow succeeded in expressing he problems and the convictions that are common to Platos

Population And Sample Selection - 854 Words

POPULATION AND SAMPLE SELECTION This chapter will present the data gathered about an elementary school’s teacher current perspectives, practices and strategies regarding technology usage within their pedagogy. Pseudonyms will be used for all locations and participants. To distinguish the position of each participant, the will be given a specific number (i.e. – Teacher 1, Teacher 2, etc.). First, the school as it exists at the study site will be described. Then, demographics of the site will be presented, followed by demographics of the participants. The chapter will conclude with issues and concerns about the kindergarten teacher comfort levels with technology. Additionally, it will connect whether or not do professional development opportunities change kindergarten teacher attitudes regarding technology, increase knowledge of devices and ensure proper integration practices. Demographics of the Site Nashville is a large metropolitan area that is located in the heart of the state of Tennessee. It is centrally located and connected to many smaller cities, which are areas that are experiencing significant urban growth. Although the population of the city is approximately 644,014, the population of the entire state is approximately 6,549,352. The Volunteer Independent School District or VISD, is a school district that serves the city of Nashville, Tennessee. More than 82,000 students are currently enrolled in the district s 73 elementary schools, 33 middle schools, 25 highShow MoreRelatedResearch Techniques Including Research Design1136 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction A sample is a set of data drawn from the population, it is considered as a subset. Populations are defined as the set of all items or individuals of interest. Samples are less time consuming than a census, less costly to administer than a census and it is possible to obtain statistical results of a sufficiently high precision based on samples. There are two types of sampling techniques, probability and non-probability sampling. Probability Sampling A probability sampling method isRead MoreCorrelation Between Sampling, Sampling Risk And Nonsampling Risk1446 Words   |  6 PagesSampling means take one typical part of from the whole population, which is an essential method for corporations to get the result of their new products or policies. When corporations test the sample, they do not actually need the specific data and number. In addition, the total number of comprising the population is usually large, so the corporations usually do not test the whole population for reducing meaningless time and labor cost. Sampling is a good way to trade effectiveness to efficiencyRead MoreBusiness Essay examples995 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are a large number of samples. The idea here is that each student in the class will create 20 samples for two populations, using two different sampling procedures, for a total of 80 samples. These samples will be combined into common datasets which will be used in class (and made available to all s tudents in the class. The four sampling contexts will be: 1. Discrete numerical population, sampling without replacement (DNWITHOUT) 2. Discrete numerical population, sampling with replacementRead MoreAnalysis : Post Stratification Sampling1075 Words   |  5 Pagesrandom sample method is used to improve the efficiency. It can be used to implement weighting and it improve the precision of a sample estimates. It is a calibration estimation method that is often used to reduce the variance of the estimates. The selected sampled units are classified into groups and the known total number of units in the population is used to estimate the group total for some variable of interest. The group totals are summed to produce an estimate for the whole population. The groupsRead MoreAnalyzing Different Approaches Of Sampling885 Words   |  4 Pagesportion of the population that is being studied to represent the attributes of the entire populations ( Polit Beck, 2014). The different strategies of sampling includes: 1. Probability sampling is typically used in quantitative research studies (Polit Beck, 2014). It involves a specific analytical process that requires the random selection of attributes from a population that is being studied, which establishes that there is an equal likelihood of each attribute in the population(Polit BeckRead MoreTraditional Techniques For Sampling And Estimating Population Characteristics1378 Words   |  6 Pagessampling and estimating population characteristics require that sample selection is done with a known probability. However, for a hard to reach population this is impossible. There is no list or registry from which to create a sampling frame or if there is a list, a random sampling can yield low number of eligible respondents since it’s often non-representative of the intended target population.1 In addition, it can be extremely difficult to locate members of this population due to social stigmas particularlyRead MoreEnglish Chinese Dictionary Is What I Use For This Assignment1105 Words   |  5 Pagessampling: †¢ Record the total number of the vocabulary in the dictionary to be N †¢ Choose sample size n which is the number we use in this survey †¢ Open the dictionary randomly, not first 10 page and not the last 10 page, since those pages in most cases are not typical †¢ Close your eyes and point to a vocabulary , then test yourself whether you know this vocabulary or not †¢ Repeat the pervious step until the desired sample size is reached †¢ Record the number of vocabulary you know k †¢ Estimate the numberRead MoreQuestions On The Survey Questionnaires Essay1469 Words   |  6 Pages2010); thus it allows for the uncovering of new insights on the phenomena of interest not thought of initially prior to the research. Using this data gathering technique in the proposed study will help understand how Canada’s ethnically diverse population describes their perceptions, attitudes, approaches and experiences in the use of CAM. Similarly, qualitative in-depth semi-structured interview technique will help unravel the paradox of ageing, multimorbidity and the use of CAM. This qualitativeRead MoreSampling Methods Essay1025 Words   |  5 Pagesof research, whilst retaining - as accurately as possible - the characteristics of the whole group. The purpose of taking a sample is to investigate features of the population in greater detail than could be done if the total population was used, and to draw inferences about this population. In addition, at the practical level, a sample is likely to be both cheaper and quicker to investigate. All sampling will involve error and sociologists have developed samplingRead MoreAdvantages Of Simple Sampling And Accuracy Of Representation801 Words   |  4 PagesDisadvantages of simple sampling: a. It is expensive and time consuming. b. Sample selection bias may occur (Horton, 2015). Systematic random sampling: can be described as a most commonly used method in which after a number has been allocated to an individual in the population frame, the first person is selected using a random number table or out of a hat and subsequently those who take part in it are selected or picked using a fixed sample interval (Mathers, Sampling for surveys, 2009, p. 11). Advantages

