Social entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social entrepreneurship - Essay Example While this aspect may seem obvious, the distinction interests me deeply because of social entrepreneurship’s potential to produce breakthrough outputs that could solve the perennial social problems such as income disparity, monopolies and so on. We should remember that we have been under some economic systems but our world is still confronted with issues such poverty, exploitation and so forth. In the course of my studies and research in this field, I have come across a lot of business models that sought to define what constitutes business and its purpose. There has been some degree of confusion for me since it seemed logical and reasonable to follow the popular economic theories, such as those of Milton Friedman’s which place profit as the main objective of a business’ existence. This was where things got interesting because the concept of the social entrepreneur disproved some widely accepted notions, say, in terms of the stakeholders in an enterprise. For the traditional business people, the sole stakeholder in a business organization is the stockholder or the owner of the capital and that the management is working for his benefit. In social entrepreneurship, the stakeholder is not only the entrepreneur but they include the community, the employees, their clients and all the participants in the organization and its operation. The attributes cited by William Drayton, which differentiates an entrepreneur from the social entrepreneur further underscores my point: â€Å"Social entrepreneurs have the same core temperament as their industry-creating, business entrepreneur peers but instead, use their talents to solve social problems.† (Drayton, 2002) If this concept would be refined into a successful business model and integrated in the mainstream, then there is a chance of a radical positive change not just in business but in the society as well. In line with the previously mentioned â€Å"pearl† the second important point that I would like to discuss

Wireless Led Dot Matrix Notice Board Essay Example for Free

Wireless Led Dot Matrix Notice Board Essay POWER SUPPLY Power supply section power the whole circuitry. Different section of this system requires different voltage levels. This requirement cannot be achieved using a single power adapter or battery. So a power supply consist of dc-dc converter is used in our project. The DC-DC converted dc power supply can provide 12v dc, 9v dc and 5 v dc simultaneously for display, discrete IC and micro controller respectively. The power supply section is also included with short circuit protection to prevent system being damaged due to the careless usage or electrical malfunctions. CONTROLLER The controller used here is PIC 16f877a, which is an 8 bit micro controller used for general purpose medium scale applications. In our project this device retrieves signals from the RF receiver as serial data through its URAT port on a baud rate of 2400 bps and stores in its internal data memory. From there it sends the data one by one to display section to display it. The scrolling algorithm is also done through the program written in the controller. This controller also communicate with the RFID reader to fetch the ID of RFID card brought to its proximity and then retrieves the corresponding registry entry to display it in the display board. The scrolling message mode and personal message mode is switched with help of two way switch attached in the display board end. When the switch is in its normal position the message from the PC is displayed and when the switch is in other position the board will display the personal information of the  student whose card is in the proximity o f the RFID reader. DISPLAY The display used here are dot matrix LED. The whole panel consist of 32 displays each one of 57 dot matrix LED. Each character in this display is formed using four such display units. That means the whole display can show a total of 8 characters at a time. The display is drived and controlled using a ring counter IC 4017. By this IC we select each display independently and their column. It uses persistence of vision to let you drive the 32 led matrixes with only 10 microcontroller outputs! Normally you would need 32outputs for 32 LEDs but by using multiplexing and a helper chip you can get away with 10. LED Display multiplexing simply means turning on one led for a short period of time and doing this repeatedly for each LED. If you do this fast enough then your eye will not notice any flicker.The LEDs are no different to any other LEDs but it saves a huge amount of soldering as all the wiring has been done for you..Or you could wire it up yourself if you cant get hold of the module. Still only need 10 control wires (just wire you leds the same as shown in the module diagram). Your eye reacts slowly to changes in light intensity so that if a light is turned on and off quickly enough then it does not notice that the light is off. Basically your eye remembers a light pulse for a short time. The approximate time is 20ms so if the light is turned on at a frequency 50Hz ( 1/20ms) then your eye will not notice any flicker at all. Multiplexing uses this fact to reduce the number of pins needed to drive an LED display. You can do this by splitting the 32led displays into 7 rows and 5columns which lets you drive it using 7 row outputs and 5 column outputs. In fact the 57 led matrix block used here has all the leds arranged in this way already. Each row is driven in turn and as long as all of the rows are driven within a time period of 20ms it will appear as though the LEDs are on continuously. To turn a specific led ON, data is output to the column drivers when a row is driven. To save more pins it is common to use a helper chip and in this project it is a Johnson counter (a 4017). This generates a walking one every time that its clocked.  