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Testbank Chapter 7
Testbank Chapter 7
Testbank Chapter 7
5) The government of Country X imposes import restrictions on steel to help the domestic steel
industry in depressed areas. What is the most likely result of such restrictions?
A) damaging other industries in Country X
B) devaluing the currency of Country X
C) lowering steel prices in Country X
D) triggering boycotts in Country X
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Application
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
8) What is the most likely reason that consumers rarely protest import restrictions that raise the
prices they pay for a specific product?
A) They reason that if the import restrictions are removed, the foreign producers will raise their
prices to those of the domestic producers anyway.
B) Many countries prohibit consumers to band together to influence political actions.
C) Typically, although the added costs to consumers for a given product are high in aggregate,
they are fairly trivial for most individual consumers.
D) They reason that if they do something to hurt domestic employment for one product, the
displaced workers will then do something that will hurt their own employment.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Analytical thinking
9) Unemployed workers are most apt to form a pressure group to support ________.
A) export restrictions
B) import restrictions
C) price limitations
D) import subsidies
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Application of knowledge
10) Successful trade retaliation is most likely achieved ________.
A) on agricultural products
B) on manufactured products
C) by a large trading country
D) by a small trading country
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Reflective thinking
12) All of the following are generally true about trade-displaced workers EXCEPT which one?
A) They move abroad to take new jobs.
B) They earn less in their new jobs than they earned in their old ones.
C) They spend their unemployment benefits on living rather than retraining.
D) They have difficulty finding new work because of educational deficiencies.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Analytical thinking
13) The rationale for the infant-industry argument for trade protection is that ________.
A) incubator centers in which business, government, and academia cooperate will develop
entrepreneurial companies
B) a country should give one firm in an industry a monopoly status so that it will grow large
enough to be competitive internationally
C) it takes time for an industry to become competitive in world markets, so protection is needed
to help this industry pass through the critical period
D) lower restrictions should be placed on products coming from countries where a government
has a large sphere of political influence
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Reflective thinking
14) Which of the following statements most likely undermines the infant-industry argument?
A) Total unit costs decrease through economies of scale.
B) High tariffs to prevent foreign competition increase government revenues in the protected
country.
C) Domestic entrepreneurs need assistance to compete in industries with high entry barriers.
D) Experience of operating over time triggers higher productivity and global competitiveness.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
15) A problem that can arise in using trade protectionism to develop international
competitiveness for a domestic industry is that ________.
A) it is difficult to identify industries that have a high probability of reaching competitiveness
B) assistance should be given only if entry barriers to new firms are very low
C) the protecting countries lose too much revenue from import duties
D) a short product life cycle makes the industry quickly noncompetitive
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
16) Which of the following is a problem with the infant-industry argument for protection?
A) Most developed countries increasingly have a larger portion of retirees than youth.
B) Consumer groups become very active in protesting the higher prices that result during
infancy.
C) Other countries retaliate by limiting exports of technology needed by the infant industry
producers.
D) If the industry does not lower costs sufficiently to be competitive, it becomes a formidable
pressure group for continued protection.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
17) The industrialization argument for trade protection in developing countries is based on the
assumption that ________.
A) the protected industry will become competitive over time with economies of scale
B) unemployment and underemployment exist in rural areas, so little agricultural output is lost as
people move into industrial jobs
C) subsidizing production is a better means of protection than limiting imports
D) it is better to depend on buying agricultural surpluses from developed countries than to
produce these agricultural goods
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
18) Unlike the infant-industry argument, the industrialization argument for trade protection
________.
A) requires independence from other countries
B) stresses labor-intensive production methods despite high costs
C) emphasizes use of locally available raw materials for manufacturing inputs
D) presumes that economic growth will occur even if domestic manufactured prices are not
globally competitive
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
19) Developing countries have sometimes adopted policies to shift people out of agriculture and
into industry by protecting manufactured production. One of the problems they have encountered
is that ________.
A) people have been too reluctant to leave rural areas to go to the cities
B) food shortages have increased in rural areas because of worker shortages
C) demand for social and political services has increased excessively in the cities
D) developed countries have retaliated with protection of products from the developing countries
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
21) Which term refers to restricting imports in order to boost domestic production and
consumption of goods that would otherwise be imported?
