A study of one bilateral free trade agreement of country A and country Essay

A study of one bilateral free trade agreement of country A and country B 05091 - Essay Example Japan is an important country where the foreign direct investment takes place and also facilitates the Mexican exports. The investment that flows out of Japan to Mexico and the technology transfer that takes place within the economy is very important for the growth of the economy. It brings in competitiveness within the economy and also creates employment opportunities (Kawai, 2005). The trade relations within the two nations lead to a diversification of the export market. Strengthening of the economic relations within the nations will enhance the positions of Japan and Mexico in the international markets (Ravenhill, 2003). However, the potential economic relations between the nations have not been realized completely. The main purpose of the free trade partnership agreement was to promote liberalization of the trade as well as investments within the economy and also facilitate the movement of individuals between Japan and Mexico for trade purposes (Ravenhill, 2003). The agreement aims to set up a comprehensive economic partnership involving a competition policy, development of the business environment and bilateral cooperation in the field of vocational education and training and also provides support to the small and the medium enterprises within the economy (Yoshimatsu, 2005). It is expected that through this agreement, Japan will gain access to Mexican marke t which is growing at a fast pace. The agreement will also enable the entry of firms into the north South American markets through Mexico and the Japanese companies will gain equal treatment along with the companies of Canada, US and European Union in the fields of Customs duties, investment and Government procurement (Manger, 2005). According to the agreement, the custom duties will be eliminated or reduced on agricultural as well industrial products. Further, both the countries signing the agreement should cooperate in the field of anticompetitive activities. However, the agreement has left the

Blended Learning Implementation in Universities Essay

Blended Learning Implementation in Universities - Essay Example Unfortunately, not all universities have a clear view on how blended learning can be implemented. The goal of this paper is to highlight the most important points and offer a strategic framework for the development and implementation of blended learning strategies in higher education. The paper includes the definition and discussion of blended learning, the main criteria of effectiveness in blended learning environments, possible ways to implement blended learning in the classroom, and a common framework for higher education institutions seeking to implement the blended learning approach. Blended learning: models and implementation Regardless of the goals and objectives of blended learning in universities, the process of implementing blended learning models in higher education mandates the development of strong and complex program implementation frameworks. The overall process of developing and implementing blended learning programs includes the following elements: institutional, ped agogical, technological, design, evaluation and management, support and ethics (Singh 2003). This is actually a unique and extremely useful implementation framework that was proposed by Singh (2003). ... ecide whether it possesses technical and personnel capabilities required, to guarantee that all learners have equal access to blended learning instruments. At this stage of implementation, universities need to perform a detailed needs analysis, to understand what learners need and how blended learning can satisfy their needs. This is the planning stage of the implementation process in blended learning, which must include both strategic and operational aspects (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). In strategic terms, universities must necessarily evaluate the needs, objectives and goals of blended learning, its potential benefits, costs and the availability of resources (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). Operational planning has to be considered, in order to operationalize the goals and objective of blended learning and turn them into an action plan (Garrison & Kanuka 2004). For example, universities may develop advertising strategies to engage learners in blended contexts or attend to the needs of managi ng technologies effectively. Then follow the pedagogical and technological considerations. Universities that seek to implement blended learning approaches must decide upon the content to be included in the blend, the learning objectives to be met, and the learner needs (Singh 2003). In other words, here education professionals link the needs of learners to the learning objectives and the instruments to be used, to help learners meet these learning objectives. For example, if learners are expected to develop a new product or marketing model, then product simulation can become an essential component of the blend (Singh 2003). Once these delivery methods are identified, universities can proceed to decide upon the types of technologies to be used in blended learning. Here, technical