Since you only want one row on at a time it is the ideal chip for this application. In this project when the 4017 has been reset it outputs logic high at Q0 which is not connected so during reset the 4017 does nothing. This allows you to use the column driver port for something else if you want to when you are not driving the LEDs.To drive the 4017 all you need is two pins one for reset and one for clock. So to fully drive the 32 matrix led display you need only 4 4017. The most difficult thing about using the dot matrix LED display is defining the characters. Basically for ASCII characters you need an array of 128 blocks each having 8 column data numbers. The usual way is to get out a piece of graph paper and define your characters by drawing blocks where a pixel is on. You then translate each line into hex (binary to hex is very easy) and then transfer this information to your program source code. RFID READER RFID is used here to implement the personal information display. RFID technique helps the system for identifying each student with the help of a unique ID given to each student. This reader is capable of powering and reading data from an RFID card which is brought ot its proximity. It has a transmission section through which it sends the received data to controller. The range of this RFID is approximately about 10 cm so that it can avoid unwanted detection of RF signals. In our system RFID system consists of a reader and one or more tags. The readers antenna is used to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy. Depending on the tag type, the energy is harvested by the tags antenna and used to power up the internal circuitry of the tag. The tag will then modulate the electromagnetic waves generated by the reader in order to transmit its data back to the reader. The reader receives the modulated waves and converts them into digital data. In the case of the Parallax RFID Reader Module, correctly received digital data is sent serially through the SOUT pin. There are two major types of tag technologies. Passive tags are tags that do not contain their own power source or transmitter. When radio waves from the reader reach the chip’s antenna, the energy is converted by the antenna into electricity that can power up the microchip in the tag (known as parasitic power). The tag is then able to send back any information stored on the tag  by reflecting the electromagnetic waves as described above. Active tags have their own power source and transmitter. The power source, usually a battery, is used to run the microchips circuitry and to broadcast a signal to a reader. Due to the fact that passive tags do not have their own transmitter and must reflect their signal to the reader, the reading distance is much shorter than with active tags. However, active tags are typically larger, more expensive, and require occasional service. The RFID Reader Module is designed specifically for low-frequency (125 kHz) passive tags. Frequency refers to the size of the radio waves used to communicate between the RFID system components. Just as you tune your radio to different frequencies in order to hear different radio stations, RFID tags and readers have to be tuned to the same frequency in order to communicate effectively. RFID systems typically use one of the following frequency ranges: low frequency (or LF, around 125 kHz), high frequency (or HF, around 13.56 MHz), ultra-high frequency (or UHF, around 868 and 928 MHz), or microwave (around 2.45 and 5.8 GHz). Here we are using an RFID Reader Module with a single TTL-level. The current consumption of the module will increase dramatically when the module is active. A visual indication of the state of the RFID Reader Module is given with the on-board LED. When the module is successfully powered-up and is in an idle state, the LED will be GREEN. When the module is in an active state and the antenna is transmitting, the LED will be RED. The face of the RFID tag should be held parallel to the front or back face of the antenna (where the majority of RF energy is focused). If the tag is held sideways (perpendicular to the antenna) youll either get no reading or a poor reading. Only one transponder tag should be held up to the antenna at any time. The use of multiple tags at one time will cause tag collisions and confuse the reader. The two tags available in the Parallax store have a read distance of approximately 3 inches. Actual distance may vary slightly depending on the size of the transponder tag and environmental conditions of the application. When a valid RFID transponder tag is placed within range of the activated reader, the unique ID will be transmitted as a 12-byte ASCII string via the TTL-level SOUT (Serial Output) pin in the  following format: RF RECEIVER The RF receiver is used to receive RF wireless signals which are transmitted fro the pc section and feed it to