A) import substitution
B) terms-of-trade
C) most-favored nation
D) in-sourcing
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
22) Export-led development refers to ________.
A) a country's efforts to promote its exports in order to reduce its trade deficits
B) a policy to promote domestic production of goods that would otherwise be imported
C) a program to promote industries with export potential
D) decreases in infrastructure development due to the loss of revenue from export tariffs
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
23) Which of the following best explains why the experience of countries such as Taiwan and
South Korea are used to support export-led development policies?
A) their low inflation
B) their increased FDI
C) their industry diversity
D) their rapid economic growth
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
24) The relationship between import substitution policies and export-led development policies is
best characterized by which of the following?
A) Import-substitution policies are more likely to lead to production of mature products, whereas
export-led development policies result in production of growth products.
B) The two are hard to distinguish because production under import substitution may eventually
be exported.
C) Production under import substitution policies, as opposed to export-led development policies,
is more likely to be located in urban areas.
D) Production under import substitution policies, as opposed to export-led development policies,
is likely to be more labor-intensive.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
25) Advocates of the comparable access argument for trade protection primarily assert that
domestic industries ________.
A) will deteriorate in countries that have lower import restrictions than their trading partners
B) should be required to implement export-led development policies on foreign competitors
C) are entitled to the same access to foreign markets as foreign industries have to their markets
D) are forced to lower prices for domestic consumers because of foreign import restrictions
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
26) It is sometimes contended that by imposing import controls a country might be able to
increase its exports. This contention is premised on ________.
A) the country's simultaneous currency depreciation, which decreases the price of its exports
B) using the import taxes to institute efficiency measures in potential export industries
C) raising domestic prices in one industry so that the excess domestic profits in that industry can
compensate for the cost of dumping products from another industry into foreign markets
D) getting other countries to maintain or relax their current import restrictions instead of
escalating restrictions in a trade war
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
27) Country X wants to eliminate its balance of trade deficit while simultaneously keeping prices
low for imported essentials. Which of the following methods would most likely achieve these
dual objectives?
A) devaluing its currency
B) enacting selective import restrictions
C) using tight monetary policies to deflate price levels
D) spurring productivity increases through general tax breaks for industry
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Application
Objective: 3
AACSB: Reflective thinking
28) All of the following are reasons a country might institute import restrictions to improve its
balance of trade position with other countries EXCEPT to ________.
A) maintain essential industries
B) reduce imports and encourage exports
C) get comparable access for its companies
D) bargain away restrictions by other countries
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Reflective thinking
29) Country X is withholding goods from international markets in an attempt to raise prices
abroad. Such actions will be most effective for Country X if the nation ________.
A) supports the development of substitutions
B) provides domestic industries with tax breaks
C) receives low-interest loans from foreign banks
D) holds a monopoly on the product or resource
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Skill: Application
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
32) All of the following are potential problems of using export controls EXCEPT which one?
A) There is an incentive for other countries to develop production of their own.
B) Domestic producers may have less incentive to increase output.
C) Prices go up in the country imposing the controls.
D) There is more incentive for smuggling.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Reflective thinking
33) Exporting below cost or below the home country price is called ________.
A) countertrade
B) an export-led development policy
C) a strategic trade policy
D) dumping
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Define the fundamental concepts of international business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
34) There are several reasons for a company to sell products abroad at either below cost or below
the price in the home country. Which of the following is one of these reasons?
A) encouraging foreign consumers to try new products
B) improving the exporting country's terms of trade
C) gaining imports that are sold below cost
D) following import substitution objectives
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Define the fundamental concepts of international business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
35) Countries sometimes fear that foreign producers are pricing their exports artificially low.
This fear is most likely based on the assumption that ________.
A) foreign companies will lack the earnings to repay their foreign debt
B) insufficient earnings will be available to improve product technology
C) foreign producers will charge exorbitant prices after putting competitors out of business
D) developing countries will be unable to maintain critical industries needed in times of war
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
36) According to the optimum tariff theory, a foreign producer will most likely ________.
