What are the similarities and differences in the operations management Essay

What are the similarities and differences in the operations management of bmibaby and in the case of Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC (Brewery) - Essay Example It was founded in 1845 in Chiswick as the Griffins brewery. The logo for the Fuller, Smith and Turners brewery states that quality, service and pride are provided in equal measures by them. The main product of the company is beer and it also operates pubs. The geographical area that Fuller, Smith and Turner and Bmibaby cater to is the same. Both of them are located in England but there is a huge difference in the market they cater to. There is a huge difference in the history and background of both companies. The brewery is well known because of its ancient roots and traditional methods whereas Bmibaby is a company which hasn’t even completed a decade of existence. Smith, Fuller and Turner currently own 363 pubs and supply their products to them. The range of products is very wide and includes Chiswick Bitter, London pride and ESB. A major factor of their success is the companys recent acquisition of the Gale group which added another 111 pubs to its empire. This move ensured the elimination of a major competitor from the scene. Besides that Smith, Fuller and Turner are well known because of the quality of their products. The Chiswick Bitter has been known as the Champion beer of Britain and the record has been unmatched. The brewery also operated by adding more and newer beers to its portfolio thereby reducing monotony of products. Michael Turner, the CEO of the company once said that We have a long-term strategy, strong balance sheet, excellent cash flow generation and an experienced management team and are well placed to meet the challenges ahead. (Review) In contrast Bmibaby works by providing its services at the lowest cost possible. They provide services which are already there in the market but its core competency lies in the fact that it custom provides those, thus charging the customer for what it wants. As compared to the brewerys 363 locations, it operates from four

Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Curriculum - Essay Example He described curriculum in a range of approaches. One of them is linked to syllabus or a body of knowledge to be transmitted to the students. Smith also stressed that curriculum is a set of objectives, where there is a drawn-up plan to apply intended objectives with a measurable outcome. Another alternative definition is that curriculum is a student’s total experience. It comprises teachers’ and students’ communication and relationships between them. Smith also recommends that curriculum is one’s ability to apply theory to practice. Language Arts is one essential subject area that hones communication skills of students. Being knowledgeable in literature, grammar and writing is one important goal for them that will greatly benefit them in their growth and development. This paper will compare 7th Grade Language Arts curriculum guides of three schools in New Jersey, namely the Hillside, Union and Orange Public Schools. The comparison will only be based on the guides acquired from these schools and not from how their curriculums are implemented. Of the three schools, Hillside Public School provided the most comprehensive curriculum guide. Next was the Orange School which also provided a clear outline indicating the goals of the Language Arts program and how its assessment strategies. Union School provided the least comprehensive guide, with just the use of cue words in enumerating its curriculum content and suggested activities. One of the widely adopted curriculum design is the ‘Understanding by Design’ Planning Framework (UbD) by Wiggins, Grant and McTighe (1998). This is also known as the Backward Design Model wherein the teacher starts with the end, the desired results, and then derives the curriculum from the evidence of learning called for by the expectations and the teaching needed to equip students to perform. The UbD involves the following processes: The Hillside School obviously adopted the Understanding by Design

The Salem Witchcraft Trials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Salem Witchcraft Trials - Essay Example One of the ways in which the Salem Witch Trials influenced the interactions between religion and the US legal system is by strengthening the US legal and court system. According to Wilson (1994), â€Å"Because of the changes that followed the Salem Witch Trials, prosecution came to involve the subtraction of religious institutions from participating in legal processes, so that religious institutions do not act as the jury. Instead, the need to adduce evidence before the court of law as the basis upon which a court case is to be sustained and the verdict is to be issued was made inevitable.† Again the need to have a competent jury to preside over cases became more perceptible. Initially, judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials were untrained. Particularly, the idea above can be said to be true, given that during the Salem Witch Trials, a number of teenage girls leveled accusations of witchcraft against 200 people, without producing any evidence to validate their claims. Instead, the teenage girls only made unverifiable claims that they were attacked by ghosts or evil spirits. It is against this backdrop that the right to defend oneself, the right to free trial and the right to not have to present any form of incriminating testimony became necessary and can thus be traced back to the Salem Witch Trials. According to Smith (2012), â€Å"This is because, when the Massachusetts Colonial Governor, Sir William Phips saw the alarming hanging of 19 suspects and the crushing of 1 suspect to death and consequently disbanded the court presiding over the Salem Witch Trials, the need for a fairer judicial system became inevitable.† Another way in which the trials became the spring board for an independent system (devoid of purely religious claims) is through the myriad of relentless protests that ensued. Smith (2012) contends that, â€Å"The protests followed the fact that even after the convention of the second court to preside over 23 other cases, spectral evidence

China Economy Essay Example for Free

