Assessing Materiality and Risk Simulation Essay Example for Free

Assessing Materiality and Risk Simulation Essay Certain accounts, such as cash, long term debt and short term borrowings, and intangibles, are audited 100% because they are very important to the audit process and/or industry, or simply because they are easily verifiable. Unlike auditing inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable, capital assets; which can be time-consuming to audit fully, auditing 100% of cash or long term debt is fairly easy (e.g. by obtaining cash and debt confirmations from banks). â€Å"According to the financial accounting standards board, materiality symbolized the importance of something forgotten or a misstatement of an entry in an economic report that, the encircling assets make it believable that the awareness of a sensible individual depending on the facts would have been replaced, altered by the involvement or repair of an article† (Boynton, Johnson). All in all when an auditor create an agreeable materiality level that discover both the quantity (amount) and the (quality) nature of misstatements needed to be examined. The auditor will also with given time will assign materiality to everything that is sampled, this way no report is omitted or avoids a looked. Audit risk is the possibility of a material misstatement, remaining undetected even after the audit is completed and as a result the audit statement fails to provide true and fair view of the company financial statements. Of the three components of audit risk, only detection risk is a result of failure on the part of the auditor to notice a misstatement. As noted above, audit risk is a function of inherent risk, control risk and detection risk. Inherent risk and control risk make up the risk of material misstatement. RMM = IR x CR AR = RMM x DR If we assume that the auditor does not have impact on control risk (control risk is usually assessed as High, unless test of controls is performed) and no impact on inherent risk, the auditor needs to manipulate detection risk to reduce the level of audit risk. The higher the risk of material misstatement, the more thorough substantive procedures the auditor needs to apply to support the account balance.

Why the price of computers keep falling despite increasing demand

Why the price of computers keep falling despite increasing demand Introduction Now a day, computers are the main source of connectivity among people. The major share of work i.e., college assignments, teaching lessons, work presentations are mostly dependent on the computers. And also doing a long distant chat for almost free, computer or information technology has enabled human being in coming out with the speedy solutions of almost everything. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer) A personal computer (PC) be can any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator. Personal computers Software applications include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources. In the free market condition the price of a product will be determined by the demand and the market supply of computers. In a market, Supply and demand is an economic model of price determination. It concludes that in a competitive market, price will function to equalize the quantity demanded by consumers, and the quantity supplied by producers, resulting in an economic equilibrium of price and quantity. If we look at computer market, the demand is keep on increasing and also at the same time the market supply also increasing. According to the law of demand and supply, when the demand is increased, the price goes up the free market. But in this particular computer market, demand is growing but, the price comes down gradually. That is the question of this assignment and, in this piece of work I am going to discuss the best possible reasons to that behavior. http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn/news/2258012/uk-business-pc-market-decline In this assignment it will be discussed and analyzed the following topics. Explanation for why the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasing demand. Conclusion Background Computer Market The UK personal computer market in 2008 was worth 12.81bn at end-user prices, an increase of 4.2% over 2007 and its highest level of output since 2000. However, it led to a fall of 8.2% in sales to 11.77bn during the recession in 2009. During the period from 2005 to 2008 personal computers (PCs) reported a higher annual growth, whereas peripherals and add-ons declined in total value sales. Therefore it was led to a negative growth of 3.3% over the period. In the consumer market, the better performance of PCs over the period, particularly, is attributed to sales of portables and particularly net books in the past year. Mobile computing is continuing to drive net book sales. Desktop computers have become less attractive and are in decline with more portables now being sold than desktops. Manufactures are expecting a rebound in sales in 2010 and full recovery by 2011 with positive. The principal analyst Ranjit Atwal at Gartner says The UK market for computers showed growth in Q4 for the first time this year. According to him, 70 per cent of the total PC market in the UK has also become heavily dependent on mobile PCs. The percentage of the UK market share Acer held on to the top spot in the UK with 19.1 per cent market share, HP held the second with 18.9 per cent. Dell was the third with 16.5 per cent, followed by Toshiba and Samsung with 10.4 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively. He added that the total UK market [in terms of shipments] in Q4 was 3.8 million units. Even in the Western Europe Acer held 23.1 per cent of the market. HP was second again with 21.3 per cent, Dell was third with 9.9 per cent and Asus and Toshiba took fourth and fifth place with eight per cent and 6.2 per cent market share respectively. There is a significant growth in vendors such as Apple, Samsung, Lenovo and Sony also putting significant pressure on the top five vendors in Western Europe. Research has found that the UK computer market continued to struggle in 2009s closing quarter as western European counterparts return to growth. Market watcher IDC preliminary figures reveal that UK personal computer shipments in Q4 fell 1.7 per cent annually to 3.8 million. Notebook shipments were up 2.3 percent year on year to 2.9 million, while the desktop market slumped 12.8 per cent, with 878,000 units shipped. The emerging markets were collapsed when the crisis came, but now they are back to double digit growth. Likewise we observed that the market for the computers is expanding day by day in millions, but the cost of the computers are coming down gradually which is contrarily to the theory of the Demand and Supply. Therefore we are required to examine in deapth that, what are the triggers for such situation in real terms. http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/view/pressrelease/research-and-markets-computer- Explanation for why the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasing demand. In this particular computer market, we understand that the price of personal computers has continued to fall even in the face of increasingly high demand, which is contrary to the law of demand and supply. That happens mainly because of the competition and increasing efficiency few more other reasons. In this case, Price remains constant or reducing and change in any other determinants causes demand or supply to rise. That results shifts in the demand of supply curves to the right or to left depending on the circumstances. Any other factors can be, Demand side The price of the other product. ie. Substitutes and complements. Income Population Preferences Future price expectations Supply side The price of other product, ie. Price of substitutes and complements The price of factors of production used to produce the computer. (land, labor, capital) Advancements of technologies. No of producers or size of the market. Future expectations. Now we will look at the demand side of the computer market. In the computer market there is a huge growth in demand day by day mostly due to the following reasons.. Price of the other product Substitutes: In todays world, there are no closer substitutes to the computer. People are using high tech mobile phones to do most of their computer related work for example sending and receiving e mails. Still it is not a closer substitute. Therefore the demand is increase and the demand curve is shifted to the right, increasing the price. Please see the diagram below. Complements: price of the complements also becoming lower when compared to the past few decades. In general, a companys strategic interest is going to be to get the price of their complements as low as possible. The lowest sustainable  price would be the commodity price the price that arises when you have a bunch of competitors offering indistinguishable goods. So: The smart companies try to reduce its complements price in order to capture the market. Ex. When IBM designed the PC architecture, they used off-the-shelf parts instead of custom parts, and they carefully documented the interfaces between the parts in the IBM-PC Technical Reference Manual. As long as you match the interface, you can be used in PCs. Within a short time large number of companies started up offering memory cards, hard drives, graphics cards, printers, etc. Cheap add-ins meant more demand for PCs. Please refer the diagram below. Increment in real income The Income of the consumers has been increased. The effect that income has on the amount of a product that consumers are willing