A) ship highly taxed goods internationally on a per-unit basis
B) lower its export prices if the importing country imposes an import tax on its products
C) assess a tax on goods shipped internationally based on a percentage of the goods' value
D) seek import tariffs by using the comparable access argument
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast theories of international trade
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
39) Defense arguments are sometimes used to prevent exports to unfriendly countries. This runs
the risk of the targeted country ________.
A) becoming politically destabilized
B) removing import restrictions
C) finding alternative sources of supply
D) banding with other countries to form a cartel
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
40) What is the main motive for countries' protection of their film/cinema industries?
A) to keep prices low for their citizens
B) to improve their balance of payments
C) to diversify their economies
D) to maintain their cultural sovereignty
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Reflective thinking
44) Which term refers to a tariff or duty assessed as a percentage of an item's value?
A) specific duty
B) effective tariff
C) ad valorem duty
D) compound tariff
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
45) What is the primary difficulty associated with dismantling developed countries' agricultural
subsidies?
A) Rural areas in the United States, the European Union, and Japan are disproportionately
represented in their governments.
B) Developing countries put pressure on developed countries to maintain the subsidies so that
they receive food products at a lower price.
C) The subsidies are used to counter the commodity agreements set up mainly by developing
countries.
D) The subsidies are at the consumer, rather than producer, level, and everyone benefits from the
lower prices.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
46) In most cases, which type of government protection assistance is most controversial?
A) business development services
B) foreign business contacts
C) trade expositions
D) tariffs
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
53) Which of the following hypothetical examples would be a restriction on the import of
services?
A) The U.S. restricts foreign companies from carrying cargo between two U.S. cities.
B) Japan restricts North Koreans from visiting Tokyo Disneyland.
C) China does not allow the importation of rice from Thailand.
D) Canada does not allow Air Canada to buy Brazilian aircraft.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Reflective thinking
54) The fact that there are few reciprocal agreements among countries on the licensing of
professionals most likely means that ________.
A) universities' study abroad programs do not enable students to obtain dual degrees and licenses
from more than one country
B) more service functions are being handled as not-for-profit
C) people immigrate to those countries with the highest standards so as to more easily become
licensed anywhere else
D) there is an effective limitation on trade in services
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles of exporting, importing, and countertrade in international
business
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Reflective thinking
55) A physician, who is a citizen of and licensed in Country A, meets the professional licensing
requirements of Country B. The physician will most likely ________.
A) have to pass a language proficiency exam before being allowed to work in Country B
B) not be allowed to work in the not-for-profit sector in Country A or Country B for a set period
C) have to get a work permit from Country B's immigration authorities to work in Country B
D) have to work in the not-for-profit sector in Country B for a period of time before being
permitted to work for a profit-seeking organization
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Reflective thinking
56) The U.S. automobile industry has attempted to counter import competition in all the
following ways EXCEPT ________.
A) concentrating on market niches that initially had less import competition
B) lobbying for customs deposits so that importers' costs would be raised
C) moving some production to lower-cost countries and exporting to the United States
D) effecting internal adjustments, such as cost efficiencies and improved quality
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the roles of exporting, importing, and countertrade in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Analytical thinking
57) Companies with ________ would most likely oppose global protectionist measures.
A) internationally integrated supply chains
B) domestically focused supply chains
C) multidomestic production facilities
D) product differentiation
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Analytical thinking
58) In nearly half the cases in which U.S. firms have requested protection from imports, one or
more U.S. companies in the industry opposed the protection. What was the reason for opposing
protection?
A) They did not want consumers to have to pay higher prices that would result from protection.
B) These were foreign-owned companies that saw the opportunity to serve the U.S. market.
C) They feared that they would lose foreign export markets because of retaliation.
D) They believed that they could compete against global and domestic rivals.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Analytical thinking
59) Which of the following is NOT causing greater complexity in the regulation of trade?
A) growth in export tariffs
B) services available over the Internet
C) heightened concern about product safety
D) development of new products that must be classified
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Reflective thinking
60) The U.S. catfish industry petitioned the U.S. government for increased taxes on imported
Vietnamese fish, claiming that the fish were being sold below the cost of production. The U.S.
catfish industry was accusing the Vietnamese fish industry of ________.
