Speech on Belonging

Belonging is usually defined as being accepted into and by members of a family, group, class, race, community or school. The term belonging means something different to everyone but most people will come up with the words acceptance, security and identity. In this speech I have chosen to talk about the aspects of belonging and not belonging in two of Peter Skrzynecki’s Poems, Migrant Hostel and 10 Mary Street and also in the 1997 film ‘Titanic’. In Peter Skrzynecki’s Migrant Hostel, he talks about the 2 years of his life that he and most of his family lived in a Migrant hostel in Parkes after coming to Australia after World War 2 from Poland and leaving most of his family and polish heritage behind. This poem gives the responder a sense of confusion about whether he belongs or not to this migrant hostel. Skrzynecki creates this confusion by contrasting the family’s sense of belonging to the hostel with the family’s confusion about whether or not they actually belonged to the Australian soil. Although the migrant hostel was their home for 2 years there was always so many people coming and going that it didn’t really feel like a home which made it really hard to create a sense of belonging as a community. Techniques used by Skrzynecki to create this sense of confusion about belonging are juxtaposition or contrast for example in the last stanza on the 6th line â€Å"Needing its sanction To pass in and out of lives That had only begun Or were dying† This can be referred to as when people arrive at the hostel their lives are just beginning as they have a second chance to start their lives over again and forget about the past and what has happened and concentrate on the future and then when they leave the hostel they feel lost because they are on unknown land and they feel they don’t really fit in with the Australian lifestyle as they have their own background and heritage to maintain. This uote could also mean the opposite when they leave they have a chance to start over and renew there lives again and when they are in the hostel they are trapped and don’t know what to do or who they are. Symbolism is another technique Skrzynecki uses in this poem. In ‘Migrant hostel’ he uses birds as a symbol of being trapped. For example the third stanza ‘For over two years We lived like birds of passage- Always sensing a change In the weather: Unaware of the season Whose track we would follow’ This example shows how the people in the hostel where hardly allowed outside, which shows that they were basically trapped inside and away from everyone else. Another technique Skrzynecki uses is rhetorical device; this technique shows the confusion of the people inside the hostel, for example in the first stanza 6th line â€Å"That left us wondering who would be coming next. † This example shows the confusion the people had, and how uncertain things were for them, they didn’t know who was going to come through the gate next or who was going to leave. Also in this poem Skrzynecki uses an extended metaphor. In this poem the bird symbol is also used as the extended metaphor. In this poem he uses refers to a homing pigeon to deepen the sense of instinctual behavior for example in the second stanza 1st line ‘Nationalities sought Each other out instinctively Like a homing pigeon Circling to get its bearings’ this example shows how the people are coming together and finding each other through their background and where they came from. The last technique that Skrzynecki uses in this poem is similes. For example n the last stanza 4th line ‘As it rose and fell like a finger’ this particular simile refers to the gate out the front of the hostel, it shows how they were isolated from the rest of the country by that gate and that they had no control over when that gate opened or closed. It makes the hostel sound like a jail. In Skrzynecki’s poem ‘10 Mary Street’ he is describing his life in his fir st ever home on Australian soil, this poem has a greater sense of belonging as he is more comfortable in Mary street, and he has a greater sense of belonging to his family, his home, his school, his community and is comfortable with his migrant past. Skrzynecki and his family lived at 10 Mary Street for 19 years before the house got knocked down. During this poem Skrzynecki has no sense of doubt or uncertainty about who he is or where he is going. This poem gives a strong sense of happiness and content within his life as the language is light and joyful, as he remembers certain things about that house and life within it. Skrzynecki uses techniques such as personification