and able to buy depends on the type of good were talking about. For most goods, there is a positive (direct) relationship between a consumers income and the amount of the good that one is willing and able to buy. Being considering the computer is a normal good, when income rises the demand for the computers will increase. The higher the level of aggregate and/or personal income, the higher the demand for a typical commodity as a general. Where the income is higher more of a good or service will be chosen at a given price. Thus determinants of demand normally utilize some form of income measure, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If you look at the following statistics the real income of the consumers have heen increased. Real household disposable income per head1 and gross domestic product per head2 United Kingdom Index numbers (1971=100) Gross domestic product Household Income 1971 100.0 100.0 1972 103.7 108.3 1973 111.1 115.1 1974 109.7 114.1 1975 109.0 115.0 1976 111.8 114.3 1977 114.5 111.7 1978 118.2 119.8 1979 121.4 126.7 1980 118.8 128.8 1981 117.3 128.4 1982 119.7 128.3 1983 124.1 131.0 1984 127.4 135.9 1985 132.0 140.7 1986 137.3 146.7 1987 143.5 149.2 1988 150.7 157.5 1989 154.2 165.1 1990 155.4 172.6 1991 153.2 176.0 1992 153.4 180.8 1993 156.8 186.2 1994 163.6 188.8 1995 168.5 193.7 1996 173.4 199.7 1997 179.1 208.1 1998 185.6 212.4 1999 192.0 218.5 2000 199.5 227.7 2001 204.5 237.8 2002 208.7 242.6 2003 214.6 249.9 2004 220.5 251.9 2005 225.1 258.9 2006 231.5 262.7 2007 238.5 262.9 1 Adjusted to real terms using the expenditure deflator for the household sector. See Appendix, Part 5: Household income data sources. 2 Adjusted to real terms using the GDP deflator. Source: Office for National Statistics; Government Actuarys Department; General Register Office for Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency Therefore, the demand curve for computers has definitely shifted to the right from D1 to D2 reduce to increment in real incomes. Therefore, there has been a rise in their preferences. Please refer the diagram below. http://www.econport.org/content/handbook/Demand/Factors.htmleal 3.3 Consumer Taste, Fashion, Trend and Preferences It is a real fact that all markets are shaped by collective and individual tastes fashion trend, and preferences. These patterns are partly implanted by information and knowledge of products and services and partly shaped by culture, including the influence of advertising. Because of these differences in taste and preferences, different societies use forest products differently. As the mini-notebooks provide better functionality at the lower price points now a days they are becoming more appealing. Mini notebooks are highly demanded and it has become fashion and trend due to consumer preference. If you refer the diagram below, when the demand is increased, the demand curve is shifted to the right increasing the price. Population According to the following table, the population of UK has been increased and as a result the aggregate demand for computers have been increased. Table 1.1 Population1of the United Kingdom Millions 1971 1981 1991 2001 2007 2011 2021 2031 United Kingdom 55.9 56.4 57.4 59.1 61.0 62.8 67.2 71.1 England 46.4 46.8 47.9 49.5 51.1 52.7 56.8 60.4 Wales 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.3 Scotland 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Northern Ireland 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.0 1 Mid-year estimates for 1971 to 2007; 2006-based projections for 2011 to 2031. See Appendix, Part 1: Population estimates and projections. Source: Office for National Statistics; Government Actuarys Department; General Register Office for Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency When the population is increased the demand is increased, the demand is increasing and demand curve shifts to right increasing the price of the computer from P1 to P2. Please refer the diagram. Now we will look at the Supply side of the computers. Reduction of prices of factors in production Production cost is a main criterion in deciding the product price. If input costs decline, firms respond by increasing output. As a result marginal costs are dramatically reduced and consequently supply is increased. Therefore there has been a huge fall in price and quantities traded have been risen dramatically. In the long run, when an industry expands the cost of industry also decreases. As the industry produces more output, the minimum average cost of production for each firm decreases with the decrease in costs. (Economies of scale) The decrease in costs may reflect lower input costs which reduce the minimum point of the average total cost curve as the industry grows. As the industry expands and if there are economies of scale in the production of an important input costs may decline. A decrease in input costs shifts the supply curve to the right from S1 toS2 increasing the Equilibrium quantity from Q1 to Q2. The price will be decreased from P1 to P2. Please refer the above diagram. http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/introduction-economic-analysis/29486 Advancement in Technology Because of the technological advancement, the computers can be produced at a lower cost when compared to the decades ago. As technology has improved, he price of the computers have declined radically lowering their cost of production. Specially advances in communications technology. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B63/021MB63.html Let us look at another indicator of the phenomenal change in computers. According to Bureau of Labour Statistics, central processing unit (CPU) speed rose 1,263%, system memory increased 1,500%, hard drive capacity soared by 3,700%, and monitor size went up 13%Between 1993 and 1998. Therefore the supply curve shift to right from S1 to S2 by reducing the price from P1 to P2. http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B63/021MB63.html The competitive advantage of high-tech laptops and Notebooks Notebook PC /Laptops Various types of notebooks and laptops with different configuration and specifications are manufactured by different companies. The most recognized companies in dealing with laptops are Sony, Vaio, Toshiba, Dell, Fujitsu, Lenovo ect. Priced are depended on configurations. Laptops with general features and lesser configuration are available at cheaper rates and notebooks with higher configuration and extra specifications are bit expensive. The processor may be Intel Dual Core and it may be enabled with widows or vista premium operating system. From one notebook PC to the other the data speed and the RAM capacity varies depending on the configuration. The memory may range from 1GB to 4GB or higher memory. Some laptops are enabled with TV tuner and built-in cameras for extra usage. The capacity of the hard drive varies, starting from 64GB to 500GB. When compared to the desktops, the hard disk and RAM have smaller sizes. There is a better advantage as the laptops Central Processing Unit is produced less heat and also save power. They may be of Intel Core, Core 2 Duo, Premium M, VIA Technologies etc. http://www.articlesbase.com/laptops Following are the most attractive features in the Note books and laptops. LCD display Key board and a touchpad, equivalent of mouse Display primarily ranges from 13 inches to 17 inches Weighs between 1.4 to 5.4 kilograms Thickness ranges between 18-38 mm Comes in folding design Rechargeable batter Removable memory facility which ensures large storage of data Availability of many ports for USB connectivitys Expandable memory cards such as Mini PCI for a large storage of data. Portable, cheap priced, stylish, folding design Both a laptop and notebook have more advantages as they are ultra-portable, durable and they can be used while travelling easily. We can have immediate access and can have our work done instantly and these are always up-to-date, as all files can be saved in a single location. With the help of wireless networks like Wi-Fi and cellular modems, we can access Internet even while on the go. The above mentioned advancements in technology, the computers gets technically better and better as the months ago for the same price, and this will shift the supply curve to the right. