Research Paper on "Ukraine and Philippines"

Research Paper 6 pages (1513 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Ukraine and Philippines

Over the last several years, a variety of firms have been focusing on diversifying their energy consumption and usage needs. This is because high prices are leading to a change in the focus of corporations. As they want to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels and decrease costs. This helps these organizations to increase their productivity and profit margins.

(Hunt, 2009)

In the case of General Electric, the firm has been aggressively concentrating on addressing these needs through a division called GE Energy. They are focusing on providing companies with a number of solutions in meeting these objectives to include: energy management, oil / gas and power / water solutions. The combination of these factors is helping customers to decrease their costs and diversify their energy needs. ("GE Energy Management," 2012)

However, in order to reach out to a variety of organizations requires establishing operations in locations that will give them a strategic advantage. Two countries they are considering include: the Ukraine and the Philippines. At the moment, executives believe that the Ukraine can provide them with the greatest benefits in achieving different benchmarks. To fully understand which location offers the most advantages requires: conducting a political evolution, looking at stability, the direction of government systems and it infrastructure considerations. Together, these elements will provide specific insights that will highlight how the Ukraine can provide the firm with more benefits.

Political Evolution

Politically speaking, the Ukraine has been making strides towards enhancing their democracy. This is following a series of challenges between pro-Western and Russian leaning officials. However, in spite of these differences the country has been able to conduct fair elections based upon international standards (which are respecting the will of the people). This is adding a sense of legitimacy to the process by improving transparency and openness. ("Ukraine," 2012)

In the case of the Philippines, the country has been dealing with issues of corruption at the highest levels. This has caused many people to lose faith in the process. At the same time, the nation is fighting a Maoist insurgency throughout various regions. They have also been simultaneously fighting an Islamic insurgency in South. Recently, there was a peace agreement signed between this group and government. However, this accord is fairly new and untested. Furthermore, Maoists continue to conduct operations and attacks throughout the Philippines. These elements are showing how the Philippines have more political problems in contrast with the Ukraine. ("Philippines," 2012)

Stability

In the Ukraine there are greater amounts of stability. This is because the country is making strides towards joining the EU and wants to become a member of NATO. Moreover, the leadership has maintained close ties with Russia. These factors are allowing them to have more balanced policies despite political differences. ("Ukraine," 2012)

Evidence of this can be seen with observations from the CIA which said, "In August 2010, Ukraine, reached a new agreement with the IMF for a $15.1 billion Stand-by Agreement to put the country on the path to fiscal sustainability, reform the gas sector, and shore up the country's banking system. Economic growth resumed in 2010 and 2011, buoyed by exports." This has resulted in an increase in per capita income (which is illustrated in the below table).

Ukraine's Per Capita Income from 2009 to 2011

Year

Amount

2009

$6,500

2010

$6,800

2011

$7,200

("Ukraine," 2012)

These figures are showing how the Ukraine has tremendous amounts of stability and is making strides to improve their economic / political situation. This is following a severe decline in GDP growth of -15% for 2009 (in the face of the global financial crisis). ("Ukraine," 2012)

In the Philippines, the economy has been experiencing uneven amounts of growth. This is because many polices are focused on meeting the needs of foreign-based corporations who are outsourcing. However, this has caused the underlying amounts of poverty to increase from 2001 to 2010. At the same time, the insurgency and corruption are impacting economic development. This is resulting in GDP growth experiencing a series of starts and stops. For instance in 2010, the nation was able to realize an increase of 7.6% for 2010. Then, in 2011 GDP growth decreased to 3.7%. ("Philippines," 2012)

These factors are showing how the country is less stable economically. Evidence of this can be seen in the below table (which is highlighting their per capita income).

