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Home/ Jacob Solomon's group - M2015(B)/ Contents contributed and discussions participated by Amanda Anna G

Contents contributed and discussions participated by Amanda Anna G

Amanda Anna G

Merging firm identified | BusinessWorld Online - 0 views

  • NEXTSTAGE, Inc. is set to merge with a local vodka firm, the listed company said
  • RAISING VALUE It said implementation of the merger, seen to take place within this quarter, should help lift NextStage’s overall value
  • “The merger of NextStage and VuQo would provide a platform to raise capital to achieve the objectives of the business to create a high-potential export product from the Philippines for the world market,
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  • NextStage said that, on VuQo’s part, “[t]his opportunity reinforces VuQo’s business portfolio and solidifies positive strategic synergy that will create and promote more business opportunities geared towards increasing overall value of VuQo.”
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    This article is about when a large firm- NextStage decides to merge with another firm. The merger should help lift the firm's value. The firm and the other firm- VuQo would provide a platform to raise capital and then be able to create a high-potential export product from the Philippines. Also, the merge will benefit for VuQo's part since it brings positive strategic synergy that will create more business opportunities and hence might increase the value of VuQo.
Amanda Anna G

Is the bank ATM a public good? - Livemint - 1 views

  • Very early in life, I learnt the importance of the state. By now it is well-recognized that much as we deride the state, we can’t live without it.
  • Is the bank ATM a public good? The idea of mandating banks to provide security to ATMs betrays a pitiable lack of understanding of the changing face of public goods
  • But several decades on have we evolved enough in our understanding of what constitutes a public good that the state should provide?
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  • The implied belief is that an ATM is a bank’s product, meant for the bank’s customers, and hence its security is the bank’s problem, i.e. it is not sufficiently “public”. The subtext, sometimes articulated, is that since 60% of the adult population does not have a bank account, an ATM is essentially an elitist construct, not worthy of being within the protective cover of the general law and order setup
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    This article deals with the idea of assign authority to banks to provide security to the ATM. Is the ATM a good that benefits to the society? Since the ATM is a way to give freedom to the people I would say yes, but should then the ATM be controlled by guards? In my opinion, I think it would be a good idea. Even though one might argue that the idea would take away the freedom of ATM, I think the security will provide even more freedom to the people since they can deal with their money safely.
Amanda Anna G

Air pollution a leading cause of cancer - U.N. agency | Reuters - 0 views

  • The air we breathe is laced with cancer-causing substances and is being officially classified as carcinogenic to humans, the World Health Organization's cancer agency said on Thursday.
  • Air pollution, mostly caused by transport, power generation, industrial or agricultural emissions and residential heating and cooking, is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses including respiratory and heart diseases.
  • Research suggests that exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly countries with large populations going through rapid industrialization, such as China.
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    This article relates to externalities of production, since air pollution caused by industries and transport emissions is classified to be carcinogenic to humans and raises the risk for illness. The harmful effect the industries make, causes a negative externality upon the third party- the society breathing in polluted air, who indirectly receives an extra cost by the pollution.
Amanda Anna G

Venezuela to toughen price controls, set profits - Yahoo News - 0 views

  • CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is extending price controls and will place limits on profits as he extends attempts to curb the galloping inflation that is eroding support for his rule.
  • Maduro made the announcement in a late-night television address Sunday in which he also vowed to step up inspections of businesses selling shoes, clothing, automobiles and other goods to make sure they aren't gouging consumers.
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    In Venezuela, the president Nicolas Maduro has extended price controls to prevent the inflation that is (against) support for his rule. "We can't allow our hard currency to be used to rob people through the sale of these goods." he harangued businessmen he accuses of usury. This article relates to price controls and politics, and shows how price controls might look like when a country is ruled by dictatorship.
Amanda Anna G

Morocco government raises energy prices to cut subsidies - Yahoo News - 0 views

  • RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's Islamist government raised energy prices on Monday as it began sensitive subsidies reform needed to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements.
  • Five ministers from the government's junior partner party have resigned in protest over the decision to raise prices.
  • But the move could shake the frail economy of the North African kingdom which relies mostly on tourism, agriculture and remittances from Moroccans living abroad. The government said it would return part of the increase on diesel fuel to professional drivers in the goods and people transport sector to avoid a snowball effect on prices.
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    This article relates to subsidies since the government of Morocco has raised energy prices to save subsidy money that is needed for the International Monetary Fund requirements. Protests have been made from the government's junior partner party over the raise in price of energy. Higher taxes for energy will cause higher price for transportation for tourists and higher costs of production for agriculture. The government though, said they will return parts of the increase of energy prices for professional drivers to avoid a "snowball" effect on prices. But is the raise in price of energy due to the save of subsidy money rational for the country, looking upon the people's use of energy and the agriculture?
Amanda Anna G

