Tuesday, December 24, 2019

State Apparatuses By Antonio Gramsci - 1430 Words

I have been for the most part skeptical about whether Louis Althusser’s essay on state apparatuses accomplishes anything not previously explained in more humanistic and less functionalist terms by Antonio Gramsci. Indeed, although there appears to be a clear divergence between the two insofar as Gramsci associates ideological work with civil society whereas Althusser locates it in the state, even this distinction is not as stark in light of certain passages in Selections from the Prison Notebooks. Gramsci’s historically specific analysis of domination through hegemony simply seemed to me to constitute a social theory that better accounts for contingency, agency, and change. After further reflection, however, it also clear to me that we can improve upon it by incorporating Althusser’s useful references to materiality and production. Before explaining Althusser’s contribution to theories of ideology and the state, it is necessary to review Gramsci’s own writings on the topic, particularly since his definition of the state and its functions varies a great deal within his fragmented notes from 1929-1936. The particular conception with which Gramsci is perhaps most associated is found in â€Å"State and Civil Society†Ã¢â‚¬â€the dichotomous title of which is highly suggestive—in which he describes the state as â€Å"the coercive and punitive force of juridical regulation of a country.† It was Gramsci’s attention to ideological struggles in the voluntary associations and private institutions ofShow MoreRelatedThe History Of The Library Profession938 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Ambrosio (2013), reflecting on the history of the library profession, invokes Antonio Gramsci, who said that a critical understanding of the self also requires the development of an ethical stance, a se t of values, principles, and virtues to guide one’s moral conduct (Ambrosio, 2013, p. 328). Lacking such ethics or praxis, librarians are vulnerable to the dominant political ideology. â€Å"The way to overcome paralysis is the consciousness of what one really is and knowing oneself. It begins withRead MoreWalter Benjamin s Critique Of Violence2776 Words   |  12 Pagesassumption that just means will inevitably produce just ends as a matter of course. Benjamin goes onto explicate how this line of reasoning therefore finds itself engaged with a series of questions about the historical foundations and legal validation of state violence. Having set up the two sides of this antinomy, Benjamin makes his argument that both positive and natural law are dependent on a paradoxical logic. In both cases, justice must be found in the correlation between means and ends, where theRead MoreState Is Not A Unified Entity Essay2323 Words   |  10 PagesAfter this background, the state is briefly a distinct set of institutions that has the authority to make the rules, which govern a society. As Max Weber stated, it has a monopoly on the use of legitimate violence within a specific territory (Weber 1919/2009). Thus, the state consists of the institutions such as the military, the police, judiciary, bureaucracy, civil services, the parliament, local and national selected representatives. Thus, the state is not a unified entity. Indeed, it looks likeRead MoreEssay on A Role for Religion in Public Service3653 Words   |  15 PagesService ABSTRACT: In this paper I discuss recent scholarly work on ideology, mostly by Europeans, that exposes a secularist bias in current political theory, invites a nonderogatory concept of religion, and (I argue) justifies more flexible church/state relations. This work involves (1) redefining ideology as any action-oriented ideas, whether destructive or ameliorative, including both secular theory and religion, then (2) drawing on hermeneutical and critical studies of the power/ideology relationshipRead MoreEssay on Foucaults Discipline and Punish: The birth of the prison2301 Words   |  10 Pagesa period extending from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Today, however, under the conditions of global modernity, the relevance of his contribution is often called into question. With the increasing ubiquity of markets, the break up of centralized states and the dissolution of national boundaries, the world today seems far removed from the bounded, disciplinary societies Foucault described in his most famous books. Far from disciplinary, society today is â€Å"post panoptic,† as Nancy Fraser has arguedRead MoreState, Political Economy And Governanc2013 Words   |  9 PagesState, Political Economy and Governanc HOW DO YOU ENCOUNTER STATE AND CITIZENSHIP IN YOUR DAILY LIFE? UNDERSTANDING STATE: The modern word state has been derived from the word â€Å"status† earlier employed by Teutons. It was Niccolo Machiavelli who first used the term â€Å"state† in political science. From the beginning of social life, mankind has lived under some kind of authority. The authority has varied in its nature and has exercised its

