International Product Life Cycle Essay Example for Free

International Product Life Cycle Essay The international product life cycle (IPLC) theory, developed and verified by economists to explain trade in a context of comparative advantage, describes the diffusion process of an innovation across national boundaries. The life cycle begins when a developed country, having a new product to satisfy consumer needs, wants to exploit its technological breakthrough by selling abroad. Other advanced nations soon start up their own production facilities, and before long LDCs do the same Efficiency/comparative advantage shifts from developed countries to developing nations. Finally, advanced nations, no longer cost-effective, import products from their former customers. The moral of this process could be that an advanced nation becomes a victim of its own creation. IPLC theory has the potential to be a valuable framework for marketing planning on a multinational basis. In this section the IPLC is examined from the marketing perspective, and marketing implications for both innovators and initiators are discussed below. Stages and Characteristics There are five distinct stages (Stage 0 through Stage 4) in the IPLC. Table below shows the major characteristics of the IPLC stages, with the United States as the developer of the innovation in question. Exhibit shows three life-cycle curves for the same innovation: one for the initiating country (i. . , the United States in this instance), one for other advanced nations, and one for LDCs. For each curve, net export results when the curve is above the horizontal line; if under the horizontal line, net import results for that particular country. As the innovation moves through time, directions of all three curves change. Time is relative, because the time needed for a cycle to be completed varies from one kind of product to another.

Benjamin Franklin Essay examples -- American History, The American Dre

If ever a story embodied what has come to be known as the American Dream, it is the life story of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin could be considered a passionate and energetic man who motivated himself by self-determination and a strong work ethic to achieve self-improvement. Beyond his sometimes-lofty personal aspirations to attain self-improvement, Franklin’s deep conviction inspired him to help others live well. He demonstrated this conviction in his reasons for writing, his willingness to portray his mistakes as well as his successes as a means of instruction, his recounting of the assistance he gave to others, and his desire to create useful solutions. Franklin successfully used his story to depict this self-improvement. Consequently, Franklin’s trek from a meager beginning and lack of education to a wealthy man of immense stature and influence punctuates his emphasis on hard work and determination. Franklin’s insatiable thirst for knowledge and his relentless pursuit of bettering himself were central to his character. Every success and achievement only emboldens him to accomplish more. He states in regards to his writing ability, â€Å"I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language, and this encouraged me to think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.† (Franklin, p.15) Indeed, later in his life, Franklin acknowledged many of the opportunities he had were afforded him because of his ability to write. (Franklin, p. 61) Franklin's expressed intent at the onset of his book is to write his personal anecdotes for his son. He mentions that he began in poverty and obscurity and rose to a place of reputation. He hoped ... ...on the assistance of God in his search for perfection. However, it should be noted that the nature of man prohibits perfection and any true happiness. Only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and a changed nature can one embark on a life of true contentment and happiness. Upon later reflection, Franklin realized that he never arrived at the perfection he was striving for, but he was better and happier than if he had not attempted it. (Franklin, p.84) Hence, the reason for publishing his scheme, so that others may derive the same benefit he had. It can be concluded that Benjamin Franklin's life had a great affect not only on his generation, but on many generations that would follow. His intellectual curiosity, ingenuity, and desire to do good propelled him into a life long pursuit of improving himself and serving as a model for others to benefit from.