Total Quality Management in Education

Question: Discuss about the Total Quality Management in Education. Answer: Introduction Lego is a well-known toy manufacturer located in Billund, Denmark. Their product specially designed for the children, so to maintain the quality of the product it has to follow a strict quality management process (Lego.com, 2016). Because there are many criteria that have to be maintained, otherwise the product may be rejected. So here, to meet those criteria Lego should take the help of the C chart. C chart helps the company to control the number of nonconforming items in the product. Developing Control chart: It is mainly used to see the total number of events that occurring in a given unit of time (Sallis, 2014, p.67). It accounts for the possibility of more than one non-conformity per inspection unit and in this case, it requires the fixed sample size (Goetsch et al. 2014,p.45). The advantage of C chart is that it helps to distinguish between two items, which fails in inspection because each contains one fault. C chart will give here ten faults, which is more specific rather P chart, np chart. UCLc and LCLc values of the data: Statistically the control chart needs the control limits. So upper control limit(UCLc) and lower control limit (LCLc) is needed, here UCLc indicates maximum value that is statistically reasonable and lower limit indicates the minimum reasonable value(Wang et al 2012 p.129). There are some formula, which is needed to find UCLc and LCLc. UCLc=xÃÅ'†¦ +z x LCLc =xÃÅ'†¦ +Zx Sample Number of Defects (X-xÃÅ'†¦)=x 1 4 2.066666667 2 5 3.066666667 3 8 6.066666667 4 9 7.066666667 5 3 1.066666667 6 4 2.066666667 7 2 0.06666666667 8 1 -0.9333333333 9 1 -0.9333333333 10 2 0.06666666667 11 1 -0.9333333333 12 1 -0.9333333333 13 6 4.066666667 14 2 0.06666666667 15 1 -0.9333333333 16 0 -1.933333333 17 0 -1.933333333 18 1 -0.9333333333 19 1 -0.9333333333 20 0 -1.933333333 21 1 -0.9333333333 22 1 -0.9333333333 23 0 -1.933333333 24 1 -0.9333333333 25 1 -0.9333333333 26 0 -1.933333333 27 1 -0.9333333333 28 1 -0.9333333333 29 0 -1.933333333 30 0 -1.933333333 Total 58 0 mean 1.933333333 x 0 UCL 1.933333333 LCL 1.933333333 Table 1: Calculation for UCLc and LCLc (Source: Self-developed) Constructing the control chart and the plot of data: Figure 1: Control Chart (Source: Self-developed) Here, in the control chart there are four segment like sample, number of defect, UCLc and LCLc (Oakland, 2014, p.56). Calculation saying that it in this case there is no difference in upper control limit and lower control limit so in the companys control chart the UCLc and LCLc are coincide with each other. Here company cannot able to show differently UCLc and LCLc. Whatever C chart here is using to find out the defect item in the product (Gimenez-Espin, 2013, p.692). Developing recommendations According to the C chart, now the companys UCLc and LCLc are same but here in the data must be some error so this type of disaster is happening. Now to resolve this problem the company should check the data. C chart is very much important to control the quality of the product so the company must be conscious while providing the data. If the company follow this C chart then the company cannot find out the properly defect item and the nonconforming items will not be able to achieve the criteria. The product will be rejected then and the quality of the product will be declined. Figure 2: Control Chart (Source: Self-developed) Here in this C chart the control process is going on as here the upper limit control and the lower limit control are different so it will helpful for the company. LEGO can take the help from this Control chart to meet the criteria of rejection. It will be helpful for the company to identify the nonconforming item of the product (Talib et al. 2013, p.318). Every fifth product is inspected in case of control chart process. This control chart is showing that particular process so it will be too much helpful to control the quality of the product (Benavides-Velasco et al. 2014, p.87). The first control chart faces some disaster because there may be some error in the provided data. Therefore, the company should carefully check the data before applying the control chart process. The company check the data through the over viewing the defected items. As the control chart is the most authentic process so there is no error in the control chart process. To make the control chart process error free the company should identify the error of data. The second control chart may be better because there the difference between upper control limit and lower control limit so company may follow the second control chart and it will help the company to find out the appropriate defected item of the product. This second control chart may help the company to control the quality of the product properly rather first control chart. There in the data where the sample and the defected item is given there may be some errors. Error can happen because of the adaption of wrong process of collection. As in the data some defected items are missing for some sample (Ellis, 2014, p.45). The company should careful about that the samples may have the defected items, which is not identified. Another thing can happen that some samples have one defective item, which can have more defected item. Conclusion: Based on this analysis to make a fresh control chart the company should follow the careful process. The company should check that all the sample carefully and confirm that all samples have defected item or not. If the entire sample does not consist with error then recheck process will be preceded. In order to maintain the quality of the product an error free control chart is needed so to make a error free control chart the company should be careful about the process. Reference List Benavides-Velasco, C.A., Quintana-Garca, C. and Marchante-Lara, M., (2014). Total quality management, corporate social responsibility and performance in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 41, pp.77-87. Ellis, R.,( 2014). Quality Assurance for University Teaching.Pearson Gimenez-Espin, J.A., Jimnez-Jimnez, D. and Martnez-Costa, M., (2013). Organizational culture for total quality management. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 24(5-6), pp.678-692. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Pearson. Lego.com. (2016).About Us - About Us LEGO.com. Available at: https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus [Accessed on 3 Aug. 2016]. Oakland, J.S., (2014). Total quality management and operational excellence: text with cases. Routledge. Sallis, E., (2014). Total quality management in education. Routledge. Talib, F., Rahman, Z. and Qureshi, M.N., (2013). An empirical investigation of relationship between total quality management practices and quality performance in Indian service companies. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 30(3), pp.280-318. Wang, C.H., Chen, K.Y. and Chen, S.C., (2012). Total quality management, market orientation and hotel performance: The moderating effects of external environmental factors. International Journal of Hospitality Management,31(1), pp.119-129.

International Trade and Its Effects on Globalization

Introduction The evolving world has proved that nations are indeed exchanging goods and services and strengthening interdependence. Many nations are involved in both inbound and outbound trade by importing the products and human resources that the country does not possess and exporting their surplus outputs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Trade and Its Effects on Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International trade provides a pathway that encourages interdependence across nations though the exchange of goods and services. International trade influences globalization by strengthening the relationship between nations. In essence, globalization is the move from independent nations to interdependent nations. Every nation is obliged to produce what it is capable of producing in maximum levels, trade what is in surplus, and obtain what it lacks from the other nations. International trade is one of the core factors that have facilitated the growth of globalization. It enhances integration of the global economy, where people find it easy to produce and sell their products. International trade has enabled nations to break the trade barriers and trade freely (Bentes, Davis, Ryan, Sales, Underwood, 2011). Unlike in earlier days when the free flow of goods and services was prohibited, international trade has helped in eradicating the trade barriers. Currently, companies are able to outsource production raw materials as well as skilled labor to enhance their production process. With the integration of raw materials from different nations, the companies are able to produce high quality products, which are sold both in local and international markets. International trade has played a great role in strengthen the interdependence of nations by enhancing the emergence of global institutions. Global institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WHO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) play a significant role in driving globalization. The global institutions encourage investment in foreign countries and this has helped in upgrading the sluggish economy of such countries. Globalization and international trade have enabled undeveloped countries, mainly in Africa, to have the privilege of receiving products and services from esteemed organizations. It is evident that most electronic and automobile products are manufactured in developed countries, and it is only through international trade that the developing nations can access them. Globalization has enabled companies to have Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) across nations. The FDI’s reap mutual benefits to both the investors and the individuals in the investment country.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In essence, international trade has influenced the gr owth and expansion of globalization and the entire world is slowly becoming a global village. This paper will base its discussions on the topic, international trade and its effects on globalization. It will start by giving a brief historical background of the discussion topic, and thereafter, it will give a detailed discussion of the ways in which international trade has indeed achieved globalization. Historical background of international trade and globalization International trade and globalization came into full effect after the World War II. At that time, the factors of production were immobile, where; colonialists structured and controlled global trade. The raw materials as well as finished products were less mobile and the international organizations had to reconstruct and organize the disarrayed world after the war. There was a need to create an integrated economic system for those nations that were interested in forming an array. When some allied nations agreed to form an in ternational cohesion, they envisioned the creation of international organizations. Their visions gave birth to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in 1944. International trade would obviously involve various nations that operate using different currencies. The 44 allied nations set up the IMF to manage the international monetary system, where, the involved nations agreed on having cooperation between the nations and thus, they fixed a parity of currencies. Before the establishment of the IMF, the United States had the powers to manipulate the exchange rate of the US dollar. However, thereafter the IMF came into being; no state was in a position to influence the exchange rates, as all the involved nations had to adhere to the terms and conditions of the IMF. In addition to the formation of the IMF and the World Bank, GATT formulated during the same period to facilitate the formation of an integrated economic system across the world. A favorable legal and physical environment facilitated the growth of international trade. Regional trade