Discovering Science Thorough the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discovering Science Thorough the Media - Essay Example Sara Seager, a theorist explains: We can count as many as we like, â€Å"but until we can observe the atmospheres and assess their greenhouse gas power, we don’t really know what the surface temperatures are like† (cited in Overbye, 2015). On the one hand such discovery is not surprising as the scientists have already came to the conclusion that in the Milky Way there can be more than 20 billion planets, on which the temperature conditions are appropriate for life. The relevant data were obtained as a result of the statistical analysis of the observations, which were being made with the help of Kepler telescope during three years. By means of the telescope scientists came to the conclusion that about 22% of stars in the Milky Way have the planets similar to Earth by the size where the temperature is appropriate for biological processes. A scientists Andrew Howard states: "For NASA, this number – that every fifth star has a planet somewhat like Earth – is really important, because successor missions to Kepler will try to take an actual picture of a planet, and the size of the telescope they have to build depends on how close the nearest Earth-size planets are† (cited in Ohlheiser, 2015) However, the fact needs further investigations, because the probability of mistake is very high. Thus, in July 2014 the scientists revealed that found Gliese d and g can be simply a mistake of researchers. A couple of planets, Gliese d and g, which are allegedly situated at the distance of 22 light years from Earth caused many disputes. Now researchers state that two planets, on which, as it was assumed, organic life can be present, simply do not exist. Researchers came to such conclusion after carrying out the spectral analysis of a star, which the planets were supposed to move around. They explained that there was no planetary signal as it was stated before. It was just a phenomenon caused by star activity". In other words, magnetic fields or flashes on the Sun

Media and Democracy Essay Example for Free

Media and Democracy Essay In 1990, the Americans faced a situation that badly calls for their attention. An all out war against Saddam Hussein and the country he governs named Iraq was the argument being raised by the Bush Administration to his people. The administration needs the support of the public and it is when they decided to make propagandas that may affect the decisions of the people. While sensationalizing news and even opinions about wars and things connected to these acts, people are drawn closer into being deceived and this news may cause them conflicts in developing their own side of the story. Furthermore, with the use of media, journalism and press releases, a major impact is formed that can affect the opinion of the public or the majority which can somehow be very threatening to the outcome, conclusion or result of the battle and the cause being fought for by both sides. During the Gulf War that lasted from 1990 to 1991, media, propagandas and press releases played a big role in forming the opinion of the people of the United States of America about the suggested war against Iraq proposed by the Bush Administration which resulted to an attack against Saddam Hussein and Iraq in a wider, different picture. Related Literature Before finally opening the discussion about the media censorship during the Gulf War, how about we first talk about the group, people and terms involved in the whole sharing of ideas and construction of a this research. War as the key topic that will connect media, public and the incident together will allow us to understand how important the participation of media during the Gulf War years was to the United States of America and at the same time, how it affected the both Iraq and Kuwait. War Defined A three-letter word that can change the whole story of our entire history, war is more like a problem, a conflict made to destroy not just places but also human lives. It is commonly described as a dangerous act and a conflict that would mostly cause problems and loss of human lives. However, the word â€Å"War† is a term that serves various meanings and uses. It could be a figure of speech which creates an allusion to serious strife, campaigns and even struggles. In so many ways, the word, vague as it is can be is used in identifying a certain issue or incident like â€Å"war on terrorism†, â€Å"class wars† and other occurrences that could definitely be understood easily with the presence of the word â€Å"war†. In Merriam-Webster Dictionary, War is defined as (1)’ a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations’, (2) ‘a period of such armed conflict’, and (3) ‘State of War which corresponds to the art or science of warfare like the weapons, equipment used in war, soldiers and equipped soldiers ready for the war’ . It is also the ‘struggle or the competition between opposing forces or for a particular end’. Although the word is used in many ways, the usual aim of war is to ‘overthrow the enemy’ which ‘does not always imply the complete conquest of the enemy’s country’. Media Defined There had been several definitions of media. People refer to means or medium of communication as media too. Talking in general, it ‘refers to various means of communication’ which stands for ‘television, newspaper and radio’. At the same time, Media is also a ‘collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies’. The same definition of media as a term is also used by Paul Hawken in his book to characterize the word. While this author mentioned the same purpose of media which is to identify the medium and tools used for communication, he also insisted that media ‘is a term that also applies to those people whose profession it is to discover, report and communicate information and news to the public’. Furthermore, we now understand that media is a term used to describe both the medium used in communication and the people who we also call press. They serve as our ears and eyes about what is happening in our surroundings. Through their news, reports and discoveries, we learn from them the truth and the reality. However, the role of media although is very essential in the lives of the people, in the existence of humanity and truth can also be misused and mislead us from the certainties. History of Gulf War It is said that the Gulf War, also referred to as the Second Gulf War is unique compared to other wars happened in the history of this century, probably in the rest of human race account and existence. In so many ways, this war has several features that make it different from other armed conflicts in the whole world. Compared to the Second World War and Vietnam War, there had been several, much more bombs thrown to the enemy country than the amount of explosives used to destroy Vietnam. Also, the treatment of media towards the incident is more intense compared to how they reported their coverage during the World War II and the War in Vietnam. On the second day of August in 1990, Iraq made a move to invade Kuwait. Kuwait, a small democratic country rich in oil and produces the needed amount of the United States of America. This incident of 1990 is not the first in the history of Kuwait. It was the third conflict between Iraq and Kuwait in just one century. The first one was in July 1897 and the second one was in June 1961. Aside from these two, there is also a semi-crisis between the two countries which happened in March 1939. These account of events show that the two countries had been rivals for a long time already and the conflict between them only grows bigger as the years pass by. The Complaints of Iraq According to Suzanne Murdico, there are three complaints that Iraq issued over its neighboring country which is Kuwait. Although some of the complaints of Iraq over Kuwait concerns the past events wherein both countries were involved. One among the several disputes was the money that Iraq borrowed from Kuwait which was used as payment for the Iran-Iraq War. Secondly dispute is concerned with the oil being produced by Kuwait. Since Kuwait, though small country can produce oil that is demanded by the oil market which even angered Saddam Hussein and accused them of producing oil more than the allowed amount as stated by Organization of Petroleum Exporting. The third dispute is about the border between the Iraq and Kuwait territories wherein there is enormous oil. The disputes between Kuwait and Iraq became the same reasons why the latter invaded Kuwait. In June 8, 1991, a victory parade was held in Washington. After almost a year of conflict, the United States of America was able to â€Å"save† Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. Media Coverage of the Gulf War As Dilip Hiro said in his book â€Å"Desert Shield to Desert Storm† the Gulf War had its share of popularity. Media coverage during the Persian Gulf War or the Second Gulf War can never be compared to the exposure given to World War II and Vietnam War. Censorship Media and People Media and the Gulf War Censorship during the Gulf War Western coverage of the Gulf War Demonizing Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein had been an ally of the United States of America for almost a decade before the former invaded Kuwait, an oil producing country which supplies the U. S. within eight years, Hussein, a dictator was able to kill 150,000 Iranians and around 13,000 Iraqis. There had been complaints coming from international human rights group about these killings but being an ally of both Reagan and Bush, he was not given enough attention for punishment. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, April Glaspie, Ambassador of the United States of America asked the media to allow the appearance of Hussein in television even for a few minutes. In this case, Hussein will have the chance to explain himself and also Iraq to the public. These words of the Ambassador served as a hint for Hussein that U. S. sympathizes with him and Iraq. He thought that if he will invade Kuwait, U. S. will not see it as a crime. However, the Bush Administration thought that Hussein’s crime is serious and it is not just killing refugees but it threatens the oil supply already. In 1979, Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s new leader took his post and changed the story of their country. A man with sheer desire for wealth and power, Fiske’s Argument Conclusion Incidents happen for a reason. Nothing exists without its motives and everything; all things in life have its purpose. At first we may find it absurd, crazy and foolish but in the end, what happened will be the biggest story we would want to uncover for the truth. War is a very huge word made by people dominating the entire world. While some people and probably most of the people prefer to have peace in the world rather than endless bloodsheds everywhere, others, especially those who have personal biases and some individual agendas over certain things that concern themselves and some other people existing in their world. Although the word is used in different situations and contains diverse meaning, war is still a word that is very dangerous to the innocent ones. In 1990, media and war finally met to destroy innocent lives and at the same time to hate each other. A story of destroying a nation and manipulating the emotions, feelings and opinion of the greater majority, the gulf war of 1990 was one of the tragic stories for the exercise of freedom of speech. In times of war and conflict between two opposing parties, the opinion of the people involved is very important that it may either serve as a better result or it may complicate things more. One of the most helpful tools in telling the truth, probably the mirror of reality is the media. However, Media and War became best of friends in some cases that together, these two may promote a fight worth dying for or may destroy lives of innocent people. Their companionship most of the time does not mean that they do help each other but because with the use of media, one side of the face of the war will win. Persuasion and propagandas helped a lot in promoting the means that the opposing parties were fighting for. In so many ways, media was both a tool in persuading the people of the United States of America to go in the war with Bush towards Saddam Hussein and at the same time was a battered medium of communication, a means that was used to tell a lie and to mandate what the people should feel. Bibliography Atkinson, Rick. Crusade the Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1993 Center for Media and Democracy. Toxic Sludge Is Good For You, Chapter 10: How PR Sold the War in the Persian Gulf. Retrieved January 19, 2009 from http://www. prwatch. org/books/tsigfy10. html Clausewitz, C. , Graham, J. , Natusch, F. , and Willmot, L. On War. Wordsworth Edition. 1997, page 351. Dinstein, Yoram. War, Aggression and Self-defence 4th Edition. Cambridge University Press. 2005, page 3. Hawken, Paul. Blessed Unrest. Viking. 2007, page 267. Hiro, Dilip. Deset Shield to Desert Storm. iUniverse, 2003, page 4 Media. In TechTerms. com, Retrieved January 19, 2009 from http://www. techterms. com/definition/media Murdico, Suzanne J. The Gulf War. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2004, page 11. War. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved January 15, 2009, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/war

Living Through God: The Meaning of a Christian :: social issues

Living Through God: The Meaning of a Christian "Without God, the thinkers of the world will never grasp the meanings of life, origin and destiny†, so the strong spirited young woman remarks about life. Teenagers today appraise their lives through school, work, and friends. Often times, there is one type of teenager that displays a greater attitude, in which whom goes beyond the obvious by simply shining a little brighter. A courageous teen of determination, providing inspiration, possesses such positive attributes, gives reason to classify her by inspiring and strengthening the youth of today. On October 25, 1985, an individual, so concise, diminutive, or what seemed to be not much of great impact of this world, was born. Subsequently, becoming one that gives profound importance in the hearts of those she will touch. Arica Helaine Ingratta, a teenager of uniqueness in every way, persists by perceiving life by one entity, God. Initially, Arica procures from a family consisting of a younger brother, an older sister, a set of parents, one dog, two cats, and a hamster. Indeed, one may perceive this family to be a little unconventional; it is. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Arica grew up with a strong grasp on life from the very beginning. Her story entitles one to be unique, inspiring, and meaningful. â€Å"Arica Helaine†, derives from her father’s name, Ericolino, and Helen, the name of her mother. Her beginnings of education sets out at St. Gabriel’s catholic school where, in grade 4, she transferred schools to the Maranatha Christian Academy and later to First Lutheran Christian Academy where she developed a fundamental Christian basis. She was an intelligent, little princess that was often called â€Å"peanut†. An asset to her character is her genuine smile. Filled with energy and ambitions, she carries a strong spirit in whatever she does or is determined in becoming; so on to discover the meaning of life. Having acquired from a Christian family, she learns the meaning of God through her parents and school. While the world celebrated the coming of the New Year on December 31st of 1998, Arica was celebrating a rather different event. At a Christian concert, she became saved by accepting God into her life. She developed a personal relationship with God while continuing to live through Him. While many young teenagers were thriving about their girlfriends or boyfriends, their physical appearances, or the newest pop artist, Arica, by age 14, determined in becoming a youth Evangelist.