Regular education classrooms Essay

All students participate in regular education classrooms except students with the most severe disabilities who would be in normalized and age-appropriate classroom on the same campus. Few students are excluded. Level IV – Despite the degree of disability, all students are fully included in general education classrooms. Specialists and teaching assistants provide support for students with the most severe disabilities within the classroom. The regular education teacher is responsible for structuring social interactions with typical peers. The least inclusive proposal places most students with mild disabilities in regular classes, but excludes those with moderate through severe disabilities, placing them in separate rooms within the regular school building (Lilly, 1986). This proposal is closest to the traditional manner of service delivery and is the easiest to implement in terms of using available special educators as support personnel and providing training in methods for regular education teachers to include these children. More inclusive is the proposal to place students with mild or moderate disabilities in regular education classes (Reynolds & Wang, 1983; Wang, Reynolds & Walburg, 1987). The essence and meaning of inclusion evolved from the historical concepts in early childhood special education, that is, mainstreaming and integration. Bricker (1995) discusses the evolution of these terms, noting that mainstreaming refers to the â€Å"reentry of children with mild disabilities be served totally in these settings eliminating the need for pull-out programs. While students with organically-based learning disabilities or moderately demonstrated behavioral disorders would not have been included in regular education rooms in the Level I proposal, they would be included here. Yet, proponents of both levels agree that there will be students with severe and/or multiple disabilities whose needs will not be served optimally in a mainstream environment. They feel that these students will need to participate full-time in separate settings. Level III includes a more extensive involvement of severely impaired students in regular education. All students are included except those who are unable to be involved in academic or social interactions (Gartner & Lipsky, 1987). However, even these students would participate in nearby classrooms which would be as normalized and age-appropriate as possible. The most extreme view is that of full inclusionists, who propose that all students should participate in general education classes. Claiming that to do otherwise would be to support a â€Å"dual-system† for the most disabled, Level IV proponents propose the integration of even profoundly-impaired students into totally normalized classes (Stainback & Stainback, 1984). This position has prompted the strongest reaction of implausibility from those opposed to the Regular Education Initiative. Yet parents and professionals supporting Level IV inclusion do acknowledge that there are situations in which these students cannot be grouped with other s because of instructional differences. Thus, the Regular Education Initiative gives a sense of inclusion for students. Yet, a number of researchers and educators have opposed the Regular Education Initiative strongly. They cite the historical inability and lack of desire of regular education to meet students’ needs. That is the reason why the IDEA cropped up. They worry about the loss of funding and parental right. They also note that most regular educators are not trained to have students with disabilities in their classes. They say that teachers cannot meet societal demands for excellence if they are expected to have vastly different levels of student academic and behavioral performance in their classes. Supporters of inclusion differ in the extent of disability integrated into regular education classes. Some support placement only of students with mild disabilities in regular education, with students demonstrating more severe impairments participating on the regular education campus, but in separate impairments participating on the regular education campus, but in separate classes. The continuum expands to include students with more severe impairments in regular classrooms on a part-time basis, to the full exclusionists, who would have all students participate full-time despite the degree of disability. The problem is how to incorporate students into classes where teachers and nondisabled peers are welcoming as well as competent in dealing with difference. Thus, the debate continues. This paper looks into these inclusionary practices and explores how these are helpful for all concerned. Enormous amount of research has been made to explore the factors associated with caring for a disabled children and the deleterious effects these factors have on parents’ well-being. Research evidences points out that the family attitude greatly contributes to the prognosis. Risk factors such as lack of services and negative attitudes can have an adverse influence on the prognosis of the mentally-handicapped child. Obtainable studies show that most often parents have a negative attitude towards their child with mental disabilities. Parents are weighed down with feelings of pessimism, hostility, and shame. Denial, grief, withdrawal, rejection, projection of blame and finally, acceptance are the usual parental reactions. (Drew CJ, Logan DR, Hardman ML. )