Monday, December 16, 2019

Tsmg5340 Huawei Free Essays

TSMG 5340 Wenzhao Li HUAWEI: CISCO’S CHINESE CHALLENGER The explosive growth of mobile Internet, fueled by the technological innovations, has affected every aspect of our lives. Mobile devices such as smart phones and PDA and even smart pets are now being interwoven into the fabric of our lives. The ultimate goal of all these devices is to bring all people into a networked society. We will write a custom essay sample on Tsmg5340 Huawei or any similar topic only for you Order Now Behind all these amazing devices, however, are the efforts of the telecom equipment companies, such as Alcatel, Lucent, 3Com and Cisco. Among all of these companies, there is a Chinese company, named Huawei, gradually being attention by the global telecom industry. For Huawei, its ambition is to catch up with Cisco as a world leader other than a domestic giant, which we know that none Chinese company has ever achieved in an industry as important as telecommunication. In my reading of this issue, trying to comprehensively understand Huawei’s situation in venturing into international market, four observations stand out: strength of Huawei, weakness of Huawei, Huawei’s opportunities and threats faced by Huawei. Strength: Firstly, China’s telecom equipment market is the background of Huawei. China’s telecom industry achieved substantial double-digit growth in 1980s, and surpassed US to become the largest telecom market by the end of 2002. The glooming growth in Chinese market is an initial power of Huawei’s growth. Table 2 in the case shows that as early as 2005, Huawei had achieved the market leader with the share of 13. 5%. And since China was the largest market, Huawei had become the largest domestic telecom equipment company. Secondly, the special company culture and foresight shown by the company make Huawei an extraordinary different company. The military-styled â€Å"Wolf-Pack† corporate culture and relationship with Chinese government are the â€Å"trump cards† of Huawei. The chairman, Zhengfei, admitted that: â€Å"If there had been no government policy to protect, Huawei would no longer exist†. But this is not the only reason of Huawei’s success. Different from other companies, who following the country’s policy of â€Å"exchanging market for technology†, Huawei put more efforts on research and development, and investing huge punch of money in the future technology (example of investment in 3G). In this way, Huawei becomes more competitive, holding large amounts of cash and patents. As Huawei becoming more and more powerful, they start to build a national recruitment system with exceptionally high pay by Chinese standards, making them an ideal employer of college graduates. RD investment, patents, high salaries†¦all of these characteristics belonging to western technology powerhouse are replicated by Huawei to its model of corporate management. Thirdly, Huawei was undoubted the largest Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer, with integrated and Omni form products. Weakness: The culture gap between Huawei and other companies may be a headache to the Huawei’s managers. The military-styled wolf-pack corporate culture looks not attractive to the employees overseas, who prefer a workplace with more relax and less stress. Besides this, the closed relationship between Huawei and Chinese government, especially the military, should be considered by the other countries of security issues when they planning to cooperate with Huawei. Opportunities: Huawei’s move in the markets of developing countries has been proved to be successful. Huawei has printed its steps in Russia, South Africa, South America and Europe. The market of USA is an opportunity for Huawei to make their next global expansion. Threats: â€Å"Incumbent Western firms should be very scared of Huawei. Its reputation as a low-cost vendor is only the visible part of the iceberg†, As J. Doineau said, Huawei’s threat to the international telecom equipment suppliers was not to be overlooked. But in Huawei’s viewpoint, if all the competitors and potential partner regarding them as an intruder from â€Å"Chinese Military†, they would face serious threats due to the culture misunderstanding. On the other hand, the world leaders, like Cisco, could not freely give up their market shares to Huawei. The threat of face to face competition with them is another challenge to Huawei. Huawei began considering international expansion in 1996 when it was looking for diverse sources of growth beyond the Chinese market. The company made its initial overseas moves in the markets of developing countries, to avoid â€Å"head to head competition with its international rivals such as 3Com and Cisco†. Huawei made its first significant international sale to a Russian telecom service provider in 2000, which was quickly followed by Advanced Info Service, Thailand’s largest mobile service provider, and Tele Norte Leste Participacoes, Brazil’s fixed line carrier. What’s more, major contracts won in United Arab Emirates, making UAE the first Arab country with 3G wireless communications. They set up CDMA network in Europe and expanded business in Portugal, Netherlands and GB. Huawei’s success in global expansion cannot live without its competitive advantages comparing to the other companies: low-cost engineering, wolf-pack culture, and government support. As concluded by an industry analyst, Huawei’s threat came not from low-cost manufacturing, but from low-lost engineering. With an inexpensive and highly qualified research and development (RD) workforce, the company was able to deliver customized, innovative solutions to global enterprises looking to reduce their capital expenditures. The support from the Chinese government is another good news to Huawei. As cited in the case, the company received financial support from the state-owned Chinese Development Bank in the form of a US$10 billion credit facility for Huawei’s international expansions over five year. We never expect that happening in an US company. Last but not least, the management philosophy â€Å"Wolf-Pack† is regarded as a precious to Huawei. We can imagine that a company believing themselves as a pack of wolves-very confident and aggressive. That is why many incumbents feel scared of Huawei like sheep scaring of wolves. However, the competitive advantages cannot sustain forever. The highly qualified employees cannot satisfy the contemporary salary standards, which are high in China, but comparably low in developed countries. The pressure of the salary expenditure increasing makes a threat to Huawei in global expansion. The news shows that Huawei has recently come under attacks by the US government. The reason why US government did that mostly considers the national security issues, because Huawei has a close guanxi with Chinese military. As stated by Cisco’s CEO John Chambers, â€Å"Network would have to be capable of responding to intrusions and viruses before human operators become aware of them. And security will be the most effective and efficient if a common strategy extends through all of a corporation’s wired and mobile networks†. US government is alert to anything related to security. And what looks ironic here is that the words coming from CEO of Cisco, who is mainly competitor of Huawei in US market. With its bountiful political resources, Cisco is considered to be director of attacks. Whether the issue could be resolved is determined by the communications between Huawei and US government, and of course, the local incumbents. How to cite Tsmg5340 Huawei, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

International Trade IA.