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/laptops-articles/laptop-notebooks-are-best-substitutes-for-our-traditional-computers-745511.html This can be seen in the diagram above. The quantity supplied has raised hugely, from Q1 to Q2.The equilibrium price has fallen from P1 to P2, a fairly large relative drop. 3.7 Expansion of the computer market. Recently more and more computer product chains have been entered to the market and it has led size of the industry grown. When more firms enter a given industry in short, output increases even as the price remains steady. The supply curve is shifted to the right decreasing the price of the product, when industry grows. Following are the main competitors in the UK market. United Kingdom PC Vendors) Company 3Q09 Market Share (%) 3Q08 Market Share (%) Acer 24.2 17.4 Dell Inc. 18.3 20.9 Hewlett-Packard 17.5 19.1 Toshiba 6.5 8.6 Apple Computer 5.0 3.8 Others 28.6 30.2 100.0Total 100.0Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and mobile PCs Source: Gartner (November 2009) . Please refer the diagram. The rapid increase in the number of firms, together with dramatic technological improvements, led to an increase in supply, shifting the supply curve in diagram to the right from S1 to S2. Price is reduced to P1 to P2. CONCLUSION Let us consider the factors those affected to fall in computer price in real terms which resulted both the demand curves and the supply curves led to right shift. Increased preferences due to advanced technology increase in population and the increment in real income, there is a huge increase in demand. And the demand curve shifted to the right from D1 to D2 in the diagram. The price was increased from P1 to P2. Suppliers strive for a greater share of the market by having strategies to gain consumers demand on their product. This is done so by increasing the value of their product. But there has also been a huge shift to the right in the supply curve for computers than the shift in the demand curve. Please refer the diagram above in relation to supply curve. In computer market particularly there are simultaneous shifts of both demand and supply curves. Combining both shifts generates an obvious change in quantity, but a questionable change in price. If an increase in demand increases equilibrium quantity and an increase in supply increases equilibrium quantity, then an increase in both MUST increase equilibrium quantity. In relation to the price, the demand increase (right shifts) results in a higher price, and the supply increase (right shift) leads to a lower price. The price is in determinant and it depends on the relative change of both curves. In the computer market, supply shifts relatively more than demand, therefore the supply induced lower price outweighs the demand-induced higher price, and the price is lower The price change is in determinant and we have to consider the relative change in the supply and the demand curves. Therefore, the exact reason for the question in this assignment is, even though the demand is increasing, the supply is also increasing but, at a rate higher than the demand increasing rate. You can notice in the diagram above, that the supply curve is shifted to the right at a higher rate than the rate at which the demand curve is shifted to the right. Therefore the price reduces from P1 to P2. Therefore, I conclude that the rapid increase in the number of firms, together with dramatic technological improvements, led to an increase in supply. The reason for the fall in equilibrium price that is the answer to the assignment question is market supply is relatively more than the demand and it results a lower price. Reference list Web sights http://www.microsoft.com/uk/business/news, 26, March 2010, 8.15 a.m. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer, 26, March 2010, 8.25 a.m. http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn/news, 26, March 2010, 9.00 a.m. http://www.econport.org, 26, March 2010, 9.10 a.m. http://www.econport.org, 26, March 2010, 9.40 a.m. http://www.amosweb.com, 26, March 2010, 9.55 a.m. http://www.slideshare.net, 26, March 2010, 1.10 p.m. http://www.flatworldknowledge.com, 26, March 2010, 1.25 p.m. http://www.web-books.com, 27, March 2010, 9.20 a.m. http://www.articlesbase.com, 27, March 2010, 9.30 a.m. http://en.wikipedia.org26, 27March 2010, 11. a.m. htpp://www.microsoft.com/uk/business/news/driving-revenue/UK-PC-sales, 27March 2010, 11. a.m. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4704927.stm Books Parkin, M. 2008 (8th edition) Solman, J. 2007 (2nd edition),Economics, Pages 48-65

The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery, by Miguel Ruiz and Jose Ruiz :: Essays on The Fifth Agreement

My life experience might be simple, but I have learned a lot from my life. It is not necessary that someone’s experience has to be a good one to talk about; the point is he should have a passion to learn lessons from it. Every time you go through a bitter experience either in your travels, work, or somewhere else, I would have to say â€Å"Congrats! You have got a story to tell your grandsons someday.† I have learnt a lot of lessons from this life and taught myself beautiful lessons. I taught myself to stand firm, never give up, and do my best. I have taught myself to say â€Å"yes† whenever I feel that I need to refuse, and I have taught myself to say â€Å"no† whenever the temptations are floating around me. I have learned that if I want to live happily, I have to be able to say â€Å"no† as I can say â€Å"yes.† Just by these two simple words, I changed myself and took control over it. â€Å"Be impeccable with your words† (27) is the first agreement that Miguel Ruiz and Jose Ruiz want to make an agreement with their readers in their book, â€Å"The Fifth Agreement.† By words, you can communicate with other people and tell them your opinions. The power of the word should not be underestimated; in some cases, it might be so tender that you can gain people to be in our side, but it might blow like a storm and pull out people’s real feelings. Ruiz in his book says â€Å"you are going to use the word to express the truth in every thought, in every action, in every word you use to describe yourself, to describe your own life story† (39). One should be really careful in choosing the right words in the right times. I worked once in a team of freelancers for a courier company. I faced a problem while programing their website, and the supervisor of the team, who was from the company, asked me to take an immediate action. I replied to her quickly and said â€Å"I cannot do this until I discuss it with my team leader.† Her face turned red, and I just didn’t know what to do, so I looked into my laptop screen pretending I am working. Since then she saw me as a weak team player; whenever she wanted to ask about the project, she asked another teammate instead of me.

Summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn One and Two :: Huckleberry Finn American Literature Essays

Summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn One and Two "You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of â€Å" The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but that ain't no matter. that book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There were things which he streched, but mainly he told the truth. That ain' nothing. I never seen anybody but lied, one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybr Mary. Aunt Polly-Tom's Aunt Polly, she is-and Mary, and the Widow Douglas, is all told bout in that book-which is mostly a true book; with some, as I said before.†(Twain 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Any way I am here to tell you somethings bout this man that has write all these things bout our adventures. So listen an maybe you might even learn a little something bout this man. Now let me think....oh ya, now I recall it. I reckon it was a warm November ju's like any other, the 30th to be exact. But that ain't how Sam's Pa spoke of it. He had to go maki'n big, fancy speeches and things of that sort at the party. But after all that mubl'in we had a purdy good time. As a matter of fact as I recall that day it was almost pur'fect. If it warn't for me drunk Pa gettin arrested by the Sheriff that morn, it woudda' been real pur'fect. Course I reckon a boy's gota have a good time at his best friend's bert'day party. I was at Sam's house. Course I warn't de only one dare. His Pa, Judge Clemens and Ma, Miss Jane Lampton, till she married of course, was dare and I reckon his whole 'tire family must da been at dat house, can't barely remember it was only his fourth birthday back in 1839 (Howard 1). Ya, me and Sam been friends ever since he moved here, best friends too, he was born an lived in Florida, Missouri prior to now. He moved here at the start of this year. See lots of people don't give me much thought cause me bein uneducated and havin a Pa like I do an all. That all changed though, Sam was the type dat even liked the niggers, so I be surprised if he thought of me differently than any other (Paine 4). Sam's family had'nt got that much money either but his Pa sure was one of them educated types. He was a lawyer and a judge and people looked up to him

Walden Two Essay -- essays research papers

Book Title: Walden Two Author: B.F. Skinner Pages: 301 I. SETTING: A. Time: mid 1940’s (after the end of WWII) B. Place: Walden Two, R.D. I, Canton C. Detailed description of the opening scene: Rogers and Steve just returning from war, and looking for a new beginning read an article on a man named Frazier who was planning to begin an experimental utopian society. They immediately become intrigued by the idea. Their interest brought them to the office of Professor Burris, one their former teachers to ask if he knew anything about Frazier, or about the new society Frazier is trying to build. Burris remembers Frazier as a classmate at his graduate school; he recalls his extremist ideas and his dislike for the institution. He also recalls discussions the two had shared about this "Utopian society." Reluctantly Burris agrees to contact Frazier, and sends him a letter. Immediately and enthusiastically he replies inviting Burris’ and his friends to visit the new community he has developed. Burris meets with the two men to inform them of the invitation, and agrees to take time off, to accomp any Rogers and Steve on a visit to "Walden Two," Frazier’s community. Rodger’s girlfriend Barbara, Steve’s girlfriend Mary, and Burris's colleague Castle also accompany them on the visit. II. THEME: a one-sentence statement of the theme of your novel Walden Two was Skinner’s attempt to portray what would occur if behaviorism were used to curve our society, he depicted a solution to the problems of modern life that involved a new beginning, an flee from our current society, and a dismissal of our political and econo... ...cters visiting the Utopian society of Walden Two engage in an abundance of dialogue, in order to discover the spirit and the principles behind this new community