China Economy Essay The rapid rise of China as a major economic power within a time span of about three decades is often described by analysts as one of the greatest economic success stories in modern times. From 1979 (when economic reforms began) to 2011, China’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average annual rate of nearly 10%. From 1980 to 2011, real GDP grew 19-fold in real terms, real per capita GDP increased 14-fold, and an estimated 500 million people were raised out of extreme poverty. China is now the world’s second-largest economy and some analysts predict it could become the largest within a few years. Yet, on a per capita basis, China remains a relatively poor country. China’s economic rise has led to a substantial increase in U. S. -China economic ties. According to U. S. trade data, total trade between the two countries surged from $5 billion in 1980 to $503 billion in 2011. China is currently the United States’ second-largest trading partner, its third largest export market, and its largest source of imports. Many U. S. ompanies have extensive operations in China in order to sell their products in the booming Chinese market and to take advantage of lower-cost labor for export-oriented manufacturing. These operations have helped some U. S. firms to remain internationally competitive and have supplied U. S. consumers with a variety of low-cost goods. China’s large-scale purchases of U. S. Treasury securities (which totaled nearly $1. 2 trillion at the end of 2011) have enabled the federal government to fund its budget deficits, which help keep U. S. interest rates relatively low. However, the emergence of China as a major economic superpower has raised concern among many U. S. policymakers. Some claim that China uses unfair trade practices (such as an undervalued currency and subsidies given to domestic producers) to flood U. S. markets with low cost goods, and that such practices threaten American jobs, wages, and living standards. Others contend that China’s growing use of industrial policies to promote and protect certain domestic Chinese industries firms favored by the government, and its failure to take effective action against widespread infringement of U.  S. intellectual property rights (IPR) in China, threaten to undermine the competitiveness of U. S. IP-intensive industries. In addition, while China has become a large and growing market for U. S. exports, critics contend that numerous trade and investment barriers limit opportunities for U. S. firms to sell in China, or force them to set up production facilities in China as the price of doing business there. Other concerns relating to China’s economic growth include its growing demand for energy and raw materials and its emergence as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. The Chinese government views a growing economy as vital to maintaining social stability. However, China faces a number of major economic challenges which could undermine future growth, including distortive economic policies that have resulted in over-reliance on fixed investment and exports for economic growth (rather than on consumer demand), government support for state-owned firms, a weak banking system, widening income gaps, growing pollution, and the relative lack of the rule of law in China. Many economists warn that such problems could undermine China’s future economic growth. The Chinese government has acknowledged these problems and has pledged to address them by implementing policies to boost consumer spending, expand social safety net coverage, and encourage the development of less-polluting industries. China’s Economy Prior to Reforms Prior to 1979, China, under the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong, maintained a centrally planned, or command, economy. A large share of the country’s economic output was directed and controlled by the state, which set production goals, controlled prices, and allocated resources throughout most of the economy. During the 1950s, all of China’s individual household farms were collectivized into large communes. To support rapid industrialization, the central government undertook large-scale investments in physical and human capital during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, by 1978 nearly three-fourths of industrial production was produced by centrally controlled, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), according to centrally planned output targets. Private enterprises and foreign-invested firms were generally barred. A central goal of the Chinese government was to make China’s economy relatively self-sufficient. Foreign trade was generally limited to obtaining only those goods that could not be made or obtained in China. Government policies kept the Chinese economy relatively stagnant and inefficient, mainly because most aspects of the economy were managed and run by the central government (and thus there were few profit incentives for firms, workers, and farmers), competition was virtually nonexistent, foreign trade and investment flows were mainly limited to Soviet bloc countries, and price and production controls caused widespread distortions in the economy. Chinese living standards were substantially lower than those of many other developing countries. The Chinese government in 1978 (shortly after the death of Chairman Mao in 1976) decided to break with its Soviet-style economic policies by gradually reforming the economy according to free market principles and opening up trade and investment with the West, in the hope that this would significantly increase economic growth and raise living standards. As Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China’s economic reforms, put it: â€Å"Black cat, white cat, what does it matter what color the cat is as long as it catches mice? The Introduction of Economic Reforms Beginning in 1979, China launched several economic reforms. The central government initiated price and ownership incentives for farmers, which enabled them to sell a portion of their crops on the free market. In addition, the government established four special economic zones along the coast for the purpose of attract ing foreign investment, boosting exports, and importing high technology products into China. Additional reforms, which followed in stages, sought to decentralize economic policymaking in several sectors, especially trade. Economic control of various enterprises was given to provincial and local governments, which