the controller. This receiver works in the principle of ASK modulation, an analogue modulation technique to implement digital transmission. This receiver has an active antenna. It works with power of 5V and sink a current of 0.1 mA. The maximum baud rate allowable with this receiver is 2400 bps. For efficient operation we uses 1200 bps. The range of this receiver is with in 100 mtrs. But it can be extended to kms be increasing the power of transmitter . PC SECTION PC section contains application software which is used to interface with the computer. This application has a text box where we can enter the message to be displayed in the notice board. On hitting the send button the data in the text box is transmitted to the display board wirelessly. RS 232 – TTL CONVERTER The signal obtained from th PC is of RS 232 standard. Which means the signal from the PC will be in the range of +12 to -12V level. For the transmitter and the controller to understand the signal it should be in the range of 0 +5 V. so the signal should be level converted before transmission. For this level conversion we use MAX 232 IC. This IC is dedicated for RS 232 to TTL level conversion. With the help of some discrete components this IC can convers the level to ttl logic. RF TRANSMITTER RF transmitter transmits the digital signal generated by the level converter through space as electromagnetic waves. The transmitter uses ASK modulation technique. The range varies up to 100mtrs. The power varies from 5V to 12v. The more the power supply voltage the more will be its quality and range.

Russias Economy During Yeltsin Era

Russias Economy During Yeltsin Era Analyse the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. How have these problems been tackled? Abstract The following dissertation will analyse the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. In many respects these principle problems facing the Russian economy stemmed from the economic and political disintegration of the Soviet Union combined with how effectively or ineffectively the Yeltsin administration had attempted to deal with those problems. As will be discussed the principle economic problems that faced the Russian Federation in 1992 were daunting, and therefore it is not surprising that some of these problems remained unsolved and were bequeathed to the incoming Putin government after Yeltsin’s surprise resignation at the end of 1999. Yeltsin had seemed to be Russia’s political saviour in August 1991 when he led the resistance to the attempted coup of Soviet hard-liners against Gorbachev. The failure of that coup inevitably accelerated the demise of the Soviet Union. However, the Russian economy would prove much harder to tackle t han desperate Soviet generals and KGB chiefs.[1] The principle problems of the Russian economy can be arguably traced back to the inefficiencies of the Soviet Union’s command economy and its massive military expenditure during the Cold War. These economic problems accelerated the demise of the Soviet Union itself and made it difficult to make the economic transition to capitalism without major economic implications.[2] The Soviet Union for all its economic faults had at least provided a basic standard of living, which meant that none of its people starved or were in severe economic distress. This was despite a stagnant economy, although its economic stability crumbled with remarkable speed. For much of the Yeltsin era the Russian economy could not match the basic living standards of the old Soviet Union for many of its citizens.[3] It could be argued that the transition to capitalism contributed to the worsening of the principle problems outlined below, and that ill thought out economic policies since have made it more difficult for those problems to be effectively tackled during and after the Yeltsin era. Among the main themes of this dissertation is that the Yeltsin government did not have a consistent set of economic and political policies to solve the principle problems of the Russian economy, which in turn hampered the effective tackling of those problems. The so called young reformers led by Yegor Gaider and Anatoly Chubais had the most thought out strategies for the Russian economy, yet they did not have a constant control over the government’s economic policy throughout the Yeltsin era.[4] Besides not all the economic strategies advocated by the young reformers proved to be effective once the Russian government put those strategies into practice. The ways in which all the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era were all interconnected are arguably obvious and apparent. To a certain extent it will be argued that Boris Yeltsin himself did not help the Russian government to tackle the principle problems of the Russian economy. The link betwee n principle problems in the Russian economy and political ones plus social factors will be discussed when and where appropriate. This dissertation will seek to examine the reasons for the Russian economy taking over a decade to achieve real growth, despite following the policies that it was advised would promote stability, liberalised and privatised economy. This dissertation will attempt to analyse whether the economic transition achieved anything at all to justify an estimated 47 % decrease in living standards between 1991 and 2000. How many Russians believed that the detrimental effects of the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era could have been averted or tackled earlier?