of Walden Two. Set speeches by main characters illustrate the points that Skinner wishes to make to the reader. Don't get me wrong, the ideas are challenging and the reading is not painful; there is even some dramatic tension. The thought of a society like Walden Two is intriguing, and the detail used by Skinner gives the reader a clear picture of what this society may look like, and how it operates. Overall the book was good, it was an enjoyable read, and wasn’t like other novels, it was individual. I would recommend this book to anyone who is open- minded, and is intrigued by the operations and possibility of alternate societies. Walden Two Essay -- essays research papers Book Title: Walden Two Author: B.F. Skinner Pages: 301 I. SETTING: A. Time: mid 1940’s (after the end of WWII) B. Place: Walden Two, R.D. I, Canton C. Detailed description of the opening scene: Rogers and Steve just returning from war, and looking for a new beginning read an article on a man named Frazier who was planning to begin an experimental utopian society. They immediately become intrigued by the idea. Their interest brought them to the office of Professor Burris, one their former teachers to ask if he knew anything about Frazier, or about the new society Frazier is trying to build. Burris remembers Frazier as a classmate at his graduate school; he recalls his extremist ideas and his dislike for the institution. He also recalls discussions the two had shared about this "Utopian society." Reluctantly Burris agrees to contact Frazier, and sends him a letter. Immediately and enthusiastically he replies inviting Burris’ and his friends to visit the new community he has developed. Burris meets with the two men to inform them of the invitation, and agrees to take time off, to accomp any Rogers and Steve on a visit to "Walden Two," Frazier’s community. Rodger’s girlfriend Barbara, Steve’s girlfriend Mary, and Burris's colleague Castle also accompany them on the visit. II. THEME: a one-sentence statement of the theme of your novel Walden Two was Skinner’s attempt to portray what would occur if behaviorism were used to curve our society, he depicted a solution to the problems of modern life that involved a new beginning, an flee from our current society, and a dismissal of our political and econo... ...cters visiting the Utopian society of Walden Two engage in an abundance of dialogue, in order to discover the spirit and the principles behind this new community of Walden Two. Set speeches by main characters illustrate the points that Skinner wishes to make to the reader. Don't get me wrong, the ideas are challenging and the reading is not painful; there is even some dramatic tension. The thought of a society like Walden Two is intriguing, and the detail used by Skinner gives the reader a clear picture of what this society may look like, and how it operates. Overall the book was good, it was an enjoyable read, and wasn’t like other novels, it was individual. I would recommend this book to anyone who is open- minded, and is intrigued by the operations and possibility of alternate societies.

Thorn Queen Chapter Two

Crossing over to the Otherworld is easier for me than most people but still requires a bit of work. Once I'd packed up what I needed, I had to drive to Saguaro National Park and hike out to a remote corner of it. Here, two very faint trails intersected in a crossroads-a common marker for gates to the Otherworld. It and the human world lie very close to each other, and certain spots between the two are thinner. Of course, even a thin spot like this wouldn't always be enough for some people to make the journey in their own bodies. They might end up going in spirit or an elemental form. But me? I bore the blood of humans and of the gentry. I could therefore travel both worlds with ease, though my gentry heritage still unnerved me. It was only a recent discovery, one I had trouble coming to terms with. Standing at the crossroads, I closed my eyes, slipping into a trance very similar to the one I used to banish the spirit yesterday. A tattoo of a greenish snake coiled around one of my arms in tribute to Hecate, the goddess who guarded transitions and chthonic magic. Invoking her, drawing on her power, I stretched my body beyond this world. A moment later, I stood in the Otherworld. In a castle. A castle that belonged to me. I recovered myself quickly since crossover side effects almost never bothered me anymore. The room I stood in was a small sitting room, sparsely furnished. In the center of it was a rabbit paperweight, white resin with little blue flowers. It was silly, but that rabbit was imbued with my essence, meaning when I crossed over from Saguaro National Park-or any other crossroads of my choice-my body would travel to this spot rather than to some remote place. Footsteps sounded on the outside hallway's stone floor. A moment later, a bright-eyed young woman with long blond hair peered inside. Her face split into a wide grin when she saw me. â€Å"Your majesty,† she breathed, delighted. Turning back around, she yelled down the hall. â€Å"The queen! The queen is here!† I winced. Man, I wished I could come here without all the hype. Bad enough I had to come here at all. Her proclamation made, Nia ran up to me, squeezing my hand. She was one of my servants. I guess you'd call her my lady-in-waiting since she was responsible for my appearance most of the time. â€Å"Everything's ready to go to the Willow Land,† she told me. â€Å"I've picked out an amazing gown for you.† I shook my head, reaching into the backpack I almost always lugged around. The gentry favored heavy brocades and other elaborateness in their fashion. I wasn't up for any of that today. â€Å"I brought my own.† She stared at the dress I produced, then looked back up at me with raised eyebrows. â€Å"You're jesting, your majesty, right?† Those blue eyes pleaded. â€Å"Right?† I was saved from an argument when others entered the room. Still staring mournfully at the dress, Nia retreated so my senior staff could talk to me. Yeah. Senior fairy staff. Three months still wasn't enough time to get used to this. A tall, very lovely woman with glossy black braids strode in, her movements both athletic and graceful. Her name was Shaya, and I depended on her more than anyone else around here. She was my regent, handling all the dirty work I didn't want to deal with, and I was grateful and lucky to have her. With her was Rurik, the captain of my guard. Having guards was also something that took a lot of getting used to-particularly since they always wanted to follow me around. Rurik and I had gotten off to a bad start, probably because he'd tried to rape me the first time we met. Sporting a large build and pale blond hair, he'd proven himself a capable servant, though I'd often found him fooling around with other women who worked here. I had let him know in a very pleasant voice that I'd rip him apart if I ever found out those women hadn't consented to his advances. A few others trailed in, officials that I'd inherited with the castle when I killed its former king. I couldn't remember half their names. â€Å"Welcome back,† said Shaya, smiling. She didn't possess Nia's rapture but still seemed genuinely pleased to see me. â€Å"Your majesty,† the others intoned, bowing. They waited for me to sit in one of the chairs, joining me a moment afterward. â€Å"Nia says we're ready to go?† I asked, unable to hide my dismay at the upcoming trip. â€Å"Yes,† Shaya told me. â€Å"We simply await your command. At an easy pace, we should be able to do it in three hours.† I groaned. â€Å"Three hours. Do you know how crazy that is? I could do it in half that time by driving to a gateway in my own world and crossing over closer.† She regarded me indulgently, having heard this argument before. â€Å"You can't show up at Queen Maiwenn's court without your retinue.† Rurik, sprawled lazily in a chair, flashed me a grin. â€Å"It's part of your image, your majesty.† I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Alright. Whatever. Any word on Jasmine?† His smile faded. â€Å"No. We've still got scouting parties roaming the kingdoms, but they've found nothing.† â€Å"Incredible. You guys can make trees come to life and raise stones from the earth, but you can't find one pouty teenage girl.† â€Å"We'll find your sister,† Rurik said grimly. I think he'd taken this mission as a matter of personal pride. â€Å"It may take awhile, but we'll find her.† I nodded because there was nothing else to do. The waiting infuriated me. Every moment that passed meant Jasmine, a mere fifteen years old, had another chance to get pregnant and give birth to a prophesied heir that would allegedly conquer the human world. I was subject to the same prophecy but was smart enough to use birth control. â€Å"Anything else? How are things going otherwise?† Shaya schooled her face to neutrality. â€Å"We manage, your majesty.