were generally allowed to operate and compete on free market principles, rather than under the direction and guidance of state planning. In addition, citizens were encouraged to start their own businesses. Additional coastal regions and cities were designated as open cities and development zones, which allowed them to experiment with free market reforms and to offer tax and trade incentives to attract foreign investment. In addition, state price controls on a wide range of products were gradually eliminated. Trade liberalization was also a major key to China’s economic success. Removing trade barriers encouraged greater competition and attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. China’s gradual implementation of economic reforms sought to identify which policies produced favorable economic outcomes (and which did not) so that they could be implemented in other parts of the country, a process Deng Xiaoping reportedly referred to as â€Å"crossing the river by touching the stones. † China’s Economic Growth Since Reforms: 1979-2012 Since the introduction of economic reforms, China’s economy has grown substantially faster than during the pre-reform period (see Table 1). According to the Chinese government, from 1953 to 1978, real annual GDP growth was estimated at 6. 7%, although many analysts claim that Chinese economic data during this period are highly questionable because government officials often exaggerated production levels for a variety of political reasons. Agnus Maddison estimates China’s average annual real GDP during this period at 4. %. China’s economy suffered economic downturns during the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong, including during the Great Leap Forward from 1958 to 1960 (which led to a massive famine and reportedly the deaths of tens of millions of people) and the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 (which caused political chaos and greatly disrupted the economy). During the reform period (1979-2011), Chinaâ €™s average annual real GDP grew by 9. 9%. This essentially has meant that, on average China has been able to double the size of its economy in real terms every eight years. The global economic slowdown, which began in 2008, impacted the Chinese economy (especially the export sector). China’s real GDP growth fell from 14. 2% in 2007 to 9. 6% in 2008 to 9. 2% in 2009. In response, the Chinese government implemented a large economic stimulus package and an expansive monetary policy. These measures boosted domestic investment and consumption and helped prevent a sharp economic slowdown in China. In 2010, China’s real GDP grew by 10. 4%, and in 2011 it rose by 9. 2%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that China’s real GDP will grow by 7. 8% in 2012. From 2013 to 2017, the IMP projects that China’s real GDP growth will average 8. 5%. Table 1- China’s average annual real GDP growth. Causes of China’s Economic Growth Economists generally attribute much of China’s rapid economic growth to two main factors: large-scale capital investment (financed by large domestic savings and foreign investment) and rapid productivity growth. These two factors appear to have gone together hand in hand. Economic reforms led to higher efficiency in the economy, which boosted output and increased resources for additional investment in the economy. China has historically maintained a high rate of savings. When reforms were initiated in 1979, domestic savings as a percentage of GDP stood at 32%. However, most Chinese savings during this period were generated by the profits of SOEs, which were used by the central government for domestic investment. Economic reforms, which included the decentralization of economic production, led to substantial growth in Chinese household savings as well as corporate savings. As a result, China’s gross savings as a percentage of GDP has steadily risen, reaching 53. 9% in 2010 (compared to a U. S. rate of 9. 3%), and is among the highest savings rates in the world. The large level of savings has enabled China to boost domestic investment. In fact, its gross domestic savings levels far exceed its domestic investment levels, meaning that China is a large net global lender. Several economists have concluded that productivity gains (i. e. , increases in efficiency) have been another major factor in China’s rapid economic growth. The improvements to productivity were caused largely by a reallocation of resources to more productive uses, especially in sectors that were formerly heavily controlled by the central government, such as agriculture, trade, and services. For example, agricultural reforms boosted production, freeing workers to pursue employment in the more productive manufacturing sector. China’s decentralization of the economy led to the rise of non-state enterprises (such as private firms), which tended to pursue more productive activities than the centrally controlled SOEs and were more market-oriented, and hence, more efficient. Additionally, a greater share of the economy (mainly the export sector) was exposed to competitive forces. Local and provincial governments were allowed to establish and operate various enterprises on market principles, without interference from the central government. In addition, FDI in China brought with it new technology and processes that boosted efficiency. As indicated in Figure 2, China has achieved high rates of total factor productivity (TFP) growth relative to the United States. TFP represents an estimate of the part of economic output growth not accounted for by the growth in inputs (such as labor and capital), and is often attributed to the effects of technological change and efficiency gains. China experiences faster TFP growth than most developed countries such as the United States because of its ability to access and utilize existing foreign technology and know-how. High TFP growth rates have been a major factor behind China’s rapid economic growth rate. However, as China’s technological development begins to approach that of major developed countries, its level of productivity gains, and thus, real GDP growth, could slow significantly from its historic 10% average, unless China becomes a major center for new technology and innovation and/or implements new comprehensive economic reforms. As indicated in Figure 3, the EIU currently projects that China’s real GDP growth will slow considerably in the years ahead, averaging 7. 