Coke Wars Case Study

Coke Wars Case Analysis: Competition, Strategy, and Implications Webster University Summer 2012 INTRODUCTION The rivalry between Coca-Cola & Pepsi can be deemed as legendary, â€Å"the top soft drink competitors in the world spend millions of dollars yearly to try and convince you that their version of soft drink is better† (Dotson pg 1).Over the past century, it seems they have feuded over everything from who has superior taste, to the pursuit into space, and more recently over NASCAR and the social media race. Regardless of who is ahead in the competition, the battles between Coca-Cola & Pepsi demonstrate important strategic adaptations that the corporations must execute so as to thrive in the constantly changing realms of customer satisfaction, business environments and technology.This paper will: 1) review the strategic issues presented in the â€Å"Coke Wars† case through the use of the Strategic Management Model as applied to both Coca-Cola & Pepsi; 2) highlight fundamental strategies & tactics so as to analyze the inherent competition between both corporations; and finally 3) discuss implications of concepts presented in the case for the middle manager so as to grasp lessons learned for future application.STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT MODEL (SMM) The text describes strategic management as â€Å"the set of decisions and actions that result in the formulation and implementation of plans designed to achieve a company’s objectives† (Pearce, Robinson pg 3). With this definition in mind then, the Strategic Management Model can be considered as a very useful framework by which managers plan and implement business strategies.More importantly, in today’s global business environment â€Å"firms need perfect processes that respond to increases in the size and number of competing firms; to the expanded role of government as a buyer, seller, regulator, and competitor in the free-enterprise system; and to greater business involvement in int ernational trade† (pg 3). Furthermore, while â€Å"businesses vary in the processes they use to formulate and direct their strategic management activities†¦the basic components of the models used to analyze strategic management operations is similar† (pg 9).In reaction to internal and external environmental business/economic pressures Coca-Cola & Pepsi have manipulated the SMM in various ways so as to remain viable/powerful competitors in their respective industry. Coca-Cola Model Application According to the Coca-Cola Company’s Annual Report 2011, they are â€Å"the world’s largest beverage company†¦with more than 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands†¦own the world’s top five nonalcoholic sparkling beverage brands†¦products bearing their trademarks, have been sold in the United States since 1886, and are now sold in more than 200 countries† (pg 1).Coca-Cola’s report to shareholders reveals that they are continuing to r emain competitive in the beverage/snack industry due to a multitude of intelligent strategic decisions. When analyzing Coca-Cola from the Strategic Management Model perspective one can determine that while the internal/external environment will always remain unpredictable, the development of viable plans/processes can assist a corporation in remaining flexible and responsive to necessary change. Coca-Cola’s Mission is â€Å"to refresh the world†¦inspire moments of optimism and happiness†¦create value and make a difference† (Annual Report Mission, Vision, and Values).Their current goals are â€Å"to use company assets—brands, financial strength, unrivaled distribution system, global reach and the talent and strong commitment of management and associates—to become more competitive and to accelerate growth in a manner that creates value for shareholders† (pg 1). Overall, the mission statement is quite powerful and accurately â€Å"describes the company’s product, market, and technological areas of emphasis in a way that reflects the values and priorities of the strategic decision makers† (Pearce, Robinson pg 10).With respect to Internal Analysis, the corporation has identified its â€Å"operating structure as the basis for financial reporting† and is broken down into 7 different operating groups (Annual Report pg 2). The method for financial reporting is important because this is where/how investors and executives alike assess the â€Å"quantity and quality of the company’s financial, human, and physical resources†¦and contrasts company’s past successes and traditional concerns with the company’s current capabilities† (Pearce Robinson pg 11).Coca-Cola’s Annual Report is well designed, informative, and relatively easy to read as well. An important internal analysis factor of note is that of leadership—CEO’s and Board members alike must adequately analyze the direction/vision of the corporation so as to not become â€Å"fixated upon past glories†¦instead embracing new opportunities† (Ward pg 3). The External Environment that the company experiences is one full of pressures to include: extreme competition, distribution system management challenges, and social responsibility struggles.Additional competitive factors include those of â€Å"but not limited to pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, product innovation, increased efficiency in production techniques, the introduction of new packaging, new vending and dispensing equipment, and brand/trademark development & protection† (Annual Report pg 8). Concerning Strategic Analysis and Choice, Coca-Cola can be considered as â€Å"effective at building sustainable competitive advantage based on key value chain activities and capabilities† (PR pg 11) and have identified their bottling operations as equity method investments.The â€Å"investments a re intended to result in increases in the unit case volume, net revenues and profits at the bottler level, which in turn generate increased concentrate sales for the company concentrate and syrup business†¦when this occurs both the corporation and the bottling partners benefit from long-term growth in volume, improved cash flows, and increased shareholder value† (AR pg 7). The Long-Term Objectives should reflect areas such as â€Å"profitability, return on investment, competitive position, technological leadership, productivity, employee relations, public responsibility, and employee development† (PR pg 11).According to the provided case materials, the company has strong goals for the future and â€Å"has transformed into a more innovative, risk taking company†¦becoming more adventurous in responding to changes in the beverage market for healthier alternatives† so as to respond to customer desires, technology, and competitive environment (Ward pg 3). Co ca-Cola’s Generic Strategy is that of differentiation, making their products superior to those in the industry, â€Å"by stressing the attribute above other product qualities, the firm attempts to build customer loyalty† (PR pg 158).Their Grand Strategies can be defined as concentrated growth, market development, product development, innovation, vertical integration, turnaround, and strategic alliances. Coca-Cola is increasingly globalized and their Generic and Grand strategies seem to be creating valuable success for the corporation â€Å"and is transforming into a more innovative, risk-taking company† (Ward pg 2). Short Term Objectives for the corporation involve effective marketing strategies that appeal to existing customers and new clientele as well.They have embraced social media, the health craze and more recently the 2012 Olympics to successfully reach an increasingly global audience. In fact, â€Å"Coke’s strongest performance has been experienc ed in emerging markets in Russia, China, and Brazil, and has also improved its position in North America and Europe as well† (pg 3). Action Plans are incorporated and employed globally by executives and managers alike at Coca-Cola and those plans are laid out in the Annual Report.Everything from distribution systems, bottling methods, responses to competition, raw material acquisition, and investment plans are outlined which provides exact methods by which the corporation plans to remain a viable player in the industry. In sum they plan to â€Å"use the Company’s assets—brands, financial strength, unrivaled distribution system, global reach and the talent and strong commitment of management and associates—to become more competitive and to accelerate growth in a manner that creates value for shareholders† (Annual Report 2011 pg 1).Functional Tactics used by the corporation to achieve short term goals and attain competitive advantage include adoption of marketing strategies that appeal to not only health conscious customers but to a global audience. In fact â€Å"Coke is bringing out mid-calorie versions of some of its brands like Sprite and Fanta, and is teaming up with Grammy award winner Mark Ronson for its 2012 London Olympics anthem† (Hernandez pg 1).Additionally, Coke â€Å"continues to focus on selling soft drinks globally and even vows to rebuild Coke sales in the US market† through focusing upon non-carbonated sports drinks such as PowerAde, Aquarius, and Fuze (D’Altoro pg 2). Coca-Cola absolutely has Policies That Empower Action as demonstrated by the information contained in the Annual Report and via their website: â€Å"Work Smart: Act with urgency, remain responsive to change have the courage to change course when needed, remain constructively discontent, and work efficiently† (Coca-Cola Website pg 2).The â€Å"work smart† mentality allows for decisions to be made whenever possible at the lowest level of the corporation. Organizational Structure is segmented into the following areas: â€Å"Eurasia and Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, Bottling Investments, and Corporate† (Annual Report pg 2). Coke is predominantly organized into an international area structure that allows for operational efficiency and regional competitiveness.However Coca-Cola faces the additional struggle of remaining socially responsible to societies and environments in which it operates and has faced several legal implications with respect to human rights issues in South American Bottling plants (FRONTLINE). Nonetheless Coca-Cola reiterates that â€Å"despite the volatile environment, the company and its bottling partners have maintained operations and worked to provide safe, stable economic opportunities† for the people in nations that they operate in (FRONTLINE).Strategic Control and Continuous Improvement is facilitated by Coca-Cola’s organizat ional structure, leadership, and 2020 Vision campaign. In fact their website reiterates that in order â€Å"to continue to thrive as a business over the next 10 years and beyond, they must look ahead, understand the trends and forces that will shape their business in the future and move swiftly to prepare for what is to come† (Coca-Cola Website).This statement reveals that the corporation is committed to â€Å"detecting changes and making necessary adjustments†¦in strategy that allows their organization to respond more proactively and timely to rapid developments that† inherently affect ultimate success. Pepsi Model Application Much like Coca-Cola, Pepsi’s Mission statement is very clear, concise and purposeful â€Å"Captivate consumers with the world’s most loved and best-tasting convenient foods and beverages through the use of its strengths: Brand Image, Positioning, Innovation, Distribution Capabilities, Productivity Focus, Human Capital and Pur poseful Performance† (Pepsi Annual Report).Pepsi also reiterates that being socially responsible is of utmost importance and â€Å"commitment to do right for the business by doing right for people & the planet† effectively creates a â€Å"catalyst for business growth and innovation, enabling them to be financially successful and globally responsible† (Pepsi Annual Report). As covered in the Letter to Shareholders the CEO, Indra Nooyi, reveals the Internal Analysis of Pepsi Co. to be that of â€Å"strong progress and on a core basis net revenue was up 14% for 2011† (Pepsi Annual Report). This success was due to improvements n the following areas: â€Å"investment in emerging markets, brand management, research and development, differentiation, efficiency and global operating structure to fully leverage the scale of PepsiCo† (Pepsi Annual Report). PepsiCo is most certainly proud of their improvements and strategic focus but also realizes that the crea tion of â€Å"an adaptive team and culture—one that can continually renew itself and thrive on change†¦performing today while transforming for tomorrow† is necessary for success into the future and believes that their â€Å"best days are yet to come† (Pepsi Annual Report).Pepsi experiences similar External Environmental conditions to that of Coca-Cola. Intense competition, globalized marketplace, social responsibility, and economic conditions all affect the strategies that PepsiCo decides to implement. Additionally, Pepsi must allocate its attention to not only the beverage industry but to their global snack line as well; which while designed to be complimentary can prove to have possible negative effects when considering the volatility of each of these industries.The Strategic Analysis and Choice, that Pepsi has selected, much like Coca-Cola can be considered as effective. In order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage Pepsi is â€Å"pursuing specif ic strategic investment and productivity initiatives to build a stronger, more successful company through global brands, innovation, and advertising/marketing campaigns† (Pepsi Annual Report). As mentioned earlier, the following areas are of importance in Pepsi’s strategic analysis/choice: Brand Image, Positioning, Innovation, Distribution Channels, Productivity, Human Capital and Social Responsibility.As the report outlines, Pepsi’s Long-Term Objectives support increasingly globalized operations, global brand recognition, public responsibility, and industry leadership in beverages and snacks. In fact Pepsi was the first to realize the customer shift to healthier lifestyles and responded before Coke â€Å"to changes in the beverage market as consumers shifted from fizzy drinks to healthier alternatives† (Ward pg 3). Furthermore â€Å"Pepsi’s new strategy: Better-For-You Products—comes down to health concerns and being socially responsible wh ere†¦lifestyles have changed†¦and Pepsi has modified its products† (D’Altorio pg 1).Pepsi’s Generic Strategy, like that of Coca-Cola, is that of differentiation. This is why the Cola Wars have been so pervasive and prevalent—they both are striving to make their products superior to those of the competition. Their Grand Strategies can also be identified as concentrated growth, market development, product development, innovation, vertical integration, turnaround, joint ventures, divestiture and strategic alliances.Additionally, Pepsi is becoming more globalized in nature and their Generic and Grand strategies reflect this: â€Å"they are a $66 billion global powerhouse focused upon two complementary businesses with attractive growth margins and returns—global snacks and global beverages† to achieve global nutrition achievements worldwide† (Pepsi Annual Report). Pepsi’s Short Term Objectives are focused upon investment in their global brand management and streamlining distribution methods so as to attain measurable efficiency.In fact last year three brands—Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks ready to drink beverages—had each grown to more than $1 billion in annual retail sales, expanding PepsiCo’s portfolio of billion dollar brands to 22† (Pepsi Annual Report). Their distribution methods remain largely â€Å"unmatched†¦and in 2011 they successfully changed distribution for Gatorade products in the US in the convenience and other channels from a warehouse-delivered-go-to-market system to DSD, in order to more efficiently serve customers† (Pepsi Annual Report).Much like Coca-Cola, Pepsi’s Action Plans are employed globally and specific intentions are revealed in the Annual Report. The difference is however that Pepsi has two industries upon which it has to contend with: beverages AND snacks. Their action plan for 2012 and beyond stresses five imperatives : â€Å"1) build and extend macro-snacks portfolio globally; 2) sustainably and profitably grow its beverage business worldwide; 3) build and expand the nutrition business; 4) increase and capitalize on the high coincidence of snack and beverage consumption; 5) ensure prudent and responsible financial management† (Pepsi Annual Report).Functional Tactics used by Pepsi so as to achieve its short term goals/competitive advantage include marketing strategies and socially responsible business practices that reach a more global audience. Adopting the responsibility of â€Å"Global Nutrition† demonstrates Pepsi’s commitment to a healthier population and have â€Å"developed new strategies with new soft drinks which will catch on to part of the public that is the new health craze† (Dotson pg 2).The development of products such as Gatorade G2, which is low in calorie than the regular sports drinks, and Propel demonstrate that Pepsi in focused upon innovative produ cts that cater to the health conscious customer needs/wants. As revealed by the Annual Report, Policies That Empower Action for Pepsi begins with the â€Å"Power of One concept†¦operating as one company to connect with consumer†¦innovating globally, delighting locally†¦ and performance with purpose† to achieve sustained growth and success.While Pepsi has many difficulties to confront with respect to competition, multiple industries, and internal/external economic stressors; they are continuing to adapt to their environments and reiterate that â€Å"the challenge to renew a successful company is one that they embrace† (Pepsi Annual Report). Pepsi’s Organizational Structure is segmented â€Å"into four business units: 1) PepsiCo America’s Foods; 2) PepsiCo America’s Beverages; 3) PepsiCo Europe; 4) PepsiCo Asia, Middle East, Africa† (Pepsi Annual Report).Pepsi’s structure allows for certain control and efficiencies both n ationally and globally in the beverage and snack industries. In addition Pepsi has standardized the reportable segments of each business so as to allow for appropriate analysis and competitive advantage measurement by region. With respect to Strategic Control and Continuous Improvement, Pepsi’s organizational structure, leadership, and Power of Pepsi campaign reveal that the corporation is committed to remaining a sustainable competitor well into the future.Furthermore, â€Å"as they look ahead they are positioning their company for sustainable growth by building its brands around the globe, bringing innovative products to the marketplace, capitalizing on the coincidence of consumption of snacks and beverages, unleashing the full potential of its global scale and ensuring that PepsiCo continues to be a best place to work† embodies ways in which Strategic Control and Continuous Improvement are going to be accomplished. ANALYSIS & IMPLICATIONS FOR MIDDLE MANAGERSThe stra tegic models that each corporation adopts are similar but produce different levels of success for each organization. Both Coke and Pepsi have adopted aggressive marketing strategies and have struggled amongst one another to develop superior products and attain customer share maximization. Competition, while at times can be frustrating for the organization, in this case has allowed for the creation of better products and increasingly globalized operations resulting in inherent successes for both organizations.The Cola-Wars have been existent for quite a while, but as this point in time it can be said that Coca-Cola is the leader in the beverage industry segment â€Å"Pepsi was knocked into third place behind Coca-Cola and Diet Coke†¦Coca-Cola sold 1. 6 billion cases of regular soda and 927 million cases of diet soda, while Pepsi sold only 892 million cases† (WIKIPEDIA). However, Pepsi is still remaining competitive globally through the realization that there are other ind ustries upon which to capitalize and ensure sustainability into the future.In fact, â€Å"as far as Pepsi is concerned the cola wars are over and needs to focus on convincing investors that it has the right focus in the new health kick† (D’Altorio pg 2). While Pepsi is focusing upon â€Å"Global Nutrition† they still need to realize that â€Å"carbonated beverages still produce much of the company’s sales and are still a key to Pepsi’s financial health† (D’Altorio).Into the future both Coca-Cola and Pepsi will prove to be viable competitors as revealed by their strategies/mission statements contained in their Annual Reports. The real key however, will be whether consumer demand remains in the carbonated beverage industry†¦if the tides somehow change, Pepsi will emerge as the victor due to their diversification strategy†¦one that has crossed channels and decided to create advantages with both beverages and snacks.The Cola War s bring up important implications for middle managers in the form of strategic analysis, implementation, and adaptation. Organizational success depends ultimately upon the ability of the organization to connect with consumers by providing an array of options so as to meet consumer desires, needs and lifestyles and these principles are largely motivated by corporate leadership and direction.Furthermore, the talent of employees must be empowered by management so as to execute goals and objectives effectively. A corporations’ assets —brands, financial prowess, distribution systems, global influence and the talents of employees must be effectively employed so as to become more competitive and to influence accelerated growth in manners that create value for customers, shareholders, and the company itself. CONCLUSIONThe Coca-Cola/Pepsi â€Å"conflict has raged on for decades† and has even been dubbed as the â€Å"Battle of the Century† but has revealed in the p rocess two corporations that have been successful in adopting strategies and processes so as to survive in the constantly changing, volatile business and economic environments representative of the current times. Coca-Cola and Pepsi will continue to face challenges into the future in the realms of economics, technology, and an increasingly globalized business environment.In effect, the corporation that is able to effectively exploit the new social media front of marketing strategy into the future will most likely end up as the frontrunner in most any industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Coke and Pepsi are amongst a multitude of companies buying into social media’s ability to strengthen their brands†¦consumers are 55% more likely to recall ads that include social media components than non-social ads†¦consumers today are incredibly empowered and what used to work to get their attention now needs a bit more thoughtfulness† (USA TODAY).This paper: 1) reviewed the strategic issue s presented in the â€Å"Coke Wars† case through the use of the Strategic Management Model as applied to both Coca-Cola & Pepsi; 2) highlighted fundamental strategies & tactics so as to analyze the inherent competition between both corporations; and finally 3) discussed implications of concepts presented in the case for the middle manager so as to grasp lessons learned for future application.Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi are on the right track as far as determining appropriate strategies to thrive in the environments in which they operate but the challenge into the future will be the appropriate analysis and adaptability in which to adequately respond to customer needs, economies of scale, and the dynamic business environment. CASE STUDY MATERIALS/REFERENCES 1) Frontline. Coca-Cola’s union troubles in Columbia; http://www. pbs. org/frontlineworld/fellows/colombia0106/; Retrieved: 3 July 2012. 2) Coca-Cola Annual Report. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/investors/annual_ other_reports. html http://www. hecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/mission_vision_values. html 3) PepsiCo Annual Report. http://www. pepsico. com/Investors/Annual-Reports. html; Retrieved 4 July 2012. 4) Wikipedia. The Cola Wars; http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cola_wars; Retrieved 2 July 2012. 5) Terhune, Chad. Coca-Cola trying to renegotiate its syrup contract with bottlers; â€Å"Soda Rebellion: A Suit by Coke Bottlers Exposes Cracks in a Century-Old System; Serving Wal-Mart Is at Issue, But Spat Shines Spotlight On Local Businesses' Role; The Brownes' 84-Year History†; Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition). New York, N. Y. : Mar 13, 2006. p. A. Document URL: http://proquest. umi. com. library3. webster. edu/pqdweb? did=1001778801&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=30323&RQT=309&VName=PQD Copyright (c) 2006, Dow Jones & Company Inc. 6) Ward, Andrew. Can Coca-Cola recover? ; â€Å"Last Stand of Coke’s Old Guard Don Keough, 79, Seeks One More Year on the Board†; Financial Tim es; London, England; 19-Apr-2006. 7) Ward, Andrew. Can Coca-Cola recover? ; â€Å"Coke on Upward Path†; Financial Times; London, England; 20-Apr-2006. 8) Pearce, Robinson. Management and Strategy; MNGT 5650; Webster University St Loius, MO; McGraw Hill: Copyright 2012. 9) Dotson, Horace.Pepsi vs Coke: The Battle of a Century; Yahoo; http://voices. yahoo. com. Retrieved: 07 July 2012. 10) Diaz, George. NASCAR Cola Wars Spark Frosty Fireworks at Daytona; http://articlesorlandosentinel. com/2012-07-06/sports/os-george-diaz-daytona-coke-pepsi-0. Retrieved 06 July 2012. 11) Hernandez, Karin. Pepsi vs. Coke: The Cola Wars. http://seekingalpha. com/article/600021-pepsi-vs-coke-the-cola-wars. Retrieved: 06 July 2012. 12) Snider, Mike. Social Media is Latest Front of Cola Wars; USA Today 30 April 2012. http://www. usatoday. com/tech/news/story/2012-04-30/pepsi-coke-social-media/54631902/ Retrieved 12 July 2012.