Assignment from the Reading Essay

Same Person collects daily fees and deposits the cash and files the wavier forms There should be one person (A) that has visitor fill out the forms and files them, also keeping a tally of the number each day. And a second person (B) collects the cash and deposits it into the lock box. The accountant deposits the cash at the bank and makes the journal entry The manager at the end of the night could deposit the cash, and the next morning the accountant could make the journal entry. No one checks the number of wavier forms filled out against the amount of cash deposited The accountant should also check the amount of waiver forms filled out against the amount of cash deposited to make sure amount deposited is equal to the number of visitors paying a fee Problem 9-15 Identify one or more control procedures (either general or application controls, or both) that would guard against each of the following errors or problems. a.) Leslie Thomas, a secretary at the university, indicated that she had worked 40 hours on her regular time card. The university paid her for 400 hours worked that week. Payroll clerk reviews all inputs before posting, and then the accounting supervisor reviews all checks for reasonableness before sending them out. b.) The aging analysis indicated that the Grab and Run Electronics Company account was so far in arrears that the credit manager decided to cut off any further credit sales to the company until it cleared up its account. Yet, the following  week, the manager noted that three new sales had been made to that company—all on credit. Computer control to disallow issuing new sales on credit to customers should be programmed into the system. c.) The Small Company employed Mr. Fineus Eyeshade to perform all its accounts receivable data processing. Mr. Eyeshade’s 25 years with the company and his unassuming appearance helped him conceal the fact that he was embezzling cash collections from accounts receivable to cover his gambling losses at the race track. Employees are required to take vacation and they should be cross-trained to cover each other’s jobs when they are out. d.) The Blue Mountain Utility Company was having difficulty with its customer payments. The payment amounts were entered directly into a terminal, and the transaction file thus created was used to update the customer master file. Among the problems encountered with this system were the application of customer payments to the wrong accounts and the creation of multiple customer master file records for the same account. They should be matching the invoice number and account numbers; this review should catch the error. Another control is the customers reviewing their statements to make sure that they are not being over charged, ect. e.) The Landsford brothers had lived in Center County all their lives. Ben worked for the local mill in the accounts payable department, and Tom owned the local hardware store. The sheriff couldn’t believe that the brothers had created several dummy companies that sold fictitious merchandise to the mill. Ben had the mill pay for this merchandise in its usual fashion, and he wrote off the missing goods as ‘‘damaged inventory.’’ Access control to create new vendors, and vendor approval procedures is a good control. Problem 9-16 Identify one or more control procedures (either general or application controls, or both) that would guard against each of the following errors or problems. a.) A bank deposit transaction was accidentally coded with a withdrawal code. Having an input that verified what type of transaction was being inputted by personal. Also, at the end of the night count would reveal this problem because there would be extra money from the deposit in the drawer. b.) The key-entry operator keyed in the purchase order number as a nine-digit number instead of an eight-digit number. Input controls through the database form that  limits the number of digits of 8 that can be keyed in by the operator. c.) The date of a customer payment was keyed 2001 instead of 2010. Input control that checks the validity of the data keyed in. If the proper perimeters where set with the application anything that fell short would not be processed until the problem was resolved. d.) A company employee was issued a check in the amount of −$135.65 because he had not worked a certain week, but most of his payroll deductions were automatic each week. Edit programs could perform edit checks that would result in an error for negative amounts before issuing checks to employees. This is done by test of sign and the system would kick back the transaction for correction before issuing the check. Payroll deductions should never be programmed to a specific number each we ek because this does not allow for changes in the number of hours worked and will always result in a mistake. e.) A patient filled out her medical insurance number as 123465 instead of 123456. Edit programs could detect this input error by matching the information with the master file if the correct perimeters were set. f.) An applicant for the company stock option plan filled out her employee number as 84-7634-21.The first two digits are a department code. There is no department 84. Edit programs could detect this input error by matching the information with the master file if the correct perimeters were set. Once it’s noticed the employee would not be able to continue until they inputted their correct employee number. g.) A high school student was able to log onto the telephone company’s computer as soon as he learned what telephone number to call. There should be a user name and password to access any company’s computer. h.) The accounts receivable department sent 87 checks to the computer center for processing. No one realized that one check was dropped along the way and that the computer therefore processed only 86 checks. Set up a checksum to check the number of checks sent against the number of checks received. They would then realize that they are missing a check and can look for it or get another one and void out the one that was dropped.

Jesus and Bible

Introduction to Bible The Bible is one of the world's oldest books. Its oldest sections were written about 1500 years before the birth of Christ. Even its newest sections were written about 1900 years ago. Clearly, then, having been written over a period of about 1600 years, the Bible was not written by one person. No one knows precisely how many people contributed to the Bible. It is estimated there were about forty authors. What is the Bible? The Bible is the account of God's action in the world and his purpose with all creation.The writing of the Bible took place over sixteen centuries and is the work of over forty human authors. It is a quite amazing collection of 66 books with very different styles all containing the message God desired us to have. This compilation of booklets contains an astonishing variety of literary styles. It provides many stories about the lives of good and bad people, about battles and journeys, about the life of Jesus along with letters written to groups of Christians that met in homes.It comes to us in narratives and dialogues, in proverbs and parables, in songs and allegories, in history and prophecy. The accounts in the Bible were not generally written down as they occurred. Rather they were told over and over again and handed down through the years before someone finally wrote them down. Yet the same themes may be found throughout the book. So along with the diversity there is also a remarkable unity. So what is the Bible? Well, in addition to all the above, the Bible is this: It is a guide for living life to the full.It gives us a road map for the perilous journey of life. Or to put it another way, on our voyage through life's ocean, we find our anchor right here. It is a storehouse of wonderful stories for children and grownups. Remember Noah and the ark? Joseph's coat of many colors? Daniel in the lion's den? Jonah and the fish? The parables of Jesus? In these stories we recognize the triumphs and failures of ordinary people – and we may even see ourselves! It is a refuge in trouble.People in pain, in suffering, in prison, in mourning, tell how they turned to the Bible and found strength there in their desperate hours. It is a treasury of insight as to who we are. We are not meaningless robots, but we are magnificent creatures of a God who loves us and gives us a purpose and a destiny. It is a sourcebook for everyday living. We find standards for our conduct, guidelines for knowing right from wrong, principles to help us in a confused society where so often â€Å"anything goes. â€Å"