agreements emerged during the 1980s and most importantly, invention of containerization enhanced the flow of goods across trade-integrated regions. The international organizations facilitated international trade activities that grew from one region to another. Foreign direct investments surged thereafter, and multinational corporations started forming. Currently, the world is at the global production network phase. International trade has taken a new form, from regional integration to global integration. There are complex networks that facilitate the communication process and the global production process. International trade and globalization have strengthened international growth though the enhanced logistics of telecommunication. Firms can now operate across the world comfortably. International business managers can outsource raw materials at considerably cheap prices, do the productions process wherever t hey can minimize the productivity costs, and seek markets where they would maximize their profits (Soros, 2002).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Trade and Its Effects on Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The establishment and growth of international trade agreements was a key element to globalization. Essentially, globalization took effect after World War II, and it has since then accelerated considerably due to enhanced technological and communication infrastructure. The greatest growth in globalization occurred in the mid- 1980s when technology took the upper hand. With the enhanced technology, communication, and transportation, the comprehension of the happenings in the world became very easy and readily affordable. The increased liberation of trade further enhanced globalization as firms found it worthwhile to carry out the different phases of production in different count ries. Thereafter, the firms would shop around the globe to find the regions where they would sell their products and reap maximum profits. The World Trade Organization that was established in 1995 has played a great role in facilitating free trade, and at the same time, it has established ways to protect those nations that would be molested by super powered nations. Currently, international managers can easily manage their international firms by the aid of a computer. The internet, with the help of advanced software enables the international managers to monitor and manage the progress of all the activities of all the company’s firms. The managers can shop around the internet, sell their products online, and purchase any product or service over the internet (De Blij, 2009). Generally, international trade in line with the advanced technology has made the world a global village. How international trade has effected globalization As discussed, international trade has played a cri tical role in paving the way for globalization. The world has simply become a global village out of the interdependent relationship that has developed across nations. There is increased integration of people, enhanced development of ideas, and enhanced financial activities among other pathways through which international trade has effected globalization. The different pathways are as discussed below. Enhanced trading activities In the contemporary world, the mercantilism trade system of ancient days does not apply as it only benefited one trade partner while the other partner suffered. With the growth of international trade, individuals and nations are becoming enlightened, and the colonial era is becoming extinct. Globalization is taking over the ruling of trade systems, where, countries being involved in international trade struggle to ensure that they reap maximum profits from the trading activities. Nations have made it their obligation to ensure they are involved in positive tr ade balance. International trade has made nations to be on toes as they struggle to ensure they have more exports than imports.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nations struggle to accumulate as much wealth as possible, and the process enhances the trading activities across nations. International organizations have enabled the globalization of trading activities by enhancing free trade and controlling all the trading activities (Cairncross, 2007). Nations can import raw materials as well as human resources with some expertise in a certain field. Further, the trading activities can take place across the internet without much struggles of commuting. The most interesting trade activity that has made the world a global village is the stock market trading activities. Globalization and the enhanced worldwide web has made it possible for investors to monitor the stock prices from anywhere in the world. People can easily connect to brokers from across the world, buy shares, sell them, and do all the stock trading activity as long as they are connected to the internet. International trade has influenced globalization by making things happen instantl y. Nowadays, people can do online shopping from across the globe the goods are delivered at their doorsteps. Companies do not have to struggle to market their products physically as the online service providers can do the service on their behalf. International trade and globalization has lead to the development of a healthy competitive market environment (McDaniel, 2000). Nations have found it worthwhile to set economic development goals that are to be achieved within a specified period. Globalization has enabled nations to embark on export-oriented strategies that enable the nations to reap maximum benefits from their international trade activities. Some nations, especially the first class nations find it worthwhile to import unprocessed raw materials at a considerably cheap price. The nations then process the raw materials into finished products and sell them at high prices that reap them maximum profits. In essence, international trade and globalization have made nations to embra ce a game of wits, where, only the intelligent players survive. The international organizations have always made it their obligation to ensure they protect nations that are prone to molestation in the name of international trade. Overall, it is right to conclude that international trade achieves globalization, which in return enhances the trading activities across nations. Improved transport system One of the core factors that influence international trade is the transportation industry. For any international trade to happen, products and