0% from 2012 to 2020, and falling to 3. 7% from 2021 to 2030. The Chinese government has indicated its desire to move away from its current economic model of fast growth at any cost to more â€Å"smart† economic growth, which seeks to reduce reliance on energy-intensive and high-polluting industries and rely more on high technology, green energy, and services. China also has indicated it wants to obtain more balanced economic growth. Measuring the Size of China’s Economy The rapid growth of the Chinese economy has led many analysts to speculate if and when China will overtake the United States as the â€Å"world’s largest economic power. † The â€Å"actual† size of China’s economy has been a subject of extensive debate among economists. Measured in U. S. dollars using nominal exchange rates, China’s GDP in 2011 was $7. 2 trillion, less than half the size of the U. S. economy. The per capita GDP (a common measurement of a country’s living standards) of China was $5,460, which was 12% the size of Japan’s level and 11% that of the United States (see Table 2). Many economists contend that using nominal exchange rates to convert Chinese data (or that of other countries) into U. S. dollars fails to reflect the true size of China’s economy and living standards relative to the United States. Nominal exchange rates simply reflect the prices of foreign currencies vis-a-vis the U. S. dollar and such measurements exclude differences in the prices for goods and services across countries. To illustrate, one U. S. dollar exchanged for local currency in China would buy more goods and services there than it would in the United States. This is because prices for goods and services in China are generally lower than they are in the United States. Conversely, prices for goods and services in Japan are generally higher than they are in the United States (and China). Thus, one dollar exchanged for local Japanese currency would buy fewer goods and services there than it would in the United States. Economists attempt to develop estimates of exchange rates based on their actual purchasing power relative to the dollar in order to make more accurate comparisons of economic data across countries, usually referred to as a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. The PPP exchange rate increases the (estimated) measurement of China’s economy and its per capita GDP. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, (EIU), which utilizes World Bank data, prices for goods and services in China are 41. 5% the level they are in the United States. Adjusting for this price differential raises the value of China’s 2011 GDP from $7. 2 trillion (nominal dollars) to $11. 4 trillion (on a PPP basis). This would indicate that China’s economy is 76. 0% the size of the U. S. economy. China’s share of global GDP on a PPP basis rose from 3. 7% in 1990 to 14. % in 2011 (the U. S. share of global GDP peaked at 24. 3% in 1999 and declined to 18. 9% in 2011); see Figure 4. Many economic analysts predict that on a PPP basis China will soon overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy. EIU, for example, projects this will occur by 2016, and that by 2030, China’s economy could be 30% larger than that of the United St ates. This would not be the first time in history that China was the world’s largest economy (see text box). The PPP measurement also raises China’s 2011 per capita GDP (from $5,460) to $8,650, which was 17. 9% of the U. S. evel. The EIU projects this level will rise to 34. 3% by 2030. Thus, although China will likely become the world’s largest economy in a few years on a PPP basis, it will likely take many years for its living standards to approach U. S. levels. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China China’s trade and investment reforms and incentives led to a surge in FDI beginning in the early 1990s. Such flows have been a major source of China’s productivity gains and rapid economic and trade growth. There were reportedly 445,244 foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) registered in China in 2010, employing 55. million workers or 15. 9% of the urban workforce. As indicated in Figure 5, FIEs account for a significant share of China’s industrial output. That level rose from 2. 3% in 1990 to a high of 35. 9% in 2003, but fell to 27. 1% by 2010. In addition, FIE’s are responsible for a significant level of China’s foreign trade. In 2011, FIEs in China accounted for 52. 4% of China’s exports and 49. 6% of its imports, although this level was down from its peak in 2006 when FIEs’ share of Chinese exports and imports was 58. 2% and 59. 7%, respectively, as indicated in Figure 6. FIEs in China dominate China’s high technology exports. From 2002 to 2010, the share of China’s high tech exports by FIEs rose from 79% to 82%. During the same period, the share of China’s high tech exports by wholly owned foreign firms (which excludes foreign joint ventures with Chinese firms) rose from 55% to 67%. According to the Chinese government, annual FDI inflows into China grew from $2 billion in 1985 to $108 billion in 2008. Due to the effects of the global economic slowdown, FDI flows to China fell by 12. 2% to $90 billion in 2009. They totaled $106 billion in 2010 and $116 billion in 2011 (see Figure 7). Chinese data for January-October 2012 indicate that FDI fell by 3. 5% on a year-on-year basis; FDI into China will likely total around $112. 1 billion for the full year. Hong Kong was reported as the largest source of FDI flows to China in 2011 (63. 9% of total), followed by Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. The cumulative level (or stock) of FDI in China at the end of 2011 is estimated at $1. 2 trillion, making it one of the world’s largest destinations of FDI. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, China was the world’s second-largest destination for FDI flows in 2011, after the United States (see Figure 8). The largest sources of cumulative FDI in China for 1979-2011 were Hong Kong (43. 5% of total), the British Virgin Islands, Japan, the United States, and Taiwan (see Table 3). According to Chinese data, annual U. S. FDI flows to China peaked at $5. 4 billion in 2002 (10. 2% of total FDI in China). In 2011, they were $3. 0 billion or 2. 6% of total FDI (see Figure 9). From January to October 2012, U. S. FDI in China rose by 3. 8% (year-on-year).