Individual Case Google Incorporation

Individual Case Google Incorporation Introduction Google Incorporation is one of the largest internet-based companies in the world. The company’s headquarters is in California. The company deals in areas such as software vending, search engine, and internet marketing. In the recent past, the company has added cloud computing to its products line. The company has grown through product differentiation, acquisitions, and merges in the last ten years.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Individual Case: Google Incorporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main competitors of Google are Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn, which have the ability to offer alternative perfect substitute to customers who may be unsatisfied with products offered by Google. The company successfully used flexible sourcing, retail distribution, and product focused differentiation to survive the impact of these competitors. As at the end of the year 2013, Google had th e largest market share of 66.7% which was growth by 4% from 63.7% in the year 2010 (Gamble, Peteraf and Thompson, 2015). Google utilized retail distribution (software vending and internet marketing) in the recent past to further expand its presence in markets like Japan, China, and Europe. It applied product differentiation strategy to expand and position itself as search engine. Google’s scope of operations was characterized by online retailing of different internet based products targeting individuals, corporate, and government institutions across the globe market segments. For instance, Google created renowned brands for a number of products within its software vending service. Google applied a series of grand strategies such as concentration, market development, product development, vertical integration, market penetration, and online retail distribution strategies to expose its numerous products across the globe as the most competitive brand. For instance, Google managed to expand its markets outside North America within the first two years of inceptions besides launching a series of new products such as internet marketing and software vending across the globe.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strategic Issue Analysis of Google Incorporation Strategic Capabilities Google has a number of resources that have contributed to its success in the global market over the years. In order to ensure business sustainability, Google has concentrated the focused strategy through clear definition and targeting of specific market segment for its online based products. The strategies are achieved through provision of high quality and unique internet based products, effective distribution and secure network, individual internet user segment, and variety of the internet based products. Despite the success of these strategies, Google is threatene d by its competitors with more or less similar approach in doing business within the Internet Information Providers industry. For instance, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn threaten to reverse the gains that Google has made in the Internet Information Providers industry. Strategic issue As a prerequisite for sustainable organization performance, the strategic issues that Google is currently facing pivot around the most appropriate market that the company should focus on or neglect in order to survive competition. Under this strategic issue, Google currently faces the dilemmas of critical focus on the most reachable software market, potentials and threats of entering the stratified software market, potential of re-branding its current software and internet marketing brands, and the best strategies of increasing visibility without appearing as a copy cat of the main competitors. Therefore, what are the best strategies that Google should focus on to survive competition in the dynami c Internet Information Providers industry? In order to respond to this question, the following sub questions will be answered. Should Google re-brand or introduce more brands to its current product line? What strategy will be necessary to properly differentiate the Google’s brand? External Environment Analysis Porter’s five forces analysis is necessary for Google as it assists in comprehension of the market strengths and weaknesses. Although Google has been a household name in the global internet information providers industry, there are several players that have limited its competitive advantage in the industry. The five forces determining the competitive advantage of companies operating within the industry are discussed below.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Individual Case: Google Incorporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Industry competitiveness analysis using Porter’s 5 forces model Threat of entry It is very difficult for a new entrant in the Internet Information Providers industry to successfully create a strong brand that can challenge dominance of Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn among others. It would require massive capital for an aspiring investor to outperform their business prowess. Therefore, a new entrant may face difficulty in increasing brand visibility and cutting a piece of the market share. Since the Internet Information Providers industry is characterized by the ability to create high quality brands, a new entrant will have to build a following from scratch. This requires a lot of resources. Threat of substitutes In the internet marketing and software vending segments within the Internet Information Providers industry, threat of possible substitutes is very strong since most of the products are customized to perform specific functions, thus, rarely have substitutes. Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn have the ability to offer an alternative perfect substitute to customers who may be unsatisfied with products offered at Google Incorporation. Unsatisfied customers, therefore have other alternatives from where they can get the products traded by Google. However, imitations may threaten the market of new or current players. When the counterfeits softwares make it into the mainstream market, the revenues of genuine companies will decline. In order to remain relevant, the Google Incorporation has established a unique market for its customer through tailored optometry internet marketing and software products that are customized. Suppliers’ bargaining power In the Internet Information Providers industry, the influence of the suppliers is highest when large volumes of softwares are purchased by a service provider. When the influence is high, profitability of the establishments in this industry is low since the cost of creating and licensing some of the products is very high. Since suppliers within the Inte rnet Information Providers industry operate at local and international levels, their influence differs. For instance, China, India, and Japan suppliers the largest volume of softwares that Google integrates in its business platform to offer fast and reliable search engine. Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft and other industry players have more than 1000 suppliers each.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The partnerships between independent manufacturers and vendors of softwares reduce the power of the suppliers in this industry. Google Incorporation has endeavored to use its deep reservoirs as a strategy for balancing the supply forces in the fragile software vending and internet marketing sectors of the US and across the globe. Buyers’ bargaining power There is strong power in the fragmented internet marketing and software vending segments which are indirect and direct to customers. Despite the fact that these search engine businesses have very strong brand names; the buyers in this sector have the power to influence the prices for the products since there are a variety of services to choose from. The power of the buyers is high since this industry is characterized by high competition. Therefore, each company considers the perception of their customers before setting prices in order to survive competition. Fortunately, Google has been consistent in maintaining their prices at half of the average prices of other brands due to global coverage and high economies of scale. Rivalry There are several brands operating in the same industry with virtually all of them dealing with a variety of search engine products and services. Players in the industry must be careful to survive any aggressive move by a competitor through creating a flexible brand name and constant product diversification. For instance, Yahoo provides the biggest competition to Google due to its big market share and expanded network standing at 30%. With many customers looking for good value for their money, quality in service delivery has remained the main basis upon which customers are making their final decision to purchase products in the volatile Internet Information Providers industry of the US and across the globe. All the players in the industry are putting measures in place to ensure they attract more customers and therefore expand their market share through creation of a smooth suppl y chain, diversification, and brand positioning. In line with this, Google has created multiple brands from its internet marketing and software vending products. Key Success Factors Within the External Environment Strong brand Google has established a brand image that enables it to attract customers with less effort as opposed to most of its less established rivals. The entrants have to invest heavily in promotion and advertising for them to attract new customers and maintain their customers. The established brand image has enabled the company to cut on its cost and get increased levels of profitability. Steady commitment to quality Strong commitment to quality and product innovation enables the company to get the right experience for their customers. This has been possible through the recruitment of employees with the right skills and knowledge. These employees are further trained to understand the company production strategies. Moreover, the company conducts more market research t o ascertain customer thoughts and changing demands. Expanded market Google has an active presence in all over America with an expanding presence in all other continents. In the past five years, revenues from sales doubled annually and the company expanded steadily. Market experience Having been in the Internet Information Providers industry for over 10 years, Google has acquired enough experience to compete favorably in the industry. It has had sufficient time to learn from its weaknesses and develop long-term strategies that will anchor it through the future of the market. Industry Analysis Industry Profile and Attractiveness The Internet Information Providers industry has experienced steady growth as more customers embrace renowned brands such as Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn. The global Internet Information Providers industry has an estimated market value of over $200 billion. The US, Asia, and Europe represent 76% of the market share. Despite the economic swing of 2007-200 8 financial years, the players in this industry managed to recover and are currently experiencing an average growth of 20% annually. At present, the Internet Information Providers industry command 18% of the total market value of the consumer internet purchases across the globe. The market share is anticipated to expand further to 22% by the year 2020 (Gamble et al., 2015). The search industry at present is controlled by Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn, who have managed to establish a household name for their brands. Moreover, promotional services adopted by these companies have spurred the growth of internet service market across the globe. In addition, adoption of efficient and reliable technology in the marketing of these products positively skewed the market to the advantage of these internet based giants. Based on the annual growth and market share, the incumbents are positioned to benefit in the future because the industry is highly attractive, especially in the em erging markets in Asia and Africa. Industry structure The Internet Information Providers industry is fragmented because there is no single enterprise with large enough shares to determine the industry’s direction. There are about ten major companies in the industry and the four major players have about 85% share combined and the rest of the industry is made up of small private-owned companies. The largest, most important player in the industry is Google who currently holds 67.5% of the market share on its own. The second largest player in the Microsoft Company with an estimated 18% market share, followed by Yahoo with a 16% global market share (Gamble et al., 2015). The industry is very competitive because these companies offer similar products and trade within the same platform. Because of this, the basis for competition in the industry is price followed by product design. There are five success factors that are the most important to this industry, which include contacts wit hin key markets, guaranteed supply of key inputs, ability to alter goods and services in favor of market conditions, production of services currently favored by the market and a highly trained workforce. The industry is heavily influenced by the state of the economy and consumer’s disposable income. Growth over the past 5 years has come from a post recession increase in consumer’s disposable income. The recent recession is also a good example of this industrys sensitivity to disposable income as 2011 saw a 27.9% decrease in revenue as compared to 2010 (Gamble et al., 2015). Google and other competitors operate in the oligopolistic market structure. The industry has unique operational strategies which can be equated to the ideals of oligopolistic market, characterized by few competitors dominating the global search engine, internet marketing, and software vending markets. Strong commitment to quality and product innovation has enabled these companies to get the right ex perience for their customers. Moreover, the companies conduct more market research to ascertain customer thoughts and changing demands. For instance, Google has consistently increased its production modification and diversification of products in the market instead of reducing output with intent of increasing prices. There are few competitors who dominate the industry such as Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, and LinkedIn among others. These companies control the industry. The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide Incorporation has the largest market control of 24% with the other companies sharing the rest of the market (Gamble et al., 2015). Since the industry is dominated be few global brands, it is very difficult for a new company to enter in this market and breakeven since the competitors benefit from economies of scale. Besides, the capital requirement for entry is very enormous for a new entrant. Most of products and services offered by Google and its competitors are perfect su bstitutes and tend to have similar price ranges due to standardized operational costing and targeting strategies. Since these companies target similar customer segment, they have limited alternatives in terms of multiple pricing. The companies use self advertisement and other forms of media to market different products. The self advertisement is possible due to their global brand image and active presences in the major markets across the globe. The industry structure affects the strategies used by Google and its competitors in terms of pricing of products and customer segmentation. Since the main competitors offer perfect substitute products, Google has to ensure that its prices remain competitive to avoid losing customers to some of the competitors. Besides, the company has to constantly remodel and integrate its products to maintain its current top position, which can easily be taken by the few giant competitors. Since the market structure is oligopolistic, the financial performan ce of Google has been stable and predictable since it has been able to earn very high profits since the barriers to entry such as large capital and logistic support blocks new entrants from penetrating the market. Besides, the company has been able to use product differentiation strategy by offering series of brands from similar product category to ensure that the revenues of the company are above that of its major competitors. Company Situation Financial Standing The financial standing of the Google Inc. has fluctuated significantly between 2008 and 2012. From the balance sheet, it can be observed that the total assets grew from $2.467.12 million in 2010 to $3,663.10 million in 2013. Further, the liabilities rose from $961.82 million in 2010 to $1,242.50 million in 2013. Also, it can be noted that the value of equity followed a similar trend. It increased from $1,505,293 million in 2010 to $2,420.70 million in 2013. The highest growth rate was attained in 2008 where sales grew by 2 1.75%. The least growth rate was attained in 2012 where sales decreased by 5.30%. During the global financial crisis that is in 2009 sales grew by 1.56% only (Gamble et al., 2015). Financial analysis Profitability Return on assets The return on assets improved from 29.79% in 2010 to 33.43% in 2011. It declined to 21.33% in 2012. This implies that the amount of profit generated from a unit of asset decreased over the period. This shows that the profitability and the efficiency in the utilization of the assets of the company declined over the period. This could also be a signal that the property of the company have dilapidated, thus, they cannot engender a considerable amount of returns. Return on equity The values of return on equity were high and they improved from 48.82% in 2010 to 54.62% in 2011. However, in 2012, the value dropped to 32.28%. The high values promises the shareholders high returns for their investments. The declining amount of return on equity can also be caused by the increasing amount of long term debt. An increase in debt results in an increase in interest expense. Liquidity Current ratio The current ratio was fairly stable during the period. The value of the ratio was 2.56 in 2010 and 2.54 in 2012. Thus, it can be observed that the company can adequately pay the short term obligations using current assets. This shows that the company has a sound financial standing. Working capital The working capital rose from $773,605 million in 2010 to $859,371 million in 2011. The value rose further to $1,042 million in 2012. It implies that the value of current assets exceeds the current liabilities. The two liquidity ratios were stable during the period. It shows that the company is effective in liquidity and working capital management. This gives confidence to the debt and capital providers. Leverage Debt to assets The value of debt to total assets was stable during the period. The ratio was 0.3899 in 2010 and 0.3880 in 2011. The fractions imply tha t the percentage of assets that are funded using liability remained stable during the period. The ratios also show that the company maintained a low leverage level during the period. Debt to equity The debt to equity ratio was also stable during the period. The value of the ratio was 0.639 in 2010 and 0.6341 in 2011. It is a suggestion that about 63% of the assets of the company are proactively funded through the debt option. The two leverage ratios show that the Google Company has a low debt proportion in the capital configuration. This gives the company room to take more debt that can be used or growth and expansion. Thus, the company has not fully exploited its potential. The growth prospects will translate to better performance in the future. SWOT Analysis Strengths The stable and management team comprising of directors and several managers is instrumental towards providing necessary support and guidance in provision of software vending, internet marketing, and search engine pro ducts to customers and reviewing current operational strategies in line with the demands of their clients at Google. For instance, the management team introduced the internet marketing service in response to the demands of the clients. This has enabled Google to fund different business project initiatives at affordable loan repayment interest rates. Google also enjoys a wide network and subsidiaries in the US and several representative offices in different regions outside the US. This is important in attracting more customers in those regions where the company is yet to reach full potential. Besides, the numerous branches have improved its products visibility and accessibility. Google has increased own software vending and internet marketing business in the last few years, particularly in Western Europe and North America. Company owned software vending and internet marketing products have become growth drivers and important distribution points for the company. The vivid presentation of Google brands supports differentiated perception by consumers beyond their product experiences, further strengthening the brand image. Moreover, the establishment of a strong and reliable internet marketing product by Google represents a major growth for the company. The other strength of Google is efficient customer relationship management strategy. Weaknesses Google has more presence in the US than other parts of the globe. Specifically, unlike its main competitor Yahoo, Google has limited presence in Asia. Thus, the company does not enjoy the substantive demand in the global market as its customer catchment area is restricted outside the expansive Asian market. Besides, the focus of Google is more on customized internet based brands and products. This is counterproductive in terms of revenue generation since the majority of its customers are small businesses and private individuals who cannot operate in the customized platform. Besides, Google has high inventory cost since it software development is very expensive to create and maintain. Managing some of the research and development projects may not be sustainable in the long run if the annual turnover reduces at Google. As a result of these weaknesses, Google has not been able to efficiently penetrate the small business segment within its Business-to-Business model of operation. Google focus on quality products has compromised its ability to incorporate views of a section of its consumers, such as addition of more search languages. Opportunities Google has an opportunity to expand its scope to cater for expanded product and service lines since its asset base is strong enough to sustain any growth in the market. This opportunity will help in boosting Google’s revenues and leadership position in the global Internet Information Providers industry. As a result, Google will be in a position to double its current revenues and increase the customer base. The company’s global presence and strong performance in most regions demonstrate that it can be successful in nearly all countries of the world. It is on this ground that Google plans entry into the regions where its presence is not yet felt. Secondly, working in collaboration with subsidiary companies may enable ease of entry into new markets. Threats The main threat to the survival of Google is the competition from counterfeit products that may act as direct substitute to its brands. Thus, the expansion and market penetration strategies that Google proposes are likely to face opposition if these fake products are expanding their market share. Google is faced with fierce competition from its rivals, which requires adoption of more vigilant strategies. The soaring demand for software and integrated internet marketing applications across the world may prompt suppliers and independent producers to increase the prices, resulting in high costs of production and lower levels of profitability. Political issues in different marke ts, such as control of internet accessibility in some countries in Asia and Africa may threaten the company from achieving its profitability objectives in the market. Generic and Grand Strategy Recommendations In order to remain competitive, the company should implement focused product differentiation strategy by applying concentration, market development, product development, vertical integration, market penetration, and retail distribution as grand strategies as summarized in appendix 3. Product concentration Google should ponder concentration to its products in countries which do not have strict laws that protect the business, when expanding further to other foreign markets, especially in software vending and internet marketing product segments. Countries like China do not have strict rules which protect business entities from being copied by competitors. Objectives This will help in safeguarding its products’ brands and making sure that it targets specific market segment s. In the process, the company will gain a fair share of the current market controlled by Chinese search engine companies. It will also ensure that Google introduces measures in its operative process that would make it distinct in the market from any firm. Application and justification The introduction of product concentration should be applied while ensuring that the targeted markets, especially in Asia, have customized products that are unique to that region. The key performance indicator will be increased revenue in the Asian market by 6% in the first year of implementation and 10% thereafter. Therefore, product concentration will position Google as a strong incumbent brand in the global Internet Information Providers industry. Vertical integration Google may partner which medium businesses retailing products similar to those of its competitors. For instance, the company may partner with private programmers and software developers to boost its current product brands. Objective The objective of this recommendation is to expand Google’s market and make it easy for customers to access the products. Application and justification This objective can be achieved through created on in-house production, supply chain, and marketing strategies for the software vending through partnerships with private software developers. When properly implemented, the company is likely to counter the strategy of its competitors, such as Yahoo, of reaching the customers through proxy business platforms. The key performance indicator will be reduced inventory cost by 10% in the first year of application since costs related to running the business are expected to drop. This strategy takes some initial costs to develop the integration concept but the advantages are ability to legally protect the product, creation of some barriers to competition, and general promotion of customer loyalty. Innovation Cost leadership strategy is vital in business management, especially in an indus try with stiff competition, such as Google. The company may penetrate the African and Asian markets further through introduction of customized products that target different market segments such as direct customers through an innovative approach. The objective of this recommendation is to adopt the market leadership strategy to improve Google’s product quality and appearance. Objective This objective is achievable through creation of different high quality products and distinctive brands. Application and justification As a result, this venture will develop a cumulative experience, optimal performance, and product availability through application of alternative technology and human skills. The key performance indicator for this strategy is the ability to create a new product, thus increased number of customer ratings by 3% after the first year of implementation. An improved approach to product management through diversification will improve the visibility of Google brands. T he buyer will make an effort to learn the Google’s values, vision, challenges, and operating environment. Such cooperation will turn new brands into a competitive advantage instead of a cost. Operational efficiency Operational efficiency and market niche provide an indication of how well the company manages its resources, that is, how well it employs its assets to generate sales and income. It also shows the level of activity of the corporation as indicated by the turnover ratios. The level of activity for Google has remained relatively stable despite threat of competition, constant change of taste, and varying preference. Objective To ensure that the company streamlines its operational costs. Application and justification Through implementing this proposal, the company will reduce its wage bill and seal cost loop holes. Consumer Centricity Properly designed online marketing and product distribution management facilitate the success and sustainability in online marketing. T o increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the current channels of reaching the consumers at Google should be tailored to encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate a healthy and a lifetime relationship between the business and its clients. Objective The new development elements that the company should incorporate include trust, liability acceptance, distribution, fair retribution process, and passing accurate information to target audience in order to restore confidence within these networks. Application and justification Essentially, the success of e-marketing depends on proper alignment of a functional team that is responsible for the creation of flexible and quantifiable measurement tracking tools for periodically reviewing results. This strategy will ensure that the business is sustainable. Strategic justification The above recommendations may become the new blueprint for sustainable expansion, cost management, and product development for Google sin ce the company already has a global appeal and deep capital reservoir. Through implementation of the recommendations, the company will be able to expand its current market share through competitive pricing, innovation, and multiple-branding of its product. As a result, Google will increase its competitive advantage over Microsoft, Yahoo, and other competitors. Conclusion Generally, Google has been largely successful in the market, and bears ability to competently survive in the market. Incorporation of the Porters market forces in the management of this successful US based search engine giant is directly linked to its consistency, profitability, and efficiency. Successful execution solely functions of inclusiveness, creation of quantifiable tracking devices for results, and recruiting an informed support team. Generally, the above recommendations should be practiced flexibly since Google’s operation environment is characterized by constant dynamics that may make previous desi gns irrelevant. Appendices Appendix 1 – Summary of the Five-Force Analysis Appendix 2 –SWOT Summary Strengths Weaknesses Clear product differentiation Strong global brand image Positive urban influence Established online store Failure to focus on the low-end market High inventory costs Opportunities Threats Strong global presence depicts the ease of entry into new regions Better collaboration with subsidiary companies Fierce competition High supplier power reduces profits The threat of counterfeiting products of Google is very high Appendix 3: Summary of industry ratio RATIOS SUB-RATIOS Google Ratio Industry Average (Approx) Profitability Ratios Return of Assets 0.34 Return of Equity 0.29 Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio 2.54 1.60 to 2.30 Quick Ratio 1.36 1.30 to 1.80 Leverage Ratios Debt-Equity Ratio 0.29 Interest Coverage Ratio Efficiency Ratios Assets Turnover Ratio 1.45 1.20 Inventory Turnover Ratio 3.19 Refere nce Gamble, J., Peteraf, M., Thompson, A. (2015). Essentials of strategic management: The quest for competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Adjectives Synonymous with Best