services must be transported from one nation to another. In ancient days, people could use silk roads and products would take centuries to reach their intended destination. That meant that it was impossible for one to trade perishables. This and other sectors that had transportation difficulties influenced the inventors to work on developing efficient transport systems. The continued innovations and improvements of the earlier transport systems hav e ungraded the transport systems to increase their general capacity and throughput (Archibugi, Howells, Michie, 2000). Ever since international trade took full effect, the scale and volume of products and services traded have increased considerably. There was a considerable shift in international trade that achieved globalization in the mid 1980s. The improved transport sector decreased the time that products would take before reaching the desired consumer and there producers were able to have a more extensive market coverage than before (Engardio, 2007). Air transport is the fastest means of transport that have enabled traders to access markets for their products across the world. In earlier days, there were restrictions of those who would access the international transportation systems because it was quite costly. Therefore, people could only trade their products and services within the place of production as it could not be economically beneficial to pay for airfreights. However , the price of international transportation has decreased considerably. Moreover, the volume of products that one can transport internationally has had an increasing trend over time. This means that producers, especially those dealing with perishable products can expand their production without the fear of making losses. Secondly, the increased levels of production would mean that producers would enjoy the reduced production expenses because of the advantage associated with producing in a large economy of scale. The air transport system has contributed heavily in the expansion of international trading activities, which has facilitated globalization. There is more interdependence across the world, where, people are able to trade different products in different parts of the world. Water transportation has played a great role in enhancing the transportation of heavy goods. Continents have constructed harbors that enable them to enter and connect with the maritime shipping networks. Thr ough water transport, countries are able to obtain heavy commodities, spare parts and finished automobile products among other products. Starving nations in sub-Saharan Africa are able to obtain relieve food that is shipped all the way from the donor nations. Water transportation costs have decreased considerably with time and this is a clear indication trade would flourish. China, for example, has greatly benefited from water transport. Through the water transportation systems, the country is able to import uncountable number of containers of raw materials and export thousands of containers of manufactured goods. Rail and road transport takes on from the ports to transport the containers to the respective localities within the country. In essence, without international transport, international trade would be impossible (Bentes, Ettinger, Husisian, Povarchuk, Ryan, Simpson, Tretter, 2009). In fact, international transportation has had increased pressure because of the additional de mand of freight services. Similarly, ports and roads have had congestions, and this is a clear indication of increased international trade and globalization. Increased productivity International trade essentially means that firms have a wide market region. Therefore, the firms are obligated to increase their productivity to be able to meet the demands of the new markets that arise from one time to another. The increased productivity ensures that the firms enjoy the advantages of a large economy of scale. Moreover, international trade offers firms with the opportunity to use cheap resources like capital and labor. A firm, for example, is able to outsource raw materials and human resources at a considerably cheap price (Jeter, 2009). Given the fact that these are the two main factors of production, the farm is able to reduce its production cost considerably. Such a firm produces more efficiently and thus, it could increase its productivity. Nations can enhance their global efficiency by increasing productivity, trading their surplus and importing whatever the nation lacks. From this perspective, it is evident that nations work hard to increase their productivity, and thus have some surplus output for exportation purposes (Corona, 2011). International trade and globalization brings in interdependence amongst nations. While a nation may be producing an array of products, it may decide to focus on one sector that gives the highest level of income. With the focus on one sector, a firm would decide to enhance its production system and that would be one way of increasing its productivity. Moreover, a firm that foresees its expansion of its international trade would struggle to maintain a good relationship with its external suppliers. That would be a sure way of ensuring that the firm continuously obtains inputs at a reasonable price and thus, it can increase its productivity without necessarily having to undergo exaggerated input costs. International trade and the glo balised world have even enabled firms to increase their productivity though making openings in foreign countries. The foreign firms find it worthwhile to process the products in their various FDI’s instead on processing them in their headquarters and meeting the transportation costs to the markets. Moreover, firms can obtain lowered production costs in the foreign lands and that would generate some whopping profits to the firm. One of the countries that have increased its productivity considerably is China. China has consistently increased its productivity at par with the growing demand of products and availability of input resources. In essence, China supplies almost every type of product to the developing countries, and all nations globally should adapt China’s habit. China is a great example of a nation that is at par with the globalizing world. Enhanced communication infrastructure The desire to communicate business matters efficiently is one of the core factors th at motivated inventors to invent ways to facilitate the communication process. The inventions of affluent communication systems have