Advantages Of A Comparative Advantage Portugal

Answer the next question on the basis of the following production possibilities tables for countries Alpha and Beta:

Define the concept of comparative advantage. How can a country gain or lose its comparative advantage in the production of a good?

19. _______ is a situation in which one country is more efficient at producing a product than any other

As most already know, the Swiss are renowned for their production of high quality chocolates including those of the Toblerone and Lindt brands. “Switzerland has a comparative advantage in the production of chocolate. By spending one hour producing two pounds of chocolate, it gives up producing one pound of cheese, whereas, if it spends that hour producing cheese, it gives up two pounds of chocolate. Thus, the good in which comparative advantage is held is the good that the country produces most efficiently (chocolate). Therefore, if given a choice between producing two goods (or services), a country will make the most efficient use of its resources by producing the good with the lowest opportunity cost, the good in which it holds the comparative advantage, and by trading for the other good.” (Globalization101.org, 2010)

The growth rate of the U.S GDP stands at 3.23 percent from 1947 up to 2016(Cuñat & Melitz, 2012). In the international trade, the absolute advantage indicates the ability of the economy to conduct tasks appropriately. The comparative advantage identifies the economy, which produces the goods with the lowest opportunity cost.

C. Assume that each country decides to specialize in either popcorn or peanut based on its respective comparative advantage. Under the specialization, what is the total production of popcorn and peanuts?

Pretend for a moment that you are much better than your best friend at chopping pineapples and at waxing surfboards for tourists. Economically speaking, you are said to have the absolute advantage over your friend because you are better at both tasks.  An easy way to identify absolute advantage is to see who can produce the most of a good or who can do it in the fastest time as we see in this example.  Absolute advantage is when some individual, group, or country has the ability to produce a product more efficiently than another individual, group, or country.  

Now, say that you and your best friend opened a fruit and surf stand on the local beach. There are two tasks that need to be completed: waxing surfboards for the surfers who stop by and chopping pineapples for a refreshing snack for people at the beach. While you might be better at both jobs, you can still get the work done quicker if you each take on one of the tasks. The question is: who waxes the boards and who chops up the pineapples? Let’s say:

1.Discuss critically the competitive advantages of New World wine producers and contrast these against their Old World competitors.

LaTessia Shane Professor Karmosky Geography 151 21 May 2015 California and Portugal Portugal and the Southwestern part of California both have the same climate type. The climate type is Mediterranean. Mediterranean climates have hot, dry, sunny summers and a winter rainy season. (Thomas et al.

Which is cost difference determines the patterns of international trade. Absolute advantage is trade benefits when each country is at least cost producer of one of the goods being traded. In the 1800s, David Ricardo developed the theory of comparative advantage to measure gains from trades. This theory is based on comparative advantage and it states each nation should specialize in production of those goods for which its relatively more efficient with a lower opportunity cost.

Portugal is a relatively balanced country and while holding some positive and negative points, I believe that Portugal is an attractive location to invest. I feel that the topics discussed are what highlights the advantages and opportunities to utilize in the country. I will go in depth about the topics I feel that stand out within the country as a whole and what makes investment in the country more appealing in the current economy and future.

Absolute advantage is when a business, person or country is able to produce services or goods at a lower cost per unit than any other entity can produce that same unit (MacKenzie, 2010).

A country is said to be more productive than another country, if it can produce more output (goods) for a given quantity of input, such as labour or energy inputs. An example is that there are only two countries, Australia and Japan. They both produce computers and wine, and only one factor of production, labour. Japan produces 6 computers for every 1 bottle of wine, where as Australia produces only 4 computers for every 3 bottles of wine. This suggests that Australia should export some of its wine to Japan, and Japan should export some of its computers to Australia. Australia has an absolute advantage over Japan, when producing wine, and Japan has an absolute advantage over Australia, when producing computers (Gandolfo, 1998).

The concept of absolute advantage is one of the most fundamental areas of concern in the study of economics. In its basic meaning, absolute advantage refers to the ability of one individual or party to produce more of a particular good or service than other competitors given the same amount of resources. In this regard, absolute advantage becomes a very important aspect in the concept of international trade as it clearly defines the different areas where countries should specialize in order to maximize their productivity and enhance international trade. The principle of absolute advantage was first elucidated by Adam Smith in his study of international trade using labor and capital as the only factor inputs(Free, 2010).

Comparative advantage is a principle developed by David Ricardo in the early 19th century to explain the benefits of mutual trade (Carbaugh, 2008). Many underlying assumptions of comparative advantage depend on states of economic equilibrium and an absence of economy of scale. In reality, economies are dynamic and subject to innovation and interference; which has led to revised assumptions of return and competition (Krugman, 1987). These factors have created questions of free trade and governmental participation in an economy by the development of strategic trade policies. These new concepts do not replace the theory of comparative advantage; however, they further explain how trade can benefit a country's economy (Krugman, 1987).