† She kept her voice as blank as her expression, but I could see badly feigned disapproval on the others' faces. They didn't like the way I neglected my duties here. I suspected Shaya disapproved as well, but it didn't stop her from sparing me the details of the Thorn Land's day-to-day affairs. She knew I didn't really want to hear them, no matter my asking, so she didn't tell me. I noticed then just how truly oppressive the heat was in here. Everyone was sweating. â€Å"My God, it's hot,† I said. They all stared at me, and I immediately felt stupid. What had I expected? When I'd conquered the kingdom, it had shaped itself to my will, transforming itself into my idea of perfection: the Sonora Desert. The castle had not changed, and remained in its constant state: thick blocks of stone. Black stone. Stone that absorbed heat like crazy and had little ventilation. It was the kind of place more suited to cold, misty moors. The land had been greener and more temperate under its last ruler, Aeson. Aeson and I had had a fair amount of friction because he'd been trying to get Jasmine pregnant and had wanted to give me a shot too, in hopes that he would be the father of that world-conquering prince. Plus, Aeson was just a total asshole. I'd killed him in battle, and when a ruler dies, the land seeks out someone else powerful. That someone else had been me. I'd claimed the land without realizing what I was doing, and that's when it had transformed to this mirror of Tucson. It occurred to me how horrible it must be to live here. The gentry lacked most of the technology of my own world. No central air-conditioning. No electric fans. This place had to be roasting these people alive, particularly after what they'd been used to before I came along. Feeling bad for them, I reached out to the air around me with my mind. For a moment, there was nothing, and then I sensed the moisture particles hanging in the air. There weren't many, but they were there. Spreading beyond the room, I pulled in more moisture, undoubtedly turning nearby halls and rooms into ovens. In here, however, the temperature dropped and grew moist. A slight thrill ran through me, as often happened when I tapped my inherited gentry magic. Tentatively, I then attempted to move the air itself in some sort of breeze. Nothing. I had managed that feat only once and couldn't repeat it. Realizing what I'd done, Shaya crooked me a grin. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† I smiled back and stood. They all hastily followed suit, and I waved them down. â€Å"Hang out here if you want. It should stay cool for a little longer. I'm going to go do my†¦thing. Then we'll go.† I left the castle for one of its courtyards, a wide, terraced area that I loved. Saguaros and blooming prickly pears lined it. Purple-flowered smokethorns, the tree that had given this land its name, stood sentry, as did mesquite, filling the air with sweetness. A few hummingbirds darted here and there like bright, flying gemstones. I sat on one of the steps that led to the upper gardens and closed my eyes. This was why I had to come back. If left to me, I would have never returned. But once the Thorn Land had bound itself to me, it was mine. It depended on me for its survival. I didn't entirely understand my connection to it, but it was unbreakable. It was the reason I dreamed about this place. There was no escaping it. The sun beat down on me, forever reminding us we answered to nature in the end. My body relaxed, and soon, the life of the land spread into me. It always startled me at first, and then I quickly adapted, like it was the most natural thing in the world. The land was me, and I was the land. We were one, neither of us complete without the other. When I came to, I think almost an hour had passed. I stood up, shaking off my trance. I had extracted myself from that joining with the land but knew it was still with me. It was stronger for having just made the connection. I had fulfilled my duty. My party set out shortly thereafter. Horse riding was a skill I'd had to perfect pretty quickly since hanging out around here. There were no cars or planes. Shaya, Rurik, and Nia were with me, as were about a dozen guards. The guards rode stoically, eyes alert and watchful as they surrounded us. Rurik occasionally barked out an order to them, but mostly he bantered with Shaya and flirted with Nia. I wasn't too good at casual conversation and mostly just listened, more entertained by them than I wanted to admit. It was late morning, and the sun showed us no mercy as we traveled. I fared better than the rest, wearing shorts and sunglasses. The other women at least had lightweight dresses, but the men wore full leather armor and had to suffer considerably. None of them complained, not even Rurik, but sweat poured down their faces. So, it was something of a relief when we hit our first shift in the land. It's an oddity of the Otherworld that it folds in upon itself. Traveling is disorienting. In going in a straight line out of my kingdom, it was entirely possible to cross other kingdoms and then my own again without deviating from our course. We crossed into the Oak Land, and suddenly it was as though the Thorn Land had never existed. You couldn't even see it behind us. One of the guards broke his rigid demeanor to emit a small cheer that made everyone laugh. A cool, almost chill breeze rushed over us. Late autumn had settled on the Oak Land, setting the trees on fire with brilliant colors. It was gorgeous-and much more comfortable-but I secretly hoped we'd pass out of it soon. I had too many disturbing memories of this place. Sure enough, we soon crossed into the Thorn Land again, slamming into that unforgiving heat. It felt like traveling in circles, but the others assured me we stayed on course. That stint was brief, and our next shift took us to the Rowan Land. Late summer ruled here, but it was a more temperate summer than my own kingdom's. Cherry trees filled the landscape. Last I'd seen them, pink blossoms had covered almost every square inch of the branches. Now, as I looked closer, I could see bright red fruit weighing them down. And it was then that the wights attacked. Wights were denizens of the Otherworld, and while they weren't spirits exactly, they had the ability to turn invisible. So, my guards' vigilance had done no good. I counted seven as they swooped out of the orchards. They wore gray clothing and had long, pale faces. For the most part, they looked very much like humans and gentry. Light flared around them as they rained down bolts of power upon us. Wights were even more strongly tied to magic than the gentry, and conventional weapons had little effect on them. You had to take them down with magic. Unfortunately, the storm magic I'd inherited from my father still wasn't quite up to hardcore attacks. Neither was my guards' magic. Special magic-wielding soldiers aside, I'd learned most warriors here were weak in magic; it was why they'd chosen a more physical profession. I still suspected the silver bullets in my Glock might hurt the wights. Only, I had a problem. My guards had closed rank around Nia-the only civilian here-and me. Getting a shot off would likely kill one of them. â€Å"Let me out!† I yelled. â€Å"Let me fight!† The guards ignored me and, in fact, redoubled their own shouts of â€Å"The queen! Protect the queen!† Swearing, I managed to lean through and get a shot off that took one of the wights in the chest. It didn't kill him but clearly caused severe injury. Nearby, a cherry tree ripped itself from the earth. Infused by magic and therefore potentially lethal, it attacked the wounded wight. That was Shaya's handiwork. She had been a warrior before settling into my administration. As we fought, I soon deduced the point of this attack. The wights wanted me-not to kill me, but for other†¦more amorous purposes. They didn't seem to have much organization save to hack through and see who could get to me. Whoever did could have me. It sickened me, and an old, familiar fear welled up. I could handle concussions, broken bones, and the other myriad effects of my vocation. Rape was not something I could contend with. It had become a daily danger, however, since learning about my half-gentry heritage. My father, honorifically dubbed Storm King, had been a tyrannical warlord-one of the most powerful magic users the Otherworld had ever seen. He'd been intent on crossing over and conquering humanity. He'd come damned close, too, until my stepfather, Roland, had defeated him. Unfortunately, a prophecy had surfaced in Storm King's wake, a prophecy that said his daughter's son would complete his work. That was why I was such a hot commodity among Otherworldly males who believed in Storm King's vision. It was also why Jasmine wanted to get pregnant. Giving up on the gun, I produced my jewel-studded wand and started simply casting out the wights to the Underworld. Instant death. As I did my thing and the guards did theirs, we suddenly reached a point where all grew quiet. The wights were dead or gone. Everyone in my party immediately looked to see if I was all right, which I found ridiculous since two of the guards lay on the ground, and a number of them were bleeding. â€Å"Forget about me,† I snapped. â€Å"Check on them!† None had died, much to my relief. Gentry were hard to kill in their own world. They were long-lived and hardy. One of the guards had some healing powers, and we spent a considerable amount of time patching the group up. When we finally set out again, Shaya glanced up at the sun's position and frowned. â€Å"We're going to be late.† I thought about Kiyo. Then I thought about Maiwenn, who always looked like some sort of golden goddess, even with her belly ready to burst with Kiyo's son or daughter. Walking in late to her elite baby party, breaching etiquette under her cool gaze†¦Well, suddenly I wanted to ride as we'd never ridden before. Unfortunately, our wounded couldn't do that. Frustrated, we finally split the party, and those of us who were uninjured rode on at a brisk pace, hoping to cut our time. Before long, we crossed to the Willow Land and slammed into its freezing temperatures. It was just coming out of winter, and spring thaws were in progress, but the chill proved a shock nonetheless. We rode on down the road, determined to get there. We finally made it. But we were still late. Maiwenn's castle staff eyed our bedraggled state but showed me to a room where I could clean up and get ready. Nia practically had a conniption as Shaya and I hastily washed ourselves off and pulled on fresh clothes. Nia's magical gifts gave her a knack for adorning others and arranging hair. Kind of a magical beautician. It killed her that I almost never utilized her services. I could see her itching to do something intricate to my hair, but I shook my head. â€Å"No time. Make it fast. Wear it down.