Weekly Blog Post - Week 10

Kiwi firms positive outlook

This article talks about the benefits that the Global Financal Crisis had on business.  It argues that the GFC "...put Kiwi businesses through the mill. Most have come out the other side leaner, tighter and more focused."  According to the article, New Zealand businesses are more agile and can more easily adapt to changing market conditions than can business in Europe, the U.S., and Australia.  This is interesting because we have mainly focused on negative effects of the GFC thus far in class, and the article shows how it may have been beneficial in the long run to some.

Reflection

a)  I believe that learning how interdependent the world's economies are is directly applicable to understanding how the world works.  For example, it is important to know that even though a financial crisis in one part of the world may not immediately hurt the economy of a country on the other side of the globe, eventually there will be some affects.  These affects can range from a decrease in foreign demand for domestic goods to a decrease in supply of money for investing.

b)  I am interested in learning more about the appreciation and depreciation of currency.  I would like to cover the effects of both more in depth.

c)  I would tell the student to enjoy the class.  With the right attitude, the readings can be very intriguing and researching one's (potential) study abroad destination can get very exciting.  I am much more motivated now to studying abroad, particularly in New Zealand, now that I have done some research on the country.