Politics Flashcards
What are the different elements of the political factor?
- Laws, regulations
- Taxes
- Trade agreements or conditions
- Political system
- Political stability
What is the significance of the political factor?
- Ensures protection of customers
- Provides support/protection to domestic businesses
- Creates opportunities in foreign markets
Explain how the government can act like a customer
They need paper, computers, furniture, vehicles for the police, and weapons for the army, which they need to purchase from businesses
Is the government a good customer to have? Why?
Yes and no: they are a good customer because of their size, but because of that they also have a lot of negotiating power
Explain how the government can act like a competitor by giving some examples
The government provides some services that are also provided by other businesses. Eg. The LCBO competes against other sellers of marijuana, Canada Post competes against FedEx, and CBC competes against other media/radio stations
Is the government a good competitor to have? Why?
They are not a good competitors because:
- they are very big and have many resources
- they make the rules that businesses have to follow
- they don’t need to earn a profit
- they are a known entity
Explain how the government can act like a taxation agent. Why do they collect taxes?
Tax is collected by all three types of government because that’s where government gets is revenue
What are the three different types of taxes?
- Progressive
- Regressive
- Restrictive
Describe what a progressive tax is. Give an example
The more money you make, the more you pay in taxes. the first dollars you earn are tax free, but after the limit the tax rate jumps up from different levels. As you progress to different levels, you pay a higher percentage of your income in taxes. Eg. income tax
Describe what a regressive tax is. Give an example
Proportionally, a regressive tax takes more of your income when you have a lower income than a higher income. Eg. sales tax
Describe what a restrictive tax is. Give an example
A restrictive tax is meant to influence consumer habits by taxing things that are “bad”, like cigarettes, gasoline, and liquor
Explain how the government can act like a provider of incentives and financial assistance
- The government provides subsidies, tax breaks, research funding, and support services for both small and large businesses - The government also provides bail outs by “saving” companies who are going bankrupts by lending or giving them money (Eg. banks, automobile industry)
Explain how the government can act like a provider of services
The government provides public services like roads or the army
Why does the government provide some public services?
Either it’s a bad choice for a for-profit to run them (like the army, police, education and health care (because it’s expensive) or fire department), or they wouldn’t exist if they were dependent on for-profits
Explain how the government can act like a regulator / law maker
They regulate business activity to make sure that businesses are following the law, and they influence technology standards (like the CRTC: regulates online services for TV, radio, and frequency)
Why does the government act like a regulator/law maker?
- Promotes competition
- Promotes innovation
- Protects customers
- Achieves social goals
- Protects the environment
How does the government promote competition by being a regulator?
The government want’s to encourage competition, but they also want to make sure people are following the rules. The Competition Act ensures that little companies are not crushed by big businesses
How does the government promote innovation by being a regulator?
Innovation drives the economy forward and gives the country opportunities to be internationally competitive. The government wants to promote continuous improvement by protecting intellectually property rights like patents, copyright, and trademarks
How does the government protect customers by being a regulator? Give an example
The Hazardous Products Act specifies what rules businesses must follow when dealing with toxic chemicals/materials
How does the government achieve social goals by being a regulator?
The government makes education accessible, even beyond high school, through loans and OSAP. They also heavily subsidize health care to help people stay healthy
How does the government protect the environment by being a regulator?
The government helps to protect natural marginal stakeholders such as the environment through acts like the Canada Water Act, and the Fisheries Act. If you break the law, the government can become an unsupportive stakeholder
Does the Banking Act create an opportunity or a threat?
To become a new bank, you need approval/a charter from the government, which is a very high barrier to entry; if the government changes that law, the barriers to entry will go down. For new banks, changing the Bank Act is an opportunity, but for established banks it will be a threat
How does the government influence social factors?
They try to influence social values by making laws (legal drinking age, no smoking indoors, etc.)
What actions/decisions can the government make that will affect a firm’s ability to achieve financial performance?
If the government increases income tax, people will have less disposable income and will buy fewer goods, causing revenue to go down and financial performance will decline