† Obliging-but disapproving-she used magic and a brush to work it into gleaming, silky lengths, pulling a little of it up with a barrette and stealing a couple of small daisies from a nearby vase to tuck into the barrette. With her magic, I knew it would stay perfectly arranged for hours. I splashed on some violet perfume, hoping it would cover any sweatiness I'd missed. With that, we were off. When Shaya and I approached the ballroom, it was obvious we were the last to arrive. The room was packed. I sighed loudly. â€Å"It's all right,† murmured Shaya. â€Å"You're a queen. You're expected to be eccentric. Don't look embarrassed.† â€Å"Is it possible,† I asked, â€Å"that we could just sneak in without anyone noticing?† Before she could answer, a herald stood in the doorway and announced in a voice designed for carrying over loud crowds: â€Å"Her Royal Majesty, Queen Eugenie Markham, called Odile Dark Swan, Daughter of Tirigan the Storm King, Protector of the Thorn Land, Beloved of the Triple Moon Goddess.† Dozens of heads swiveled toward us. I sighed again and answered my own question. â€Å"Apparently not.†

Disputes between the European Union and the rest of the World Essay

Disputes between the European Union and the rest of the World Introduction            The EU (European Union) has become a formidable power through trade, hence creating more problems with the rest of the world. Occasionally its dominance has helped it manipulate its trading partners. Starting with regional labor standards to development policies and internationally, ranging from global governance to foreign policy (Marshall & Jaggers, 2010).This paper will mainly focus on the EU as a dominant trade block. A factor that has undoubtedly contributed to the many conflicts it has internationally. The analysis includes different, but recent trade related conflicts the EU is involved in and points out the factors that led to the misunderstanding, and in some cases if there was a third party involved in the issue. The analysis also shows if a form of solution was reached or if the dispute was left unresolved, and the possible outcomes it had during the time of the confrontation. Lastly, it summarizes the main ideas of the paper and gives a comprehensive ov erview of the analysis. Russia – EU car tax disagreement            Among the first goals of the EU as a trade, hegemony is using its supremacy to secure concessions from others on market participation. This makes it function as an economic globalization determinant. The EU is using its trade dominance to achieve non-trade objectives therefore openly flanking market integration such as social, environment and safety standards to be more political or strategic in nature (Haughton, 2007). A bold move that has often left the rest of the world wonder if such use of trade power by the EU ultimately matter in geopolitical terms.            In 2013, a disagreement arose between the EU and Russia, which mainly centered on the newly imposed car levies. Russia had been a member of the WTO (World trade Organization) for barely a year before the trade dispute began. The EU accused Russia of using a recycling charge levied on imported cars to cover its automobile manufacturers illegally. The EU affirmed that for a whole year it had tried all possible diplomatic channels to amicably resolve the problem but with no success, Moscow declined to review its policies. According to the EU trade commissioners the implementation was not in line with the stated WTO laws that forbid biases against imports (Diakun, 2012).            Allegations arose on what was seen as Moscow’s non-compliance as the WTO sought to find out the facts. Initially, Moscow had some misconceptions about the benefits they would gain by joining the WTO. For Russia joining the union came at a cost of signing up to firm standards, which it understood well, equalized by the benefits of gaining access to a populous and larger markets with guarantee against protectionism. Most critics have accused Russia of failing to keep its commitments and the levy on cars put in place some days after it joined the WTO (Osipov, 2013).            Russia placed an increase in the duties paid on German and Italian vehicles imports, making them more expensive for the customers and affecting their market. The European Union is of the opinion that Russia is doing this on purpose to protect its manufacturers. Critics from Russia say the country is known for never keeping its WTO obligations and that the car levies disputes are part of a long chain of non-compliance laws on goods that range from harvesting machines to alcoholic drinks. Russia, conversely has protested against the EU initiatives to open up the bloc’s electricity and gas market, which it claims affects the regions business structure.            The proposed recycling levy bill failed to be amended by the Russian national assembly before it went into recess, and the EU warned the then Russian Economy Minister to expect a reaction from the union. Under the WTO regulations, Russia has exceeded its 60-day grace period to try and change or explain its laws (Marshall & Jaggers, 2010).            Comparisons between the 2001 China entry and that of Russia were unavoidable as the potential benefits of incorporating a big economy like Russia were very promising. In the case of China the first dispute arose two years after having enjoyed an enormous trade boost immediately after joining: for Russia it took less than 11 months. Russia still has other issues with the EU policies mainly its laws on the control of the European gas pipeline assets by Gazprom. The EU set up a committee to look into the issue. The Russian parliament, on the other hand, passed a ruling that changed the levy on recycling and confirmed the changes sort out the requests pointed out by the committee of the EU panel (Stephanie and Brianna, 2012). EU- Russia- Ukraine- gas dispute            The presidents of the EU, Russia and Ukraine, have agreed to meet and talk in relation to the dispute they have had over the Ukraine-EU free trade and gas agreements. Concurrently, with the efforts to stabilize the Ukraine security situation, the heads of state Vladimir Putin, of Russia, Petro Poroshenko, of Ukraine and Jose Manuel Barroso president of the European Commission are anticipated to hold one-one-one talks, but the venue and dates are not specified. Raising the discussions to the level of the heads of state seems to give hope to possible ease of tension over the Ukraine issue, a crisis that has for long plagued the relations between the West and Russia (Andres & Kofman, 2011).            The EU and Russian president spoke over the phone on possible ways that they could ease the current tension in the Ukraine. In June this year an approved series of three-way talks over gas disputes that brought together the energy ministers of the EU, Ukraine and Russia broke down provoking the Ukraine gas supplies to be cut off by Russia. Since then the EU energy minister has scheduled various meetings with both the Russian and Ukraine energy ministers to restart the initial discussions on resolving the Ukraine-Russian row over gas prices (Diakun, 2012).            The EU consumers have not been affected by the disruption of the Ukraine gas supplies, the Ukraine, however is a major route supply for approximate half of Russia’s gas shipments to the EU. This means that the EU depends on Moscow for a third of its energy. Russia has also recently held talks with the EU to try to calm the Kremlin fears over a wide-ranging free trade agreement that the Ukraine had signed with other 28 EU nations. A move that Moscow believes will be counterproductive to its economy (Osipov, 2013). The competition between Russia and EU over Ukraine gas has led to a problem that escalated when Russia seized the former Soviet Union Crimea region. EU sanctioned Russia for illegally occupying Crimea and on the other hand Moscow retaliated by banning imports from Europe. Which leaves both the opposing at a trade standoff since the dispute is still not resolved. China-EU solar panel dispute            The EU-China solar panel dispute in recent months has taken center stage on most newspaper headlines. This is hardly a new thing since the two are both seen as dominant international trading blocs. Most analysts, however often ignore the fact that trade disputes between economic titans like in the case of the EU and China is not a new thing. Rather they represent a continuous confrontation of the so-called China-EU strategic trade alliance.            The basis that a large volume of the EU-China policy is centered on the concept of normative power makes it one of the primary contributing factors for the long conflict. The EU policies towards China under this principle have developed in four main aspects namely: investments and trade, global governance, technical skills, and social and political changes. EU-China collaborations on renewable energy and climate change are mainly structured on the concept of encouraging sustainable growth.            