References to Tolkien's work in *your* work - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Encaitare · 08-14-2005, 02:05 PM

I've started a new thread for this since the other school-related threads mostly deal with whether Tolkien should be taught in school. This thread is for bits of Tolkien you've put into your schoolwork (or regular work, too).

My tale is this: economics is boring. I therefore decided to make it more interesting by tying Celebrimbor and Friends into one of my summer assignment questions.

The question: Discuss five of the economic goals listed in the chapter. Give examples of these goals in today's economy. Examining all the goals, describe how certain goals complement each other and how others are mutually exclusive. What priorities do you assign to them?

My response:

Economic policies exist for the purpose of achieving economic goals, of which there are many. The example I shall use to relate these goals to today’s economy is the fictional business Mirdain Jewelers, the owner of which is one Mr. Celebrimbor. The craft of creating jewelry has run in his family – his grandfather was famed for the beauty of his work. However, this ancestor poured so much time and energy into his work that he only created a few pieces, though exquisite they were. This satisfied but half of the goal of economic growth: to create better products. Mr. Celebrimbor has inherited no small amount of his grandfather’s skill, and so he has sought to satisfy the other half of the goal by creating more products. In order to do this, Mr. Celebrimbor realized he had to hire more workers. He hired fellow artisans to work with him, achieving the goal of full employment: the providing of jobs for those willing and able to work. Together, they could increase their output, tying this second goal in with the first. This also allowed them to achieve economic efficiency. With their combined efforts, more resources were available to them, and they now were able to sell more jewelry and even take some commissions. Mr. Celebrimbor and his coworkers were pleased, because the extra money they were able to make gave them the economic freedom to run their business in they way they wanted. The business began to flourish, and orders for many custom pieces of jewelry came in. The workers at Mirdain Jewelers were sometimes unable to take every commission, but they were always glad to recommend another well-reputed business to customers, thus giving potential buyers the freedom of choice as well. As word got out about the skill of Mr. Celebrimbor and his associates, they began to receive commissions from distinguished leaders of foreign nations. Some thought that the work the business did was so special that it should be kept exclusive, but the majority of the workers were eager to have a job so prestigious. They even met with representatives of the foreign nations and incorporated native designs into the commissions. Mr. Celebrimbor hoped that this would improve international relations and create a balance of trade.

All of these goals are clearly interrelated and lead straight into one another, such as full employment and economic efficiency aiding in the achievement of economic growth. Of these five, the balance of trade is the most exclusive, since a business is under no obligation to make an even balance of trade with the rest of the world. A business may opt for a balance which works more in its favor and has no regard for other nations. For example, Mr. Celebrimbor could have decided to refuse to sell his products to other nations. But he and his workers went so far as to take creative input from their foreign customers to make sure that they were satisfied. The goal to which I would assign the highest priority is economic freedom, because without the freedom to make one’s own choices, business owners and workers will lose the desire to do better and create better goods and services. Economic freedom keeps prices lower and products better since rivaling companies are always competing with one another; this is favorable for consumers.

-------------------------------------

So here's my question: should I hand this in as my answer? Could it be considered plagiarism since I somewhat borrowed the backstory?

If anyone else has done anything similar, please post it or recount what happened here.

08-14-2005, 02:05 PM	#1
Encaitare Bittersweet Symphony Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: On the jolly starship Enterprise Posts: 1,814	*References to Tolkien's work in your* work I've started a new thread for this since the other school-related threads mostly deal with whether Tolkien should be taught in school. This thread is for bits of Tolkien you've put into your schoolwork (or regular work, too). My tale is this: economics is boring. I therefore decided to make it more interesting by tying Celebrimbor and Friends into one of my summer assignment questions. The question: Discuss five of the economic goals listed in the chapter. Give examples of these goals in today's economy. Examining all the goals, describe how certain goals complement each other and how others are mutually exclusive. What priorities do you assign to them? My response: Economic policies exist for the purpose of achieving economic goals, of which there are many. The example I shall use to relate these goals to today’s economy is the fictional business Mirdain Jewelers, the owner of which is one Mr. Celebrimbor. The craft of creating jewelry has run in his family – his grandfather was famed for the beauty of his work. However, this ancestor poured so much time and energy into his work that he only created a few pieces, though exquisite they were. This satisfied but half of the goal of economic growth: to create better products. Mr. Celebrimbor has inherited no small amount of his grandfather’s skill, and so he has sought to satisfy the other half of the goal by creating more products. In order to do this, Mr. Celebrimbor realized he had to hire more workers. He hired fellow artisans to work with him, achieving the goal of full employment: the providing of jobs for those willing and able to work. Together, they could increase their output, tying this second goal in with the first. This also allowed them to achieve economic efficiency. With their combined efforts, more resources were available to them, and they now were able to sell more jewelry and even take some commissions. Mr. Celebrimbor and his coworkers were pleased, because the extra money they were able to make gave them the economic freedom to run their business in they way they wanted. The business began to flourish, and orders for many custom pieces of jewelry came in. The workers at Mirdain Jewelers were sometimes unable to take every commission, but they were always glad to recommend another well-reputed business to customers, thus giving potential buyers the freedom of choice as well. As word got out about the skill of Mr. Celebrimbor and his associates, they began to receive commissions from distinguished leaders of foreign nations. Some thought that the work the business did was so special that it should be kept exclusive, but the majority of the workers were eager to have a job so prestigious. They even met with representatives of the foreign nations and incorporated native designs into the commissions. Mr. Celebrimbor hoped that this would improve international relations and create a balance of trade**. All of these goals are clearly interrelated and lead straight into one another, such as full employment and economic efficiency aiding in the achievement of economic growth. Of these five, the balance of trade is the most exclusive, since a business is under no obligation to make an even balance of trade with the rest of the world. A business may opt for a balance which works more in its favor and has no regard for other nations. For example, Mr. Celebrimbor could have decided to refuse to sell his products to other nations. But he and his workers went so far as to take creative input from their foreign customers to make sure that they were satisfied. The goal to which I would assign the highest priority is economic freedom, because without the freedom to make one’s own choices, business owners and workers will lose the desire to do better and create better goods and services. Economic freedom keeps prices lower and products better since rivaling companies are always competing with one another; this is favorable for consumers. ------------------------------------- So here's my question: should I hand this in as my answer? Could it be considered plagiarism since I somewhat borrowed the backstory? If anyone else has done anything similar, please post it or recount what happened here.