Blog

Develop a 2,100-word economic outlook forecast that includes the following:
Analyze the history of changes in GDP, savings, investment, real interest rates, and unemployment and compare to forecast for the next five years.
Discuss how government policies can influence economic growth.
Analyze how monetary policy could influence the long-run behavior of price levels, inflation rates, costs, and other real or nominal variables.
Describe how trade deficits or surpluses can influence the growth of productivity and GDP.
Discuss the importance of the market for loanable funds and the market for foreign-currency exchange to the achievement of the strategic plan.
Recommend, based on your above findings, whether the strategic plan can be achieved and provide support.

Submit a 4- to 5-page paper that addresses the following questions. Be sure to use references within the paper to support your answers. Show work for all calculations.
(a) If real GDP was $13.1 trillion in 2013 and $13.3 in 2014, what is the growth rate? (b) How many years would it take for GDP (gross domestic product) to double (using your answer from part a)?
What are the sources of human capital? What are sources of labor productivity? Discuss some specific examples.
What is the law of diminishing returns? Give an example of what the law of diminishing returns implies.
What happens when the government raises taxes and uses revenue to engage in spending?
Assignment Expectations
Use concepts from the modular background readings as well as any good quality resources you can find. Be sure to cite all sources within the text and provide a reference list at the end of the paper.
Length: 4?5 pages double-spaced and typed.
The following items will be assessed in particular:
Your ability to understand international trade policy.
Some in-text references to the modular background material (APA recommended).
The essay should address each element of the assignment. Remember to support your answers with solid references including the Case readings.
Upload your paper to the Case 4 dropbox when it is completed.

Globalization is a reality of our current world market?and studies indicate the trend will continue. This module focuses on international trade and economic growth. Specifically, we will discuss the actions that nation?states take to promote or discourage trade and examines the economic consequences of these and other actions.
The Case Assignment focuses on how economies grow. We will examine the dynamics of economic growth and learn about the roles technological progress, capital, human capital, and other factors play in the growth of an economy. In the SLP, the quiz focuses on specialization, trade, and exchange markets.

From an economic standpoint, evaluate the effect of a minimum wage on the market for low-wage labor. Include the following:
Discuss what economic theory predicts will happen
Draw a supply and demand graph illustrating the effect of a minimum wage
Discuss what elasticity conditions would economic theory prove to be true or false.

As an employee of the World Bank, you have been asked to research 1 economic concern in an African country and write a report on your findings.
Select an African country to research.
Select 1 of the following economic concerns to research:
Quantities of specific goods and services
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Unemployment
Inflation
Research data sets for the one economic concern within the African country that you have chosen.
In a 3?4-page report, answer the following questions:
What are 2?3 relationships between the economic concern you selected and that specific country’s economy?
What trends do you see in the data sets?
Support your assertions of the trends with statistical evidence.
Cite all of your sources correctly and include a reference list, both in APA style.

One constraint in our economy is time. As a society, we make choices about the allocation of time between work and other pursuits. In the US, most workers are eligible for overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours a week, whereas most European workers become eligible at 35 hours per week. In addition, workers in Europe have guaranteed vacation time– five weeks in France– a benefit not available in the US. As a result the typical US worker puts in about 2000 hours per year compared to 1700 hours per year in France and Germany.

Should US laws be changed to require a shorter work week and longer vacation time?

For each side of the question list at least two strong arguments. Use the following concepts from this weeks materials at least once;

1. Opportunity cost,

2. Marginal decision making, and

3. Diminishing returns

Two research organizations rank countries by their economic competitiveness with quite different results. Based on these rankings address the following questions;
? Provide a brief (one paragraph) overview of this week?s material.
? Why do they do reach different conclusions?
? Explain which research organization’s ranking best describes the state of the world economy. Include support from course materials to support your explanation.

One ranking comes from the World Economic Forum, http://www.weforum.org/
It describes itself as follows:
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.

The report on competitiveness is available at:
http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015/

Another ranking, described in the textbook comes from the Heritage Foundation http://www.heritage.org/

It describes itself as follows:
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute – a think tank – whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

The body of your report is to be three pages in length and is to contain the following:
A brief introduction, conveying what the report is about
A main body, containing the “meat” of the report, where you provide the requested information
A conclusion, summarizing the content of the report clearly and concisely
Include an appropriate title page
Typewritten in double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1″ margins.
A minimum of three (3) academically acceptable sources are to be utilized. Use those provided to you throughout the course, as well as other material obtained from conducting your own research to support your work. However, such information is to supplement your work, not replace or serve as the major part of it. Therefore, assignments will be automatically submitted for review through Turnitin and will be graded in accordance with the writing assignment grading rubric. Freely utilize appropriate sources, summarize in your own words and cite accordingly, but be mindful of excessive direct quotes, as they should not make up more than 10% of your report.
Sources utilized are to be cited and listed in accordance with the APA writing style

Save your work as a Microsoft Word document in the following format, ?SmithProgress.doc? and attach as your assignment

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let’s assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. If you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, these scores would constitute a _________.

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (http://www.siecus.org/) (SIECUS) recommends a comprehensive approach to sexuality Education. Read the article Pop Culture Sex Ed: What Media Teaches Us About Sexual Health (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deb-levine/sex-ed_b_859192.html), and reflect on the questions, ?At what age should sexuality Education begin in a public school setting? Is public or community Education an appropriate manner to teach sexuality? What should the curriculum include or exclude? Who should be responsible for developing and approving the curriculum?” Respectfully debate these questions with your peers.

Forum 2: Email from the Richards
Imagine that you visited this family, the Richards, last year. You had a great time eating out, shopping, and going to the movies with them. You recently heard that Mr. Richards lost his job as an automotive executive a few months after your visit, and their younger son, Jonah, has been hospitalized several times for a series of unexplained seizures. The family is struggling in many ways. Mrs. Richards sent you a long email describing how the family has changed since you saw them last. What does the email say?
Be sure to mention employment, finances, mental health issues, medical concerns, extended family response to the family?s struggles, relations between Mr. and Mrs. Richards, the kids? academic progress, family violence and substance use, and use of leisure time. You can invent the details, but make sure your assumptions are based on family research found in the book or from other reputable sources.

Forum Grading Rubric

Possible points
Student points
Met initial post deadline (Wednesday)
10

Initial post is substantive
10

Initial post is at least 250 words& includes more than one paragraph
10

Initial post employs at least one citation
10