Adjectives Synonymous with Best Adjectives Synonymous with Best Adjectives Synonymous with Best By Mark Nichol A recent post discussed nouns employed to refer to ultimate achievement. Here, you’ll find details about adjectives that describe something that is the best, highest, or most important. Cardinal is from the Latin term cardinalis, meaning â€Å"essential† or â€Å"principal.† Chief, meaning â€Å"highest in authority† or â€Å"most important†- by way of the Anglo-French word chef, still used in French and English as the title for a professional cook in charge of a kitchen- comes from the Latin word caput, whence capital and captain as well. Foremost, interestingly, is not a compound of fore and most; its derivation is the Old English term fyrmest or formest, meaning (and related to) â€Å"first.† (The -est ending is the same superlative suffix seen in highest, smartest, and so on; see below for a mention of superlative.) Paramount, ultimately derived from the Latin phrase per ad montem (â€Å"to the hill†), means â€Å"superior to all others.† Preeminent, from the Latin adjective praeeminere, meaning â€Å"to be outstanding,† means â€Å"better than others† (eminent, the word without the prefix, means simply â€Å"respected† and â€Å"successful†); the root is also seen in prominent, and all three words are distantly related to mount and mountain. Premier and primary both come from Latin primarius, meaning â€Å"excellent, of the first rank,† which in turn is derived from primus, meaning â€Å"first.† From that word we also get prime, which, among other things, means â€Å"first-rate†; the Italian and Spanish adjective primo is sometimes used in informal English to denote something excellent. Premium, distantly related, means â€Å"high† or â€Å"higher than normal†; it stems from the Latin noun praemium, meaning â€Å"reward,† which is the meaning of the noun form. (The adjectival form, which developed less than a hundred years ago, was originally applied to a better grade of butter.) Superior, meaning â€Å"higher,† comes directly from Latin and stems ultimately from the Latin word super; supreme, from the Latin word supremus, meaning â€Å"highest,† is related. Another related word is superlative, ultimately from superlativus, meaning â€Å"exaggerated† or â€Å"extravagant.† (A superlative is also the ultimate form of an adjective, such as largest, the superlative of large; larger is the intermediate comparative form.) Best is itself a superlative; its comparative is better, but oddly, they are intensifications not of a word beginning with be- but of good (to make up for the lack of gooder and goodest as options); the base adjective was originally bot, which survives only in the form of boot in the idiomatic phrase â€Å"to boot,† which roughly means â€Å"in addition.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsAmong vs. AmongstEducational vs. Educative

How to become a Class A driver

How to become a Class A driver So you’re thinking about hitting the open road as a professional Class A driver. And why not? Logistics careers are hot right now, and truck drivers are a key element to getting goods across the country fast. (Those Amazon boxes don’t move themselves.) But even if you already have a regular driver’s license and a spotless driving record as a civilian, there are still steps you’ll need to complete before you can get on the road. For starters, you’ll need your Class A CDL license, which allows you to drive vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds and trailers that weigh more than 10,000 pounds. Let’s walk through what you’ll need to accomplish to get your Class A CDL and become a Class A driver.Check your state’s requirements.Every state has its own set of rules for truck drivers, so it’s important to know what you’ll need in the state where you’ll have your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Your lo cal DMV will have all the manuals and training information you’ll need, or you can find them online at your state’s DMV website. Factors like minimum age and physical requirements for a CDL can vary by state, so it’s crucial to know what points you’ll need to hit.Get a CDL permit.It’ll be just like high school again, except instead of learning how to drive in general, you’ll be learning the specifics of driving large commercial vehicles.Consider a CDL training school.You can always try to go it alone, but a good, certified CDL school can help walk you through every stage of the training and certification processes. With any educational programs, make sure you’re doing your research first, so that you’re finding the best possible school.Pass the written test.Although there are federal requirements for truck drivers, each state has its own version of the CDL test offered through the local DMV. Topics covered on the written test m ay include:General driving knowledgeTransporting passengersDriving school busesUsing air brakesDriving combination vehicles (tractor-trailers)Transporting hazardous materialsDriving tanker vehiclesDriving double or triple trailer vehiclesAdd CDL endorsements.CDL endorsements are basically extra certifications for different kinds of vehicles that can enhance your license. These include things like hazardous material (HazMat) endorsements and tank vehicle endorsements. Endorsements may require additional background checks beyond the normal licensing process, especially if they include transporting materials that are dangerous, sensitive, or otherwise unusual.Pass the CDL skills test.Like the learner’s permit, this is another flashback- but instead of trying to master a three-point turn in your mom’s Honda, you’ll be doing it with a massive Class A vehicle. This may take place at your local DMV or at an approved third-party site. This is usually the last step in th e process, so once you pass the driving test with flying colors and hit all of the other milestones, you will likely be the proud owner of a Class A CDL.And don’t forget unofficial final step, which is important as well: finalizing your road music mix. Once you’re certified and ready to go, that road trip soundtrack is essential!

The impact of certain forms of technology on reading skills or reading Essay

The impact of certain forms of technology on reading skills or reading habits - Essay Example However, technological based reading has led to an increase in the reading of news, views, sexual content, general information, selected fields but has decreased the reading of literature. Electronic sources are now available for the students like iPods and kindle (of Amazon) that has greatly influenced the reading skills and habits of the students and in fact 34 percent of the students have access to their own iPhone. Today, majority of the schools increasingly have the access to digital media. With such kind of availability of technology, students can readily access the reading materials in a digital format. The paper discusses the impact of the reading skills and habits with the introduction of technology. Reading is one of the oldest habits with the passion of the greatest personalities of all the time. The emergence of technology has led to some extraordinary change in the reading culture and habits of the students. Imagining today’s educational system without technology can be difficult for the students and the teachers. A learning environment without interactive white boards, laptops, TVs and electronic devices would be difficult to identify as a conducive learning environment (Datta & Macdonald-Ross, 2002). Technology has made its existence in the reading behavior of the students. Although printed media still commands significant sales, reading is no longer confined to print reading as the scope of reading has evolved drastically in the recent days due to evolution of the internet to include web pages, e-papers, e-journals, websites, chat rooms, blogs, discussion boards, e-mails and other communication documents. This has made reading and access to information easier and f aster as a student can access information from the internet at their convenience (Gambrell, 2005). Reading habits can be determined by the number of minutes per day that are spent when

Creating a dream job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creating a dream job - Essay Example As the owner manager, I have the following Job description. Meeting the guests’ needs and ensuring their meals are served on time. Responding to inquiries and solving problems relating to guests’ stay in Ngalla's bed and breakfast. Responsible for supervising administrative tasks with respect to the bed and breakfast’s operations. Responsible for the management of staff and ensuring they maintain policies that guide the operation of the private home. In charge of recruitment of staff, discipline and performance management. Directing marketing activities of the business by implementing effective marketing strategies. Supervision of management tasks relating to the operation of the business. Custodian of the bed and breakfast’s facilities, by ensuring that facilities are well maintained. Overseeing the availability of equipments and supplies throughout the day and night. Preparing budgets and setting targets for employees. Ensuring current good practices are sustained. Overseeing the implementation of the best practices to achieve guest satisfaction. Compensation and benefits package Ngalla's bed and breakfast compensation packages are based on experience and qualifications. The compensation is competitive in the market. The compensation program is based on employees working a minimum of 29 hours per week and a maximum of 40 hours per week. The compensation package includes the following perks. ... Delightful benefit which is a cash reward for delighting guests. Employees great rate which is a preferred rate per night at any of the hotels Ngalla's bed and breakfast owns. These rates include immediate family and are reduced for the extended family. Holiday club which is a voluntary program that employees can participate in deducting a certain amount from the paycheck. Make the grade benefit. A reward program that pays any of the employee’s dependants who scores straight A’s in the school’s report card. Rationale for the compensation package. The above compensation package is fit for Ngalla's bed and breakfast employees because the employees have achieved significant objectives in the past year. A firm’s employees are supposed to be provided with attractive packages as a strategy to retain the best performing employees (Tropman, 2002). Ngalla's bed and breakfast’s employees are warranted to have attractive compensation packages if they meet the bed and break fast’s objectives in terms of saving costs or adding to the company’s profits. The other area that warrants for the compensation package are efforts employees have put in place to increase turnover, efficiency, saving time and cost reduction measures. For the past one year, Ngalla's bed and breakfast managers have worked hard to ensure that employees are trained. In addition employees efforts have saved time and costs. Employees have done this to increase the bed and breakfast’s margins to cater for the remuneration. The compensation package is justified by the additional duties that employees have embraced to ensure to improve the bed and breakfast’ profits.

Strategic IT Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic IT Management - Essay Example The Harvard Guru Michael Porter (1985) described in his book 'Competitive Advantage' that value for the customers can be created by efficiently linking and managing the series of primary and supporting activities in an organisation. Porter's Value Chain Model is represented in the diagram below. (NetMBA, 2002) This model shows that inputs are taken in, processed and converted into outputs and finally sold to the customers to maximize profits. Lets take an in depth view of these activities to analyse the role of information technology. By analysing the value chain of the company, we can identify that primary activities of the delivery team would be system architecture, system requirements, development of the system, test and implementation and finally deployment. After-sales service and technical support is the on-going facility that the company provides. In each and every activity, the company adds value to the previous stage to develop a differentiated product that satisfies the customer's needs. (Jenz, 2003) Inbound Logistics - The inbound logistics for the software development company include the system architecture, the IT infrastructure and the system requirements.