Human Resource Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Human Resource Management - Assignment Example No human would be willing to work with frustrated aspirations or stunted and suppressed feelings. Thus it becomes incumbent on an organization to nurture and develop the feelings, aspirations, emotions of its employees. This is the traditional function of the human resource management function in any organization. Present day literature, however lays more emphasis on strategic human resource management wherein the human resource management function is aligned in such a manner that fulfilling human resource management function automatically ensures reaching strategic objectives of the organization. In short the human resource management function is woven with in the overall strategy of the organization. Strategic approach to human resource management implies putting in place a set of internally consistent policies and practices that ensure that organization's human capital (skills, combined knowledge of employees and abilities) contributes to organizations strategic objectives. Wherea s a bare approach to Human resources management is a self explained concept without its strategic orientation. It refers to all those activities that are undertaken consciously or unconsciously, internally or externally to an organization whereby human resources of the organization are developed and utilized in a manner to maximize achievement of organizational goals. One important precept of entire human resources' management exercise is the recognition of the fact that the most valuable resource for any organization is its human factor; it is the only live factor and thus the only truly mouldable factor. Therefore human resource management (HRM) is a term used to represent that part of an organization's activities concerned with the recruitment, development and management of its employees (Wood & Wall, 2002). This paper examines the case study of an organization where the human resources management function has been in disarray and the same has been manifested in the form of sever al outcomes like employees' dissatisfaction or lack of motivation, desire to change jobs, feeling of discrimination, poor and anomalous pay structure, poor performance etc; all of which has resulted in the organization presenting itself for a complete overhaul of its human resource management function. The paper would begin by describing in short the important case facts which will be followed by corrective suggestions as drawn from literature concepts and review. The Case Facts Loxley Swimming Pool and Loxley Tennis Club are the two leisure facilities that have recently been privatized and have moved from the control of the Loxley District Council to a company called Happy Leisure Company. This by itself is a situation which is a change management situation. Already there are employees who are not happy with the change to such an extent that they wish to remain redundant under the new dispensation. Other set of employees were so unhappy with the change that they decided to leave their jobs. Thus presenting the new owner with an employee turnover that may even affect essential staffing. District council control was characterized by poor and inadequate funding and separation of the organization of the swimming and tennis facilities. The new private

Fake Brands Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fake Brands - Case Study Example As promulgated in different copyright laws in various countries, intellectual property rights ought to be observed. In terms of the right to produce and distribute certain products, only firms with patents have the right to do so (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). Essentially, the aim of each business is to make profits and the interests of different businesses can only be protected by different copyright and intellectual property laws that are designed to protect the interests of individual companies. These laws help to prevent other unscrupulous people from reaping profits where they did not sow in the first place. The sale of counterfeit products is regarded as a form of high degree fraud and also classified as a serious offence. Luxury brands are in most cases the victims of counterfeit trade mainly as a result of the fact that they have premium prices that are beyond the reach of many people. In most cases, counterfeit trade is intentional but it has spiral impacts on the original producers of goods that are imitated. The companies will end up failing to realise their envisaged profits as a result of the fact that the consumers will prefer to buy affordable copycats at the expense of the producers of original brands. On the other hand, unsuspecting consumers can also be defrauded since they are hoodwinked into believing that they are buying original brands only to realise that they are fake when they have been delivered. Counterfeit trade is a problem of serious concern across the whole globe. According to The Gurdian (28 April, 2014), â€Å"A specialist police unit has shut down more than 2,500 websites selling counterfeit goods believed to be worth tens of millions of pounds.† This shows the extent to which this problem is a serious cause of concern in different parts of the globe. Trade of counterfeit goods is a bad product though some people may justify it

Discussion and self reflection assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion and self reflection assignment - Essay Example Nurses are always a in a position to put forward path breaking views on existing medical system all over the world. A new vision gets easily translated into a reality, if there is sufficient passion to support it all through its phases of conception, growth and manifestation. As a nurse, I would like to remain truthful to myself as much as possible in whatever I do. One can be truly professional only if there is no disparity between one’s goals and what one truly likes do in order to reach that goal. As far as I am concerned, it is always a pleasure to get involved in team work, share my knowledge with others, learn from others and take important, informed decisions as an individual whenever necessary. I have often felt that decision making is possible only when we are not mentally and physically distanced from the issues at hand. The more we could get involved in something, the easier it becomes to take good decisions. What guides one’s decisions is the innate sense of values that is part of one’s self. Therefore, I would always attempt retrospective introspections in situations where I am required to be in a leadership position. The best thing to make this process take place smoothly and effectively is to ask myself constantly whet her I can remain true to myself and my values while indulged in passionate work related to nursing. For me the most important step towards leadership is â€Å"to be true to myself and my values†. A vision, which is an integral part in leadership, comes from true passion and conviction. Therefore, if I am sure that I am doing what I am passionate about, there can be nothing to stop me. A lot of self-confidence and energy can come out of doing what we believe in. It is possible to gradually inculcate values related to one’s career. I watched a video recently. It was on enabling people, and I was really impressed by its depiction of a leader who was very energetic. He was able to motivate the crowd instantaneously. He spoke of

E-Health Insurance + Peiter Dijkhuis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

E-Health Insurance + Peiter Dijkhuis - Essay Example In addition, the insurance company provides customers with the same basic products across all ages. Their composition is 50 percent customers of fired employers and 30 percent direct of new customers. The company’s health insurance rules differs from those of other insurance companies and they usually take in all types of customers both healthy and unhealthy ones together with all various types of leveling. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge for the company is giving a discount to unhealthy customers. The company’s system is excellent for singularity though not good for investment stimulation and this makes it hard to earn money in this particular direction. In November 2014 vitality program, each customer can receive 100 points annually and can get additional points and they can use these points as well as choose some service from this vitality program so as to enhance their health. However, they lack the measure for their vitality. Through use of a tiny wearable system, measurement of everything and collection of data of a customer’s health can be effectively done. This system resembles a watch and costs around 150 Euros with the prices anticipated to drop by 5 years. The people grow quite old, or unhealthy, and they aim at getting more people to grow in a manner that is healthy. The company’s mission is making the residents of Friesland region to grow in manner that is healthy in addition to guaranteeing delivery of extremely high-quality of the health service to customer. Portfolio box website basically focuses on what the company does. Thus, the website explains that Portfolio box concentrates on making the boxes for use during presentations. The website is so on point such that it explains in detail what they do and why they do it. The website carries the company’s tagline which is â€Å"our Portfolioboxes are