brought the world closer. Communication and the flow of information is the superhighway of international trade and the founders of the internet deserve credit as their inventions have contributed greatly to the world’s economy (Bhagwati, 2002). The World Wide Web has made the world a global village as international managers in different geographical locations can now chat as if they are together. Currently, the communication process is simplified such that individuals can obtain responses within a shortened time. This factor has enabled international managers to coordinate their businesses across the globe with much ease. With the enhanced information technology and communication (ICT) systems, international managers can bargain the costs of production. They can easily communicate and find their way into regions where they can obtain high qualit y labor pools at considerably lowered prices. The enhanced ICT networks have enabled international firms to recruit their staff online, run seminars online, and send memos and any important and urgent information online. ICT enables the international managers to maneuver through the databases on their various FDIs, make comparisons, and determine the areas of weakness of a particular FDI. Further, ICT has greatly helped in the reduction of fraud cases as finance managers are obliged to avail financial data online. The managers can access the data and identify areas that appear fishy. Moreover, international managers are able to monitor their employees globally with the help of the ICT system. They can easily identify weak employees and identify their areas of weakness that need some reformation. The ICT systems also help in identifying strong employees and rewarding them accordingly. This factor has not only enhances international trade, but also brings the world closer. ICT has gre atly enhanced the interdependence of nations as business managers can even obtain human services without necessarily having to meet physically with the service providers. The ICT systems have played a great role in making worthwhile investment decision for international managers (McFarling, 2000). With the help of the ICT systems, international managers can easily obtain the physical and metrological information about a place. They can understand the economic processes, likely climatic changes, and political uproars that would affect their businesses in one way or another. With such critical information about a place, investors are able to forecast the economic environment and make wise investment decisions. If, for example, a country has a history of having political uproars every other time they carry out elections, it would not be worthwhile to invest in such a country during their election period. Investors would find it worthwhile to wait until the country regains stability bef ore it can think of investing. As expected, foreign investors who intend to do international trade or invest in a foreign land are likely to meet people with different cultures. With the enhanced ICT systems, the investors can research from the internet to find out about the cultural believes of the people in which they intend to invest. Currently, there are musical productions and computerized programs that can enable foreigners to learn about a community’s cultural heritage and prepare psychologically on how to embrace the culture. In essence, ICT has played a great role in international trade. With everything computerized, the world is a global village. One can trade for products and services online without necessarily having to commute. E-commerce is an ICT-enabled application that enhances international trade by enabling people to get what they want across the globe. The new era of mobile phones and computers that are upgraded to do almost everything has made everything possible. There are computer programs that enable consumers to order items internationally, book flights online, reserve international hotels online, and even pay for the services online. The ICT systems have simplified things by enabling people to save on time and money to search for the readily available services. As large as it may be, the world is simply a global village in which one can go around in a matter of seconds with the help of the enhanced ICT systems. Enhanced financial activities The most important factor in any trade is the method of payment for the products and services traded. As evident, the buyer and seller may not meet physically as all the transactions are done either online or by the help of mobile phones. International trade has played a key role in keeping innovators on toes. In earlier days, transferring money internationally was costly and time consuming. Currently, that is not the case, as various online payment systems exist. The banks have coordinated with the online systems and they give message alerts to the client whenever an international transaction takes place though the mobile phones. The enhanced payment systems assure the sellers and buyers that they would trade without much difficulty. It is noteworthy that international trade exposes traders to the foreign exchange markets. These Over-The-Counter (OTC) markets do not involve any form of central exchange. This greatest development of the ICT systems has enabled international traders to manage their business globally. The international firm managers are able to reduce their transaction costs by eliminating the exchange and clearing fee. Although the foreign exchange markets exposes international firms to the risk of unanticipated changes in the currency exchange rates, the international managers have learnt to reap the best from the OTC markets. They make a detailed plan of their predicted costs and revenue flow, and evaluate the impact of a change of the prevailing exch ange rates (Stiglitz, 2006). Though contentious, some countries have set monitory policies to guide the exchange rates of their currencies. In addition to the enhanced financial pathways that have enhanced international trade and made the world a global village, the international organizations have played a great role in ensuring that the financial activities worldwide are in control (Epping, 2009). The World Bank, International Trade Organization, and other international organizations have taken an upper hand in controlling the valuation of currencies, banking, legal, and insurance activities of all international trading activities. In fact, the banks have gone ahead and made it possible to offer investment capital