Review of the US Autism Websites Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of the US Autism Websites - Research Paper Example â€Å"The Autism Society of America is the nation’s premier autism resource† (Rudy, 2007). This organization is a chapter and member-based organization, which provides us with an opportunity to join it and help people deal with the problem of Autism. The website provides us with an unbiased introduction and explanation of autism. It also includes useful information regarding diagnosis, causes, and treatment of autism. Autism is a genetic problem. â€Å"Autism is influenced by complex, yet strong genetic factors† (Cook, 1998). Some knowledge, which I gained from this website, is that it appears in the first 3 years of a child’s life. It also made me aware of some signs of autism, which included, delay in speaking, lack of peer relationships, and repetitive use of language. It also made me know that almost 1.5 Americans have the problem of autism and only 50 to 55 percent of autistic children become able to finish high school level studies. The third website, which I reviewed, was firstsigns.org. This website is dedicated to creating awareness and educating parents about autistic disorders. It not only creates awareness about the diagnosis and treatment of autism but also makes parents aware of the use of different types of screening tools. Autism appears in the first three years of a child’s life. â€Å"The average age of diagnosis is still around 6 years† (Howlin & Moorf, 1997). I found this website very useful because it provided me with a good amount of knowledge regarding screening tools. I became aware of how to use screening tools. It also made me know that the best screening tools are those, which are accurate, flexible, and affordable. The fourth website, which I reviewed, was autismresearchnetwork.org. â€Å"The National Institutes of Health Autism Resource Network is a terrific resource for medical information and links to the latest research and findings† (Rudy, 2007). This website is based on the current research related to the problem of autism. As all other websites, this website also provided me with a good amount of knowledge regarding causes, symptoms, and treatment of autism.

Organisational Behaviour Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Research Paper Example It is difficult for any workplace to be without stereotypes. This is because the nature of a workplace has an evaluation aspect, and stereotypes are responses to evaluation (Kray & Shirako 2009). The generalisations arising from stereotyping are usually done to make the decision making process easier, and are not deliberate attempts to make others feel incompetent. Stereotyping thus reduces the effectiveness of organisations. Correct organisational behaviour practices minimize the negative effects of stereotyping in the workplace. The purpose of organisational behaviour, as a field of study, is to make the organisations work with more effectiveness (Robbins & Judge 2013). This research paper will discuss the effects, evidence and applications of stereotyping based on the grouping of age. The issue of age in the workplace is an important aspect for at least three reasons. One, there is a perception in most cultures that the productivity of a person decreases with increasing age. Two, the workforce is aging in many developed countries including Australia, UK and USA. And three, many countries are increasing the retirement age, or completely doing away with the concept of retirement age. The influence of negative stereotype can affect ones performance at work. A case reported by Roberson & Kulik (2007, p.26) describes a situation where older workers have mastered ‘the look’ when they are introduced to persons who feel that they are too old to do work. A fifty seven year old accountant will conclude that a person finds him to be incompetent because of his age with comments such as ‘you had such a young voice on the phone’. A comment similar to the one describe can be concluded to mean that the commenter would have preferred (and was expecting) a younger accountant for one reason or the other. Desmette and Gaillard (2008) report that older workers

Dream catchers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dream catchers - Essay Example Dream Catcher, a first nation Canadian-based organization that mainly export to China, identifies, assess, analyzing (developing controls and making various decisions in respect to risks), implementing controls, as well as supervising and evaluating the risk or hazard. These processes are essential in identifying the best way to deal with the problem. Whereas identification of risk within Dream Catcher involves defining the various types of hazards that the company is facing, analysis of risk entails understanding the likelihood of such hazardous aspects occurring within the business. Understanding the likelihood of risk happening within Dream Catcher involves the analysis of risk in terms of probability, frequency, and severity of the risks. In risk identification, Dream Catcher engages in activities that identify various stakeholders that are involved and likely to be affected by the occurrence of the hazard. Once risks and affected stakeholders are identified, there is monitoring and reviewing of the process coupled with communicating and consulting different stakeholders and branches within the Dream Catcher Company. Dream Catcher on the other hand, attempts to define the likely impact on the firm as well as the stakeholders. Such impacts may be economic, political, or social. Identification of economic, social, or political impact, consequence, or cost of risk within Dream Catcher Company is done during the analysis stage. Risk assessment refers to identification and assessment of the hazards an organization is facing individually (Crouhy, Galai & Mark, 2006). In most cases, organizations assess hazards collectively in a bid to reducing costs associated with applications of resources that help in reducing, eliminating, or transferring the risk. Dream Catcher uses the risk assessment matrix in order to estimate the degree of severity as well as the probability of the involved hazards. Risk assessment within Dream

Organisational Behaviour Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Research Paper Example It is difficult for any workplace to be without stereotypes. This is because the nature of a workplace has an evaluation aspect, and stereotypes are responses to evaluation (Kray & Shirako 2009). The generalisations arising from stereotyping are usually done to make the decision making process easier, and are not deliberate attempts to make others feel incompetent. Stereotyping thus reduces the effectiveness of organisations. Correct organisational behaviour practices minimize the negative effects of stereotyping in the workplace. The purpose of organisational behaviour, as a field of study, is to make the organisations work with more effectiveness (Robbins & Judge 2013). This research paper will discuss the effects, evidence and applications of stereotyping based on the grouping of age. The issue of age in the workplace is an important aspect for at least three reasons. One, there is a perception in most cultures that the productivity of a person decreases with increasing age. Two, the workforce is aging in many developed countries including Australia, UK and USA. And three, many countries are increasing the retirement age, or completely doing away with the concept of retirement age. The influence of negative stereotype can affect ones performance at work. A case reported by Roberson & Kulik (2007, p.26) describes a situation where older workers have mastered ‘the look’ when they are introduced to persons who feel that they are too old to do work. A fifty seven year old accountant will conclude that a person finds him to be incompetent because of his age with comments such as ‘you had such a young voice on the phone’. A comment similar to the one describe can be concluded to mean that the commenter would have preferred (and was expecting) a younger accountant for one reason or the other. Desmette and Gaillard (2008) report that older workers

Movie comment Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Comment - Movie Review Example Ethan is older, more aggressive, and ready to fix every problem by shooting everybody involved, including the poor victims who have been captured. Ethan is much younger, and while he is prepared to go looking for the native people involved in the raids, and use force against them if necessary, his main objective is to save the captives and restore them to their families. This difference is shown very clearly in the scene where Ethan finds Debbie, kills the man who captured her, and then aims his gun at her as well. Martin chases after Ethan, and it is clear that the struggle between the two men is unequal. Ethan is in a stronger position because he is on a horse, while Martin is on foot, like Debbie. When Martin places himself directly in front of the woman, protecting her from Ethan’s gun, even at the risk of his own life, he saves her. This heroic action highlights the extremism of Ethan’s position and makes the audience think about the cycle of violence that results when people are obsessed with the need for revenge. Martin’s concern for Debbie acts as a bridge between Ethan and Debbie, because Ethan recognises his own shameful attitudes and changes his position so that he eventually carries Debbie back to her family. Question 2: To a viewer seeing this film in 2011 The Searchers might come across under analysis as a contradiction.   It is a beautiful work of art, but reflects extreme racism towards Native peoples. Offer a critique expressing how these two elements were blended so that someone watching the film for the first time might understand and recognize the racism, fear of miscegenation, and justification for genocide without hating the film. It is very hard not to like The Searchers. One reason is the overwhelming talent of a mature John Wayne, playing his usual type of cranky hero. Another reason is the stunning cinematography of John Ford who recreates the white settlers’ folksy interiors against a stunning

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay Example for Free

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay What I will do in this following paper is to discuss two very interesting philosophers, Rene Descartes and Benedictus de Spinoza. I will discuss each philosopher’s perspectives and insights on their most recognized theories and thoughts. I will then evaluate them and then give my opinion on the given topic. By doing this, I will contrast the similarities and differences between the two genius minds. By the end of the paper I will have discarded some ideas and opinions from each of the two and will have my own judgment that consists of thoughts from Spinoza, Descartes and my self put together. Themes On Descartes: Existence of God- Descartes’ View One of the most famous and debatable theories Descartes had was his proof of the existence of God. He had for steps on the ladder to prove this. 1) Everything including our ideas has a cause. 2) We have an idea of God. 3) Nothing less than God is adequate to be the cause of our idea of God. An lastly 4) Therefore God exists. My View Considering the fact that Descartes was a rationalist and a very religious man, you can see why he would desperately try to make sense of everything, including God. I believe his proof that he has laid out for us that God exists is false. What Descartes is trying to tell us is that our idea of God comes directly from God himself and that we cannot create something in our minds that we have not already witnessed by our senses. But I believe we can implant the idea of God in our minds without God planting it for us. Since man has been on this planet, we have been evolving. I believe our idea of God is a collection of thoughts and ideas that has evolved. Ideas such as security, peace, direction, order, separating good and evil, questions to our existence, comfort, space, answers to questions no one has. It is all these thoughts, ideas and more put together in our minds overtime that create this all mighty powerful being who knows all and is all that we call God. The U-Turn- Descartes’ View One of the aspects Descartes strived to find was â€Å"certainty†, searching for absolute foundation. He felt in order to come across certainty; we must first doubt everything we know. To help people comprehend his idea, he created the U-Turn as a visual reference to understand. As we go down the â€Å"U† we first doubt common sense, then we doubt awake/sleep since he believes we can’t distinguish the difference. We continue to go down the â€Å"U† by doubting mathematics because there could be an â€Å"Evil Genius† that tricks us into believing something untrue. At the bottom of this U we reach the point where nothing is certain except one thing according to Descartes, which is our existence. He says â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, which means the only thing we can be certain about is our own existence. He then stops and says if we exist, then there must be a God, and this is where the U takes its turn and moves upwards. He then says if God exists he would not deceive us because he is all loving and caring, therefore we have no reason to doubt mathematics, followed by ourselves (body/mind) and lastly we can then be certain about the physical world, no need to doubt it. My View I find this to be an interesting concept that Descartes has formulated in his mind, one that is most definitely worth thinking about and taking into consideration. But in my point of view, there is a break in his chain. From the moment he mentions we doubt being awake and asleep is where I think his U-Turn collapses. Descartes says we can not distinguish the difference between the two, but that’s only true to a certain point. As humans we have logic, common sense and we are aware of most of the knowledge we obtain. We know that we live a life every day and that we need rest every night; and we know that sleeping is a form of rest which sometimes includes bizarre, twisted, chaotic scenarios which we call dreams or nightmares. The argument he made on this segment of his U-Turn concept was only half true. He was right on the fact that we can not distinguish the difference when in a dream state but wrong on the idea that same goes for when we are awake. As human begins we may not be able to have any reasoning, logic or understand the fact that we are dreaming but when we are not dreaming we can logically know we are awake and be able to know the difference between awake/sleep which means we don’t have to doubt common sense or mathematics anymore. If this is the case then Descartes U-Turn theory is wrong and the idea that the only thing we can be â€Å"certain† about is our own existence is false. Themes On Spinoza: Conception of God- Spinoza’s’ View Spinoza went on a whole different direction when it came to God. Up to his point in time most people believed in a transcendent God, this meant that they believed in a personal God that was all loving, caring and would not deceive us human beings. People would prey to this personal God for various things like comfort and security, but Spinoza had his own belief. His conception was quite different from that of anyone else. His conception of God was non-personal (Non- Transcendent) and was the totality of everything that is immanent. He explained that our infinite Universe is one that has no outside and is also one big web where everything in it is connected. What he is basically trying to say is that God=Nature, God is the totality of everything that is. My View Spinoza’s conception of God is quite absurd. There may or may not be a God but if there is, it is definitely not the totality of everything that is. The meaning of God is a higher supreme being that would have a higher consciousness than humans. There is a difference between nature and God. I feel nature is more on the lines of what he is trying to say but uses the word â€Å"God†. God can not be everything that is because then that would mean we are part of the make up of God and that is absurd. How can everything in the universe that has no conception of God be a part of God? His thoughts and ideas on this subject don’t add up in the end and don’t seem like an acceptable solution to the questions revolving around â€Å"God†. Ethics: On Interconnected Self- Spinoza’s’ View Spinoza said that freedom of choice is an illusion and that everything that happens is part of a necessary order witch is completely rational. My View If freedom of choice is an illusion and everything is already set to happen before it occurs†¦then why are we making choices in the first place? I believe we do have freedom of choice and that we set our own destiny. Everything will be set but is not set yet. We must make choices and decisions to get to where we want to or do not want to. This can be compared to a video game, the programmer and the player. The programmer sets al these scenarios, levels, obstacles, directions and gives the gamer various choices to make. The player goes through these obstacles, and makes choices where many possibilities are presented to him/her. Ultimately the game will finish one way or the other with the choices that the player makes. All these various different possibilities were laid out (each which had its own outcome) but the player made the decision to get to where he/she is now. Overall Comparison: After taking in everything these two philosophers have presented and evaluating their ideas, I have come up with my own thoughts. I believe Descartes had a much more reasonable and acceptable point of view than Spinoza. Descartes thoughts and concepts were easier to understand and coupe with. I disagree a lot with both of the two but my mind has a greater understanding of Descartes perspective. Spinoza was so special in his own way because of his unique ideas but his concepts on God and ethics seemed to far fetch. Descartes seemed to be on a perfect track until he took a couple things too far like God, trying to prove his existence. If we are to gain knowledge through sense experience then technically we have no knowledge of God, jus a compound of thoughts and ideas to create such a being. Overall I like Descartes philosophical way of thinking more than any other philosopher and feel we can learn a lot from him including helping ourselves to think in a more abstract philosophical manner. Sources Of Information: 1) A History of Western Philosophy : Hobbes to Hume (Second Edition) 2) individual. utoronto. ca/mtlin/god. pdf 3) www. utm. edu/research/iep/s/spinoza. htm 4) http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/Mind/17th. html 5) www. trincoll. edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/descartes. html 6) www. connect. net/ron/descartes. html.