A) dumping
B) using an embargo
C) subsidizing
D) using offsets
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
61) The U.S. catfish industry successfully petitioned the U.S. government to require that catfish
varieties imported from Vietnam be labeled as tra, basa, or pangasius. This is an example of
which of the following?
A) an embargo
B) a tariff
C) a nontariff barrier
D) a direct price influence
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
62) People who argue for lifting the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba claim all of the following
EXCEPT which one?
A) The embargo has not achieved its purpose of changing Cuba's economic and political system.
B) U.S. companies lose Cuban sales to competitors from other countries.
C) Increased exposure to the United States would be a more effective force of change.
D) Cuba has largely become a market economy already.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Application of knowledge
63) People who argue for keeping the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba claim all of the following
EXCEPT which one?
A) There is not much economic potential from trade given Cuba's small population and low per
capita income.
B) Removal of the embargo will cause much more Cuban immigration to the United States.
C) If the Cuban economy is weakened just a bit more, the Cuban political-economic system
cannot be sustained.
D) There will be a backlash among countries supplying such commodities as sugar to the United
States if the U.S. buys them from Cuba instead.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Application of knowledge
64) The term protectionism, when applied to international trade, refers to governmental
restrictions and incentives to affect trade flows.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
65) In most cases, trade protectionism makes it easier for a company to buy what it needs and to
sell products in global markets.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
66) The group most likely to become involved in disputes concerning trade protectionism is
consumers.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Analytical thinking
67) Helping a struggling domestic company through import restrictions frequently causes other
countries to retaliate.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Analytical thinking
68) The countries most likely to be successful at using trade retaliation are large trading
countries.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 2
AACSB: Application of knowledge
69) On average, workers displaced by imports earn higher wages in the new jobs they accept.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
70) The infant-industry argument for trade protection holds that an industry needs government
protection from imports until it becomes competitive enough in world markets.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
71) Infant-industry protection requires some segment of the economy to incur the higher costs
when local production is inefficient.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
72) The argument for using protectionism to bring about industrialization in developing countries
presumes that gains will occur because the industry will become internationally competitive.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Reflective thinking
73) Export prices of primary products fluctuate less than export prices of manufactured products.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
74) Import substitution is a program promoting local production of products that would
otherwise be imported.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 1
AACSB: Application of knowledge
76) The argument for using import controls to promote exports is partially premised on the
assumption that other countries will remove their import restrictions as a result.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
77) The comparable access argument for import restrictions is a more valid economic argument
for products using small-scale technology than for products requiring substantial economies of
scale to be competitive.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Reflective thinking
78) Countries typically establish export restrictions to encourage the development of substitute
products.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
79) Export controls are highly effective for digital products, such as computers, TVs, and
cameras.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
80) The lowering of a foreign producer's price as a result of an imposed import tax is known as
an optimum tariff.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
81) Home country consumers are typically active in preventing their domestic companies from
dumping products into foreign markets.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 2, 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
82) The essential-industry argument holds that industries with potential export capabilities
should be protected.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 3
AACSB: Application of knowledge
83) Import trade controls, but not export trade controls, can be used as a weapon of foreign
policy.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
84) The most common type of tariff is the export tariff.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
85) An effective tariff is the sum of the ad valorem tariff plus the specific duty.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
87) When customs officials set a value on which to place an import tariff, they ordinarily use the
declared invoice price unless they doubt its authenticity.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
88) A quota is a quantitative limit on the amount of a product that can be traded.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
89) The purpose of "Made in" labels on imported products is to enable countries to keep records
of the origin of imports.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
90) Governments sometimes prohibit operations of private companies, foreign or domestic, in
some sectors because they feel these services should not be sold at a profit.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
91) At present there is little reciprocal recognition of professional licensing among countries.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 4
AACSB: Application of knowledge
92) Companies that have integrated their supply chains internationally tend to lobby their home
governments for increased protectionist measures.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Application of knowledge
93) When a company is seeking protection from imports, it can usually improve its chances of
getting that protection if it allies with most of the companies in the industry.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Analytical thinking
94) The international regulatory situation for trade is becoming more, rather than less, complex.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Application of knowledge
95) Every time countries enter a new trading agreement, service trade tends to grow more rapidly
than merchandise trade.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Skill: Concept
Objective: 5
AACSB: Reflective thinking
96) What are the disadvantages of import restrictions in regards to creating domestic
employment opportunities?