The Pictorial Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Pictorial Presentation - Essay Example As the paper highlights because of these reasons, Darren was feeling that it is highly unethical to change the artwork of a country, change the tradition (involving men whereas traditionally it’s being done by the females) and satisfy them by just paying a handsome amount. Traditions and artifacts mostly represent the people of country, their rituals, history, important events etc. Changing the artifacts and traditions means changing the base of the country. This study outlines that generally, ethics are considered important for the success of any business. Basically ethics and seven step model recommends the concept of righteous of action. Righteous of action means that any task you do for any one it should be trustful. It should meet all required obligations. Every thing or deal made should be crystal clear.   One should make decisions regardless of differences of religion, age, sex and position. Ethics highly recommend the fair decisions, sense of responsibility of each other. Thus, ethical decisions should be made by keeping these all facts in mind. According to the seven step model, an organization should be trustful with its customers, internal and external members of the organization. If the company does not do this; it would be ethically wrong. Here, Darren should be trustful with Puna Native American’s. He should tell them the pros and cons of doing this commitment with the Artifacts, LTD i.e. tell Puna Native Americanà ¢â‚¬â„¢s that societies, countries became weak when their basic cultural symbols are change. Whereas, he did not did that as his boss wanted him to do so for the Fredrick and the profit of the company. According to the model Darren should motivate Fredrick and her boss to think on some other idea or plan.

Liberty of Conscience and Individuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Liberty of Conscience and Individuality - Essay Example He might have put much focus and contribution in his own country for his fellow countrymen, but this has influenced leadership of nations across the globe. The liberty of every person is an essential factor for governance; as one is able to demand their right as well as play a role in the way they are governed by freedom of speech and demonstration. In this essay am solely going to expound on what Mill advocated for in his quest for liberty in his country as its written in his book On liberty. Mill had a strong believe on the liberty of an individual and had his strong points to back his reasoning at such a time when many governments were transitioning and locked out any idea of a person trying to criticize or influence other citizens. One of his greatest opinions was on the fact that there should be different experiments of living. This was based on the fact that human beings are flawed in their way of acting and reasoning, but this should not be a determinant of what they could be permitted to do or not to do. He argued that opinions of any individual should be done in action as long they did not interfere with the lives of others around them. To him as long a person’s opinions could be freely formed and expressed, so should be his actions on the same opinion. According to Mill societies had to factor this opinion in action the same way they had considered it just as an opinion. He stated that if an individual chooses to follow his opinion in what he/ she believes is right, they should be allowed to put into action. Actions meant that an individual could do whatever he/ she values to be right and justified as long as they never complicate the lives of others around them. According to Mill, the process of taking opinions into another level which was action had to be acceptable by the fact that a number of characters about an individual are not likely to harm others around him/

Nature of Health Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nature of Health Information - Essay Example Patient-specific needs such as a centralized list of current HCPs per patient, institution-specific needs such as a means of telling if these HCPs are on call, and domain-specific needs such as disease management with prescribing information are just some of the needs of physicians. For nurses, on the other hand, they have simpler information needs than the physicians. In patient-specific information, availability of patient diagnoses and laboratory results are needed. Institution-specific needs such as policies, protocols and census reports are also listed. Finally, domain-specific needs, specifically drug information, diagnoses definitions, and educational materials, are indicated. In addition, nurses tend to depend more on domain-specific information such as online textbook guidelines and decisions aids than do physicians. Despite these differences, the glaring similarity is that they both want to be able to communicate and share information with other HCPs (Coiera, 2000). A centr al list of current of current HCPs per patient demands the input from the HCPs themselves. Providing their concise qualifications and credentials, as well as their contact details, may help in the use of these data for knowing which HCPs to consult when certain medical conditions of a patient arises. However, these data should be processed such as they are well-organized, regularly updated, and easily accessible.

