Chapter 4: Economic Environments Facing Businesses Flashcards
By 2050, how many of the world’s largest economies will be in greater Asia?
4 out of 6
In 2009, how much of total world GDP did emerging economies make up?
Over half
Which country was the most central trading power in the world in 2012?
China
What do changing economic environments indicate about the corresponding governments?
Government ambitions and highlight implications for economic freedom
What are some challenges of “the comeback” of emerging economies?
- Distort traditional economic indicators
- Greater competition for scarce resources –> increase price of commodities –> decrease price of manufactured goods
- More people working worldwide, but poverty increases
- More than 70% of world’s growth in next few years will be in emerging markets
Why is the assessment of economic environment more conditional than universal?
- System complexity
- Market dynamism
- Market interdependence
- Data overload
How should managers evaluate a country’s economy?
- Level of economic freedom for investments/ops
- Country’s economic system & current macro policies
- Drivers of economic change
What is economic freedom?
- Right of property ownership
- Freedoms of movement for labor, capital, & goods
- Absence of coercion or constraint of economic liberty beyond extent necessary for preservation of liberty
What is the economic freedom index?
Estimates extent to which government constrains free choice/enterprise for reasons that go beyond need to protect property, liberty, safety, and efficiency
What are some results of economic freedom?
- Growth
- Productivity
- Financial prosperity
- Economic stability
- Higher standards of living
How did the global financial crisis affect perception of free markets?
Induced fear of freer markets
What is the market test?
Test used by managers to gauge economic freedom vs. state control. Includes how government…
- Regulates economy
- Protects property rights
- Sets fiscal & monetary policies
- Enforces anti-trust regulation
What are the characteristics of a market economy?
- Individuals make most decisions
- Capitalism
- Mostly private ownership of resources
- Bias towards entrepreneurial innovation
- Applies invisible hand, laissez-faire
What are the characteristics of a command economy?
- Government owns and controls most resources
- Bias towards large-scale, capital-intenstive production
- Applies visible hand of state, central planning, & collectivism
- Communism
What are characteristics of a mixed economy?
- Gov/private ownership of resources mixed
- Goal of balancing economic efficiency but protecting against greed and self-interest
- Socialism
What is state capitalism?
Economic system whereby political officials decide how assets are valued and when/where they are used
What are characteristics of state capitalism?
- Government explicitly manipulates market outcomes for political purposes
- Promote stability and growth
- Does not stipulate ideological component
- Promotes growth of particular industries
- State favors local businesses over foreign ones
What is Gross National Income (GNI)?
Value of all production in domestic economy + income from other countries - payments to other countries