Answer: One problem with restricting imports in order to create jobs is that other countries
might retaliate with their own restrictions. New import restrictions by a major country have
usually brought quick retaliation, sometimes causing more job losses than gains in industries
protected by the new restrictions. Even if no country retaliates, the restricting country will gain
jobs one place and lose them somewhere else, such as in import-handling jobs. Imports may also
help create jobs in other industries, and these industries may form pressure groups against
protectionism.
Diff: 3
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
97) Explain the rationale for and problems with making the infant-industry argument work as
intended.
Answer: The infant-industry argument holds that a government should guarantee an emerging
industry a large share of the domestic market until it becomes efficient enough to compete
against imports. Developing countries still use this argument to support their protectionist
policies. The infant-industry argument is based on the logic that although the initial output costs
for an industry in a given country may be so high as to make it noncompetitive in world markets;
over time the costs will decrease to a level sufficient to achieve efficient production. The cost
reductions may occur for two reasons: As companies gain economies of scale and employees
become more efficient through experience, total unit costs drop to competitive levels.
Although it is reasonable to expect costs to decrease over time, they may not go down enough,
which poses two problems for protecting an industry. First, governments have difficulty
identifying those industries that have a high probability of success. If infant-industry protection
goes to an industry that does not reduce costs enough to make it competitive against imports,
chances are its owners, workers, and suppliers will constitute a formidable pressure group that
may prevent the importation of a cheaper competitive product. Second, even if policymakers can
ascertain which industries are likely to succeed, it does not necessarily mean that companies in
those industries should receive governmental assistance. Entrepreneurs may incur the costs and
reap the benefits instead. For the infant-industry argument to be fully viable, future benefits
should exceed early costs.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 1, 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
98) Why do developing countries sometimes impose import restrictions to increase their levels of
industrialization?
Answer: Countries with a large manufacturing base generally have higher per capita incomes
than do countries without such a base. Moreover, a number of countries, such as the United
States and Japan, developed an industrial base while largely preventing competition from
foreign-based production. Many developing countries use protection to increase their level of
industrialization because of industrial countries' economic success and experience. Specifically,
they believe:
a. Surplus workers can more easily increase manufacturing output than they can increase
agricultural output.
b. Inflows of foreign investment in the industrial area will promote growth.
c. Prices and sales of traditional agricultural products and raw materials fluctuate too much,
harming economies that depend on too few of them.
d. Markets and prices for industrial products will grow faster than those for agricultural
products.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 1
AACSB: Analytical thinking
99) What is the difference between import substitution policies and export-led development
policies? What are the potential effects of each?
Answer: Developing countries promote industrialization by restricting imports in order to
encourage local production for local consumption goods which they formerly imported. This is
known as import substitution. If the protected industries do not become efficient, consumers may
have to support them by paying higher prices or higher taxes. In contrast to import substitution,
some countries have achieved rapid economic growth by promoting export industries, an
approach known as export-led development. These countries try to develop industries for which
export markets should logically exist. Industrialization may result initially in import substitution,
yet export-led development of the same products may be feasible later.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 1, 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
100) Many companies and industries argue that they should have the same access to foreign
markets as foreign industries and companies have to their markets. In a short essay, discuss this
issue of "comparable access," or "fairness."
Answer: From an economic standpoint, comparable access argues that in industries in which
increased production will greatly decrease cost, either from scale economies or learning effects,
producers that lack equal access to a competitor's market will have a disadvantage in gaining
enough sales to be cost-competitive. The argument for equal access also is presented as one of
fairness. There are at least two arguments against this fairness doctrine. First, there are
advantages of freer trade, even if imposed unilaterally. Restrictions may deny one's own
consumers lower prices. Second, governments would find it cumbersome and expensive to
negotiate separate agreements for each of the many thousands of different products and services
that might be traded.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 1, 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
101) What are common reasons that governments enact export restrictions? What are the
possible negative consequences of such restrictions?