Stereotypes in the American Media Essay -- Media Stereotypes Stereotyp

Stereotypes in the American Media Propaganda is an effective device that is used to influence and manipulate human behavior by appealing to emotions. When propaganda is combined with stereotypes, it usually produces negative results. A simplified view of a group of people, spread by mass communication can cause people to be more narrow-minded and can alter their perspective. Living in the Information Age, people are exposed to a constant stream of ideas and images. These ideas can reflect the views of those with a hidden agenda. They can also produce a generality about something that people are not familiar with, therefore readily accept the stereotype. There are many examples of propaganda from recent times that include stereotypes that assist in getting the message across. From political ideology to advertising, some uses of stereotypes in propaganda are successful in influencing the masses, while others are more transparent and less effective. Sweeping generalizations of people of Middle-Eastern descent are prevalent the American media, especially films, which can easily influence how an audience regards people of this origin. Most action films promote American patriotism, but at the same time, make an enemy of Non-American people. In the past 10 years, people from Arab speaking countries have been portrayed as terrorists in American films. This typecasting generates a view of this ethnicity that is associated with terrorist activity. In the article â€Å"Arabs in Hollywood: An Undeserved Image† that author, Scott J. Simon, discusses action films that portray Arabs as the enemy. â€Å"While the plot of True Lies seems to be no different than any other action movie involving spies and smugglers, the characterization of the Arab g... ...ALD, Michael. [2003]. Dixie Chicks axed by Clear Channel. Online at: , consulted on April 1st, 2004. FRANCL, Luke. [2004]. Back to Vermont: New Club for Growth Ad in Iowa. Online at: , consulted on April 1st, 2004. CHAVANU, Bakari. [1999]. Seventeen, Self-Image, And Stereotypes. Online at: , consulted on April 1st, 2004. MEDINA, Sam. [2003]. Female Stereotypes in Advertising. Online at: , consulted on April 1st, 2004. GRAHAM, Judith. [2001]. Five Ways to Save on Essential Cosmetics. Online at: , consulted on April 1st, 2004.

A Country Split in Half :: essays research papers

There has never been an issue which caused more disputes and conflicts within our country, than abortion. We can all agree that abortion is an incredibly complex issue. The opinion of the American people is also a lot more complex than â€Å"pro life† or â€Å"pro choice†. According to one poll that was conducted by a Christian organization, seventy-five percent of Americans believe in â€Å"pro life† theory. According to another poll, which was conducted by a state medical board, concluded that the majority of Americans believe in a â€Å"pro choice† ideology. Who do we believe? There seems to be an obvious difference in the definition of the terms. I suppose it is possible to create unanimous definition of both terms, which will be approved by both sides, but until then our country will continue to fight a never-ending battle. I also believe that we would not have to fight over this issue if everybody fully understood the indisputable consequences, whic h would be caused by a ban on abortion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion right is the most controversial issue among women. I find it disturbing that some women advocate a ban without considering the consequences. By advocating a ban on abortion women deprive themselves of some of the fundamental rights of our political system. The freedom to make individual choices and decisions should be protected at all times. If people understood this principle, we probably would not be in the situation that we are in today. Most Americans would not want the government to interfere in their personal lives but a â€Å"pro life† decision will do just that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Banning abortion will not solve this issue because we will be left with undeniable negatives, which will make the problem even worse than it is now. There will always be a controversy about abortion for as long as it exists. Even if we ban abortion, we will be left with such undeniable negatives as rape, economic inequality and illegal abortions. Today there are hundreds of thousands of children in foster homes partly because abortion was not available to their parents. According to one government study, unwanted number of children will more than triple thus flooding foster homes all over the country. Rich women will have an opportunity to obtain abortion in foreign countries that do not consider it to be a crime, while the poor will be left with a baby, which may not be loved or appreciated.

Labour Reforms in Brazil and Chile (a Comparative Study)