[5] When Boris Yeltsin assumed the presidency of the Russian Federation it was still part of the Soviet Union and not even a sovereign state in its own right also it did not have control over economic policy. Yeltsin presided over the dismantling of Communist control in Russia, yet he found it very difficult to construct capitalism from virtually non-existent foundations as any form of capitalist economic activity had been illegal for much of the previous 75 years after the Communist Revolution.[6] By the time Yeltsin left his presidential office, the Russian Federation was a fully independent state that nominally, if not completely become a liberal democracy with a capitalist market economy. However, the dual Russian transitions to liberal democracy and capitalism from an authoritarian Communist State proved difficult and many have argued that those transitions remain incomplete. The incompleteness of the transition to capitalism and the political and economic make up of the Russian fed eration had a strong influence upon the principle problems facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era. Russia had been used to authoritarian government with state controlled central planning for the economy so the process of liberalisation had been uneven and had unwelcome social and economic consequences across Russia. The legacy of misguided Soviet economic planning took much effort and a great deal of suffering for the poorest sections of the Russian society to break, it seemed to help a minority of Russians make their fortunes, whilst leaving the rest to fend for themselves. In Russia the correlation between political and economic weaknesses arguably helped to make the post-communist economic and democratic situation imperfect and even corrupt.[7] The move to bring capitalism to Russia in less than a decade was as revolutionary as Stalin’s attempts to achieve industrialisation during collectivisation, yet the opposite aims of privatising the economy. The aim of the Yeltsin government to bring capitalism was a sensible notion, yet the ways that it was implemented caused controversy as well as arguably increasing the impact of the principle problems that afflicted the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era.[8] Decline and signs of recovery 1992 1998 The initial bout of economic shock therapy administered in 1992 brought about hyperinflation, the closure of many factories and enterprises, which led inevitably to mass unemployment. Gaider and the other young reformers in the Yeltsin government had to end state subsidies to factories and intoduce the lifting of price controls at one go rather than to introduce reforms gradually. It was harsh economic medicine for a country burdened with the consequences of communism’s profound economic and political failures, although Yeltsin did not have the political strength or motivation to carry out shock therapy as extensively as Gaider and the other ‘young reformers’ had originally intended. Through much of the 1990s the young reformers and the richest entrepreneurs known as the oligarchs competed for political influence and power, whilst contending to gain control of the Russian economy or a share of its greatest spoils. Neither the young reformers nor the oligarchs were popular with the majority of the Russian people, yet none of them particularly cared. They were not involved in popularity contests, they were arguing over power and riches. Sometimes they might do things that were good for the Russian economy, yet they were mainly interested in achieving their own agendas than serving the national interests of Russia.[9] The weakness of the Russian economy further weakened the position of the Russian government at the start of the Yeltsin era. These were political as well as economic weaknesses that still existed when Yeltsin left office. Yeltsin’s first term was undermined by political disputes with the Russian Supreme Soviet, which Yeltsin eventually closed down and replaced with a new parliament, the Duma. Yeltsin had to maintain his political position whilst attempting to prevent the Communists and nationalists making sufficient electoral gains to restrict his political room to manoeuvre. Yeltsin was able to maintain his hold on power, despite a strong challenge from the Communists after his re-election in 1996. Yeltsin’s second term in office highlighted his inability to find a Prime Minister that was politically reliable, could manage, or even reduce the weakness of the Russian economy and who did not want to assume the presidency as Yeltsin’s replacement before Yeltsin was due to leave office in June 2000. Yeltsin’s second term witnessed his problems with ill health worsen, which in turn meant that the Russian economy as well as the Russian government was not as effectively managed as they needed to be. When Yeltsin appointed the virtually unheard of Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister he believed that he had found a man that could fix the Russian economy and solve its political problems. Perhaps more importantly for Yeltsin and his family, Putin was unwilling to prosecute either him or his relatives for their links to the corruption and inefficiency of the Yeltsin era.