Answer: A country may limit exports of a product that is in short supply worldwide in order to
favor domestic consumers. Typically, greater supply drops local prices beneath those in the
intentionally undersupplied world markets. However, this discourages domestic producers from
increasing output and encourages them to smuggle output to sell abroad. It also encourages
foreign producers to develop substitutes or production of their own. Countries also fear that
foreign producers will price their exports so artificially low that they drive domestic producers
out of business, after which they charge monopoly prices. However, competition among foreign
producers limits their ability to charge exorbitant prices. The ability to price low abroad may
result from high domestic prices due to a lack of competition at home or from home country
governmental subsidies.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 1, 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
102) What is dumping? What are the possible effects of dumping on a country's economy?
Answer: When companies export below cost or below their home country price, this is called
dumping. Most countries prohibit imports of dumped products, but enforcement usually occurs
only if the imported product disrupts domestic production. If there is no domestic production,
then the only host country effect is a low price to its consumers. Companies may dump because
they cannot otherwise build a market abroad. They can afford to dump if the competitive
landscape allows them to charge high domestic prices or if their home country government
subsidizes them. They may also incur short-term losses abroad if they believe they can recoup
those losses after eliminating competitors in the market. Home country consumers or taxpayers
seldom realize that they are, in effect, paying so that foreign consumers have low prices. A
company believing it is competing against dumped products may ask its government to restrict
the imports.
Diff: 3
Skill: Application
Objective: 3
AACSB: Analytical thinking
103) Briefly discuss the four noneconomic rationales for governmental intervention in the free
movement of trade: maintaining essential industries, preventing shipments to unfriendly
countries, maintaining or extending spheres of influence, and preserving national identity.
Answer:
a. Maintenance of essential industries (especially defense): A major consideration behind
governmental action on trade is the protection of essential domestic industries during peacetime
so that a country is not dependent on foreign sources of supply during war. This is called the
essential-industry argument. This argument for protection has much appeal in rallying support
for import barriers. However, in times of real crisis or military emergency, almost any product
could be essential. Because of the high cost of protecting an inefficient industry or a higher-cost
domestic substitute, the essential-industry argument should not be accepted without a careful
evaluation of costs, real needs, and alternatives. Once an industry becomes protected, that
protection is difficult to terminate because protected companies and their employees support
politicians who will support their protection from imports.
b. Prevention of shipments to unfriendly countries: Groups concerned about security often use
defense arguments to prevent exports, even to friendly countries, of strategic goods that might
fall into the hands of potential enemies or that might be in short supply domestically. Export
constraints may be valid if the exporting country assumes there will be no retaliation that
prevents it from securing even more essential goods from the potential importing country. Trade
controls on nondefense goods also may be used as a weapon of foreign policy to try to prevent
another country from easily meeting its economic and political objectives.
c. Maintenance or extension of spheres of influence: Governments frequently give aid and
credits to, and encourage imports from, countries that join a political alliance or vote a certain
way within international bodies. A country's trade restrictions may also coerce governments to
follow certain political actions or punish companies whose governments do not follow the
actions.
d. Conservation of activities that help preserve a national identity: Countries are held together
partially through a common sense of identity that sets their citizens apart from other nationalities.
To protect this "separateness," countries limit foreign products and services in certain sectors,
particularly the media.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss arguments for and against government intervention in international
business
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 1
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
104) Describe and compare the different types of tariffs (duties).
Answer: A tariff, or duty, the most common type of trade control, is a tax that a government
levies on a good shipped internationally. If collected by the exporting country, it is known as an
export tariff; if collected by a country through which the goods have passed, it is a transit tariff;
if collected by the importing country, it is an import tariff. The import tariff is by far the most
common. Import tariffs primarily serve as a means of raising the price of imported goods so that
domestically produced goods will gain a relative price advantage.
A tariff may be protective even though there is no domestic production in direct competition.
Tariffs also serve as a source of governmental revenue. Import tariffs are of little importance to
large industrial countries, but are a major source of revenue in many developing countries.