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY COURSE COMPARATIVE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS (MIR 709) TOPIC LABOUR REFORMS IN BRAZIL AND CHILE (A COMPARATIVE STUDY) A PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE DEPT OF SOCIOLOGY BY GROUP 4 Adepoju Janet Oluwatosin167455 Ayangbemi Olusola Temitope166905 Dagunduro Adebukola Olufunke167457 Ogunsemoyin Olubusayo B. 81014 LECTURER IN CHARGE: PROF. ONYEONORU P. I. OCTOBER, 2012 INTRODUCTION Labour laws is defined as the balance of power among government, employers, workers, and unions.The redrafting of a country’s labour laws typically reflects a shift in the power relations and may carry unfavourable consequences for a former beneficiaries. As the Colliers put it, â€Å"Labour law is a highly visible and concrete policy statement around which political battles are fought, won, and lost, and around which political support is attracted, granted, and withheld†¦ labour law thus provides a valuable point of reference for analyzing the larger political contex t† (Collier and Collier 1979, 971). The reform of national labour laws is one of the most widely implemented recent policy changes in the world.Since the early 1990s, Brazil as well as Chile have changed their labour laws. Labour reforms have also provoked massive protests, including general strikes. It can be understood that the changes in labour law occurring on a global scale are themselves a response to the pressure of globalization. In most nations of the world, labour legislation was originally made to reflect government-employer-worker relationships embedded in protected national economies. But in recent years, trade liberalization and greater global competitiveness have created new challenges for employers and workers.Pressures for legal and institutional change have naturally followed. This study is all about comparative insights into labour reform processes at the end of the twentieth century of two Latin American countries, Brazil and Chile. Despite similar initial prescriptions for change in the direction of greater flexibility, the outcomes of labour reforms differed in the two countries. In the 1990s, moderate flexibility reforms were implemented in Brazil while in Chile, changes in labour law was extensive.THE LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT The region followed a common import substituting industrialization (ISI) model in the post-war period. This development strategy reshaped the Latin American economies, societies and institutions. While traditional interest groups linked to the primary sectors reduced their political influence, new social groups with interests in the local industries gained social and political strength. After some time, this inward-oriented development strategy began to show clear signs of exhaustion.The performance of Latin American countries was not good enough compared with the South-East Asian countries that claimed to adopt an almost opposite economic model. The political support of the ISI model was gradually eroding in L atin America when the debt crisis unleashed in 1982 and the failure of early policies implemented by some countries to deal with it played an important role in reshaping policy views in the region. Latin America of course is not homogeneous, but there are some structural characteristics common to most countries in the region that had a bearing on the reform process.The region’s competitive advantages are biased in favour of natural resources, and primary commodities explain a large share of exports: minerals and oil in Chile, Venezuela and Peru, agriculture in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay; even in more industrialized Brazil and Mexico primary products are still relevant. This feature impinges on the region’s political economy via the so-called natural resource â€Å"curse†. The distribution of income and assets in Latin America is highly unequal compared to other regions in the world.As the 2006 World Development Report of the World Bank suggests, income ine quality of this magnitude is quite likely a signal of unequal opportunities (rather than of different choices) – World Bank (2005). Because of the structural lack of equity, many Latin Americans did not have the chance to take advantage of the opportunities open by reform; hence many opportunities at the individual level were lost. Besides, groups that were marginalized and segregated did not support reform and often opposed it actively, fearing that a more competitive environment would do them more harm than good.In several of the countries, the so-called structural reforms came hand in hand with efforts at macroeconomic stabilization. There had been a long list of stabilization attempts before this period, but the macroeconomic stabilization programs that accompanied the structural reforms were usually deeper and lasted more than previous ones. The perception of greater deepness of these stabilization efforts was related to the simultaneous implementation of other component s of the reform package.Also, there have been important â€Å"contagion† effects across countries, that is, learning from the interpretation of the (successful and unsuccessful) experiences of other countries in the region. Having referred to many common factors, it is also important to stress that Latin American countries are quite different in many dimensions. Country size is obviously one of the dimensions in which the region is not homogeneous; a dimension that became particularly relevant for the fate of the inward oriented ISI model (think about the size of the domestic market in Brazil as compared for instance with Chile).Economic and social development show significant variation across countries as well. The historical starting points in terms of social and economic structure, as well as in the details of past policies, were also different in different countries when pro-market reforms began. Social indicators as literacy ratios, life expectancy and the like also show much variation. Even when most countries adopted a version of the ISI model in the post-war period, the progress they made in that direction varied considerably in terms, for instance, of the degree of industrialization they reached.This was partly dictated by the size of the domestic market and partly by policy options and political conditions. In spite of some common institutional heritage from the colonial era, political and institutional history also shows significant variation across countries in Latin America. Most countries in the region experienced periods of dictatorship in the twentieth century, but while some spent most of the century under those conditions, others did it for relatively short periods. The quality of institutions and the incidence of corruption also varies, Kaufmann, D. , A. Kraay and M. Mastruzzi (2003).The different starting points and idiosyncratic characteristics influenced the fate of the pro-market reform. BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Brazil The hist ory of Brazil starts with Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, who arrived thousands of years ago by crossing the Bering land bridge into Alaska and then moving south. The first European to explore Brazil was Pedro Alvares Cabral on April 22, 1500 under the sponsorship of Portugal. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Brazil was a colony of Portugal. On September 7, 1822, the country declared its independence from Portugal and became a constitutional monarchy, the Empire of Brazil.A military coup in 1889 established a republican government. The country has seen a dictatorship (1930–1934 and 1937–1945) and a period of military rule (1964–1985). Brazil returned to democracy in 1985, after more than two decades of uninterrupted military governments. The first democratic government unsuccessfully tried to stabilize the economy and made little progress with reform, but since 1990, when Collor de Mello arrived to the presidency, the successive democratic governments ca rried on a series of market-oriented reforms. It was argued that democratization facilitated the introduction of market oriented reforms in Brazil.While the military stayed in government, the protective mantle of â€Å"national security† and â€Å"key-sectors protection† became a standard speech, always blocking a deeper integration into the world economy. This ideological view was present not just at the top of the military regime but also inside the mid-level military officers who were commonly appointed to prominent positions in economic ministries and state enterprises. In the nineties, under democratic rule, a new breed of internationally-minded top civil servants replaced these officers.Reform in Brazil followed a pragmatic way, meaning that it was gradual, piecemeal, and loosely coordinated. Fragmentation of the political system prevented any group from gaining dominance and forced a negotiated style, leading to gradualism. So, most policies took time, were nego tiated, and had to go through multiple veto points. The informal institution of rather fluid ties among state elites and between them and business facilitated consensus building around reform policies, but they had to be negotiated. In this manner, the policy outcomes were unlikely to be extreme.The actual social and economic outcomes have not been too spectacular, and some discontent against â€Å"the reforms† has breaded. Yet, the arrival to office in 2003 of a left-wing party, the PT, has not generated any reversal, suggesting that â€Å"pragmatism† is not likely to be displaced soon in Brazilian economic policy making. Chile The territory of Chile has been populated since at least 12,000 ago. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain.The country's economic development was successively marked by the export of firs t agricultural produce, then saltpetre and later copper. The wealth of raw materials led to an economic upturn, but also led to dependency, and even wars with neighbouring states. The country was governed during most of its first 150 years of independent life by different forms of restricted government, where the electorate was carefully vetted and controlled by an elite.Failure to address the economic and social disparities and increasing political awareness of the less-affluent population, as well as indirect intervention and economic funding to the main political groups by both the KGB and the CIA, as part of the Cold War, led to a political polarization under Socialist President Salvador Allende which in turn resulted in the 11 September 1973 coup and the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, whose 17- year regime was responsible for numerous human rights violations and deep market-oriented economic reforms.In 1990, Chile made a peaceful transition to democracy. Wit h ups and downs, Chile followed a basically inward-looking-state-centred development strategy from 1930 to 1973. It was not very different from the experience of other Latin American countries, save probably for the socialist period between 1971 and 1973. This period ended up with a severe socio-economic and political crisis that paved the road for a military coup that inaugurated a dictatorship that would last until the late eighties. The military government pushed a far reaching pro-market reform agenda.This experience is usually regarded as a leading case of market-friendly reforms, not only for the adoption of a shock therapy, but also for doing it well before most other countries in the region. Beginning in late 1973, several structural reforms were implemented, including the liberalization of most prices, interest rates and wages; drastic reductions in tariffs and the elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade; the strengthening of fiscal and monetary policies; the privatizat ion of more than 500 firms; the reform of the pension program; and the adoption of new policies of competition and regulation.In the early eighties, Chile, like other developing countries, underwent a deep economic and financial crisis. There was some reversal of reforms during this period, but the military government resumed the liberalizing reforms soon after it. Chile returned to democracy in 1990. One of the most notable aspects of the Chilean process is that after the return to democracy in 1990, the centre-left coalition that has governed the country since, did not revert the market reform process.There were several peculiar factors leading the military dictatorship to follow the suggestions of a group of foreign-trained economists towards market liberalization (against the nationalistic tendencies of part of the military). Some possible sources of opposition (such as unions or left leaning parties) were silenced by the dictatorship.Business sectors were relatively grateful si nce firms were devolved to private owners after nationalization by the previous socialist government of Allende, so that they did not oppose trade liberalization. The way the transition to democracy was instrumented in the late eighties was key for the consolidation of pro-market reforms in Chile. Consolidation was by no means granted by that time, for the parties that formed the winning coalition (named the Concertacion) in the 1989 elections had opposed many of the reforms.Also, formerly repressed interest groups could take advantage of the new political environment to voice their demands, pushing the new government towards a less neutral and more lenient fiscal policy. According to Foguel, Miguel, Indermit Gill, Rosane Mendonca and Ricardo Paes de Barros, (1998), several factors contributed to the consolidation of the pro-market reform in the transition period: * the good performance of the economy in 1985-1989; * the concurrent fall of socialist regimes in Europe; the economic f ailure of democratic transition in Argentina (that contributed to convince several left15 wing politicians of the risks of â€Å"heterodox† policies); * the intellectual renovation and internationalization of the circles around the Concertacion, which lead to a â€Å"revaluation of continuity†; and * several institutional enclaves in the new constitution, increasing the veto power and political relevance of â€Å"the right†, which forced democratic presidents to follow consensual strategies on economic matters. Chile seems to be in a path of institutional and policy consolidation.The democratic governments have maintained the core of the economic reforms undertaken during the dictatorship, while steadily (albeit slowly, according to some views) advancing on the social and democratic front. These steps have taken place according to a style of policymaking that is much more consensual and institutionalized than that of other Latin American countries. (IADB, 2005). EVOLUTION OF LABOUR REFORM IN BRAZIL The Consolidated Labour Code The main body of the Brazilian labour legislation was introduced in the 1940s, and consolidated into the Consolidacao das Leis do Trabalho (CLT) in 1943.The CLT is a large, often overlapping, set of rules which determines individual and collective rights and duties of the workers, unions and firms. The law determines that all workers must have a booklet where all individual labour contracts and its changes over time are registered by the employer. By definition, a formal worker has a booklet signed by his employer (â€Å"carteira assinada†) Besides the obligation to sign the booklet, the law stipulates a set of minimum conditions any employment relationship must follow.The most important rules are: maximum hours of work per week; maximum extra-time working hours; minimum payment for extra-time work; minimum wage; pre-paid annual vacations; special protection clauses for women and children; the dismissal of pre gnant women is forbidden; the right of paid vacation before and after childbirth, for the mother; special work conditions for night shifts; one month pre-notification of firing; and protection against unjustified dismissals. There have been changes in the legislation since the creation of the CLT. In particular: In 1962, introduction of a one monthly wage annual bonus (â€Å"thirteenth salary†).In 1963, introduction of a family allowance. In 1965, introduction of a wage adjustment law which determined the minimum rate of wage adjustments of all workers in the economy. In 1966, creation of a severance fund (Fundo de Garantia por Tempo de Servico – FGTS) in place of a clause forbidding dismissal of workers with more than 10 years of tenure. In 1986, creation of an unemployment insurance program which today covers about 25% of the country’s labour force. In 1988, approval of a new Constitution with the introduction of new labour clauses. Severance Rules and Unemplo yment CompensationUntil 1965, to fire a worker without a proper justification the employer had to pay one month’s wage for each year of work in the firm. The compensation was calculated on the basis of the higher wage received during the work contract. It was a duty of the employer to prove the dismissal was justified, and the conditions for justified dismissals were clearly defined in the law. After 10 years in the same enterprise, dismissals were forbidden by law, except if properly justified. In 1966, this entire system of protection against non-justified dismissals was changed.A severance fund was created, called the Fundo de Garantia por Tempo de Servico (FGTS). When hiring a worker, the firm had to open a banking account for the worker and deposit 8% of the value of the wage in the account. Today, Caixa Economica Federal, a government saving and loans institution, collects the FGTS levy and invests it primarily in urban housing projects giving workers a legally guarante ed minimum deposit rate. When dismissed without a just cause (â€Å"sem justa causa†) the worker could draw this money and received a monetary compensation corresponding to a fine of 10% over the total amount of the fund.Like many other Latin American countries (see Loayza, 1998), dismissal for economic reasons is not considered a just cause. In 1988 the fine for unjust dismissal was increased to 40% of the worker’s FGTS account balance. Besides this fine, the employer has to notify the worker one month before he will be fired. This is the â€Å"aviso previo† law, or previous notification of firing. During the month the worker has received the previous notification of firing, he/she is allowed, according to the law, to take two hours a day to look for a new job.This implies a minimum cost of 25% of the worker's monthly wage. In fact the cost is usually higher since firms end up paying the notification fee to the worker and dismissing him immediately. Thus, the t otal cost of dismissal is 25% to 100% of the monthly wage plus 40% of the FGTS. The cost depends on the number of months the worker has worked for the firm. Since 1986, when fired, besides the advance notice, access to the FGTS (and the 40% fine for unfair dismissal), the worker also has the right to an unemployment compensation benefits.The unemployment compensation program offers partial coverage for up to four months of unemployment (extended to five months after 1996). To become eligible to receive the benefit, the worker must meet the following criteria: * to have been dismissed without a just cause; * to have had a formal labour contract during the last six months or to have been legally self-employed for at least 15 months; * to be unemployed for at least seven days; * must not receive any other pension; * must not have any other type of income sufficient to guarantee his own subsistence and that of his family.The value of the benefit cannot be lower than the value of the min imum wage, is adjusted monthly for inflation, and is related to the average wage received by the worker in the last three months in the previous job. Wage Laws An important change in the CLT was the introduction of the Wage Adjustment Law in 1965. Before this date, wage adjustments were fixed through collective bargaining between workers and employers unions, at the settlement dates (â€Å"data base†), and through individual negotiations between one worker and his/her employer.Only the minimum wage was determined directly by the President of the Republic, although most of the time it incorporated automatically the prescriptions given by indexation clauses imbedded in the Law. The Wage Adjustment Law gave the government the right to determine the minimum rate of adjustment of all wages in the formal sector of the economy. The first wage law stipulated that nominal wages should be adjusted once a year, at the settlement date of each occupation, following a formula which took th e past and expected future rate of inflation and the growth rate in GDP per capita as the base for the adjustments.The specific formula and the adjustment period changed many times over the years, as the rate of inflation increased. In 1995, one year after the introduction of the Real Plan, the Wage Law was abolished. Today, upward adjustment of wages is negotiated between employers and employees. But downward adjustment of wages is for all practical purposes prohibited by the Constitution: attempts to do so make employers open to lawsuits, which are generally resolved in favor of the worker.This was irrelevant during a time of high inflation, but now quite possibly adds to the rigidity of the labour market. The Reforms of 1988 The main changes of labour legislation introduced in the Constitution of 1988 can be summarized as follows: * The maximum number of hours of work per week was reduced from 48 to 44 hours and the minimum payment for extra-time hours increased from 20% to 50% o f the workers’ wages. * For continuous work shifts the maximum daily journey was reduced from eight to six hours. * A vacation bonus of one-third of the workers’ wages was created. The childbirth leave for mothers was increased to 120 days and a five days childbirth leave for the father was introduced. * Firing costs for unjustified dismissals increased from 10% of the FGTS balance to 40%. This is the list of the minimum individual rights for private sector and state enterprise workers. Working conditions can be improved through negotiations between the individual worker and the firm, or through collective bargaining. The Constitution of 1988 clearly mandated higher nonwage benefits and made dismissals costlier for employers. Payroll Taxes and Mandatory Benefits after 1988The CLT and the 1988 Constitution stipulate a very comprehensive set of minimum standards any individual contract must follow. The rules do not provide much space for negotiations between employers an d workers. The result is a rigid set of minimum rules, which reduces the flexibility of the labour contract in face of changes in the economic environment. In addition to the costs imposed by this inflexibility, there are more direct and obvious non-wage costs due to payroll taxes and mandatory benefits required by the law. The cost of labour can be decomposed into four parts: The basic contractual wage. * Mandatory benefits which include the annual one month bonus (terceiro salario), the contribution to the FGTS, vacations and other benefits. * Contributions to the official training system (SENAI and SENAC), to finance an institution which assist small enterprises (SEBRAE) and a contribution paid by firms to finance an workers’ assistance service (SESI or SESC). * Contribution to the federal social security system (INSS) and to fund educational services salario educacao) and an on-the-job accident insurance fee mandatory for all firms and proportional to the payroll.In addit ion to these contributions based on payroll costs, employers are also charged levies on revenues to pay for additional INSS-related obligations (Cofins), to be raised in 1999 from 1 to 2 percent and PIS/PASEP, the contributions towards the Fundo de Aparelho de Trabalhadores (FAT) which fund unemployment compensation, job search assistance and active labour programs such as training and microenterprise support schemes. These labour related levies can add up to between 2 and 3 percent of employer revenues. EVOLUTION OF LABOUR REFORM IN CHILE Labour Code (1931-1965)Initially, Chile’s labour market regulations is characterized with tripartite system of collective bargaining and conflict resolution. 