HIV and AIDS :: STD, HIV, AIDS

AIDS/HIV   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, better known as AIDS, is caused by the incurable HIV virus. AIDS is a deadly disease that deteriorates the immune system. There are two groups of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), HIV-1 that occurs throughout the world and HIV-2 that mainly occurs in Africa. The HIV virus enters the white blood cells and takes over the reproductive system of that cell and uses the system to reproduce itself. The white blood cell dies and the new HIV cells infect other white blood cells and repeat the process. The Person with the disease will eventually die because the white blood cell dies off tottally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you have become infected with the AIDS disease you may not have any symptoms of the disease for the next ten years. People with the HIV virus usually look and feel healthy and may not even know that they are infected. Even though they don't look or feel sick, they can still infect others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the symptoms do start to happen they can be like the ones of many common sicknesses such as swollen glands, coughing, fever, and diarrhea. It is usually characterized by severe weight loss and fatigue.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The AIDS disease makes the less serious conditions harder for your body to control or get rid of because of the loss of many of the white blood cells in your body. The most common causes of death for the people with AIDS are pneumonia and Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi's sarcoma which shows up as purple lesions on the skin and tumors known as B-cell lymphomas have affected 70% of the infected people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AIDS is transmitted in three main ways. Intimate sexual contact such as having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who is infected with HIV is the most common. While direct contact with infected blood, like sharing needles for injecting drugs, HIV also can be passed from an infected mother to her baby during pregancy or childbirth. Although some people speculate, you cannot receive the disease from kissing on the cheek and it is very unlikely that you could get HIV even from open mouth kissing, you also cannot get the disease/virus from close hugging, touching, cuddling, and massages as long as there isn't any open cuts or abrassions. HIV also cannot be contracted from using toilet seats,telephones, drinking fountains, straws, spoons, or cups or mosquitoes, air, food, water, coughs/sneezes, sweat or tears.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AIDS is a life and death issue. To have the AIDS disease is a sentence of slow but defininate death. There currently is no cure or vaccine for this disease but there are drugs that have been proven effective in slowing the

Political Culture of Russia Essay

The nature of Russian political culture and by extension its politics has been shaped and molded over the previous centuries. While we can by no means attribute its entire political culture to a single event or time period, we also can’t point to a time period, say the Soviet time, and draw our perception of Russia’s political culture from that alone. That being said, the totalitarian nature of the Soviet State is by partial means attributable to Marxist-Leninist philosophies. The nature of Russian political culture was (and still is in many regards) authoritarian. Throughout Russia’s history there has been an authoritarian attitude in how the country should be ruled. The state was always there, the state was behind forced modernization policies from Peter the Great through Joseph Stalin, and today Vladimir Putin. Russia for the large part of its history been just as vast as it is today. The sheer size of it requires a centralized power to keep regional autonomy down. Every country that followed or still follows Marxist doctrine did (does) so with different flavors of Marxism, none of which are exactly and entirely what Karl envisioned. China and Russia were rivals in several policy areas throughout the 20th century. The same dichotomy can be seen between China and its smaller (communist) Southeastern Asian neighbors such a s Cambodia and Vietnam. Communist countries were partially authoritarian because of Marxism. The nature of establishing and perpetuating a command economy demanded authoritarianism. While China has wiggled out of many of the responsibilities and pitfalls of running a command economy by establishing market-driven economic reform, it remains authoritarian. This illustrates that while the key components of Marxism are abandoned, the system and its actors continue to grasp to power as it seeks to adapt and integrate itself into the world system. This is counter to previous attempts to establish a parallel world system behind Soviet ideology. Bottom line: the only way a Communist system can take continued hold and root itself into the political system is through authoritarianism. Not to mention the guise under which many of the Soviet Republics were brought into the fold and behind the Iron Curtain. These weren’t spontaneous Communist Revolutions toppling several governments around the world; it was the Russian’s moving in after having kicked the Germans out and act ing marionette to their new puppets. If it were populist support