Obama: No 'sugarcoating' problems with health website - CNN.com - 0 views

  • Washington (CNN) -- An unscripted moment Monday summed up President Barack Obama's effort to downplay problems plaguing the government website used to sign up for required health insurance under his signature health care reforms.
  • In the same assured and upbeat manner, Obama also attempted to discuss the myriad problems of HealthCare.gov, the website for the 15% of Americans lacking health coverage to sign up for insurance.
  • "It's time for folks to stop rooting for its failure, because hardworking middle class families are rooting for its success," Obama said of the health care law.
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  • "God only knows how much money they've spent, and it's a failure," McConnell said Sunday on the CBS program "Face the Nation." "You know, the government simply isn't going to be able to get this job done correctly."
  • Carney hinted that lingering problems in signing people up could result in relief, noting that the law makes clear that "if you do not have access to affordable health insurance, you will not have to pay a penalty for not having affordable health insurance."
  • He also repeated the President's assertion that high demand in the first weeks of the new exchanges contributed to the website problems, noting that the larger-than-expected response exposed existing "glitches and kinks."
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    This is a question about price elasticity, since something needs to be improved in the quality of the website so there will not be problems anymore, often resulting in a necessary price change. Since health insurance is seemed as necessary for many and hence the responsiveness is big, the demand might not change as much in a change in price of the website even tough there are problems at the website. If there will not be an improvement of the website and the price will increase, there might be a smaller change in the quantity demanded.
Amanda Anna G

U.S. be warned: Default would cause global crisis - CNN.com - 0 views

  • The impact of default could be catastrophic, and not just economically. As Secretary of State John Kerry asserts, this would send a message "of political silliness" that we "can't get our own act together" so we need to "get back on a track the world will respect."
  • As the U.S. partial government shutdown continues into almost a third week, the stakes are growing
  • This builds on earlier studies by the organization, including in 2011-12 which highlighted "intensified speculation about America's long-term stability," partly as a result of the downgrade by Standard & Poor's of the country's credit rating. This was prompted by the last near debt default of Washington in 2011.
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  • Then, as now, however, the country retains attractive qualities for many foreigners, including its popular culture and economic innovation.
  • And the fact remains that, in times of major urgency, Washington can transcend partisan divisions and work in the national interest.
  • This was demonstrated, for instance, during the 2008-9 financial crisis when Congress and the administration acted more swiftly and comprehensively than many other countries to counteract the worst economic turmoil since at least the 1930s. This has been key in enabling the country to recover more quickly from recession than some other areas of the world. While current problems should therefore be put into context, the situation is nonetheless troubling. And this is not the first time this year that a Washington political impasse has threatened negative economic repercussions
  • Only at the 11th hour did Congress in January agree a deal to prevent the U.S. falling off the "fiscal cliff." It is estimated that the automatic tax increases and spending cuts might well have taken the U.S. economy back into recession.
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    This article relates to equilibrium and price mechanism because it describes changes in impacts of the market. Stakes are growing, there are "intensified speculation about America's long-term stability" due to a downgrade in the country's credit rating, and an unstable state at the "fiscal cliff". These worries and a political impasse in Washington are some impacts that has threatened negative economic repercussions in the US, moving the market equilibrium. In response to changes in price, resources are allocated and re-allocated. However, profits are still able to be made making the equilibrium more stable without excess demand and supply, due to that the US has its popular culture and economic innovation, helping the country to retain attractive qualities for many foreigners.
Amanda Anna G

Help-to-Buy: George Osborne makes major concession | Heather Stewart | Business | thegu... - 0 views

  • Subsidising high LTV mortgages in boom-bust UK housing market was political masterstroke – but economic madness
  • The centrepiece of this year's budget, Help to Buy was a political masterstroke, pumping up public confidence just as many potential buyers were thinking about returning to the estate agent's, and helping the government to claim credit for an upswing in the property market that had already been kicked off by the Funding for Lending Scheme.Economically, however, Help to Buy is madness, as the Treasury select committee, the International Monetary Fund and the outgoing governor of the Bank of England all lined up to say.
  • Offering taxpayer subsidies for high loan-to-value mortgages worth up to £600,000, just as the incorrigibly boom-bust British housing market is moving from stop-to-go mode, is at best risky, at worst, downright reckless.
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  • Initially, the Treasury's argument was that the scheme would help to spark a building boom, as the surge in demand for homes prompted developers to re-start long-stalled projects.Housebuilding has picked up modestly – but by common consent it remains well below the levels that would be required to keep prices stable.
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    The "Help to Buy" was a political masterstroke since, among other things, the government got help with the claim for a credit for an upswing in the property market, helping to spark a building boom. I think, the offering taxpayer subsidies, will help allocate resources in the free market since more will get willingly to pay for houses. But this is risky for the British housing market, since the levels that would be required to keep prices stable will remain below what is needed.
Amanda Anna G

Counting the Cost of Fixing the Future - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • What would you pay to protect the world in which your great-great-grandchildren will live from hurricanes, drought and the like?
  • Perhaps the most startling conclusion to be drawn from the new estimates is that the sacrifice demanded of our generation to prevent vast climate change down the road may turn out to be rather small.
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    I think this article was appropriate for our task, since most of the article was about opportunity cost, if we should spend our money on fixing the future. This subject (the environment) can be seen as an opportunity cost since we choose to venture our money on the environment for the future, even though we might not will take part of the advantages now, for the moment.
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