Russian Financial Crisis in 1998 Essay Example for Free

Russian Financial Crisis in 1998 Essay These events led Russia’s international reserves to fall by $13. 5 billion and to the dissolution of the Kiriyenko government. One month later, Standard and Poor’s downgraded its rating of the Russian ruble to â€Å"CCC,† the lowest possible Standard and Poor’s rating, for its long-term outlook and â€Å"C† for short-term outlook. These events signaled the onset of the Russian financial crisis, which had its roots in the fundamental problems in the Russian economy but was triggered in part by the continuing financial crises in emerging markets in Asia and around the world. What were the causes of this crisis and near financial collapse? What are the so-called â€Å"experts† saying about the crisis and its spillover effects on other ENI countries? What are the possible courses of action that could minimize the adverse effects of the crisis and reduce the likelihood of future occurrences? The purpose of this paper is to summarize the divergent viewpoints expressed by leading scholars and practitioners in the field of international development and finance. By surveying the literature, it is apparent that the Russian crisis, and to some extent the Asian crisis that preceded it, was caused by a combination of internal structural problems in the domestic economy (especially in the banking and fiscal systems) and growing problems with the international financial system that permits excessively rapid outflows of capital. However, there is significant divergence of opinion among scholars and practitioners as to which set of factors, those related to the Russian economy or those related to the international financial system, are the cause of the crisis. In addition to the differences of opinion as to the causes of the crisis, disagreement exists as to the remedies to the crisis. As a result, each group has recommended its own set of policy prescriptions. The first section of this paper discusses the divergent opinions on the causes of the crisis. The second section highlights the economic, social, and political effects of the crisis. The third section provides a list of the proposed remedies offered by the divergent camps. The final section summarizes the main findings and includes a timeline of the Asian and Russian crises. Divergent Opinions: Causes of the Russian and Global Financial Crises The divergent views regarding the causes and cures of the Russian and Asian financial crises can be broken down into two camps: (1) those that believe that the crises derived primarily from problems in the international financial system and (2) those that place blame primarily on the structural problems within the countries themselves which left them vulnerable to capital flight and other problems arising from external financial instabilities. Members of the first group tend to be critical of the IMF and other international financial institutions, saying that these institutions played a role in creating and exacerbating the financial crises rather than helping to reduce the negative impact, although the â€Å"fix the system† critics do agree that each of the crisis countries did suffer from internal structural problems as well. The second group of analysts—the â€Å"fix the countries† group—believes that the international financial system and the approach of the IMF in assisting these countries are more or less working, and that the current crises derived from a lack of sufficient regulatory and fiscal reforms in Russia and Asia. â€Å"Fix the Global Financial System† Critics Jeffrey Sachs. According to Sachs, â€Å"the Treasury and the IMF have driven a large part of the developing world into recession†¦And the Brazil case makes absolutely clear that the first step is not to defend overvalued currencies. The punishing cost of this is overwhelmingly high. This is a lesson that the IMF and the Treasury have continued to ignore† (Uchitelle 1999). In his view, the IMF exacerbated the crisis by demanding tight fiscal and monetary policies. He claims that perceiving the crisis to be one of balance of payments, rather than a financial panic, the IMF chose an approach similar to the mistaken policies implemented by the United States in the early stages of the Great Depression of the 1930s (Radelet and Sachs 1999). Furthermore, Sachs insists that since high interest rates and austerity measures are bringing disaster to many emerging markets, interest rates should be kept down to encourage economic activity and allow exchange rates to find their own equilibrium level. He does not attribute the devaluation of exchange rates as a cause of the crisis in Russia, nor does he believe that a currency board arrangement would have saved the country. He states that â€Å"when pegged rates become overvalued, [this] forces countries to deplete their foreign exchange reserves, in a vain defense of the currency peg. † In his view, it was the combination of broken promises (i. e. , the ruble will not be devalued) and depleted reserves that left the country vulnerable to panic (Radelet and Sachs 1999). He believes that a growing economy is more likely to restore investor confidence than a recessionary one burdened by high interest rates (Uchitelle 1999). An additional contributing factor to the crisis, according to Sachs, was â€Å"moral hazard. Investors clearly had doubts about Russia’s medium-term stability, and talked openly about the risk of collapse and about the safety net that they expected the IMF and G-7 to provide to Russia. Knowing that these international lenders would rescue Russia and guarantee investments in the event of a financial meltdown in Russia, international investors tended to underestimate the r isks—and hence tended to over-invest in Russia. Russia was viewed as â€Å"too big to fail,† and this led to an inflow of capital that was larger than appropriate for the actual level of risk (Radelet and Sachs 1999). George Soros. As one of the world’s most successful international investors, an important philanthropist with millions of dollars invested in democracy projects throughout the ENI region, and a public intellectual who has proposed that sweeping changes be made to the international financial system, George Soros is a key figure in the Russian and Asian financial crises. His disparate roles often create a conflict, as Soros-the-intellectual appears to many an advocate of the regulation of international capital flows to prevent potential damages from speculations by people like himself (Frankel 1999). Soros was Russia’s biggest individual investor prior to the crisis in August 1998. He held a $1 billion stake in Svyazinvest, a telecommunications concern, and millions in stocks, bonds, and rubles. In mid-August 1998 Soros sprang into action to try to stop the crisis. He contacted the U. S. Treasury department, influential former members of Yeltsin’s administration, a nd published a letter in The Financial Times saying that the meltdown in Russian financial markets â€Å"had reached the terminal phase† (O’Brien 1998). In his letter, Soros called for immediate action—a devaluation of the ruble and institution of a currency board—that would have eliminated the Russian central bank’s discretion over monetary policy. Not realizing that a letter from Soros would be perceived as coming from Soros-the-investor instead of Soros-the-intellectual, his letter helped to prompt a panic in Russian markets, where investors believed Soros was shorting the ruble. Soros’ funds ultimately lost $2 billion in Russia as a result of the financial crisis there. According to his testimony to the Congressional Committee on Banking and Financial Services on 15 September 1998, Soros pointed out that â€Å"the Russia meltdown has revealed certain flaws in the international banking system which had previously been disregarded† (Soros 1998a). These flaws can be summarized as follows: (1) Banks engage in swaps, forward transactions, and derivative trades among each other— in addition to their exposure on their own balance sheets—but these additional transactions do not show up in the banks’ balance sheets. So when Russian banks defaulted on their obligations to western banks, the western banks continued to owe their own clients. As these transactions form a daisy chain with many intermediaries, and each intermediary has an obligation to his/her counterparty, no simple way could be found to offset the obligations of one bank against another. As a result, many hedge and speculative funds sustained large losses, and had to be liquidated. This systemic failure led most market participants to reduce their exposure to emerging markets all around, and this caused bank stocks to plummet and global credit market to enter a crunch phase. 2) As individual countries attempt to prevent the exodus of capital from their economy by raising interest rates and placing limits on foreign withdrawal of capital (as in Malaysia), this â€Å"beggar-thy-neighbor† policy tends to hurt the other countries that are trying to keep their capital markets open. (3) Another â€Å"major factor working for the d isintegration of the global capitalist system is the evident inability of the international monetary authorities to hold it together†¦ The response of the G7 governments to the Russian crisis was woefully inadequate, and the loss of control was kind of scary. Financial markets are rather peculiar in this respect: they resent any kind of government interference but they hold a belief deep down that if conditions get really rough the authorities will step in. This belief has now been shaken† (Soros 1998a). He also adds that â€Å"†¦financial markets are inherently unstable. The global capitalist system is based on the belief that financial markets, left to their own devices, tend toward equilibrium†¦This belief is false† (Soros 1998a). 3 His proposed cure is to reconsider the mission and methods of the IMF as well as replenish its capital base. Additionally, he’d like to see the establishment of an International Credit Insurance Corporation to help create sound banking systems, which would be subject to close supervision by the international credit agency, in developing countries (Soros 1998b). His last recommendation is to reconsider the functioning of debt-swap and derivative markets (Soros 1998b). Academia and Other Nongovernmental Organizations. Initially, Paul Krugman, an economist at MIT, argued that problems with the Asian economies, combined with corruption and moral hazard, led to wild over-investment and a boom-bust cycle. More recently, however, Krugman explains that such weaknesses cannot explain the depth and severity of the crisis, nor the fact that it occurred in so many countries simultaneously, and instead he places the blame on financial panic and overly liberalized international and domestic financial systems (Radelet and Sachs 1999). According to Krugman, â€Å"all short-term debt constitutes potential capital flight. † The need to fix structural problems in individual countries should not stand in the way of broader macroeconomic measures, in particular those designed to stimulate growth in hard times. He states that â€Å"it is hard to avoid concluding that sooner or later we will have to turn the clock at least part of the way back. To limit capital flows for countries that are unsuitable for either currency unions or free floating; to regulate financial markets to some extent; and to seek low, but not too low, inflation rather than price stability. We must heed the lessons of Depression economics, lest we be forced to relearn them the hard way† (Uchitelle 1999). In other words, the global financial system is largely to blame for the recent crises. Fix the Countries† Analysts IMF. According to the IMF, Russia’s financial crisis was brought on by a combination of (1) weak economic fundamentals, especially in the fiscal area; (2) unfavorable developments in the external environment, including contagion effects from the Asian financial crisis and falling prices for key export commodities such as oil; and (3) its â€Å"vulnerability to changes in market sentiment arising from the financing of balance of payments through short-term treasury bills and bonds placed on international markets† (IMF December 1998). The IMF had pointed out in May 1998 that Russia had made insufficient progress in improving budget procedures and tax systems, establishing competent agencies to collect taxes and control expenditures, clarifying intergovernmental fiscal relations, and ensuring transparency at all levels of government operations. By August 1998, investor confidence in the ability of Russian authorities to bring the fiscal system under control began to decline, immediately leading to the financial crisis, after the Duma failed to approve fiscal measures planned under the augmented Extended Fund Facility (EFF). These measures were aimed at reducing the fiscal deficit, implementing new structural reforms addressing the problem of arrears, promoting private sector development, and reducing the vulnerability of the government’s debt position, including a voluntary restructuring of treasury bills. 4 The extent to which the Russian crisis is attributable to contagion effects from the Asian crisis instead of to internal problems stemming from insufficient reforms in fiscal management is difficult to determine. According to the IMF’s May 1998 assessment of spillover effects from the Asian crisis, Russia’s stock market was seriously hit by the crisis and by early spring 1998, stock prices in Russia had indeed not yet fully recovered from the lows reached in fall 1997. The Russian ruble had also been hit hard and the central bank had to intervene heavily in the foreign exchange market just to keep the currency within the new exchange rate band. As international capital fled from the risky Asian economies in the fall and winter of 1997, investors who were similarly wary of risky investments in the transition economies began to reduce their exposure to Russian and other ENI markets. Nevertheless, emerging market investors quickly began to differentiate between high- and low-risk countries. By first quarter 1998 the Czech Republic and Poland had become relatively attractive to investors, receiving considerable short-term capital inflows and by January 1998 Standard and Poor’s credit rating for Hungary had greatly improved. Russia and Ukraine, on the other hand, continued to suffer from structurally weak financial sectors and an over-dependence on short-term borrowing. To attract investment back into Russia, the Russian government had to raise interest rates in order to offer yields well above pre-crisis levels to cover for the increased perception of risk. As a result, foreign investment had started to flow back into Russia by early 1998. According to the IMF, differences in the severity of interest rate and equity price movements among the transition countries illustrate the importance of appropriate domestic macroeconomic and structural policies to limit vulnerability to international financial crises. In Russia and Ukraine, financial sector weaknesses and a high dependence on government borrowing, in addition to chronic revenue problems, especially in Russia’s case, explain why these two countries were more affected by the Asian crisis than the Central and East European countries. In other words, the Asian crisis exposed Russia’s underlying structural problems and made the need to address them more apparent. The IMF continues to assert that the financial crisis in Russia was a crisis of the state. Nearly a year and a half ago, Michel Camdessus, Managing Director of the IMF, claimed that the Russian state â€Å"interferes in the economy where it shouldn’t; while where it should, it does nothing. Camdessus pointed out that the Russian state needs to make progress in promoting an efficient market economy through transparent and effective regulatory, legal, and tax systems. At present, the IMF still supports these recommendations (IMF November 1998). Existence of a Virtual Economy. Clifford Gaddy of the Brookings Institution and Barry Ickes of Penn State University argue that although the immediate causes of Russia’s financial crisis are the large budget deficit, resulting from nsufficient revenue collection, and an inability to service the debt, especially short-term dollar liabilities, there are more fundamental problems with Russia’s economy. These problems stem from â€Å"illusions† regarding prices, wages, taxes, and budgets that permeate the Russian economy to such a great extent that the economy has become â€Å"virtual† rather than actual. This virtual economy 5 is