1931 labour code focuses on conflict resolution. While the legislation favoured collective bargaining at the firm level, and this form of negotiations was dominant, the mechanisms of conflict resolution projected negotiations beyond the enterprise. With time, sector-wide negotiations s pread throughout the economy. Dismissal without expression of cause with a month’s notice. Severance payment of a month’s wage per year of tenure for â€Å"white collar workers.The main component of payroll taxes are social security contributions. Chile started a Social Security System in 1924, building from a set of privately established pensions systems that covered specific groups of workers or sectors of economic activity. These programs finance retirement, invalidity and family survivor benefits, a public health care system, the payment of family allowances, and an unemployment subsidy. In addition, there was a 1 % contribution to fund public training programs. The Chile labour market reform has come a long way and in each stage undergone few reforms to meet the demand of the changing market conditions.After the deadly coup of 1973, several labour unions, labour institutions were dissolved. In October, 1973, the Chilean government introduced wage adjustments, whi ch were linked to inflation rate. Chile labour market reform is significant because of the following reasons: * The country underwent a switch over from an economy, which was regulated to an economy, which is unregulated as well as open. This was brought about by the implementation of economic reforms pertaining to labour markets and pension system in the country. * The labour market in Chile has been over the years very unpredictable.Labour market in Chile during the seventies: During the middle seventies, the government in Chile launched the first structural reforms in Chile. Which in turn increased the unemployment rate. However, Chile experienced a healthy growth in the economy towards the end of seventies. Despite the speedy growth in economy, the labour market refused to recover from the high rate of unemployment. Reverse to what it was during the seventies, the labour market in the eighties recuperated very fast even though the crisis was much more severe than the previous on e. Even rate of growth in wages recovered comparatively fast.During this period, rate of unemployment reached 25%. As part of Chile labour market reform, the proportional adjustments pertaining to lower wages was made more than the higher wages. The method of indexation that existed between 1973 to 1979 had many drawbacks. In order to overcome these drawbacks, Labour Plan of 1979, was implemented, which stated that adjustment of wages would be made at or above inflation rate. At regular intervals, as part of Chile labour market reform, the government carried on with the practice of increasing wages but not in accordance with the rising rate of inflation.However, during the 1990s, there was increase in wages higher than what was declared for the purpose of readjustments. The Employment Security Law, states that if there is no valid cause for dismissing an employee, the worker could be re engaged in the job as per orders from a labour court. However, in the year 1978, this law was sub stituted by a method of â€Å"severance payment†. Chile labour market reform, Decree Law 2,200 stated that employers had the right to make changes in the contract between the employers as well as the employees and that they could fire an employee without giving any explanation to the employees.A â€Å"severance payment†, which was minimum was also introduced. Decree Law 2,200 as well as Chile labour market reform of 1979, led to the introduction of new techniques to supervise the activities of the labour unions. This was stated in Decree Law, 2,756. Collective bargaining was stated in Decree Law 2,758. Decree Law 2,756 and Decree Law 2,758 are collectively referred to as Labour Plan. Decree Law 2,756 governs matters related to labour union. Whereas, Decree law, 2,758 governs the various norms adopted in the event of a strike.Labour reforms that took place in Chile is summarized below; Phase I (1966-73) Increased polarization of the labour movement Generalized use of wa ge indexation. Dismissals require expression of â€Å"just† cause, or severance payment of a month’s wage per year of tenure. In spite of very high nominal contribution rates, by 1970 the public sector spent 20. 5 percent of its budget to cover the deficits in the health and pensions systems along with its own contributions. Phase II (1974-79) Economic Liberalization with a highly intervened labour market.Decree Law 670 of October 1974 substituted the earlier legislation that defined the tripartite commissions, giving them a consultative character. They were understood to be a transition mechanism, while a new policy towards the labour market was developed, and while union activities were banned.. Economy-wide wage adjustments imposed by decree. Dismissal without expression of cause reinstated in 1978 for all new hires. Employers pay a severance of a month’s wage per year of tenure to all dismissed workers, unless there is â€Å"just cause,† which include s â€Å"economic cause. A number of partial changes brought down contributions from a 60 percent at their peak in 1974, to the order of 33 percent in 1980. Rates varied according to the specific plan at which an employee was affiliated, but all the plans were guaranteed by the state. For example, in 1976, the 1% contribution earmarked to fund training program was eliminated. Phase III (1980-1990) Union affiliation becomes voluntary. Decentralized collective bargaining. Labour negotiations opened to market forces. Strikes without job guarantees after sixty days.No intervention of the government in the affairs of unions or the collective bargaining process, except for a wage floor guaranteed by law. The wage floor was eliminated in 1982, and as a by-product, the necessary conditions to replace striking workers were eroded. It also marked the era of minimum wage setting. Starting in 1981, dismissals of any worker, new or previously hired, can take place without expression of cause, an d as long as severance is paid. Severance payments are open to negotiations. In the absence of an explicit agreement the minimum severance would be a month wages per year of tenure with a 5 months ceiling.A 1984 reform established that the minimum severance agreed by the parties could not be less than the severance established by law. Furthermore, â€Å"economic cause† for dismissal is not â€Å"just cause† anymore. In 1980, a reform lowered social security contributions to just above 20 percent (10 % towards retirement, 7% towards health and about 3% towards disability). New entrants to the labour force would contribute to a new old-age program based on a mandated individualized savings plan, to be managed by private administrators (AFPs).Old contributors could to opt out of the traditional pay-as-you-go system. In the case of health care contributions, both old contributors and new entrants were given the choice to opt out of the public system (FONASA) and use the 7 percent towards a health care insurance policy provided by an authorized private health insurer (ISAPRES). A basic pension, the unemployment insurance, and the family allowances programs would be fully financed by the central government budget. Phase IV (1991 till date) This is the Consolidation of Labour Reforms.The new law eliminated the sixty days period for the legal strike, which allowed employers to dismiss striking workers without severance. The new law also reinstated stricter conditions for workers replacements in case of strike. Labour negotiations can take place at the sector level if both workers and employers agree to it. Dismissals require an expression of â€Å"cause†. Severance of one month wages per year of tenure applies to dismissals with â€Å"economic cause. † Severance would be paid with a 20% surcharge if the employer cannot prove an alleged â€Å"economic cause. No severance obligation in case of dismissals with â€Å"just cause. † Dismi ssal ceiling on severance payment raised to 11 month wages. THEMES ON LABOUR REFORM DISCUSSION The thematic elements under which labour reforms that occurred in the two Latin American countries under study will be discussed will focus on the labour’s strategic interest in labour law and its ability to pursue those interest during specific rounds of reform. These interests are derived from the legal and institutional framework of labour relations, which are often inherited from earlier period of legal and political incorporation of labour.Secondly is the willingness of government to see reform through. Government resolve is shaped by the pressure for the reform that it faces from international actors or domestic constituencies. Another thematic approach is the transition context for the reform. The nature of transitions as well as their timing affects the political environment for labour reform. Democratic transitions tend to favour rights-based reforms and strengthen unions, while market-oriented economic transitions tend to favour labour flexibility and weaken unions.The Initiation of the Reforms The crisis of the ISI model in the sixties and seventies left Latin American leaders searching for new paradigms. In this context, the pro-market reform agenda began to gain strength, initially pushed by groups of professional economists trained in the US, and reinforced later in the eighties and nineties by the IFIs. The experience of Thatcher in the UK and the fall of communism also contributed to create an environment favourable to pro-market reform. In some countries, these new ideas got through to the ruling army forces.Chile was the leading case, after a short socialist experience that ended with a military coup. Other countries only began the reform process in the early nineties, after suffering severe macroeconomic instability in the eighties. By that time, Chile had already become an example of a successful reformer that many wanted to reproduce. The debt crisis that blew up in the early eighties gave place to a decade characterized by severe macroeconomic instability in most countries in the region. There were several attempts at eterodox macroeconomic stabilization that failed completely. Brazil is probably one of the most distinctive cases. The pro-market structural reforms were out of the agenda in those years in most Latin American countries. Even in Chile, the debt crisis caused a partial and temporary reversion of the pro-market labour reform. It was only after these policies ended up in hyperinflation that the idea of implementing more orthodox stabilization programs bundled with structural pro-market reforms made its way through in the region in the early nineties.In the 1980s and 1990s, several democratic political leaders who gained elections proposing leftwing platforms ended up adopting the market-friendly package. Some of these presidents were concerned by little more than their political survival in the midst of i mpending or ongoing macroeconomic crises, and were pretty much open to â€Å"anything† that might deliver some short-term economic results that could lead to favourable political results for them. They ended up convinced that some variant of the market-friendly package was the most sensible option they had.Implementation Recent literature on reform emphasizes the key role of appropriate implementation and enforcement capacity to determine the outcome of reform (Stein and Tommasi 2005; Rius and van de Walle, 2004; Fanelli and Popov, 2003). It is considered that while the best designed policy packages may generate bad outcomes if implementation fails, policies that are not first-best in terms of design may still render acceptable results if they are well implemented (IADB, 2005).The quality of public policies in terms of enforcement and implementation varies considerably across the Latin American countries. Stein and Tommasi (2005) classified the Latin American countries in sev eral key dimensions of their economic policies, one of them being the capacity to enforce and effectively implement the policies. Of the two Latin American countries considered in this paper, Chile appears as the one with quite high enforcement and implementation capacity; Brazil has intermediate capability with implementation quality.The enforcement and implementation capacities are in turn related to the quality and independence of the bureaucracy, the quality and independence of the judiciary, and the capabilities of the Congress. Stein and Tommasi (2005) show that the index of enforcement and implementation capacity is positively correlated to indexes of congress capability, judicial independence and civil service development across these two Latin American countries. An independent and highly qualified judicial system is probably the most obvious enforcer of the laws.Delegating the implementation of policies to a professional and independent bureaucracy is also a good enforceme nt device. Chumacero et al (2005) claim that the Chilean military government that initially pushed the pro-market reform replaced the existing bureaucracy with a strong technocracy that contributed to improve the implementation and enforcement capacities of the State. Brazil followed a different route in that reformers did not replace the existing bureaucracy, Castelar Pinheiro, A. , R. Bonelli and B. Ross Schneider (2004).Nevertheless, Brazil already had a relatively good bureaucracy before the pro-market reform era. This allowed the government to delegate the implementation of trade liberalization and privatization to autonomous agencies, which according to Castelar Pinheiro et al (2004), was key for the advance of these reforms. Stakeholders The labour movement was more independent from the State and from the parties that ended up being reformist. In Brazil and Chile, trade unions would not favour pro-market reform, but they were forbidden in Chile when the reform began and relat ively weak in Brazil (Castelar Pinheiro et al).Labour movements in Brazil retained some degree of organizational strength, mobilization capacity and political influence, and were therefore able to fight off some of the reforms that were aimed at expanding labour market flexibility. They fought hard against the loss of core organizational resources as well as legal provisions regarding union structure and collective bargaining. In Chile, economic labour reforms occurred mostly under the dictatorship, along with labour code changes, the prospect for expanding labour rights under the democratic transition were limited.The issue of labour reform lies at the core of this disjuncture as it straddles major fault lines innate to the Chilean neoliberal project. On the one hand, cheap and flexible labour with few rights to collective action has formed a central axis of Chile’s economic model since Pinochet’s ruthless undermining of organised labour in the mid-1970s. This oppress ion was given a tangible legal form in the 1980 labour code that denied even the most basic of rights to the working population. Labour movements in Chile was pressured to moderate its demands during transition.Furthermore, labour ties to parties in power under the concertacion further constrained the movements ability to assert demands for reforms in the first-round democratic government. In summary, in Brazil political stability is a contextual premium, a potential threat to that stability came from the labour movement. By contrast, in Chile, the prime concern was economic stability. Unfortunately, labour mobilization was constrained by political compromises and organizational factors. The economic elites were the ones to be appeased.Capitalist interests, institutionally represented by the Confederacion de Produccion y Commercio (CPC), have strongly opposed any substantive changes to the labour code. They argue that, by impinging on labour market flexibility, reforms to the labour code would undermine the foundations of domestic accumulation to the detriment of all Chileans Inclusiveness of the Political Process behind the Reforms In Brazil, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso negotiated the pro-market reform along several years, and there was no reversal, even after the opposition took office.Reform was very gradual and partial, mostly due to the effective inclusion of opposition parties and social groups in the negotiation of reform. This participation slowed down reform, but it can be argued that it also contributed to render the economic policy more predictable. Political participation might not only contribute to reform because it reduces resistance, but also because it promotes a more open society in which special interests find themselves more constrained. Chile is a case in which the bulk of the reform process took place under the Pinochet dictatorship.Yet, the decision of the successive incoming democratic governments of sustaining the main aspects of the market-oriented reforms, together with the consensual and institutionalized policymaking style with which modifications and adjustments have proceeded, has tended to generate an increasingly virtuous circle between reforms, democratic participation, and transparency. CONCLUDING REMARKS This paper attempted to extract some lessons from the reform experiences of the selected Latin American countries, on the basis of underlying country studies.That exercise led, in its central section, to reflections on several key themes in the political economy of reform, reflections which themselves had some elements of â€Å"concluding remarks†. For that reason, this final section is relatively brief, and instead of recapitulating everything said before, it just draws from a few points in order to take a (succinct) prospective look. The early evaluations of the impact of market oriented reforms were far more optimistic than later ones.The present political dynamics of these countries suggests that the fate of reforms is correlated with the outcomes of reform, and that both in turn are correlated with more slow-moving (not to say, permanent) â€Å"fundamental† local conditions, in particular with local institutional conditions. The ranking of both countries in terms of reform outcomes, and reform continuity and sustainability is almost identical to a ranking of State Capabilities developed by Stein and Tommasi at the Inter-American Development Bank, reflected in Stein and Tommasi (2005) and IADB (2005).Perhaps the main lesson we extract from the experience at this point, is that in democratic settings it is not a good strategy to impose reforms from above or by surprise. Consensus building operating through the social and political specificities of the country is not only a better way to achieve the desired reforms, but even a process for identifying and implementing policies and reforms more suitable for each country. The capacity of countries to achieve such processes seems conditioned by their political institutions and policymaking capabilities.REFERENCE Aguilera-Alfred, N. , D. Borda and D. Richards (2004) â€Å"Understanding Reform. 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