[10] The Russian economy did show signs of revival towards the end of Yeltsin’s first presidential term, yet in many respects such a revival was more apparent than real. The vast majority of Russians were economically worse off than they had been before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Declining inflation and unemployment rates did not benefit most of them, especially those that lost their jobs, their savings, and all hope with the shock therapy of 1992 which resulted in inflation rates of around 2,000%. The new Russian economy seemed to benefit former Communist party officials; bureaucrats, factory, and state farm managers that managed to gain control of former state owned enterprises. The other main beneficiaries were the handful of entrepreneurs, subsequently known as the oligarchs that had become very wealthy through their links with Yeltsin. The Russian economy for the first time also had millions of shareholders eager to show their capitalist credentials. The Russian governm ent did not however, share in the beginning of the Russian economy during the middle of the 1990s, the strength and capabilities of the Yeltsin government to deal with economic problems was undermined by falling revenues. Government revenues had been reduced through the economic contraction of the early 1990s, higher spending on social security, lower global prices for Russian oil exports, plus extensive tax evasion. Not that anybody had to deliberately evade paying their taxes given the massive size of the tax arrears owed to the Russian government. The breakdown of the Soviet Union led to other problems such as lower exports to the other former Soviet republics and the inability of countries such as the Ukraine to pay for Russian gas and oil.[11] The table below that shows the annual changes in Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures between 1992 to 1999 amply demonstrates the disastrous state of the Russian economy throughout much of the Yeltsin era. [12] Stock market crash and Government weakness The perilous financial position of the Yeltsin government itself proved to undermine the revival of the Russian economy as it directly contributed to the collapse of the Russian stock market in 1998. The crash of 1998 ruined millions of small-scale shareholders in Russia and reduced the scale of foreign investment in the Russian economy. Russian investors were in effect made to suffer due to the ineptness of the Russian government in raising enough taxes to run the country and avoid bankruptcy.[13] Under Yeltsin the Russian State had lost out in terms of revenue and economic independence to the oligarchs, profits that should have lined the coffers of the Kremlin lined the pockets of Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Potanin, and the other oligarchs. All of these factors combined to make the insolvency of the Russian State as principle problem of the Russian economy. Restoring the solvency of the government would increase its scope to solve the other principle problems of the Russian economy , as well as restore the political authority of the state.[14] When Vladimir Putin assumed power his government was faced not only with the task of restoring the solvency of the Russian state, he also had to restore the faith of Russians and foreigners that the government would not default on its loans. The crash of August 1998 had led to the Yeltsin government defaulting on $40 billion worth of foreign loans. The crisis in confidence also saw the rouble decline to a third of its pre-crash value.[15] The Russian economy was not helped by international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or foreign governments most notably the United States by the amounts of capital as the Russian government would have liked.[16] As Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had already shown his commitment to restoring the solvency and the power of the Russian State. Putin’s strength of character plus his determination to succeed contributed to Yeltsin’s decision to resign and maximise Putin’s chances of retaining the presidency after the 2000 presidential election. Putin was elected president in 2000 and claimed the credit for Russia’s improving economy as well as apparent victory in the war against Chechen separatists. Putin put himself forward as the man capable of curing Russia’s profound economic, social, and political problems. If confidence alone was the sole key to solving the principle problems of the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era, then Russia should have been a prosperous state the day Putin entered the Kremlin.[17] Principle Problems of the Russian Economy The first principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was the incomplete nature of the transition to a capitalist market economy. The support of Boris Yeltsin for the measures needed for a full transition to a market economy was not consistent throughout his time in office. The economic reforms introduced in 1992 hit the Russian economy harder than the similar reforms introduced in former Communist states such as Poland and Hungary. Russia had a larger economy, more state enterprises and factories plus a much longer period under communist control than any of the former communist states Central and Eastern Europe had. The Yeltsin government received plenty of advice as to whether to introduce economic liberalisation all at once or gradually, although at that point there was no hard evidence as to which approach would be the most successful in the long run. In the short run economic contraction was expected before the Russian economy would show signs of i mprovement and growth.