that kept Communist governments in power around the world one would not see states efforts to cripple freedoms of the press, of assembly, and of religion. Current Communist governments fear a slippery slope, and perhaps rightfully so, where an inch of social freedom given would mimic Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms in the late 1980’s and lead to an eventual collapse. Russia’s Political culture is more authoritarian than a lot of countries around the world, but today it is a functioning quasi-democracy with authoritarian overtones. This goes to show that in the right circumstances, Russian’s can and will subject themselves to semi-authoritarian rule. Under other circumstances, such as the situation in the 1990’s that followed the collapse of the Soviet system, it’s a wonder that authoritarianism didn’t come back in force. Putin still governs with legitimacy at the front of his mind, and hasn’t suspended the constitution or ruled by decree. True democracy can and will eventually be realized, but realistically this is only possible through generational replacement and hard, slow change. The privatization process can be viewed with much rightful criticism, it didn’t take into account Russians lack of understanding of the West’s definition of ‘rational economic behavior’, nor did it find a happy middle ground between the two extremes of command economy and wild-west capitalism. What it did do was change the rules of the game being played. We can fault the broad shock therapy method for any number of shortcomings in the economic policy in the Russian arsenal, but it accomplished one incredibly more important goal. It changed the rules of the game. People who knew the rules (or knew which new rules were coming), mobsters, party officials, and Western interests, leapt upon the opportunity to make money hand over fist. This is still a vastly improved scenario as opposed to gradual economic reform, with the state greedily holding onto the â€Å"commanding heights† of the economy, and leaving the unprofitable sectors open for private investment and development. The large majority of the Russian people didn’t have a firm grasp on private property, or selling one of two cows to buy a bull, or how to ‘invest’ with these vouchers. The sharks ate them up in the incredibly free market. This is a point that was necessary for the facilitation o f real capitalism and eventually democracy in Russia. How does one instill in its population the concepts that go hand in hand with capitalism? My answer would be to force them to adapt to a changed environment. Gradual change would’ve perpetuated for a longer time the stagnation and poor cost-management of the Soviet period. An aggressive and immediate changing of the environment began the painful instilling of capitalist values into the populace and government. After the dust cleared and a new millennia unveiled, Vladimir Putin inherited a new Russia, with new problems, and an semi-regulated albeit capitalist system. I also reject the notion that a stake in a company translates to a certain level of commitment and productivity associated with it. I can think of just in my own history a number of bosses with a small level of commitment to the company, they weren’t there to operate or manage, they were there to own. That being said I’ve also experienced several hands-on owners, who corrected the techniques of severa l employees to their liking. My other inference comes from day-traders on the Stock Market. People with no vested interest in a company putting their money up because they think the stock will go up, not necessarily because they believe in the product. One doesn’t need a stake in a company to incentivize success within it, it sure helps, but it is not required and wouldn’t have made the Russian transition any less painful. The decades of propaganda had really affected some 10% of the population and they were the ones who fell off the cliff when the system changed. Russia in the 1990’s was bad, but it was nothing compared to the massive famines that led to the deaths of millions of Russians, or the Great Depression. Many Russian’s who bought into the Soviet ideology were left out in the cold, yet others found jobs, and others made easy money. 1991 was a turbulent time in Russia, the collapse of the system left countless questions unanswered about what the Russian state and its business sector would look like after the dust settled. I see absolutel y no way, no system, no path that could’ve mediated such a drastic change with minimal economic displacement and suffering. We could’ve lessened the blow with a Russian version of the Marshall Plan, but frankly that was much too much to expect from America. We were in a position of triumph after decades of struggle, and the prospect of the massive new markets had American businesspeople salivating. The Marshall plan also wouldn’t have worked as well as it did in Western Europe because the political and economic culture of Russia was very different from Western Europe. Saturating a country with cash and loans to build (or rebuild in the case of Western Europe) modern infrastructure was out of the question. Half the reasoning behind the Marshall Plan in the first place was to cultivate capitalism, and combat the spread of communism. What is to be gained from a US policy of propping up our old foe? This is especially true when there was so much money to be made via