Transit tariffs were once a major source of revenue for countries, but they have been nearly
abolished through governmental treaties. A government may assess a tariff on a per-unit basis, in
which case it is a specific duty. It may assess a tariff as a percentage of the value of the item, in
which case it is an ad valorem duty. If it assesses both specific and an ad valorem duty on the
same product, the combination is a compound duty. A specific duty is easy for customs officials
who collect duties to assess because they do not need to determine a good's value on which to
calculate a percentage tax. Because an ad valorem tariff is based on the total value of the
product, meaning the raw materials and the processing combined, developing countries argue
that the effective tariff on the manufactured portion turns out to be higher than the published
tariff rate.
Diff: 3
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
105) In a short essay, list and discuss the nontariff barriers that relate to direct price influences:
subsidies, aid and loans, customs valuations, and other direct price influences.
Answer:
a. Subsidies: Countries sometimes make direct payments (called subsidies) to domestic
companies to reduce their costs or compensate them for losses incurred from selling abroad.
b. Aid and loans: Governments also give aid and loans to other countries. If the recipient is
required to spend the funds in the donor country, some products can compete abroad that might
otherwise be noncompetitive.
c. Customs valuation: Most countries have agreed on a procedure for assessing values when
their customs agents levy tariffs, but customs must ascertain whether the invoice correctly
identifies the product, its price, and its origin.
d. Other direct price influences: Countries frequently use other means to affect prices, including
special fees, requirements that customs deposits be placed in advance of shipment, and minimum
price levels at which goods can be sold after they have customs clearance.
Diff: 3
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
106) List and define the types of nontariff barriers that limit the quantity of goods traded: quotas,
embargoes, buy local legislation, standards and labels, specific permission requirements,
administrative delays, and reciprocal requirements.
Answer:
a. Quotas: The most common type of import or export restriction based on quantity is the
quota. From the standpoint of imports, a quota most frequently limits the quantity of a product
allowed to be imported in a given year. The amount frequently reflects a guarantee that domestic
producers will have access to a certain percentage of the domestic market in that year.
b. Embargoes: An embargo is a specific type of quota that prohibits all trade on a whole
category of products or on all products from a given country. Governments use embargoes in an
attempt to use economic means to achieve political goals.
c. "Buy Local" legislation: Another form of quantitative trade control is "buy local" legislation.
If government purchases are a large part of total expenditures within a country, they comprise an
important part of the market. Most governments favor domestic producers in their purchases of
goods. Sometimes they specify a content restriction—in which a certain percentage of the
product is of local origin.
d. Standards and labels: Countries commonly have set classification, labeling, and testing
standards in a manner that allows the sales of domestic products but inhibits that of foreign-made
ones. The purpose of testing standards is to protect the safety or health of the domestic
population. However, there have been situations where exporters have argued that such
restrictions protect domestic producers instead.
e. Specific permission requirements: Some countries require that potential importers or
exporters secure permission from governmental authorities before conducting trade transactions,
a requirement known as an import license.
f. Administrative delays: Closely related to specific permission requirements are intentional
administrative delays, which create uncertainty and raise the cost of carrying inventory.
g. Reciprocal requirements: Governments sometimes require that exporters take merchandise in
lieu of money or that they promise to buy merchandise or services in the country to which they
export. This requirement is common in the aerospace and defense industries—sometimes
because the importer is short of foreign currency to purchase what it wants, and sometimes
because the sales are so large the buyer has strong negotiating power.
Diff: 3
Skill: Application
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking
107) What are the main arguments for limiting trade in services? What is your opinion on
limiting trade in services?
Answer: Countries restrict trade in services for three reasons:
a. Essentiality: Countries judge certain service industries to be essential because they serve
strategic purposes or because they provide social assistance to their citizens. They sometimes
prohibit private companies, foreign or domestic, in some sectors because they feel the services
should not be sold for profit.
b. Standards: Governments limit foreign entry into many service professions to ensure practice
by qualified personnel. The licensing standards of these personnel vary by country. At present,
there is little reciprocal recognition in licensing from one country to another because
occupational standards and requirements differ substantially.
c. Immigration: Satisfying the standards of a particular country does not guarantee that a
foreigner can then work there. Governmental regulations often require that an organization—
domestic or foreign—search extensively for qualified personnel locally before it can even apply
for work permits for personnel it would like to bring in from abroad.
Diff: 3
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 4
AACSB: Analytical thinking