Week 4
In class reader response (Members: Alicia and Mei Yee)

Reading response based on the article “The great internet swindle: ever get the feeling you've been cheated?”:

The internet encourages the formation of monopolies and this may lead to inefficiency and lower the quality of life in the long run. With only a few companies dominating the economy, it discourages innovation, competitiveness, job opportunities, spread of wealth and also equal chances. These are crucial for the continuity of human race because if one sees that there is inequality and lesser hope for his/her future, the motivation to innovate and compete will decrease. Eventually, one may stop trying to create and hence unable to adapt to the ever-changing environment. Without competition amongst each other, the chance of breakthrough is slim and thus resulting in lesser choices for consumers; in extreme cases, they can only accept whatever the monopolist offers. As the sole player in the market, the monopolist captures all the profit by controlling the market, leaving no chances for other companies to survive. This enlarges the wealth distribution gap and could possibly result in social inequality.

Online businesses can also cause a great impact on countries' economies. They can lower the local purchasing power because locals can easily purchase foreign products through the "borderless economy" created by the internet. Consumers now have access to more varieties and choices, which tend to be cheaper, across the net. This causes the outflow of currencies and therefore lowers the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.

Week 1

Date: 20 January 2015

Exercise: Introductory Writing

My English Language Learning Journey

I have been learning English for more than ten years, from elementary school to university. The English language is not only a subject which I have to pass in the examination; it is also a powerful tool in my learning process. For example, I have learned Mathematics and Science in English. Hence, my understanding of the subjects might be hindered if I do not have basic concepts of English.

I notice that I keep revisiting the basic concepts of English in different levels of education. For instance, I have learned about the concept of Article in elementary school and I will revisit it in university. I believe that it is helpful to revise the concepts that I have learned because I can acquire new knowledge with different levels of understanding. I have made a lot of mistakes when I am speaking and writing even though I have been learning it for a long period of time. I think this is due to the insufficient understanding of the rules of grammar.

I believe that there is no end on the learning journey. Making mistakes, learning from the mistakes and correcting the mistakes might be a cycle. I think this is a common learning process. However, I should avoid making the same mistakes by reviewing and understand the mistakes that I made.