derived from a public pretense that the economy is bigger and output more valuable than they really are. According to Gaddy and Ickes, the virtual economy primarily originated from the unreformed industrial sector inherited from the Soviet era, in which enterprises produced output that was sold via barter at prices that were higher than they would be if sold for cash. In general, these enterprises operate without paying their bills, as wages that should be paid to employees (but are not paid) become wage arrears, and required payments for inputs (which are also not paid) emerge as interenterprise arrears and payments through barter. In fact, Gaddy and Ickes assert, people make an effort to avoid cash transactions because they would expose the pretense of the virtual economy. They go on to state that although the virtual economy acts as a safety net for Russian society, it has serious economic repercussions since it negatively affects enterprise restructuring, economic performance measuring, and public sector reform (Gaddy and Ickes 1998). At this point, they argue that the West has two choices on how to help Russia. First, the West can concentrate on keeping Russia stable in the short term by bailing out the virtual economy, which will lead to further consolidation of a backward, noncompetitive economy and will guarantee the need for future emergency bailouts. The second option would be to refuse the bailout. The consequences of this option would be drastic—the ruble will lose its value, foreign capital will flee—but on the positive side, the Russian economic policy that is so addicted to borrowing would have to kick the habit as it found its supply of international credit cut off. They state that â€Å"denying Russia a bailout is not without risks. But bailing out the virtual economy is sure to increase those risks for the future† (Gaddy and Ickes 1998). U. S. Government. The U. S. Treasury Department points out that despite the many important reforms that have been carried out in Russia—including extensive privatization, price liberalization, and reduction of government spending—reforms in a few critical sectors have lagged behind, leading to the financial crisis. According to David Lipton, the principal problems include the failure to control the budget deficit and extensive government borrowing. The budget problems are a manifestation of the political struggle over the country’s economic direction and as long as these disputes over the proper role of government remain unresolved, he believes that budget difficulties and unnecessary government borrowing will continue unabated. He also argues that Russia’s high fiscal deficits have led to the country’s high interest rates since â€Å"Russias macroeconomic problem is fundamentally fiscal; interest rates are more properly viewed as a symptom of that problem, not a cause† (Lipton 1998). Lastly, he argues that the failure to build a favorable investment climate and adhere to the rule of law also helped to sow the seeds of the financial crisis (Lipton 1998). The Treasury Department also points to external factors that led to the crisis. According to Deputy Secretary Lawrence Summers, the Russian crisis was not inevitable. He avers that if the Asian crisis had not reduced confidence among emerging markets investors, and had the prices of export commodities (e. g. , oil) not fallen so dramatically—the August 1998 crisis might not have taken place (Summers 1999). Nevertheless, the crisis did occur because the Russian government attempted to pursue an enormously risky course of simultaneously 6 devaluing the ruble, imposing a debt moratorium, and restructuring government bonds in response to the external pressures (Lipton 1998). To avoid future crises, Summers points out that Russia needs a tax system that supports the government and legitimizes enterprises, which probably involves a new allocation of spending and revenues between central and regional governments. Summers, however, is also quick to point out that it is much easier to talk about what tax reforms need to be implemented than to discuss how the reforms can be accepted politically. He adds that bank restructuring is another area where reform is needed and that it should be done in a fair nd transparent way within a legal framework that makes current owners take responsibility for their losses before scarce public funds are used (Summers 1999). Russian Government and Nongovernmental Analysts. Yegor Gaidar, former prime minister of Russia, attributes the crisis to the combined continuation of soft budget constraints from the socialist period along with the weakening of previous administrative controls and government corruption, which led to the ban kruptcy of state enterprises. The early years of transition in Russia were marred by inefficient macroeconomic policy, weak budgetary and monetary constraints, and inflation that eroded budget revenues. Although later macroeconomic policy was more efficient and succeeded in controlling inflation, efforts to improve revenue collection or cut expenditure obligations have failed, leading to unsustainable deficits. The lessons learned here are that budget deficits should be reduced as quickly as possible, as inflation is also controlled, and the vulnerability of exchange rate regimes to potential crises should be addressed immediately (IMF 1999; Gaidar 1999). In terms of the current regime, Gaidar describes Primakov and his government as a â€Å"communist government in post-communist Russia,† because Primakov and his cabinet come from the â€Å"traditional Soviet economics establishment† and his post-crisis approach relies on strengthening and centralizing government control. According to Gaidar, the Russian government faced two possible paths to solve the crisis: (1) return to the approach employed in 1992–94, with soft monetary and budget policies, or (2) maintain a tight monetary policy, stabilize the ruble, and carry out fundamental budget reforms to allow the government to balance revenues and expenditures. The first path would lead to the return of high inflation rates, as the government relaxed its control over the money supply in an attempt to pay its debts, but the banks would benefit from the return of â€Å"cheap money† issued by the Central Bank. The second path would involve speeding up structural reforms, which would be good news for profitable enterprises but would mean painful consequences for unproductive enterprises—mostly firms in the industrial and financial sectors—as they would be allowed to go bankrupt if they could not compete in world markets. Both paths would be painful, Gaidar explains, but the first path of high inflation would also be inequitable, as the poorest layer of society tends to suffer most from increasing prices. Not surprisingly, Primakov chose to pursue a modified version of the inflationary approach, a sort of populist economics policy that had been implemented in many Latin American countries. The reason Primakov opted for this path, as Gaidar states, is because â€Å"in part, the lack of internal and external sources for financing after the 7 dismissal of the Kiriyenko government pushed [the Primakov government] toward choosing the inflationary variant† (Institute for Economics in Transition 1999). Andrei Illarionov, Director of the Institute for Economic Analysis in Moscow, while noting the IMF’s successes with respect to Russia, criticized the IMF for being too willing to compromise on Russian conditionality. Not one of the IMF programs developed in Russia, Illarionov claims, has been executed in full, as a result of the softening and revision of conditions in original agreements. He states that â€Å"decisions to provide financing for Russia, motivated by political rather than economic considerations, have given rise to the problem of moral hazard. As a result, the Russian government became spoiled after being granted unearned financial assistance, and policy became even more irresponsible than before (Illarionov 1998). Finally, Illarionov also criticizes the IMF for offering inappropriate policy recommendations to Russian authorities in two other areas: exchange rate and fiscal policies. The IMF program (mid-1998, pre-crisis) stipulated that the exchange rate policy should remain unchanged for the remainder of 1998, in order to preserve the low inflation rates, and prescribed that the Russian government should concentrate mainly on raising revenue rather than reducing expenditures. Although many poor 9 O c t 9 8 J u l 9 8 A p r 9 8 egaw muminim laiciffo J a n 9 8 O c t 9 7 .9991/20 ,PECER :ecruoS J u l 9 7 A p r 9 7 J a n 9 7 Dissatisfaction over the continuing problem of wage arrears led to an increase in strikes throughout the country toward the latter part of 1998; 1873 strikes were registered in December 1998, nearly 3. 4 times the number during the previous December. aissuR ni ecnetsisbuS dna ,snoisneP ,segaW ecnetsisbus woleb era % 92 level ecnetsisbus laiciffo ecnetsisbus woleb era % 12 0 001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 R u bl e s p e r m o n t h . eople have become poorer, the impoverishing effects of the crisis have also hit other groups within Russian society. Workers involved in the business of selling imported goods have found that demand for their products has nearly evaporated as not only consumer incomes have fallen, but also ruble depreciation means higher prices on imports. As a result, many of these trade businesses have shed labor or closed. One of the longer-term consequences of the economic crisis in Russia may be the strain on society, which is likely to weaken the Russian government’s ability to continue to push for reforms. In some ENI countries, the crisis has given reform skeptics an excuse to abandon or reverse some reforms already implemented. The social pressure against further economic reforms, now seen by many as the cause rather than the cure for the economic crises, may become strong enough to counter-balance the pro-reform force. It may lead some ENI countries to get stuck in what Adrian Karatnycky describes as a â€Å"state of stasis† rather than of transition. Stability Versus Democracy Politically, the financial collapse has weakened Russia vis-a-vis the west, but its relative power in the region has in many ways increased. Not only has the crisis given Moscow an excuse to consolidate power over the regions throughout Russia, but it has also allowed many hard-liners within Russia to gain some ground in their push to reassert Russia’s traditional sphere of influence. In addition, many neighboring regions have found themselves with large arrears on their payments to Russia for natural gas deliveries, and have had to strike deals with Russia to find ways to settle these debts through deliveries of food and other barter arrangements. Following the onset of the crisis in August, the Russian government proposed many changes intended to promote economic stability at the cost of democracy. In February 1999, Prime Minister Primakov argued that Russia’s governors should be appointed by the President, rather than elected by their constituents, so that Moscow can take back control over the regions and avoid a collapse of the country. President of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenko rejoiced in the crumbling of IMF-backed reforms in Russia, considering the crisis to be a indication of his position in favor of state planning and price controls. The old proposal regarding a possible political union of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia has also resurfaced, as Russia and some neighboring countries have concluded that further integration will help solve their problems. In the words of Ivan Rybkin, President Yeltsin’s envoy to the CIS, â€Å"the recent crisis taught us all that we must stand together in order to surviveâ₠¬  (Rutland 1999). Effects on Neighboring Countries The drop in real wages in Russia—coupled with the devaluation of the ruble—has translated into dramatically reduced Russian imports. For the neighboring countries that depend on Russia as a market for their exports, the shrinking market in Russia has been disastrous for their local economies. As Russians are shifting consumption away from the relatively more expensive imported goods, the producers of these goods in neighboring countries are faced 10 with a dramatic fall in demand for their products. This has translated into falling output and increased unemployment for the countries that are most closely tied to Russia through trade, especially Moldova (more than 50 percent of Moldovan exports go to Russia); Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, (;gt;33 percent of exports to Russia, as of early 1998); and Georgia (;gt;30 percent of exports to Russia) (EC 1999). The drop in remittances from nationals living in Russia has led to decreased incomes in neighboring countries with large numbers of gastarbeiter working in Russia. Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have been most severely hit by this decline in remittances. In some cases the pattern seems to have been reversed, with families in neighboring countries now supporting relatives living in Russia (EC 1999). Finally, food prices have also increased in the neighboring countries of the NIS, as the cost of imports from outside Russia has risen as a consequence of the significant devaluation of local currencies. Some of the specific effects and impacts on other NIS and neighboring countries are summarized briefly below. Armenia—Accumulation of public sector arrears is likely, as government is facing difficulties in financing of education, health care, and other expenditures. Remittances from Armenians in Russia have decreased, placing additional pressure on family support systems, and this could result in increased poverty. Azerbaijan—Trade-related consequences in the short term are less than for other NIS countries, as the political instability in the North Caucasus region has already limited trade ties with Russia prior to the crisis. Government spending was cut in 1998, and further cuts in 1999 will affect key social sectors. As in other Caucasus countries, decreased remittances from Azerbaijani nationals residing in Russia has reduced family incomes in Azerbaijan. Baltic Region—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—The Russian crisis forced some Baltic banks to fail, and several others to reveal their under-reporting of exposure to Russia in their September 1998 quarterly reports. Better developed financial systems, a reorientation toward western markets, and general political stability have helped to limit the damage and contagion effects from the Russian crisis. Belarus—One of the most affected countries in the NIS, Belarus was highly dependent on trade with Russia prior to the crisis. Exports to Russia plunged from $400 million/month in the first half of 1998 to just $170 million/month by September 1998. Shortages of basic foods forced the government to introduce rationing. Georgia—The Russian market accounted for 30 percent of Georgia’s exports prior to the crisis, and Georgian nationals living in Russia provided a significant amount of income to Georgian families through remittances. The trade deficit with Russia widened to 50 percent in October 1998, forcing the Georgian authorities to float the lari (which led to a sharp depreciation). 11 Kazakhstan—In the first half of 1998, half of Kazakhstan’s exports went to Russia, and the impact of the crisis has been felt in Kazakhstan primarily through the reduction of exports to Russia. Kazakhstan introduced a temporary ban on the import of some Russian foodstuffs, in order to control the inflow of cheapened Russian goods following the depreciation of the ruble. Kyrgyzstan—Nearly 60 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s exports went to Russia, prior to the crisis, so this country was also one of the more vulnerable to negative shocks through the trade mechanism. In this most pro-reform of the Central Asian Republics, price liberalization of utilities and privatization may be threatened, as consumers are less able to pay the higher tariffs as a esult of fallen incomes. Moldova—Trade with Russia is important to Moldova, as 50 percent of Moldovan exports went to Russia prior to the crisis. Many farms and other agro-exporters have been unable to pay wages, as their export market has dried up in Russia. Here, too, the crisis has threatened the reform and liberalization process implemented by the government, as investors’ interest in the Moldovan economy has diminished and a heavy withdrawal from commercial banks have signaled a lack of confidence in this country. Tajikistan—Low commodity prices for cotton and gold had already damaged the Tajikistan economy before the Russian crisis, and the fragile peace held together in part with the support of the Russian military (serving as border guards) has certainly not gained strength from the crisis. Apparently, Tajikistan is not as dependent on trade with Russia as other NIS countries, and this has helped to insulate Tajikistan from the direct effects of the crisis. Turkmenistan—Exposure of Turkmen banks to Russian markets has been limited, as the Turkmenistan economy is tightly controlled by the state. The Russian crisis therefore is not expected to have a strong direct impact on Turkmenistan. Ukraine—Closely linked to Russia through trade and financial ties, Ukraine has suffered greatly as a result of the Russian crisis. The hryvnia lost half its value against the dollar following the crisis, and reserves have fallen (as of early 1999) to only one month of imports. Inflation surged to 12. 