Our Decision

We have decided on India for our blog theme this semester. We will look at it as it interacts with other countries, especially economically. We think that this will be a most interesting topic because India is rising as an international power and is facing many internal as well as external challenges. Naturally, with the global nature of today’s politics, even the most domestic issues will have international ramifications. We will trace these in great detail and with extensive analysis, hopefully being able to apply the theories and techniques that we study in class to our exploration.

Consumerism and Conservation in the International Realm

After watching the most compelling documentary on cell phones, we have come to the consensus that we readily affect international relations through our purchasing power and general consumption of goods.

There are a plethora of things which we consume every day that are imported. The stores where we buy any good often are based outside of the United States and may not conform to labor standards of the United States. Consequently our buying decisions may indirectly support terrorism, wars, human rights violations and could contribute to the continued impovertization of some countries. Our buying habits also affect the prices of the goods themselves, and can influence the survival and continued prosperity of multinational corporations in every continent. In example, Wal-Mart consumes 10% of all Chinese exports. Should American consumers decide to boycott Wal-Mart not only would the American based business be in jeopardy, but China would also face economic turmoil as well with a substantial decrease in export consumption. Another example would be how much oil is used by U.S consumers. Much of that oil comes from overseas via Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, etcetera. Should the United States drastically reduce their consumption of oil by say 35%, these rentier states would suffer an economic collapse because of the dependency on oil exports. This illustrates how the purchasing decisions that we personally make can affect the economies and economic well being of other nations. In our own personal lives we can help to affect the environment. Here is a list of 350 things you can do to help save the environment, which are things you and I can do every day!!

http://seniorproject-melanie.blogspot.com/2007/06/suggestions.html

By conserving energy within our dorms or by carpooling, for instance, we can preserve the earth for future generations across nations. This is one of the most overlooked ways in which we affect international relations DAILY.

The current and past credit crises in the United States illustrate another way of people, even us, can affect the economc status of many nations in the world. When we buy something on credit, say a house which many of us could be buying in the next five to ten years, it is assumed by the lender that you will pay that money back. Thus, a mortgage is created on the house and you make payments at an interest rate to pay off the house. It allows us to buy a house without all the money upfront. Credit, however, is a dangerous thing to play with. As seen currently, with a potentially recessionary economy in the United States and people defaulting on loans and mortgages, we can see a potential economic pitfall. Other countries invest heavily in our markets and our economic well being, and thus, when our economy slows or we default on a mortgage,other countries begin to worry and could also face consequences through market and futures fluctuations.

Thus, it has been demonstrated that we, as simple citizens of the United States, affect international communities in ALMOST every decision we make and in ALMOST every action we take.

Peace. ciao. cheerio.

A and the L snizzle

My absent mind, tardiness, and a healthy dose of chinese zen…

The one event which I could seperate my life with would be my business trip to China which I took last Christmas (06). It was an experience which will last me a lifetime. The idea, which actually worked very well, was to teach SAT classes to high school kids in China who have very little current access to SAT classes. There is a huge demand for the SAT over in China, as many people want to continue their education in the United States post High School. My friend and I (he speaks fluent mandarin Chinese and had connections over in China) wrote up a business plan, and began to create the material from scratch which we would use to teach our classes. Once we actually went to China, we established many different contacts which would help fund and allow us to create a company in China. Creating a company in China is not a simple endeavor, rather, it is something which is very complicated and all but impossible to do without an influential official or contact already in China. It was a bewilderingly tough process, between writing the strategies and materials ourselves, and then procuring the funding (some from ourselves, others from sources unknown even to me), and then setting up a business under his parent’s company already there. It was so influential on me because it taught me so much about doing business across borders, especially with a country so corrupt yet prosperous as China, and tuaught me some very tough lessons about doing business with another person, creating a corporation and a partnership, and trying to mesh together over a business model. Suffice it to say, my friend and I have parted ways since then over many disagreements in implementation and to an extent ownership. The experiences, however, will last a lifetime and influence my thoughts on economics and business even to this day.

-  Addison Humbert

A Monumental Change in my Humble Existence

Hmmm… I would have to say that the most significant change in my life was when I “broke it off” with my best friend from middle school and joined a new, completely different, group of girls in high school. When I look at the path she has followed since then and the one that I am on now, I can honestly say that I would be somewhere completely different if I were still friends with her. So, as boring as it sounds, I conclude that my life post-Alli-breakup is quite unlike my life pre-Alli-breakup, and that this is most monumental change of my existence thus far. Yipee. 

(This is Leigh Ann)

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