for international transactions. The letter of credit is sent to the exporter on the other side of the continent as a payment guarantee from the bank. The letter acts an assurance that the recipient will complete the payments upon delivery of the products. Some internatio nal firms operate under an insured environment in case of any damages. A cargo, for example, may take several weeks to reach its destination because of the long distance that is involved, and thus it needs some insurance cover, which some global financial organizations offer. The enhanced financial pathways of international trade have played a critical role in encouraging companies to take part in international trade (La Bella, 2010). Nowadays, the financial environment of international trade is somewhat standardized. In essence, the enhanced programs of the ICT systems have made the world a global village. The OTC markets enable international managers to control their FDIs across the world with much ease. Depending on their product line and the anticipated market, the managers could decide to diversify their line of production and ensure they earn maximum profits. The production systems, transport systems, insurance, and providence of investment capital are some of the factors that have enhanced globalization, and they have encouraged firms and individuals to take part in international trade. Strengthened relationship and Integration of people One thing that makes strong relationships is the assurance that a relationship would reap some mutual benefit to all the involved stakeholders. International trade has played a prominent role in many countries. The trade agreements between member countries provide a platform of building partnerships that enhance coordination of the governments. In fact, there have been cases where third world nations have pleaded with foreign investors to invest in their country to help in upgrading the sluggish economy. International trade has enabled undeveloped countries, mainly in Africa, to have the privilege of receiving products and services from esteemed organizations. From this perspective, the strengthened relationship brings in the interdependence factor amongst the involved individuals. Investors have found it worthwhile to invest in such nations because of the availability of cheap labor. Moreover, globalization and the enhanced technology play a prominent role in aiding the international management of the multinational firms across the globe (Ethier, 2001).The internet and the World Wide Web have enhanced international management. International trade and the global economy have resulted to the development and growth of integrated production processes. Ever since globalization came into being, there has been growing levels of integrated manufacturing services, financial services, and most importantly, distribution services (Brightbill, Laroski, Sullivan, Bentes, Smith, Wharwood, 2012). The integration of the services has enhanced the relationship of all the involved individuals. Obviously, for people to work in harmony, they have to develop a harmonious work environment. The whole process results into improved logistics in all the business processes. All stakeholders involved in international trade, regardless of their race, gender or color will work together for the betterment of their business. The whole process will lead to the improvement of the entire international trade pathways. The transport system would improve, resource exploitation would enhance, and most importantly, the transaction and legal environment would be supportive. All the entire complexities associated with international trade would simplify, and the volume of goods exchanged internationally would increase considerably. From the perspective of the development of strengthened relationships between the involved stakeholders, international trade has indeed achieved globalization (Gregory, 2007). International trade has strengthened the interdependence aspect between the involved stakeholders. All stakeholders understand and value each other. Unlike the earlier days when the whites would perceive Africa as a dark continent, international trade has brought a reason for the whites to value the products and serv ices from Africa. In fact, the whites have found it worthwhile to invest in sub-Saharan Africa, where they obtain cheap labor and ready market for their products. International trade has enabled the whites to generate massive volumes of wealth, and the laborers have some sense of satisfaction from the income they get from their hard work in international investments. International trade facilitates regional trade agreements, where, countries within a given geographical region come to an agreement to remove trade barriers. The countries trade freely and thus strengthens the relationship between trade partners. International managers would have the privilege of sharing ideas, experiences, products, and services across nations within one trade region (Morgan, Skinner, Bentes, Brophy, Chaklader, DeFrancesco, Henter, 2013). The regional economic integrations enhance international management by constructing broadened governance profiles and agendas that enhance economic growth. Regional trade agreements have offered a platform that enhances political stability, harmonization, and security among member countries. Countries that had grudges with their neighboring countries are free to integrate, learn business ideas, and compete for the common advantage of both countries. International trade, globalization, and regional economic integrations create a healthy competition across countries and amongst international businesses. The countries struggle to ensure they are at par with their competitors (Sirkin, 2008). Similarly, international managers are kept on toes to ensure they are at par with their competitors. Overall, the healthy competition brought about by international trade, globalization, and regional integration not only strengthens the relationship between the involved parties, but it also plays a critical role in expanding international trade. Enhanced economic landscape International trade is very risky, and any entrepreneur can find it difficult to engage i n the trade. However, the international organizations, technological industries, heads of states, and all involved stakeholders are trying their best to enhance the economic landscape for international trade by simplifying custom procedures and removing trade barriers. In the recent past, there were notable