In regards to the EU-Sino disagreement, the trading commissioner for the commission failed in his role of convincing other state members who already have well-developed solar energy technology to support their proposed sanctions on China. Germany, for example, a renowned leader in solar energy was particularly vocal with its disagreement on the placed investigations and sanction tariffs on China (Stephanie and Brianna, 2012).            In relation to the Sino-EU disagreement, the Commissioner for the EU failed in his initial role of convincing a majority of the members who have advanced and mature solar energy technologies to place retributive measures in China. For example, Germany, which is known internationally as a solar energy giant, is against the said investigations and restrictions placed on China.            The commission’s status from these investigations has been greatly undermined by the EU-China strategy. Such inquiry failures have further prompted China to sideline the commission, if not the entire EU affiliates. Aside from the dispute over the solar panels, the EU reluctance to allow China’s Market Economy Status (MES) is another one of the constant challenges that has not been resolved by the two factions for over a decade. EU has refused this initiative on the grounds that China lacks significant government interventions and transparency in its trade and economic policies (Marshall & Jaggers, 2010).            This drawback according to the Chinese was seen as a possible defeat. They reasoned that being granted the status of a market economy would be a major advantage in their EU-China alliance, both politically and economically. They stated that the principal reason for the EU refusal was due to the vast trade difference between China and the EU, and that the EU has tried to use the market economy status problem to gain more negotiating power and attempt to solve trade market entry and trade barrier issues that cripple their firms. The EU however continues to stress that the decline is a pure technical issue within the blueprints of its anti-dumping laws.            With this perspective of the EU, China has changed its stand from that of a new entrant to a competitor. The EU gets itself in a bind where its economic interests are threatened by its normative power strategy. Such inconsistencies that are allied with EU counterparts have further confused both renewable manufacturers and the Chinese government. The EU has eventually found its drive to promote sustainable development and pursue a value based foreign policy in China that is beyond its levels. The current standoff between EU and China, mainly originated from a mix-up and lack of recognition as to what each side’s law priorities state (Teorell, 2010). The issue has however not been resolved. EU-US Dispute on Trade Alliance            In 2011 the sheer size and importance of the United States-European Union mutual trade alliance, with trades mainly on goods roughly total up to â‚ ¬450 billion making the two trading partners the major trade players internationally. Recently, discussions started on a possible trade alliance aimed at mitigating or eliminating non-tariff and tariff trade hindrances in products and services.            The EU parliament in 2012 demanded the start of talks so as to get a more efficient EU-US trade pact. Among the most highly traded items within the two factions include automobiles and medical products, machines and high tech gadgets, as well as pharmaceutical, optic and photographic appliances among others (Cooper, 2014).            Therefore, their agreements mainly focus on labor and capital intensive industries, as recognized by the economies of scale and intra-industry trade policies. Debates on agricultural products have caused some disagreements in such discussion and with various public opinions; the greatest differences still remain in areas of food safety and consumers, subsidies and environment protection.            One such recent dispute has been on the Boeing and Airbus grants awarded to the concerned companies. A bilateral agreement between the US and EU that was concluded in 1992 centered on the trade of large civil aircrafts, and the parties who controlled the funding of the subsidies in this large sector. The US withdrew from the initial 1992 agreement in October 2004 disputing the public funding allocated to the Airbus. The EU also responded by challenging the public endorsement granted to Boeing. According to the (WTO) World Trade Organization both parties had breached the initial subsidy policies, and therefore were allowed to place counter measures (Tugores-Garcà ­a, 2012). While there is a possibility that such initiatives would clearly provoke a trade war involving other sectors, it is expected that the problem will eventually be solved. The dispute hearing on possible counter-measures started on the 16th of April 2013, and the outcome will definitely have dire c onsequences on how new entrants of large civil aircrafts from other countries can progress while joining the market (Cooper, 2014). Eu-China wines dispute            A recent EU-China dispute on anti-dumping laws centered on wine exports was resolved amicably earlier this year through negotiation and consultation. China had begun an investigation last year to establish whether European wines were sold at the standard price in the country. The initiative was seen as being an EU countermeasure for enforcing disciplinary policies on China’s solar panels. A dispute that had almost driven the two trade giants to the edge of a trade war, was sorted out through mediation by the then China Premier when agreed on price undertakings. In May 2014, the EU warned China that it would commence anti-dumping and anti-subsidy inquiries on its imports of network telecommunication equipment. The solar panel dispute is a case reference that highlights how under the WTO consultation and dialogue rule are the best ways to solve disputes, and that the EU and China had the capability and intelligence to choose this option (Huang, 2010).            In 2012, the export of wine from the EU reached 257 million liters which are approximated at $1 billion, more than that originating from France. In July 2014, the two factions settled a disagreement on poly-silicon products by using consultation and negotiations. It agreed that in the European markets the said products will not be sold below a certain price set by china. On the other hand, China agreed to stop its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy trends initially placed on its imports. Analysts have foreseen this unlikely alliance between the two factions as one that is likely to create a more beneficial atmosphere in the future.            This is because both sides take pride in their bilateral economies. If not properly settled trade disputes often have much bigger negative impact on both economies than can possibly be mitigated. As the EU and China industries are now closely interlinked industrial connections should be incorporated into the frameworks of resolving trade disputes, since it will help improve future relations and avoid further conflicts (Cooper, 2014). China-EU Misunderstandings over Trade Defense Mechanisms            The EU has on several occasions been charged by China for inappropriate use of placed trade defense mechanisms. China particularly charges the EU for using double standards against their imports and products. In 2003 when Chinese companies sold coke in European regions at cheaper rates, they were accused of offloading their products and fined based on the EU antidumping policies. Much later the EU again threatened to file a case against China at the WTO for restricting coke exports, which China clearly explained it had done mainly due to environmental reasons. These are all clear indications of how the EU often used unfair standards against China products which eventually raised disputes between the two parties.            More surprising is the EU refusal to apply several trade methods concurrently. It is a known fact that both European and (EC) European Commission affiliate companies placed (IPR) Intellectual Property rights protection and anti-dumping measures on most of their Chinese imports. For example, on the importations of China electronics, the China-based manufacturers were first charged with IPR infringement. Then the EU in 2005 also simultaneously filed anti-dumping case against the Chinese electronics (Huang, 2010). All of which have helped fuel the long trade disputes between China and the EU.            The anti-dumping policies of the EU have always been characterized by bias trends towards the affected domestic producers. This is most certainly the case being investigated against the so-called (NME) non-market economy countries like China. For a long time, exporting producers from China have been far worse treated as compared to other countries. They had to show that they qualified for their market status, by undergoing very strict regulations that were not required from other foreign exporters belonging to the WTO.            In addition, China enjoyed fewer regulation privileges as compared to other foreign exporters due to the limited access given to the information utilized for the vetting of the injury margin or dumping regulations. A similar EU bias of its producers could be found in the way it proves the existence of hazardous material within the EU industries. In such cases instead of analyzing a substantial size of the industry as a whole, the EU on focused on a small portion of the total industry strictly comprising of companies that support the imposing of anti-dumping measures. Eu – Brazil protectionism dispute            The EU filled at the WTO a trade case against Brazil that seems potentially explosive. The Latin America trade giant received for the first time after almost ten years a case over what it claims are protectionist charges levied on automobiles and other imports. The case is being filled amidst worry that Brazil has over the recent years become more protectionists in nature. The initiative to seek a hearing at the WTO comes as both sides seek to rejuvenate the initial long-standing trade agreement between the Mercosur and the European Union. Officials from the EU recently affirmed that the rising number of tax measures recently introduced by Brazil were not in line with the WTO policies and therefore, provided the domestic industries with undue advantage, while safeguarding them from external opposition.            