Should government encourage foreign companies ???

ĐỀ 7/1/2012

Some people believe that government should encourage foreign companies and factories so that they can develop the economy. Others argue that government should keep foreign factories out and help companies in their countries. Discuss

Essay 1

AGREE

-         Foster the mutual understanding between nations

-         Positive cultural aspects : punctuality, seriousness in working, pressure dealing, environment-friendly working ambience

-         Enhance their professional ways of working , absorb cutting-edge technological innovations to develop their economies

DISAGREE

-         Put their cultural identity in danger

-         Pollution à waste of money to construct industrial zones and people suffer diseases

-         Domestic citizens consume global products à endanger the economy

The appearance of international companies in my country in recent years has become more apparent. Some people fear that this trend can adversely affect the destiny of local companies while others subscribe to the belief that more opportunities for our growth are well seen. My writing will discuss both opinions.

Cultural concerns are firstly raised in this issue. Those pessimistic believe that as a consequence of consuming foreign products for a long time and working with them, local citizens are gradually putting their cultural identity in danger. No sooner have several international companies along with the frequent organization of festivals appeared and taken root in Vietnam does a part of our young population become fans of their cultures, desiring to live and study there by seeking scholarships or work training courses at all cost. Even worse, to reduce pollution cost in their own nations, rich ones are ready to pour a greater amount of money into the construction of a series of industrial zones in developing countries, which darkens the sky here and results in an increase in number of people suffering respiration-related diseases. Both cultural and environmental damages are, thus, likely to be seen in this scenario, but those in favor of this trend have their reasons for the belief that the mutual understanding between nations is definitely fostered. It is also true that by virtue of cooperating with international organizations can people in the third-world be imbued with positive cultural aspects from punctuality, seriousness in working to pressure dealing. Also, the technological innovations applied in industrial zones are partly conducive to the creation of a more environment-friendly working ambience, not as serious as argued by critics.

Admittedly, opponents also have their reason in arguing that with foreign companies being established in developing nations, cheap labor and natural resources are easily accessible, benefiting them greatly and depleting the sources of the later. To specify, if rich nations erect such industrial factories in their own places, they are supposed to pay a ten-time higher salary level for an expert, heightening their price and forfeiting competitive edge in the world’s market while labor in the third-world is available. By this way, the foreign factories can expand their market with their lower priced products and more local citizens becoming their available target customers at the same time. For these reasons, antis insist on the disappearance of these companies and urge government to build domestic ones instead. However, only by dint of the existence of international organizations does the rate of unemployment in less developed nations see a significant fall. Another advantage is that only after working with foreign experts can local people enhance their professional ways of working and absorb cutting-edge technological innovations to develop their economies. Also, that domestic citizens consume global products does not necessarily endanger their economies, and in fact, internal companies, because of suffering the smaller market share, should drive themselves to keep pace with the former by upgrading their products to satisfy internal customers. In some countries, for instance, where governments endeavor to push foreign-based entrepreneurs out of their boundary, internal industries apparently enjoy significant protectionism, but in the long run, grow increasing dependent on authorities. In particular, in the world of globalization, the creation of a level playing field for both internal and external businesses totally makes sense. Economically, in other words, foreign companies, domestic ones and citizens do gain benefits, as claimed by advocates of this tendency.

-         Apparent /ə'pærənt/ (adj) rõ ràng, hiển nhiên = evident  = obvious
= patent /'peitənt/ = visible /'vizəbl / = definite

-         Mutual / 'mju:tjuəl/ (adj) chung, qua lại, lẫn nhau

-         Punctuality /,pʌɳktju'æliti/ (n) tính đúng giờ (không chậm trễ) -  (adj)punctual

-         Deplete /di’pli:t/ (v) làm suy yếu, xả hết ra, rút hết ra, làm rỗng không

-         Erect /i’rekt/ (v) thành lập, thiết lập = set up = form = found = establish

-         Forfeit (v) bị mất, bị thiệt, bị tước  (n) tiền phạt, tiền bồi thường, vật bị mất
(n) sự bị mất, bị thiệt   = forfeiture (n)

-         Endeavour = endeavor /in'devə/ (v)(n) cố gắng, nỗ lực = effort (n) = try (v) = attempt (v)(n)

-         Entrepreneur /,ɔntrəprə'nə:/ (n) người chủ hãng buôn, nhà doanh nghiệp

-         Advocate /’ædvəkeit/ (n) : luật sư, người bào chữa, người ủng hộ, tán thành

-         Keep pace with (v) bắt kịp = catch

Essay 2 (THE SAME TOPIC)

International companies have been mushrooming in my country, Vietnam recently. Optimists believe in the future of our better economy with more jobs created by these factories while others visualize the picture of long-term economic dependence as a result of this scenario. My essay will do an autopsy on both ideas.