[18] However, the period of economic contraction was longer than many experts had predicted, although the sheer scale of the problems facing the Russian economy throughout the Yeltsin era were enormous. A healthy Boris Yeltsin, despite his lack of knowledge concerning capitalist economics, might have given the government more urgency in tackling those economic proms it could. However, during his second term as president Yeltsin suffered from the affects of heavy drinking and a severe heart condition. Given the prominence of presidential power in the Russian political system having an incapacitated president was detrimental to the tackling of Russia’s economic problems. Not only was Yeltsin frequently ill he would intervene in the government at some inopportune moments. Yeltsin had a tendency to appoint Prime Ministers and cabinets on a whim. If a Prime Minister proved incapable of tackling the country’s many social, economic, and political problem s they would be removed. Paradoxically if a Prime Minister was too successful in resolving those problems or appeared to be more popular than Yeltsin they were also removed from office.[19] A principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was that a proper banking system similar to those operating in more established capitalist economies had not been fully developed to aid the Russian economy’s transition in to a capitalist economy. There are various reasons why the lack of a fully developed banking system became a principle problem facing the Russian economy. The lack of such a properly developed and regulated system hindered and deterred foreign businesses from investing in the Russian economy, as potential investors could not be sure of where their money was going. The lack of foreign investment slowed down economic growth in the financial sector of the Russian economy. Growth in the financial sector was needed to compensate for the contractions in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy.[20] The lack of a properly regulated banking system also aided the money laundering of illegal profits from the organised crime gan gs that seemed to proliferate after the Soviet Union collapsed. Organised crime gangs had been able to take advantage of the Russian government’s struggle to maintain full political and economic control of Russia. The unregulated nature of the Russian banking system did not help stem the flow of financial capital out of the Russian economy during the Yeltsin era. The Yeltsin government seemed unable or unwilling to take effective measures to stop the flow of capital that was so detrimental to the Russian economy. If the Russian government had been able to attract as much investment into the Russian economy as there was capital exported away from it then the economy would have achieved greater stability and growth. However, the IMF made economic aid and loans to the Russian government conditional upon the Russians on improving the Russian banking system to international standards of performance and regulation. The Russian government could in return claim that Russia’s e conomic problems would have decreased if the Russians had received all the international aid and investments that had been promised in the early 1990s. Whilst aid was slow in coming forward the foreign debts owed by Russia from $97 billion in 1992 to a burdensome $152 billion by 1998. During the same period the amount of GDP the Russian government had to use to service its foreign debts doubled to 60%. That was money that the Russian government could have spent in more productive ways such as increasing spending on non-military research or tackling the social and economic problems that were reducing the performance of the Russian economy.[21] A principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was organised crime. Organised crime gangs, as previously noted, took advantage of the lack of political and economic control in Russia. The way in which the transition to a capital economy in Russia had been attempted had benefited organised crime gangs. Organised crime had existed in the Soviet Union due to the people wanting consumer goods as well as drugs that were not available through state enterprises. Under the Soviet economy system all private economic activity had been illegal. Organised crime gangs find post-Communist Russia an easy place to operate with little fear of being caught, rival gangs were more of a threat to each other than the Russian police were to them. If the gangs could not bribe the police they could frequently outfight them. The financial dire straits of the Russian government meant that there were not enough police or customs officials to deter, let alone catch organised crime g angs and their members. Poorly or infrequently paid police and customs officials had little motivation in stopping criminals, including those that resisted the temptation to take bribes.