8 percent in October 1998 alone, following a long period of relatively stable inflation before the onset of the crisis (2 percent inflation in first half of 1998). Uzbekistan—As Uzbekistan has been gradually reorienting its international trade profile away from Russia over recent years, the country has apparently been less affected by the crisis than other NIS countries. Further, the underdeveloped banking system and financial markets in Uzbekistan may have helped to insulate that country from the shocks emanating from Russia in August 1998, as Uzbekistan had relatively little exposure to Russia’s financial markets. 2 Proposed Remedies As discussed throughout this paper, two camps have emerged in academic and policy circles that seek to explain the causes of and remedies for the Russian financial crisis. This section highlights some of the remedies proposed by each camp. According to the â€Å"fix the countries† critics, such as the IMF and the U. S. Treasury Department, the Russian government must continue pushing for reforms in the public finance and banking sectors. According to Gaddy and Ickes, only two options exist for western creditors and international financial institutions: keep Russia stable in the short-term by bailing out the virtual economy or refusing a bailout. Denying Russia a bailout would have negative effects in the short-term by leading to the demise of large commercial banks and oligarchs, foreign capital flight, and currency devaluation. In the long run, however, Gaddy and Ickes prefer this option because they believe it will force Russia to adjust to economic life without a steady supply of credit available and adapt sound economic policies. They dislike the first option simply because they believe it will lead to the further development of a nonmarket-oriented economy that would require bailouts in the future. The Treasury Department adds that bank restructuring and reforms in tax administration and collection are necessary as well. The â€Å"fix the global financial system† critics, such as Jeff Sachs and George Soros, urge that the international financial system be reformed so that short-term borrowing by banks and governments be limited so as to avoid potential investor panics. In addition, Sachs recommends that domestic banking regulations, in the form of enhanced capital adequacy standards and policies that encourage partial bank-sector ownership by foreign capital, be implemented in order to limit vulnerability of the domestic economy to foreign creditor panics, and that exchange rates be kept flexible instead of pegged. In addition to these proposed remedies, others have gone further to propose mechanisms for recovering losses (Sexton 1998). According to Sexton, foreign creditors have at their disposal four mechanisms to recover losses to Russian firms: 1. Convertible debt securities: debtors could issue convertible bonds to creditors although Sexton argues that this probably won’t work too well in Russia 2. Treasury or redeemed shares: company may exchange its own shares, that were bought back, or interests to extinguish outstanding indebtedness; there should be no tax consequences to debtor on repurchase of shares; on resale to foreign creditor, debtor should be taxed on any gain on shares or should be able to deduct any loss sustained 3. Alternative debt refinancing structure: swapping debt for convertible debt which creditor converts into equity; issue by debtor to creditor of convertible bonds as a means of refinancing outstanding debt; creditor should make sure conversion ratio covers value of outstanding debt over term of loan; disadvantage to this 13 strategy is that creditor is refinancing and likely to have twice the outstanding debt for some time 4. Securitizing the debt: convert debt into security which creditor then contributes to debtor’s charter capital to pay for the shares (key issue facing creditors thinking of taking equity in a Russian debtor company in exchange for indebtedness is how to value that equity) Summary This paper has addressed the opposing views as to the causes of and remedies for the Russian financial crisis. †¢ Two central camps have emerged. One camp argues that the Russian economy has severe structural problems that were the primary cause of the crisis: fiscal deficit, banking sector problems. The other group points to the IMF and the problems with the international financial system, claiming that moral hazard problems led investors to underestimate the risk of investing in emerging markets such as Russia, and that unregulated short-term investment flows out of emerging markets can result from the panic. Each of these groups proposes different remedies for the crisis, based on their assessment of the roots of the crisis. The IMF and Treasury Department insist that the Russian government continue to push for reforms in public finance and the banking sector, claiming that weaknesses in these areas ultimately led to the onset of the Russian crisis. Jeffrey Sachs, George Soros, and others who are critical of the international financial systems and the role of the IMF in the recent financial crises, recommend that the short-term borrowing by governments and banks in emerging markets be limited and regulated, and that exchange rates are flexible rather than pegged. †¢ Although the worst of the Russian crisis may have already passed, as the Russian and other ENI stock markets appear to have recovered and the dramatic fall in production has been reversed, the original causes of the crisis still need to be addressed. Continued progress in banking and fiscal reforms in Russia will be necessary to ensure that the country is less vulnerable to future external shocks and foreign creditor panics. Improvements in these sectors would help restore investor confidence in the Russian economy and reverse the current outflow of capital. 14 ANNEX: What Happened in Russia? A Brief Chronology of Events Asian Crisis: Precursor to the Russian Crisis †¢ †¢ July 1997, Thailand—devaluation of Thai baht December 1997, Korea—devaluation of Korean won †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ ate October 1997— Pressure on ruble intensifies, as result of Asian crisis December 1997—Foreign exchange pressure temporarily recedes in Russia 19 December 1997—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble: longterm—â€Å"BB-â€Å"; outlook—negative; short-term—â€Å"B† January 1998—Reemerging p ressure on ruble forces Central Bank to raise interest rates, increase reserve requirements on foreign exchange deposits, and intervene on ruble and treasury bill market March 1998—Stock market prices in Russia have not yet recovered from lows reached in late fall 1997 May 1998—Russia places major commercial bank under Central Bank administration; miners strike over wage arrears; Russia continues to intervene on foreign exchange markets to support ruble, but investors increasingly see this strategy as unsustainable Late May 1998—Interest rates in Russia increased to 150 percent; Russian government announces revisions to 1998 budget, including 20 percent cut in expenditures and new initiatives to boost revenues Early June 1998—Recent policy announcements temporarily ease tensions, allow partial reversal of earlier interest rate hikes 9 June 1998—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble: long-term— â€Å"B+â€Å"; outloo k—stable; short-term—â€Å"B† Late June 1998—Russian authorities unveil anti-crisis program, aimed at boosting tax revenues, cutting expenditures, and speeding up structural reforms . 9991 lirp A , eci vre S et aR egn ahc xE CIFI C AP : ecruo S 15 4 / 2 / 9 9 3 / 2 / 9 9 2 / 2 / 9 9 1 / 2 / 9 9 1 2 / 2 / 9 8 1 1 / 2 / 9 8 1 0 / 2 / 9 8 9 / 2 / 9 8 8 / 2 / 9 8 7 / 2 / 9 8 6 / 2 / 9 8 5 / 2 / 9 8 4 / 2 / 9 8 3 / 2 / 9 8 2 / 2 / 9 8 1 / 2 / 9 8 03 Russian Crisis Timeline 0 5 01 51 02 52 After the devaluation of the Thai baht in July 1997, one Asian country after another had to raise interest rates sharply to avoid currency devaluation. But the combination of high interest rates and currency depreciation, which inflated the burden of foreign debt, provoked a financial crisis (Krugman 1999). SU$/selbuR :etaR egnahcxE elbuR †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 16 1 2 / 2 0 / 9 8 9 / 2 0 / 9 8 6 / 2 0 / 9 8 3 / 2 0 / 9 8 1 2 / 2 0 / 9 7 9 / 2 0 / 9 7 6 / 2 0 / 9 7 3 / 2 0 / 9 7 1 2 / 2 0 / 9 6 .9991 lirpA ,semiT wocsoM :ecruoS 9 / 2 0 / 9 6 6 / 2 0 / 9 6 3 / 2 0 / 9 6 1 2 / 2 0 / 9 5 9 / 2 0 / 9 5 6 / 2 0 / 9 5 3 / 2 0 / 9 5 1 2 / 2 0 / 9 4 9 / 2 0 / 9 4 6 / 2 0 / 9 4 0 †¢ 003 †¢ xednI semiT wocsoM :egnahcxE kcotS naissuR †¢ Mid-July 1998—Russian authorities introduce additional policy package, in the context of an IMF agreement on an augmented Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement 20 July 1998—IMF releases first $4. 8 billion tranche of $22. billion extra credit pledge, as policy package is approved by IMF Late July 1998—Initial effects of this package are positive, with equity prices rebounding 30 percent, treasury bill rates falling from 100 to 50 percent, and a low ering of the Central Bank refinancing rate from 80 to 60 percent Early August 1998—The Duma fails to approve new reform program; President forced to veto several Duma measures and introduce others by decree 13 August 1998—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble: longterm—â€Å"B-â€Å"; outlook—negative; short-term—â€Å"C† 14 August 1998—Average treasury bill rates are about 300 percent, international reserves down to only $15 billion, and Russian banks are unable to meet payment obligations Russia on the verge of full-scale banking and currency crisis 15 August 1998—Boris Yeltsin announces that there will be no devaluation of the ruble 17 August 1998—Russian government defaults on GKO Treasury Bonds, imposes 90day moratorium on foreign debt payments, abandons ruble exchange rate corridor 17 August 1998—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble downgraded: long-term—â€Å"CCC†; outlook—negative; short-term—â€Å"C† 21 August 1998—Russia’s international reserves fall to $13. 5 billion, after renewed heavy intervention in an effort to support the weakened ruble 26 August 1998—Following heavy intervention, the Russian Central Bank announces that it will stop selling U. S. ollars, and suspends trading of ruble on main exchanges Late August 1998—Kiriyenko government is dissolved, financial crisis intensifies 1 September 1998—Russia is the IMF’s largest borrowe r, with a combined total of credits at this date equal to nearly $18. 8 billion 2 September 1998—Russian Central Bank abandons exchange rate band, lets the ruble float 16 September 1998—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble: longterm—â€Å"CCC-† [lowest possible S and P rating]; outlook—negative; short-term—â€Å"C† January 1999—Moody’s assesses financial strength (â€Å"E†) and credit ratings (â€Å"Ca†) of the Russian banks at the lowest possible levels; most banks are insolvent (or nearly so) 005 054 004 053 052 002 051 001 05 †¢ †¢ †¢ 15 January 1999—The Central Bank of Russia re-launches trading on the domestic debt market. The new securities are to be used in the restructuring of frozen GKO and other debt instruments 27 January 1999—Standard and Poor’s Sovereign Ratings of Russian ruble: Longterm—â€Å"Selective Default†; outlook—â€Å"Not Meaningful†; short-term—â€Å"Selective Default† 5 February 1999—The 1999 budget was passed by the Duma in its fourth and final reading. The budget estimates a 2. 5 percent budget deficit, and assumes that the government will receive $7 billion in external loans to help finance foreign debt service 17 BIBLIOGRAPHY European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). March 1999. â€Å"Overview on Developments in the Operating Environment,† mimeo. European Commission (EC). 20 January 1998. â€Å"The Russian Crisis and Its Impact on the New Independent States and Mongolia. † Communication of the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament. [http://europa. eu. int/comm/dg1 a/nis/russian_crisis_impact/1. htm] Frankel, Jeffrey A. 1999. Soros’ Split Personality: Scanty Proposals from the Financial Wizard. † Foreign Affairs 78 (2): 124-130. Gaddy, Clifford G. , and Barry W. Ickes. 1998. â€Å"Russia’s Virtual Economy. † Foreign Affairs 77 (5): 53-67. Gaidar, Yegor. February 1999. â€Å"Lessons of the Russian Crisis for Transition Economies. † Institute for Economies in Transition on-line publication. Illarionov, Andrei. 1998. â€Å"Russia and the IMF,† testimony prepared for hearing of the General Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Banking and Financial Services Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives, 10 September. International Monetary Fund (IMF). 1999. IMF Survey. Volume 28, Number 4. International Monetary Fund. May 1998 and December 1998. World Economic Outlook. International Research and Exchange Board (IREX). 1998. â€Å"Russia’s Economic Crisis and Its Effect on the New Independent States,† a discussion report summarizing conclusions of an IREX policy forum held on 18 November. â€Å"Kommunisticheskie pravitel’stvo v postkommunisticheskoi Rossii: pervye itogi i vozmozhnye perspektivy [Communist Government in Post-Communist Russia: Initial Results and Possible Perspectives]. † 1999. Working Paper Series. Moscow: Institut ekonomiki perekhodnogo perioda [Institute for Economies in Transition]. Krugman, Paul. 1999. â€Å"The Return of Depression Economics. Foreign Affairs 78 (1): 5674. Lipton, David. 1998. â€Å"Treasury Undersecretary David Lipton Testimony Before the House Banking General Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Russia,† RR-2673, 10 September. Odling-Smee, John. 1998. â€Å"The IMF Responds on Russia: A Letter to the Editor,† 30 November. 18 O’Brien, Timothy. 1998. â€Å"George Soros Has Seen the Enemy. It Looks Like Him. † The New York Times, 6 December: . Phillips, Michael M. 1999. â€Å"Apocalypse? No. Round the Globe, Signs Point to Final Days of Financial Crisis. † The Wall Street Journal, 14 April: . Radelet, Steven, and Jeffrey Sachs. 1999. â€Å"What Have We Learned, So Far, From the Asian Financial Crisis? Paper sponsored by USAID/G/EGAD under Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform (CAER) II Project. Robinson, Anthony. 1999. â€Å"Russia: Coming in from the Cold. † The Banker 149 (877): 4849. Russian European Centre for Economic Policy (RECEP). 1999. â€Å"Russian Economic Trends. † Monthly Update, 10 February. Russian Market Research Company (RMRC). 1998. â€Å"Business Barometer Survey: Moscow, October 2-3, 1998,† published on the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia website. Rutland, Peter. 1999. â€Å"Moscow Casts a Long Shadow. † Transitions 6 (3): 27-31. Sexton, Robert. 1999. â€Å"Turning Russian Debt into Equity. † Euromoney no. 357: 75-76. Smirnov, Mikhail. 1998. Rubl’ kaput ili kak bank Rossii opustil rubl’ [The Ruble is Kaput, or, How the Bank of Russia Lost the Ruble],† National’naia sluzhba novostei [National News Service]. Soros, George. 1998a. Testimony to the Congressional Committee on Banking and Financial Services of the U. S. House of Representatives, 15 September. Soros, George. 1998b. â€Å"The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered,† remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, 10 December. Summers, Lawrence H. 1999. â€Å"Russian and the United States: The Economic Agenda,† remarks by Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers at the U. S. -Russian Investment Symposium in Cambridge, MA, 14 January. Uchitelle, Louis. 1999. â€Å"Crash Course: Just What’s Driving the Crisis in Emerging Markets? † The New York Times, 29 January: . 19