trade impediments, prolonged clearance times, and other inconveniences while handling import or export products particularly in the less developed nations. Nowadays, the international trade organizations are working hand in hand with the heads of states of such nations to ensure they address all the above-named hindrances (Cox, 2005). The notable efforts to abolish the difficulties in carrying out international trade include the emergence of trade blocks, decreased tariffs, as well as approaches to promote international trade. In the recent past, increased levels of economic integration have enhanced international trade. Evidently, upgraded transport networks enhance trade flows and international transactions. Regional trade integrations have been on the rise and the efforts have created free trade zones amongst countries. Governments have facilitated export-oriented activities and even collaborated with banks to act as guarantees while handling foreign monies. It is evident that the enhanced economic environment has played a great role in encouraging firms and individuals to participate in international trade. Moreover, the enhanced technological systems have played a prominent role in aiding international trade and management of multinational firms across the globe. The trade standardization concerns have greatly benefited international traders who have access to reliable information that offers them with the confidence to trade globally. The international traders and consumers are assured of receiving high quality products that have met the international standards. In essence, the enhanced economic landscape has brought a lot of transparency in internati onal trade. A set of new firms are considering entering into international trade to access greater opportunities of growth and development (Gupta Choudhry, 2007). International trade is slowly pulling people to live, work, trade, and depend on one another in the globalized world. Specialized production and the enhanced economic lifestyles Although international trade is somewhat risky and challenging, countries that are actively engaged in international trade can attest that they have somewhat benefited from engaging in international trade (Archibugi Michie, 2007). The economic lifestyles of the citizens of countries in East Asian, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore have improved because of international trade that has influenced globalization. Supposing there was no international trade, nations would only produce enough products for domestic use. This would simply mean that only a few nations would be self sufficient to sustain some adequate living standards. Hunger, malnutrition, a nd non-industrialization experiences would be prevalent in most nations. In essence, international trade and globalization have played a significant role in enhancing the economic life styles in most developing nations. Through globalization, third world nations access electronics that are manufactured in industrialized nations. In return, the developing nations would produce raw agricultural products, export the surplus, and earn some foreign income. In essence, international trade achieved globalization by enhancing the dependency across nations. The stakeholders of international trade accumulate as much wealth as possible, and thus, they are able to enhance their living standards. As indicated earlier, no nation is self-sufficient (Bhagwati, 2004). While one nation produces oil, for example, the other nation is able to produce agricultural products and the two nations trade their products. International trade has enabled nations to maximize productivity of the items that the nati ons can produce, and sell the surplus to nations that need their products. African nations are well known for their production of agricultural products. It would be more expensive to produce electronics and automobiles in sub-Saharan Africa than in the US or Japan; or rather, the region would lack the expertise to produce electronics and automobiles. International trade enables every nation to engage in specialization by efficiently producing what it can in large scales. As evident, specialization is one of the factors that have played a great role in ensuring that people produce what they can best. It is the only sure way of deriving wealth without many struggles. Specialization enables the producers to have reduced production costs, increase productivity, and generate surplus for commercial purposes (DeCarlo, 2011). In the recent past, the international transport systems have experienced an increased in the number of items to transport internationally. This is a clear indication t hat specialization has enabled firms and individuals to have growing shares in the international market. International trade has effected globalization in this manner by strengthening the relationship across nations. Since the 1980s, the developing nations have recorded increasing volumes of agricultural products exports. This is a clear indication that the nations are slowly diversifying and thus, they are improving their living standards. Conclusion From the discussions, it is evident that without international trade, only a few nations would manage to live decently. Indeed, international trade allows consumers to access a variety of resources from around the globe. Oil, for example, is not found everywhere, but the entire world uses automobiles that consume oil because it is traded internationally. The Chinese are well known for their labor, and globalization has enabled them to travel around the world to offer their construction services. Agricultural products, automobiles, elec tronics, and everything else that one can think of is readily available across the globe because of globalization and international trade. Strengthened interdependence enhances specialization, which enables nations to adhere to one line of production, thus lowering the productivity costs and increasing productivity. Foreign investors are accumulating wealth from their FDIs while employees in the FDIs earn decent wages that enhance their lifestyles. Producers are assured of the ready market for their products. An increase in the demand of products globally motivates the producers to produce additional products. Increased productivity is a clear indication of enhanced lifestyles. It indicates that there is an increase in the number of people and firms finding their way into trading internationally. 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