Initially, Brazil’s move was thought to be aimed at Chinese automobile importers, who in 2011 controlled most of the local Brazilian market due to the aid of ingenious marketing strategies applied by the Brazilian media. Recently the EU openly declared that it was disturbed by the wrong path taken by Brazil on its policies and taxes affirming that such broad tax initiatives also affected smart phones, computers and semiconductors. Such moves negatively affect the EU exporters whose products were levied more than their local counterparts. The EU complained that the implementation also affects the Brazilian citizens since they would now be left with little choice, higher prices and lower access to original products.            The protectionism claims were strongly rejected by the Brazilian side, and they maintain that the Latin America trade bloc had solid counter arguments to show they fully adhered with the WTO trade regulations. Analysts reviewing the continuing dispute have claimed that the EU-Brazil case opens the doorway for more trade cases against Brazil. This implies that there are more cases against Brazil by other WTO members and companies, many of them have endured the injustice since the Brazil market is very lucrative. But now with the slowed economy, it is evident that the WTO members and involved companies are now less lenient towards the Latin America trade bloc (Grina, 2014).            The officials at the EU have said they had brought up the Brazil tax complaints in other former bilateral talks but had made no developments in sorting the problem. The move by the EU to ask for an official hearing of the issue in the WTO gives both parties a 60-day grace period to come up with an amicable solution. If no solution is reached within that timeframe, the EU will be permitted to ask for a formal committee to hear the case, which could impose against Brazil punitive trade restrictions. India-eu trade disputes            The EU and India in 2007 began talks on a wider investment and trade agreement BTIA (Broad based Trade and Investment Agreement) with the intent of opening up trade in services, goods and investment. However even after several negotiation sessions, there has been very little development due to several unresolved issues. Until such issues can be solved a trade agreement between the two nations will never come to pass, and the WTO policies will continue regulating the trades between the two members (Wouters, Goddeeris, Natens, & Ciortuz, 2013).            The EU on automobiles would like to see the eventual elimination of the duty import, whereas India wants to maintain it at 10 %. Talks on opening up regulations on the public procurement as well as the insurance sector have been particularly hard. Though, India is still in the path of changing its laws on foreign investments. The EU wants India to verify its commitment by passing a public procurement bill, which has not yet been submitted to the Indian parliament for approval. The gross domestic product markets in India, according to public procurement, accounts for 15- 20 percent. This is due to the needs of the infrastructure in a wide variety of areas that include energy, telecom, roads, railway and healthcare; these areas are of apparent concern for the development of the EU commerce (Wouters, Goddeeris, Natens, & Ciortuz, 2013).            Simultaneously, India aims to benefit its IT sector with the trade agreements. It mandates the EU to upgrade its status to that of a secure data state. Such recognitions are viewed as important for the Indian based IT company’s expansion. In addition, India is negotiating for its professionals to be given more open Visa to the EU. India had complained over the EU seizing generic medicine that had been in transit through the region. Even though the two parties later solved the problem there are still some significant aspects of the dispute that still emerge.            The EU in 2003 asked for talks with India in relation to 27 anti-dumping allegations in regards to several EU export products that, included chemicals, pharmaceuticals, steel, textile and paper. The EU was of the opinion that there was no proof of the alleged dumping accusations and that there was sufficient analysis of the casualties and injury. Since then India has terminated progress on most of the disputed issues; these include those on pharmaceutical and steel products, the problem remains un-resolved and under consultation (Khorana, & Garcia, 2013).            India in 2010 also asked for talks with the Netherlands and EU in relation to the reported genetic medicines seized on the grounds of patent breach. The taken drugs had been produced in India and were being transported through airports and ports in the Netherlands to Brazil, which was the primary destination. India claims that the alleged Dutch and EU measures were against their agreements under the (GATT) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the agreement under the (TRIPs) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regulations. It was not until 2011 that the dispute was sorted through mutual consensus.            According to the consensus, the fact that medicines are passing through the EU territory and that there is a patent title warranted by such products in the EU area. In itself does not give much basis for EU customs authority to suspect the patent rights violation. Proof can provide such basis that the medicine might be re-routed onto EU markets. The Indian medicine conflict perhaps might arise, on the basis of the extent of (IPR) intellectual property rights on third world economies (Wouters, Goddeeris, Natens, & Ciortuz, 2013). US and EU Power Struggle            In comparison, these two powerful trade blocks have no difference in the ways they show their dominance in different regions. Mostly they achieve this through agreements that they often have over their access to the market for their goods, capital and services in other areas. Agreements with EU have often been more involved on mutual concessions over levies, rations, and technical obstacles. Nonetheless, they can sometimes be asymmetrical. Either because the EU could be making steeper reductions or the value of the EU reductions could be larger following the size of the regional bloc. Failure to withstand such asymmetries means that the EU, similar to the US, uses preferential bilateral agreements to pry open the available markets that are found in the area as an exchange for accessing its markets. Regionally, EU’s power has taken the form of less accurate mutual concessions (Cooper, 2014).            As more states join the EU, it wants to satisfy its members’ goals by realizing economies of scale via bloc-to-bloc pacts. Such first bi-regional trade agreement are still being negotiated since 2000 mainly involving the EU and Mercosur, which is a customs union created in 1991. It is to be followed by ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) as new economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with, among others, the Caribbean countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council. It cannot be denied that Latin America especially, has made such moves partly in consideration to reaction by USA’s drive towards regionalism.            The EU and the US have always been engaged in a battle of supremacy since their establishment as trade giants. Each side has been trying to guarantee their members and partners that they have an unrelenting access to markets and resilience in trade and regulatory deals. In addition, both have also tried using their power in trade to exert the type of ‘western dominion’. Mainly Over the developing countries, especially towards the so-called ‘new issues’ that pertain to services as well as intellectual property that were initially made In China and later introduced during the Uruguay Round. Currently, little co-operation exists between the EU–US regulatory bodies. These two powers have kind of began pursuing sharply diverging tactics, which often came up with opposing alliances like during the Hong Kong meeting of the Doha Round that happened in December 2005 (Teorell, 2010). Conclusion            As shown by the paper, it is evident that the EU mostly uses its undisputed trade prowess to pursue objectives that are often non-trade related. Like in the case of China wines dispute and misuse of trade defense instruments. The EU therefore, attempts to forcibly fashion the trade blocs in its image either through conditionality or by force. This shows the way the various quarrels among of the different member states make it hard for the EU to project its dominance more evidently to the entire world (Teorell, 2010).            Nonetheless, such divergences are themselves a byproduct or an expression of existing tensions between various alternative priorities or even norms that must simultaneously be committed to by the EU machinery. 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