Timeline of U.S. and Soviet Relations

Through most the final half of the  20th century, two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were embroiled in a struggle—capitalism versus communism—and a race for global domination. Since the fall of communism in 1991, Russia has loosely adopted democratic and capitalist structures. Despite these changes, remnants of the countries frosty history remain and continues to stifle U.S. and Russian relations. Year Event Description 1922 USSR Born The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established. Russia is by far the largest member. 1933 Formal Relations The United States formally recognizes the USSR, and the countries establish diplomatic relations. 1941 Lend-Lease U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt gives the USSR and other countries millions of dollars worth of weapons and other support for their fight against Nazi Germany. 1945 Victory The United States and Soviet Union end World War II as allies. As co-founders of the United Nations, both countries (along with France, China, and the United Kingdom) become permanent members of United Nations Security Council with full veto authority over the council's action. 1947 Cold War Begins The struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union for domination in certain sectors and parts of the world is dubbed the Cold War. It will last until 1991. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill calls the division of Europe between the West and those parts dominated by the Soviet Union an "Iron Curtain." American expert George Kennan advises the United States to follow a policy of "containment" toward the Soviet Union. 1957 Space Race The Soviets launch Sputnik, the first manmade object to orbit the Earth. Americans, who had confidently felt they were ahead of the Soviets in technology and science, redouble their efforts in science, engineering, and the overall space race. 1960 Spy Charges The Soviets shoot down an American spy plane gathering information over Russian territory. The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured alive. He spent nearly two years in a Soviet prison before being exchanged for a Soviet intelligence officer captured in New York. 1960 Shoe Fits Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev uses his shoe to bang on his desk at the United Nations while the American delegate is speaking. 1962 Missile Crisis The stationing of U.S. nuclear missiles in Turkey and Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba leads to the most dramatic and potentially world-shattering confrontation of the Cold War. In the end, both sets of missiles were removed. 1970s Detente A series of summits and discussions, including the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, between the United States and the Soviet Union led to a thawing of tensions, a "detente." 1975 Space Cooperation American and Soviet astronauts link the Apollo and Soyuz while in earth's orbit. 1980 Miracle on Ice At the Winter Olympics, the American men's hockey team scored a very surprising victory against the Soviet team. The U.S. team went on the win the gold medal. 1980 Olympic Politics The United States and 60 other countries boycott the Summer Olympics (held in Moscow) to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 1982 War of Words U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins to refer to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". 1984 More Olympic Politics The Soviet Union and a handful of countries boycott the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 1986 Disaster A nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union (Chernobyl, Ukraine) explodes spreading contamination over a huge area. 1986 Near Breakthrough At a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev came close to agreeing to eliminate all nuclear weapons and share the so-called Star Wars defense technologies. Although the negotiations broke down, it set the stage for future arms control agreements. 1991 Coup A group of hard-liners stages a coup against Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. They take power for less than three days 1991 USSR's End In the final days of December, the Soviet Union dissolved itself and was replaced by 15 different independent states, including Russia. Russia honors all treaties signed by the former Soviet Union and assumes the United Nations Security Council seat formerly held by the Soviets. 1992 Loose Nukes The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program launches to help former Soviet states secure vulnerable nuclear material, referred to as "loose nukes." 1994 More Space Cooperation The first of 11 U.S. space shuttle missions docks with the Soviet MIR space station. 2000 Space Cooperation Continues Russians and Americans occupy the jointly built International Space Station for the first time. 2002 Treaty U.S. President George Bush unilaterally withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed by the two countries in 1972. 2003 Iraq War Dispute Russia strongly opposes the American-led invasion of Iraq. 2007 Kosovo Confusion Russia says it will veto an American-backed plan to grant independence to Kosovo. 2007 Poland Controversy An American plan to build an anti-ballistic missile defense system in Poland draws strong Russian protests. 2008 Transfer of Power? In elections unmonitored by international observers, Dmitry Medvedev is elected president replacing Vladimir Putin. Putin is widely expected to become Russia's prime minister. 2008 Conflict in South Ossetia A violent military conflict between Russia and Georgia highlights a growing rift in U.S.-Russian relations. 2010 New START Agreement President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev sign a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to cut the number of long-range nuclear weapons held by each side. 2012 Battle of Wills U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Magnitsky Act, which imposed U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill, widely seen as retaliatory against the Magnitsky Act, that banned any United States citizen from adopting children from Russia. 2013 Russian Rearmament Russian President Vladimir Putin rearms the Tagil Rocket divisions with advanced RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles in Kozelsk, Novosibirsk. 2013 Edward Snowden Asylum Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee and a contractor for the United States government, copied and released hundreds of thousands of pages of secret U.S. government documents. Wanted on criminal charges by the U.S., he fled and was granted asylum in Russia. 2014 Russian Missile Testing The U.S. government formally accused Russia of having violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by testing a prohibited medium-range ground-launched cruise missile and threatened to retaliate accordingly. 2014 U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Russia After the collapse of the Ukraine government. Russia annexes the Crimea. The U.S. government imposed punitive sanctions for Russia's activity in Ukraine. The U.S. passed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, aimed at depriving certain Russian state firms of Western financing and technology while also providing $350 million in arms and military equipment to Ukraine. 2016 Disagreement Over the Syrian Civil War Bilateral negotiations over Syria were unilaterally suspended by the U.S in October 2016, after a renewed offensive on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian troops. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that suspended the 2000 Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement with the U.S., citing the failure by the U.S. to comply with the provisions thereof as well as the U.S.' unfriendly actions that posed a "threat to strategic stability." 2016 Accusation of Russian Meddling in American Presidential Election In 2016, American intelligence and security officials accuse the Russian government of being behind massive cyber-hackings and leaks that aimed at influencing the 2016 U.S. presidential election and discrediting the U.S. political system. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied favoring the eventual winner of the political contest, Donald Trump. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that Putin and the Russian government meddled in the American election process, which led to her loss to Trump.