One problem that the EU appears to have problems with is the fact that the member countries have different opinions on how things should be accomplished.  For instance according to Peng, members have been debating on if the EU should be economic and political or just economic, while after the bailout of Greece, some countries wanted to bail them out, Germany was opposed to this which caused them to consider withdrawing from the euro zone.  Another problem, which makes complete sense to me, according to Johnson (2014), is the language barrier.  The EU is comprised of multiple countries which each have their own laungauge which can cause issues on a number of levels.

Johnson (2014): https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-biggest-problems-facing-the-European-Union (Links to an external site.)

Peng (2014): Global Business

2. REPLY  TO THIS WITH AT LEAST ONE PARAGRAPH. (WELL-WRITTEN)

The European Union has and is currently facing some challenges as a result of economic market conditions related to the valuation of the euro. Numerous factors come into play when considering the driving force behind these challenges but a couple specific examples are related to the regional policy and capital / labor relations shifts that have occurred in Europe. The European Union is still suffering from the effects of the 2008 Global economic crisis (Szczepanluk, 2014). Unemployment spikes along with a lack of cohesiveness between some of the EU partners have lingered well after other global economies have experienced recoveries. This creates a sense of uncertainty that typically cause volatility in a given market. Political unrest can also partly be to blame in continuing a theme of uncertainly. Recent Parliament elections within the EU have shown some of the lowest turnout in the union’s history (Szczepanluk, 2014). The summation of all of these individual elements when assessed holistically can make clear the significant challenges that face the EU as they continue to seek reclamation of the once priced Union.

References

Szczepanluk, C. (2014, July 29). Challenges of the European Union in the 21st Century. Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.ewinextgen.com/europe/2014/7/29/challenges-of-the-european-union-in-the-21st-century

3. REPLY  TO THIS WITH AT LEAST ONE PARAGRAPH. (WELL-WRITTEN)

According to Peng, “the European Union is the world’s largest economy, the largest exporter and importer of goods and services, and the largest trading partner with large economies such as the United States, China, and India.” (Peng, 2014) The European Union faces many challenges in the 21^st century, such as economic crises. Many of the problems they face currently were caused by the financial crisis in 2008. Low economic growth, and high unemployment were some of the problems the European Union faced. AIDitionally the European Union is facing a major debate with allowing Turkey to become a member of the EU. Turkey would be the second most populous EU country, only behind Germany. With Turkey’s high birth rates it is estimated by 2020 Turkey would become the most powerful member, with the largest voting rights. (Peng, 2014) Lastly, the EU is facing a political crisis as there is a decrease in political legitimacy. In recent parliament elections, polls have shown the lowest turnout in the history. (Szczepaniuk, 2014) With a decline in turnout, a growth in parties that are extremely right, who support eurosceptical populism, which can lead to political crisis within the European Union.

References

Peng, M. (2014) Global Business. Mason Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Szczepaniuk, C. (29 July, 2014) Challenges of the European Union in the 21^st Century. Nextgen. Retrieved from, http://www.ewinextgen.com/europe/2014/7/29/challenges-of-the-european-union-in-the-21st-century

4. CONSTRUCT A POST/REPLY FOR THIS. FULLY ANSWER ALL OF WHAT IS ASKED. USE AT LEAST TWO REPUTABLE SOURCES.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing. Give specific examples and also use examples from the video, if applicable. Your post should demonstrate that you can conduct a scholarly dialogue, and apply one or more concepts from your readings and the video with original analysis and interpretation. Scholarly dialogue refers to a discussion within the context of the module content that can be justified, based upon critical thought and substantive rationale; the conclusion(s) should naturally follow the thought process. 

VIDEO  LINK: http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewPlaylist.aspx?AssignmentID=9CXGLN