Philippines Per Capita Income from 2009 to 2011

Year

Amount

2009

$3,800.00

2010

$4,000.00

2011

$4,100.00

("Philippines," 2012)

These figures are showing how the Philippines unstable. This is because the economy is experiencing uneven amounts of growth. Moreover, any kind of improvements will have little impact on dealing with issues such as poverty. In many ways, one could argue that this is a primary factor which is contributing to the insurgency and a lack of faith in governmental institutions. ("Philippines," 2012)

From an economic perspective, the Ukraine is more stable than the Philippines. This is because the government is focused on implementing reforms that will address long-term social challenges (which are hindering growth and reducing the standard of living). Over the course of time, this allows the nation to experience improving levels of per capita income (despite having a major decline in the GDP in 2009). This is a sign that these changes are helping to bring the country closer towards acceptance in the EU and NATO. However, there are still considerable benchmarks that must be reached in achieving these objectives. This is indicating that Ukraine has the potential to become a modern nation based upon the reforms that have been enacted. ("Ukraine," 2012)

Government System

The Ukraine is embracing a mixed form of government that is focused on the Republican and Parliamentary systems. This is taking place with the people electing their own representatives to Parliament. Members choose a Prime Minister, who serves as the head of the legislative branch. This is a unicameral legislature. While the President, is independently elected by everyone. The judiciary consists of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts. This system is allowing the government to maintain a balance of power between the different branches. These factors are preventing abuses by ensuring that one single entity is not overly dominant of the others. ("Ukraine," 2012)

While the Philippines, is following a Republican form of government. The legislative branch consists of a Senate and House of Representatives. The President is elected by the people and runs the executive branch. As far as the judiciary is concerned, there is a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and a special segment for hearing corruption cases (called the Sandigan-bayan). This system is allowing the government to maintain a balance of power. However, abuses have been known to occur which are resulting in a special court to address these issues. These elements are showing how corruption is a major challenge that is impacting all government institutions. ("Philippines," 2012)

IT infrastructure considerations that would be relevant to proposed investment.

In the Ukraine, they have an extensive it infrastructure in place. This is because the country is known for having an educated workforce and technology that allows them to remain competitive in the global marketplace. However, their substructure is beginning to age. To address these challenges, the government has been focused on making dramatic improvements to this system through the Ukraine 2020 Strategy for National Modernization. This is when they are concentrating on several different areas to include: updating the electric grid, communication, tourism and technology. These factors are illustrating how the Ukraine is aggressively concentrating on enhancing their existing infrastructure. This makes the proposed investment more effective by reducing the risks and providing technology that is similar to many developed nations. ("Country Report on Infrastructure," 2012) ("Ukraine," 2012)

In the case of the Philippines, they have an aging it infrastructure. This is because the government has… READ MORE

How to Reference "Ukraine and Philippines" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

International Business and Politics Research Paper

International Business and Politics

In the last several years, outsourcing has become an integral part for helping a firm to decrease their costs and improve productivity. However, depending upon the… read more

Research Paper 3 pages (788 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Energy / Power

---

Relationship Between Population Growth and Economic Development Term Paper

Economics

Relationship Between Population Growth

And Economic Development

This report aims to discuss some of the relationships between population growth and economic development. Economic growth is an objective of every… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2737 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Economics / Finance / Banking

---

Globalization and Organized Crime Research Paper

Globalization and Organized Crime

Globalization has caused many changes in society. Telecommunications technology such as the internet allows for large amounts of data to be transmitted across vast distances. This… read more

Research Paper 12 pages (3395 words) Sources: 7 Style: APA Topic: Crime / Police / Criminal Justice

---

CPI and Global Economy Essay

The obvious conclusions to be drawn from this information is that global corruption is a serious problem, and that changing these normative societal states will be an enormous challenge. For… read more

Essay 13 pages (5226 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Economics / Finance / Banking

---

Asian Pacific Security the Asian Pacific Region Assessment

Asian Pacific Security

The Asian Pacific region has been problematical in the world of International Affairs for at least the past two centuries. The emergence of a modernized Japan and… read more

Assessment 8 pages (3994 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Asian History / Asia

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>