exploitation. Russia in the 1990’s was exactly was America desired it to be, complacent. The Russian mob played a major role in blocking true market reforms; they reveled in the post-collapse chaos and orchestrated the major piece of the Russian economy that is sti ll today conducted underground, and more importantly, free of tax revenue. While this percentage has decreased considerably, it still accounts for nearly a double digit hole in economic exchanges. Along with the mob, the Communist Party knew what was going to happen and planned accordingly. They snapped up the profitable sectors of the economy for pennies on the dollar and became fabulously wealthy. Both groups served as major obstacles in the path of real reform, and real democracy for Russia. The fact is that the reforms proposed were free-market in principle and not free-market in practice. Favors, subsidies, inside information, and possessing capital (not to mention the knowledge of how to use it) made for a grossly tilted economic playing field in Russia. Just like water, the money flowed down the tilt and into the hands of elites and future oligarchs, leaving real policy and progress for later leaders and generations to wrestle with. To quote Winston Churchill, â€Å"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.† Western style democracy is by no means the pinnacle of human achievement, it is however a necessary condition to providing the basis for equality of opportunity, rule of law, and political representation. That is not to say that there is no value in the Russian path, or that it is inherently wrong. Order just isn’t as valuable (according to the West) when one holds the aforementioned societal values. Order works for Russia, much better than it ever could’ve worked in the â€Å"Go west, young man† America that encompassed so much of the formation of our identity. Order keeps the barbarians out, order keeps the serfs from rebelling, order centralizes power in an Empire. Russia, without the concept of order built in like ours of liberty, would’ve faltered and fell from the world stage many times, of this I have no doubt.. The two biggest examples of Order trumping Liberty (in Russia) I can imagine are the invasions of Napoleon and Hitler. In the former and the latter, slash and burn tactics were employed. Hell, Moscow was a husk in the dead of winter when Napoleon got there, and I have no doubt that similarly drastic measures would’ve been taken to preserve the Soviet state. People throughout the best land in Russia, burned their property, poisoned their livestock, poisoned their water, destroyed everything of use, and fled. The enormous sense of communal responsibility and togetherness that these behaviors exhibit illustrate that Order worked and may continue to work for Russians, in the same manner that Liberty worked for Americans. I could never imagine American’s destroying everything in the face of invasion and retreating. That’s sacrilegious in this country; luckily we didn’t have quite as aggressive neighbors as Russia had. The Russian political system must meet several criteria I believe before it is widely accepted as completely legitimate. First off, centrist parties crafted by United Russia have to dissipate. They’re there to fracture opposition support, and nullify the voices of the overriding political currents that sway governments to control of one party or another. Representative politics works best when it represents the electorate, if there are pressures to decrease opposition support via backhanded ways, then that is where one sees wide-spread dissent. United Russia may have the backing of a majority of the Russian citizenry, for now, but by treating the opposition as the problem rather than part of the solution, Putin and by extension United Russia is alienating many mainstream voters on the left and right. Their reaction is to then become more extreme and problemati c because they’re being talked down to. When legitimate political parties and beliefs aren’t represented, parties and organizations that hold them have nothing to lose by taking up much more extremist views. If they felt that United Russia would play ball, they wouldn’t be taking the positions that they have taken. They would come to the table with more of a pragmatist view and plan of compromise. The military’s role in the democratization of Russia needs to be minimal. I am of the belief that a Roman-style coup utilizing the military is a very real albeit remote possibility. Civilians need to be the head of their equivalent to the Department of Defense, and ending discrimination in the armed services is a must for minorities in Russia to truly feel that they have a say and a stake in the country as it moves forwards. Divided government demands compromise, and it is yet to be seen whether Russia is ready to grapple with and deal with people who don’t agree with you. As of this point, the answer has been to silence them, or to shuffle them into a centrist party like sheep, or to run up the tally of people who think like you. For Russia to move past the post-Soviet period it must start engaging opposition, utilize independent parties, and stop fighting the opposition. This is very possible, just not at a breakneck pace. Russia’s value of Liberty will inevitably keep the country moving towards a more representative and legitimate democracy, but its value of Order will make sure that it is a slow and deliberate process.