Development of ICT Examination System

Development of ICT Examination System Abstract: Today, conducting examinations for schools or colleges is a serious concern of the government agencies. The mal-practices or the delay in declaration of results are affecting the careers of the students and in turn break the image of delivering bodies and hence government. Government of Maharashtra had constituted one committee on examination reforms to carry out the in-depth study for use of ICT in examination system. The researcher is registered doctoral student, hence presented in the review paper, the examination reforms is the need of every time in the society since its establishment. Keywords: ICT, Examination reform, Education Introduction: Examinations play an important role in imparting education and knowledge to students. Examination is an instrument to evaluate the knowledge, understanding and learning of students. For Teachers, Examinations provides feedback to evolve their way of teaching. In Maharashtra, serious concerns have been expressed on various issues regarding security of university examination papers and image by the media about the capabilities of Universities to hold organize examinations in a fair manner. In this regard, Hon’ble Chief Secretary opined that immediate action needs to be taken to set up a reliable system so that aforementioned incidences do not occur and Universities can hold the examinations smoothly. A Review: In 2011, Mohini Bhardwaj, Amar Jeet Singh placed the need of present time in India in following manner, â€Å"ICT has reached at every door step, but its potential has not been fully utilised. ICT is a very helpful tool for providing good governance by bringing a sea-change in the working of organisations and institutions.† In two years of span the speedy development of ICT implementation in examination is quoted by Dr. Anurag Sankhiyan, that, â€Å"Trend of seeking online applications for regular, entrance /competitive examinations and conducting on-line examinations have made the system very simple and cost effective for the examining bodies. But, on the other hand, this change is also bringing lot of challenges to the rural youth of the country who are not that much techsavvy. The present paper, focus on the possibilities and challenges of integrating ICT in examination system.† Ron Oliver in his research paper titled â€Å"The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education† stated that, the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. The paper argues the role of ICT in transforming teaching and learning and seeks to explore how this will impact on the way programs will be offered and delivered in the universities and colleges of the future. Aatish Palekar in his web article, The Reform of Examination System – Essay, quoted that, in any education system, they must occupy an important place. Yet the way and the form in which they are held need reform. There are so many serious defects in the present system of examination that their purpose is completely defeated. They fail in measuring the progress of students. Many ways of reforming the examination system have been suggested. One is the setting of objective-type questions, instead of the present system in which the questions require long, essay-type answers. Mohini Bhardwaj and Amarjeet singh focused that the need of ICT is at prime stage considering the gross enrollment ratio in India, as per the University Grants Commission (2008) report titled â€Å"Higher Education in India-Issues related to expansion, inclusiveness, quality and finance†, the number of universities in India has increased from 20 in 1950 to about 431 in 2008, colleges from 500 in 1950 to 20,677 in 2008 and enrolment of students has increased from mere 100,000 in 1950 to 11,612,000 in 2008. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) i.e. which is a ratio of persons enrolled in higher education institutions to total population of the persons in age group of 18 to 23, rose from 0.7% in 1950 to about 11% in 2007. Still the fact remains that the GER in India is quite low compared to that of the developed countries and world average having GERs 54.6 % and 23.2% respectively. Indian government aims to bring GER to 15 % by 2012. The researcher made the current review about GER, and find that the current GER is 19% and the government of India aims to achieve the GER up to 30% by 2020. (The Diplomat, Challenges and Solutions in Indian Higher Education  ByShreyasi Singh, October 02, 2013) The author Anurag Sankhiyan is trying to trouble shoot the challenges in examination system with ICT, hence quote that, â€Å"India is not a rich country where we can change the whole picture in one day. Being a developing nation, the country is facing lot of problems in every sphere. ICT based examination system is quite costly in the initial stage and in case country manage to invest for changing the manual system to ICT we will be facing the challenges on the part of learner who have to adopt the same. Maximum universities, educational boards and selection bodies are inviting the examination applications online. Students who are rural and not have the access to the new technology have to visit cities for filling the application forms. In that case they depend on the people who are managing the cybercafà ©s. Maximum time it has been observed that their forms get rejected due to filling wrong information by such people. Providing proper orientation to the students regarding using the technology is one of the main challenges.† The author rightly focus the challenge of poverty in the nation and the challenge of implementing ICT at lowest possible rate along with the lower ICT literacy among the poor citizens. Anurag Sankhiyan, had also pointed out the significant tangible benefits of using ICT in examination system over the manual system. They quoted that, with ICT integration of technology, process, resources; also streamline procedures in examination system were identified. The author stretch the ICT usage up to quality of service and effective monitoring in the process along with statistical reports at the finger tips. But Mohini Bhardwaj and Amarjeet singh, these authors placed the challenges of main feature of ICT i.e. integration of ICT in examination system in following way- Lot of investment is needed on the part of universities and school examination boards as technology is quite costly. Lack of ICT trained people is another challenge, for which proper training programmes in a regular manner are to be organised. Less initiative taken by the state universities to integrate ICT in the examination system due to lack of funds. Maximum student population of the country is living in the rural areas and not has access to the new technologies. Changing the mindset of the people presently using manual system and making them trained. Orienting students to adopt new technology before shifting to the ICT based examination system. Conclusion: Hence it is clear from above review that in spite of achieving higher GER and ICT promotion at higher stage, the monetary issues are of prime importance. The lack of initiation by universities, rural population and capacity building of the stake holders are challenges in 2013-14, where researcher want to carry out the study to know the implementers thoughts, stake holders e-readyness, how to implement complete ICT solution in NMU region which also covers tribal along with rural region. References: Dr. Anurag Sankhian, (2013) Redesigning Indian Examination System through Technology, GIAN JYOTI E-JOURNAL, Volume 3, Issue 2 ISSN 2250-348X, 57-67 pp Mohini Bhardwaj, Amar Jeet Singh, (2011) Automated Integrated University Examination System, Himachal Pradesh University Journal, 1-10 pp Aatish Palekar, The Reform of Examination System – Essay ARTICLES http://www.publishyourarticles.net/eng/articles/the-reform-of-examination-system-essay.html accessed on 6.6.2013 at 9.30 am Government of Maharashtra, (2012) Reforms in Examinations System in Universities of Maharashtra through use of Technology, Committee Report. Ron Oliver (2002), The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education, HE 21 conference proceedings