[22] Another principle problem facing the Russian economy at the end of the Yeltsin era was the informal economy in which employers paid in cash, whilst neither they or their workers paid taxes on their earnings or profits. However, the informal economy had in many respects helped to maintain the Soviet economy, despite its in efficiencies and stagnation. The economic reforms introduced at the start of the Yeltsin era offered chances and opportunities to organised crime gangs and individual entrepreneurs to make their fortunes. Previous experience of working in the informal economy did prove advantageous to many Russians wanting to make their fortunes or faced with the more mundane task of surviving.[23] The Russians have a long tradition of people who know the right people within the bureaucracy being able to further their own position. Corruption, bribery, and the calling in of favours could make all the difference between success and failure during the Yeltsin era. The informal economy grew due to the greater economic freedom and the unregulated nature of the Russian economy once market liberalisation had occurred. For many Russians being part of the informal economy was the only way to make ends meet. The Russian government had drastically reduced the number of state owned enterprises, whilst cutting subsidies to the newly privatised enterprises. Private enterprises in Russia would frequently not pay their workers for months to try to stay in business as they found it very difficult to survive against foreign competitors. Not being paid for months or only been paid in kind prompted workers further into the informal economy. Due to the lack of money available to the Russian government public sector employees were not always paid either. Desperation forced many Russians into holding two or three jobs to make ends meet. Without the informal economy the social and economic problems facing Russia could have been worse. [24] When private and public sector workers were paid, the high inflation at the beginning of the Yeltsin era meant that most Russians had to find extra sources of income or face economic ruin. It is difficult to have an accurate idea of the informal economy within framework of the Russian economy in terms of its share of GDP and its actual size. Statistics from the Russian government were even in the 1990s domestically or internationally known for their accuracy. Given the lack of resources available to the Russian police, customs officials, and bureaucrats it is not surprising that few people were caught for their involvement within the informal economy or that Russian officials could be bribed to turn a blind eye. During the Yeltsin era, the Russian government estimated that 25% of Russia’s GDP was generated by the informal economy. Other sources such as the IMF and the Russian press put the figure as high as 80%.[25] The harsh economic realities of life in Yeltsin’s Russia meant that corruption and unregulated economic activity increased dramatically. Organised crime gangs were able to gain from people’s misery and desperation in terms of increased levels of drug taking and prostitution. The collapse of Soviet authority and the difficulty of Russia and its neighbours had in securing their mutual borders had given the organised crime gangs the opportunity to expand their activities as well as their profits.[26] These increases in gang activities lead to higher levels of crime, as people had to resort to desperate measures to feed drug habits and gangs fought each other. Although the outbreaks of gang warfare witnessed in cities such as St Petersburg can mainly be regarded as a law and order issue, such events did have an economic impact during the Yeltsin era. Economic hardship, drug taking, and prostitution have heavily contributed to declining life expectancy rates. Many of the peo ple that should be the most economically active in Russia are either working informally and therefore not paying taxes or they have died prematurely. Drug taking and prostitution have increased the spread of AIDS so that Russia has one of the highest infection rates in the world. The demographic decline in Russia, if left unchecked could have major implications for the Russian economy as well as disastrous effects on its society. Organised crime may help many Russians survive from day to day, yet it makes some gang members very wealthy whilst depriving the Russian government of much needed revenue and leaving the cost of sorting out serious law and order as well as health problems. Organised gangs were also able to take advantage of the Russian governments wars in Chechnya during the Yeltsin era by selling drugs and weapons to both Russian troops and Chechen rebel fighters.[27] Overall the effect on the population of the Russian Federation was an average annual decrease in the popul ation of around 750,000 people throughout the entire 1999s.[28] At the end of the Yeltsin era another principle problem facing the Russian economy was the uncompetitiveness of many industries and businesses. Again the legacy of the economic system of the Soviet Union plays its part in the weaknesses of the Russian economy. The Soviet system had not produced words that Russian consumers or potential foreign consumers had wanted. Instead the Soviet economic planners had determined production levels and the types of goods produced. Once state subsidies were removed all factories and enterprises and the Russian economy was open to unrestricted foreign imports. Russian enterprises were forced to close, drastically cut their workforces, or not pay their workers for long periods. Some businesses resorted to not paying their taxes as part of their efforts to stay operative.