Before the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century copperplate engraving was widely used as a way of spreading painting and its artistic value. By comparing mechanical and manual reproduction, this paper examines the phenomenon of copperplate engraving as a reproductive medium and considers its technological and cultural significance.
Foreign direct investment (FDI), like all other types of investment, confers both advantages and disadvantages. However, the benefits of capital resources and the additional externalities to the recipient country far outweigh the drawbacks of foreign direct investment. Global direct investment flows in 2010 were US$1.24 trillion, which is approximately as much as 95% of the annual Gross Domestic Product of Australia in 2010/11. Australia's small population base relative to its rich natural resources and a historical low, level of household saving make it very dependent on foreign capital. Meanwhile, the abundance of resources also makes the world very dependent on Australia. According to the World Investment Report 2011, Australia is ranked in the top ten host economies for foreign direct investment. When moving from an economic perspective to a more political perspective, it is worthwhile to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of Australia's regulatory regime on foreign investment. According to the OECD1 FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, Australia is the 7th most restrictive regime among OECD members and 12th among 43 surveyed countries, mainly due to its high score in the screening and prior approval category. The Australian government, however, reject such findings. Using data from the Foreign Investment Review Board, they argue that the number of proposals rejected under the Australian screening system has dramatically declined from 13.74% of total proposals in 2000/01 to 0.68% in 2009/10. The screening process ends with the Australian Treasurer making a decision on every proposal the value of which exceeds the threshold, based on the combined advice of Treasury, as his department, and the Foreign Investment Review Board. In comparison with the Chinese regulatory regime, the Australian screening system is more integrated and up-to-date. Yet Australia can still enhance its performance in the international capital market by improving its feedback services following an adverse decision. On the one hand, the Treasurer should explain the reasons for his decisions. On the other hand, there should be an appeal mechanism. Both practices exist in China. Because they ensure the fairness in appearance and increase the transparency of government decisions, these practices are highly regarded by foreign investors in China. In comparison with the US regulatory regime, the Australian screening system is more economic-focused while the US system is more political-focused. As in China, the United States also enables rejected investors to appeal - in this case, to the US Congress. Additionally, the diverse composition of the US Committee on Foreign Investment ensures that the committee's decisions are made only after all relevant factors have been taken into account. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy. After an overview of the three countries' regimes, this paper focuses on one type of foreign direct investment: the foreign acquisition of agricultural land. Of particular interest is the US requirement for foreign farmland investors to lodge annual reports. The US Farm Service Agency then prepares an annual report in which the nationwide foreign investment level is disclosed. A similar practice would be beneficial to both Australia and to foreign investors who are interested in investing in Australia. The improved transparency and related requirements would act as a deterrent to prevent undesirable corporate behaviour; as a result, the government could loosen its regulatory regime. By doing so, investors would benefit from a less restrictive screening system and lower barriers to entering the Australian market. Whilst previous cases investigated into one type of investment, now we focus on one type of investor - the state owned enterprisers. After the purchase of farmland by Shenhua Watermark Coal, state-owned foreign investors have been causing increasing concern in Australia. Nevertheless, there is little evidence of any foreign state-owned investors investing for political reasons instead of business reasons. Thus, Australia should work closely with the state-owned enterprises to create a good investment environment. In conclusion, from the paper we learn that a more effective solution rather than lowering the threshold is to enhance the overall transparency of foreign direct investment. Information about major transactions should be available to the public. Besides, investors would feel more comfortable with Australia's strict regulatory regime on foreign direct investment if an appeal system were to be introduced in Australia.
After the Th ird Plenum of the XI convocation of the Central Committ ee was held in 1978, China embarked on the path of reform and openness. Literature and art have become a symbol of a new era. Th e sphere of active research of scientists has become the question of how to describe what is happening at the present stage of the development of literature and art. Gradually, a new historical approach, diff erent fr om the traditional one, was formed, and a historical and philosophical consciousness, not characteristic of the previous time, was formed.