First, is it claimed that the birth of more foreign-based companies means more jobs generated for local people in developing countries while developed countries are able to make use of low-priced labor and available natural resources. To specify, outsourcing is a common trend in today’s world when most of parts in a product are totally produced and assembled in developing countries where labor is redundant, pushing the price of products to the minimum level, benefiting both foreign producers and the world’s buyers. In other words, economic pluses are noticeable in this trend, yet there are more pains than gains as argued by antis. The fact is that not until cheaper products flood in the internal market by dint of cheap labor than such global factories actually expand their market and even swallow the local ones which are still in the embryonic stages of growth. To illustrate also, Vietnamese people are, at present, fans of international brand items than the domestic ones, deriving from the proliferation of reputed companies from Canon, Unilever to Coca-cola, and for this reason, the local ones are always placed on the verge of soon collapse.

Second, the advancement in labor skill and absorption of good cultural aspects are undeniable benefits of the existence of foreign organizations. By having a chance to work, cooperate with international friends, people in less rich nations fathom the key to enhance their labor expertise, producing better items and developing their own countries whereas several cultural habits are inculcated such as seriousness in working, punctuality and professionalism. In turn, international friends come to appreciate the quintessence of our local areas and perhaps fall in love with people here, heightening the mutual understanding between nations and flattening the world. That sounds too idealistic, though. Opponents insist on the view that the cultures of host countries are actually put in jeopardy. As a result of using their celebrated brands of foreign factories frequently, local people are subconsciously assimilated. To make the matter worse, emissions which emanate from foreign factories where are often designed to create chemicals and technological items often darken the sky of people in local people, leading to an ever-increasing rate of pollution and endangering their health. According to statistics, birth defects and other respiration-related diseases in the third-world are well seen in zones which are home to hundreds of industrial international firms. Therefore, it is believed that it would better for governments to urge these companies out of their nations and create the best condition for their fledging internal ones.

In conclusion, both sides are equally validated from their economic, cultural and environmental perspectives

-         Mushroom (v) (n) nấm,  mọc nhanh như nấm

-         Visualize (v) hình dung, mường tượng

-         Autopsy /'ɔ:təpsi/ (n) sự mổ xẻ phân tích

-         Outsourcing (n) gia công

-         Assemble (v) lắp ráp

-         Swallow (n)(v) nuốt

-         Embryonic /embri’ɔnik/ (adj) : thời kỳ phôi thai, thời kỳ đầu của sự phát triển – embryonic stages of growth

-         Proliferation / prə,li’fəreiʃn / (n) sự sinh sôi nảy nở, sự gia tăng nhanh

-         Verge (n) bờ, ven – on the verge : sắp, gần – on the verge of soon collapse

-         Absorb (v) hấp thu – (n) absorption

-         Fathom / 'fæðəm / (n)sải (đơn vị đo chiều sâu, = 1,82m)

(v) đo chiều sâu bằng sải, (nghĩa bóng) tìm hiểu, thăm dò

-         Inculcate (v) ghi nhớ, khắc sâu + on/in/upon

-         Quintessence /kwin’tesns/ (n) tinh hoa, tinh túy, tinh chất

-         Idealistic (adj) duy tâm

-         Celebrated /’selibreitid/ (adj) nổi tiếng = famous = well-known = illutrious = noted = renowned = reputed /ri’pju:tid/

-         Subconscious (adj) (thuộc) tiềm thức – (n) subconsciousness

-         Assimilate (v) tiêu hóa, đồng hóa

-         Emission /i'miʃn/ (n) sự phát ra, phóng ra, tỏa ra,  bốc hơi, phát hành

-         Emanate /’eməneit/ + from : (v) phát ra, tỏa ra, bắt nguồn

-         Fledge (v) nuôi cho đủ lông đủ cánh

-         Validate (v) làm cho có hiệu lực, công nhận có giá trị

happiness in developed or developing countries ?