Ngc march

Explain the purpose of the ‘statement of intent' section of a health and safety policy. (3) the purpose of the ‘statement of intent' section of the policy should set health and safety goals and objectives for the organization; demonstrate management's commitment to health and safety; explain the allocation of resources to attain the stated goals and objectives and give an indication of the cultural health and safety framework for the organization. B) Outline the circumstances that would require a health and safety policy to be reviewed. 5) circumstances such as significant changes in the structure of the organization; after the introduction of new or changed processes or work methods; following changes in key personnel or a change of premises; following changes in legislation; where audits, risk assessments, monitoring exercises or investigations into accidents and cases of ill-health show that the policy is no longer effective or relevant; following enforcement action by or the receipt of advice from the enforcement authority; as a result of consultation with the workforce; and after a sufficient period of time has elapsed since the previous review to suggest that another is due. Question 4 (a) Identify TWO types of health and safety inspection. (2) types of health and safety inspection such as pre-use checks for example of portable appliances or ladders; general periodic workplace inspections; statutory inspections and those associated with planned preventative maintenance; safety tours and safety sampling and inspections carried out by members of the enforcement authority. B) Outline the skills and knowledge that are required of an employee who conducts health and safety inspections. 6) qualities expected of an employee who carries out health and safety inspections, candidates were expected to refer firstly to the knowledge he/she should possess such as a general knowledge of health and safety together with the legal requirements and any publishe d guidance; knowledge of the workplace and the work activities carried out with the procedures that have been introduced such as safe systems of work and the use of permits to work; and knowledge as to whom he/she should report the results of the inspections. Relevant skills would include the ability to identify hazards and risks and to detect deficiencies in the control measures provided; observational skills together with the ability to record and report observations; interpersonal skills including the ability to interview and question fellow employees and finally and importantly the ability to recognize his/her own limitations.Question 5 Outline ways to help ensure the effectiveness of a health and safety committee. (8) One of the prime requirements in setting up an effective safety committee is to ensure that it has the full backing of senior management, is provided with terms of reference and objectives and that its membership constitutes an even balance between management and employee representatives under the chairmanship of a fair, strong but diplomatic individual with one member of sufficient seniority to authorize any agreed action. It would be essential that time and resources are set aside for committee meetings which should be at a convenient time and notified in advance to all members with a copy of the agenda.Items for discussion should be topical and relevant to the organization and the safety adviser should always be present to provide professional health and safety advice. Formal minutes should be prepared after each meeting including actions that have been agreed and a copy of these should be displayed where it is accessible to all employees, such as on the employee notice board, so that they might be aware of the decisions that have been taken. Question 6 (a) Give the meaning of the term ‘risk. (2) the probability or likelihood that an unwanted event will occur and the possible severity in terms of injury or damage, would it occur. (b ) Give reasons why hazards may not be obvious to an employee exposed to them. 6) reasons such as over-familiarity following frequent contact with the hazard without recognizing any potential harm; lack of experience particularly in the case of young persons; sensory impairment; lack of attention arising from the routine or repetitive nature of the task being undertaken; warning alarms being masked by noise or the wearing of personal protective equipment; and inadequate provision of training, information and instruction. Other reasons which might have been given included the invisible nature of the hazard, such as that arising from exposure to biological agents, gases and radiation and those hazards where there is no obvious short term effect with little indication of what harm might be caused in the longer term. Question 7 (a) Outline the functions of a permit-to-work form. (2) functions of a permit to work system are to control high risk activities by ensuring set procedures are fo llowed; to formally record control measures and to give signed authority for the activity to be carried out. B) Outline the elements that should be included in a typical permit-to- work form. 6) Elements which should be included in the permit include firstly a description and assessment of the task to be performed including the plant involved, its location and the foreseeable hazards associated with the task. This will determine the need for, and nature of the necessary controls such as, the isolation of sources of energy and other services, the provision and use of personal protective equipment, emergency arrangements and facilities, communication arrangements and the duration of the permit. An essential element of a permit to work system is the operation of the remit itself.By means of signatures, the permit should be issued by an authorized person, and accepted by the competent person responsible for the work. On completion of the work, the competent person would need to indicate on the permit that the area had been made safe in order for the permit to be cancelled by the authorized person, after which isolations could be removed. Question 8 An organization can monitor its health and safety performance using a variety of means. (a) Identify FOUR active monitoring methods. (4) inspections, surveys, tours, audits, environmental monitoring, health surveillance, behavioral observation and benchmarking against the performance of other like organizations. (b) Identify FOUR reactive monitoring methods. 4) reactive monitoring methods which might be used include accident and ill health reports and statistics, incidents of reported near misses and dangerous occurrences, property damage, actions taken by enforcement authorities, the number of civil actions and insurance claims and the costs involved in all of these. Question 9 Explain reasons why the following employees may be at greater risk in the oracle: (a) young persons; (4) the individual's stage of physical dev elopment and maturity; lack of knowledge, experience, training and practical skills; lack of perception or awareness of risk; poorly developed communication skills; over enthusiasm and the tendency of young persons to take risks and to respond more readily to peer group pressure.