1. Transport: There is a large financial and environmental cost of moving products all around the word. Emission from planes and sea pollution cause damage to the environment.
2. Competition: Small Irish firms struggle to compete with large companies which benefit from economies of scale. These large companies can sell their goods and services at a lower price.
3. Low-wage economies: There are often concerns for workers’ rights and conditions. Goods are mass-produced in low-wage or developing economies.
4. Product standards: Safety standards on products imported from outside the EU may not be as high as within the EU.
5. Barriers to trade: Quotas, tariffs, embargos, subsidies and trading blocs make it more expensive or impossible to trade efficiently.
Examination Tip
Ensure that you refer to the Irish economy in your answer and have four separate points.
EXAM PREPARATION!
State the challenges and benefits of imports and exports. Explain this briefly with an example. Apply it to another unit.
P. 335 Go to page 335 of the activity book.
4 Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments
The Balance of Trade The balance of trade is the difference between the value of visible export and the value of visible imports.
Balance of Trade = Visible Exports – Visible Imports
Calculate the balance of trade. Example
Balance of Trade (BOT) Total visible exports
Less total visible imports Balance of trade favourable
millions €
300 250 50
Examination Tip
‘E’ comes before ‘I’ in the alphabet and therefore, exports come before imports.
Examination Tips
Show the formula. Show your workings.
Use the currency symbol/amount in millions or billions.
State/comment if the balance of trade is favourable (surplus), unfavourable (deficit) or balanced.