John Stuart Mill's principle of liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

John Stuart Mill's principle of liberty - Essay Example I prefer this definition of public policy because it establishes a direct connection between expectations of a society and the effectiveness of their embodiment by governments. With such observations in mind, let us try to find out to what extent, if at all, John Stuart Mill's principle of liberty is a workable and attractive basis for public policy in light of real-life challenges. ... ills principle to public policy, because in the latter case we may fail to exactly identify aspects of the principle that cause difficulties in its practical implementation as a basis for public policy. Besides, the fact Mill himself differentiated between the spheres of application of the principle of liberty in positive (freedom for personal development) and negative (knowledge that our freedom from harmful interference of others is protected) ways suggests that for him, as a utilitarian, this differentiation was needed in order to provide a practically applicable frame for his moral philosophy. Indeed, while for Mill the maximisation of happiness serves as the moral end, he realises that the task of distribution of limited amount of goods that can promote happiness requires the establishment of strict social norms violation of which should be punished for the common benefit. The first part of the Millian principle of liberty, which declares that a person has the right to do whatever he or she wants and be free from the interference from other people, stems from Mills principle of utility "grounded on the permanent interest of man as a progressive being".1 By this Mill implies that the choice of forms of governance should be based on their capacity to promote development of faculties of each individual, which would generally increase moral freedom, responsibility, and rationality among people, thus leading to more happiness. This aim is justified by the fact that free personal development is an end for each individual, and at the same time is a proper way for the whole society to thrive.1 So, it is after all the utility that dictates the best forms of social life.2 Therefore, with the personal development being the basic value, Mill states that liberty, insofar as it

Motivation of firms for foreign direct investments - a critical review Dissertation

Motivation of firms for foreign direct investments - a critical review - Dissertation Example The 1990s had witnessed a dramatic growth in the foreign direct investments to the developing countries. In the late 1980s, the net direct investment flows to the countries amounted from the 0.5 percent of their overall GDP to more than 2.5 percent in the year 2000-2001. The dramatic growth in FDI was particularly experienced in Latin America (Calderon, Loayza & Serven, â€Å"Introduction†). After 1994, with the steep decline in other private external flows, the significance of foreign direct investment has increased as the significant source of external financing to the developing world. Over the last few decades, the outsourcing from the foreign countries has become a significant strategic issue. This has been in the wake of increasing recognition of the benefits, provided by the effective outsourcing and international product strategies. In the quest for greater efficiency and cost savings, a number of companies have decided to source parts and components at a reduced cost from the suppliers across the globe. Hence, the importance of FDI has increased with the passing days. This report is an effort to look into the foreign direct investment from both the perspectives of domestic and foreign countries. There can be several benefits which can lead a host country to welcome the foreign direct investments while there are number motivations behind such decisions of the investing firms. All these have been discussed to have a more detailed look at the foreign direct investments taking reference from several articles and books, as well as the online resources. At the end, a conclusion has been inferred from the discussion carried out in different segments. Foreign Direct Investment Foreign Direct Investment is a form of investment which earns interest in the enterprises, functioning outside of the domestic territory of the investors. The foreign direct investment requires a business relationship between the parent company and its subsidiaries (EconomyWatch, â€Å"Types of Foreign Direct Investment: An Overview†). The term ‘Foreign Direct Investment’ can be defined in several ways. â€Å"Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is the process whereby residents of one country (the source country) acquire ownership of assets for the purpose of controlling the production, distribution and other activities of a firm in another country (the host country)† (Moosa, p.1). According to International Monetary Fund’s Balance of Payments Manual, foreign direct investment is made to acquire an interest in any organisation, operating in a foreign economy; in this case, the investor aims to have to an effective voice in the organisation management. Back in the year 1999, the United Nations World Investment Report has defined FDI as an investment which involves a long term relationship and reflects a long-term interest and control of an entity in an organisation, in any foreign country. While compared to various forms of intern ational investment, the distinctive feature of FDI is that it enables the investor to have control over management policy and decisions of the organisation in the foreign country. A number of researchers have argued that the element of control has provided