Question: Write a Report on International Trade IA. Answer: Several substantial importances have been gained by the issues of international trade as well as economic growth with the introduction of trade liberalization policies in the developing countries. The liberalization of trade mostly leads to the removal as well as reduction of barriers on the free exchange of goods between countries. The impact of international trade mostly depends on globalization. Trade promotes economic competence by providing a broad range of commodities mostly at lower costs due to specialization. At present, globalization is clearly the leading international business model at present. Globalization has also been considered as the remorseless pursuit of competitiveness that produces the highest cost at a lowest sustainable price. Multilateral and provincial action has diminished barriers to international trade and investment. Due to globalization, firms are able to separate the manufacture of commodities and services into international value chain. They are also able to demeanor trade in inputs as well as completed commodities and services. [1] The article deals with exploration and exploitation of trade opportunities that exists between the United Kingdom and Canada. This is mostly because, diversification of international trade as well as foreign portfolio investment by Canada, encourages indication that moves towards seizing blue-chip prospects that is generated in the UK. Foreign portfolio investment raises the liquidity of domestic capital markets that helps to develop market competence as well. It helps to become a market more liquid, as they become more deep and wide.[2] Foreign portfolio investment can also bring discipline as well as expertise into the domestic capital market. It also helps to promote expansion of equity markets. The article states Canada and the UK share an enviable economic partnership. An economic partnership agreement (EPA) is a scheme to generate a free trade area. EPA also generates opportunities to deal with several issues that are related to trade as well as development. As a result, the country helps other foreign companies to bring their high-quality expenditure to the dynamic economy of the UK. [3] Figure: High-Quality Expenditure (Source: Created by Author) High quality expenditure mostly focuses on the size and composition of public expenditure. The State does not exert its influence on economy as well as society with the help of public expenditure. Comparative advantage is an economic theory that deals with the profits from trade for individuals as well as firms that takes place from divergences in the factor endowments. Figure: Comparative Advantage (Source: Created by Author) The theory of comparative advantage holds the fact that two countries will be better off if each of the country specializes in what it does best. Canada and the UK share an exclusive link unmatched by any of its competitors that provides each country with a first-mover advantage. The first-mover advantage is the benefit that is gained by the initial imperative occupant of a market segment. It is also referred to as technological leadership. With the help of first-mover advantage both Canada and the UK will be able to lead to innovative technology that will provide sustainable cost advantage. The firms will also accomplish leadership in market share. The recognition of brand name is considered as the major first mover advantage. It helps to simply define ability of the firm to be better off as compared to its competitors because of being first to market in an innovative goods category. [4]The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will improve trade opportunities considerably for European companies in Canada. The improvement in trade will lead to increase in output that is produced by an economy over a time-period. The outward shift in the production possibility curve leads to increase in productive potential of an economy. Investment in new technology is inevitably more effectual as compared to old technology. However, with inadequate resources an economy will not be able to expand. [5] Figure: Production Possibility Curve (Source: Created by Author) A division of labor on the other hand illustrates the fact that how production can be divided into separate tasks. A division of labor leads to improvement of production capacity as well as shift of the PPF outwards. References: Abbas, S., 2014. Trade liberalization and its economic impact on developing and least developed countries.Journal of International Trade Law and Policy,13(3), pp.215-221. De Melo, J. and Regolo, J., 2014. Revenue and Welfare Implications for Rwanda finalizing an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. Jain, P.K., Kuvvet, E. and Pagano, M.S., 2017. Corruptions impact on foreign portfolio investment.International Business Review,26(1), pp.23-35. Laursen, K., 2015. Revealed comparative advantage and the alternatives as measures of international specialization.Eurasian Business Review,5(1), pp.99-115. Malcolm, M., 2017. Do local exports impact congressional voting on free trade agreements?.Economics Letters. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2017/jewel-britannia-the-value-of-trade-with-the-uk/ Abbas, S., 2014. Trade liberalization and its economic impact on developing and least developed countries.Journal of International Trade Law and Policy,13(3), pp.215-221. Jain, P.K., Kuvvet, E. and Pagano, M.S., 2017. Corruptions impact on foreign portfolio investment.International Business Review,26(1), pp.23-35. De Melo, J. and Regolo, J., 2014. Revenue and Welfare Implications for Rwanda finalizing an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. Laursen, K., 2015. Revealed comparative advantage and the alternatives as measures of international specialization.Eurasian Business Review,5(1), pp.99-115. Malcolm, M., 2017. Do local exports impact congressional voting on free trade agreements?.Economics Letters.