ĐỀ 26/11/2011

The economic development brings a better life to people, but only people in developing countries do feel happier while those in developed one are less. Why is this and state your view

AGREE

-        -More jobs in haves nations are delivered to those in haves not nations to make use of low-priced labor and redundant natural resources

-                     - That pollution and terrorism are on a climb in the world endanger people in rich areas

DISAGREE

-           - Rising flexibility in the world market

-           - Competition in rich nations’ work environment and worker’s satisfaction in poor ones

-           - Lower crime-rates in poor nations and a decrease in illegal immigration to rich ones

-           - Since the 1970s onwards, there have been fewer conflicts and wars

-           - Being richer, people invest much more in education, environment protection, health-care …

The world is becoming richer with people having higher salaries and more comfortable facilities. Some people believe that this trend is conducive to people’s growing happiness in both developing and developed regions while others subscribe to the notion that apparently it sounds so, but more pains are now seen in those in the latter areas. I strongly disagree with the latter view for some reasons.

Admittedly, the living standards of people, according to studies, are escalating by dint of economic growth. People in developing world are able to afford such facilities from cars, houses to overseas travel, enriching their life experience and providing them with more opportunities, but those in another pole of the world, say, the wealthy nations, are different, feeling less happy. It is believed that as a result of the expansion of outsourcing market, more jobs in haves nations are directly stolen and delivered to those in haves not nations to make use of low-priced labor and redundant natural resources. However, I hold an opposite view on this matter. Taking a closer look into the picture of outsourcing, we can see more advantages for both sides. This trend, after all, is inevitable, showing rising flexibility in the work market where winners are the most efficient and available while losers are less adaptable to the changing world. To further counter, another argument is that facing the threat of being deprived of current jobs, workers in more developed areas are competitively working harder and training them better with advanced jobs while those in the third-world are satisfied to have chance of employment, leading to the latter’s lower crime-rates and illegal immigration into the western countries for sake of job- finding.

That pollution and terrorism are on a climb in the world is believed to present a threat to all people as well. Despite their richest, those in developed nations still feel annoyed for not genuinely enjoying a sustainable globe. Not only do tsunami and other natural disasters which often happen in less developed regions can have far- reaching effects on rich ones, but the existence of a wider network of terrorists actually also puts their lives in jeopardy. A typical example is the case of New York’s nine eleven event, and until now, pains are noticeably seen in the face of people here, in spite of their pride to reside in one of the most prosperous harbors of the world. Nevertheless, the truth is that since the 1970s onwards, there have been fewer conflicts and wars. Such terrorism actions can hardly cost as many deaths as those massacres in the First and Second World Wars, statistically. Besides, as the health-care of each nation is increasingly addressed, by dint of economic growth and the provision of cutting-edge technology, more lives in both poles are saved and diseases are in-time curbed. Also, the wealthier people are, the more they can invest in education to have better awareness of environmental protection and the more willing they are to use environment-friendly products, again by virtue of innovative technological applications. Psychologically, once the financial matter is less urgent as it used to be, long-term thinking and strategies are adopted by people in both poles of the world.

In my view, all above figures really indicate that the world is changing for the better, and the most crucial is that each person, whether living anywhere, should nourish the belief to protect the earth home everyday to live happily ever after.

-         Notion (n) : quan điểm, khái niệm = conception

    Subscribe to the notion (v) : đồng ý với quan điểm

-         Apparent (adj) hiển nhiên, rõ ràng = evident (adj)

-          Redundant (adj) : dư thừa – (n) redundancy

-          Illegal (adj) bất hợp pháp, trái luật

-         Terrorism /'terərizm/ (n) : chính sách khủng bố

-         Sustainable (adj) có thể chịu đựng được, có thể chứng minh được

-         Genuine (adj) chân thật, thành thật

-         Afford (v) : đủ sức, đủ điều kiện, đủ khả năng mua sắm

-         Outsourcing (n) : sự gia công

-         Inevitable (adj) : chắc chắn xảy ra, không thể tránh được

-         Tsunami (n) sóng thần

-         Far-reaching (adj) : ảnh hưởng rộng rãi, sâu rộng

-         Jeopardy (n) sự nguy hiểm = danger = hazard = peril

-         Prosperous (adj) thịnh vượng, phát đạt, thành công = thriving (adj) 

            prosper (v) =  thrive (v) = florish (v)

-         Massacre (v) tiêu diệt, tàn sát

-         Nourish (v) nuôi dưỡng, ấp ủ

-         Since the 1970s onward : từ thập niên 70 trở đi