[29] One of the leading oligarchs, Mikhail Khodorkovsky estimated that upwards of a million Russian enterprises should have been declared bankrupt. In 1996 the Yeltsin government state d that around 35% of Russian factories and businesses were on the verge of bankruptcy. The Russian government estimated that 80% of Russian factories and businesses were in financial dire straits.[30] The instability of the rouble and a lack of foreign currencies and investment also made it difficult for Russian enterprises to remain competitive. De-valuations of the rouble would briefly aid competitiveness, yet did not offer a long-term solution. Lack of foreign investment and profits made it more difficult for Russian factories to replace obsolete equipment or the latest training for their workers. The standard of education in Russia tended to be high, although there was a lack of people trained in Information Technology and more advanced industrial procedures, especially outside of the military research establishment.[31] The Yeltsin government and the young reformers had hoped that large-scale foreign investment would revive even the most outdated enterprises in the Russian econ omy. Although, not all of the potential foreign investors were put of by the lack of market regulation, the less than welcoming reception received from officials, Russian businesses, and the Russian public deterred many investors from investing in Russia.[32] The young reformers had hoped that their policies would only lead to a short-term contraction of the Russian economy, with a more competitive and modernised Russia emerging from shock therapy. They and Yeltsin were caught by surprise when the affect of shock therapy lasted throughout the Yeltsin era. A sharp contraction in the production levels of Russian heavy industries was expected and indeed occurred. However, the biggest falls in production witnessed during the Yeltsin era was in the production of consumer goods rather than in the more traditional heavy industries. Whilst production in those heavy industries of coal, steel, oil and gas declined by 45% during the 1990s that was not as bad as the decline in production of consumer goods. The move to a capitalist market economy had been anticipated to provide stimulation for increases in the production of Russian made consumer goods such as colour television sets, personal computers, and video recorders. Instead production of these consumer items declined dramatically, by 80% for television sets, 60% for personal computers, and 99% for video recorders. A section of the Russian economy that the government had believed would promote economic growth and provide jobs for those that lost their jobs in other sectors of the economy ceased to exist to any meaningful extent. There are two fairly straightforward explanations for the slump in the production of consumer goods. Those Russians that could afford television sets, personal computers, and video recorders brought more reliable and fashionable imported foreign brands. Through the liberalisation of the Russian economy and the efforts of the informal economy such goods became more widely available if not affordable throughout the Yeltsin era. For the poorest sections of Russian society that had their savings wiped out by inflation and their prospects diminished by unemployment or underemployment throughout the Yeltsin era there were little prospects of them buying the essentials to live let alone Russian or non-Russian consumer goods. The poor could not even afford the low quality and cheaper Russian made goods.[33] A principle problem of the Russian economy closely related to its uncompetitiveness was the increasing shortages of workers, skilled ones in particular. At the start of the Yeltsin era the severe contraction of the Russian economy meant that unemployment had increased. It was not only capital that left the Russian economy once the country moved to a market economic system. Some of the brightest and most capable people working in the Russian economy left the country for better pay and prospects abroad. Of course, not everybody was able to take the opportunity to earn his or her future in exile. In some respects the most harm done to the Russian economy was by the calibre of academics and technicians that left the country. The Yeltsin government could not do as much to halt the brain drain as it had to cut spending on higher education, health services and most notably on defence projects and research. Cuts in defence spending could be justified, as a war with the United States and its NATO allies seemed impossible. The shortage of skilled workers was worsened by the reduction in life expectancy, especially amongst men. The effects of lower life expectancy were mult

Theme of Fallen Angels Essay -- essays research papers

Losing Innocence: â€Å"Fallen Angels† find the true meaning of war   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fallen Angels†, written by Walter Dean Myers, is a novel that tells about the story of young boys going into battle during the Vietnam War. There are many themes in â€Å"Fallen Angels† but the main theme is the loss of innocence. The title makes reference to these themes. And the boys in the book have dreams of losing their virginity and drinking alcohol for the first time. They are thrown into a harsh reality when they are shown the trials of war. In the end, they understand that the movies that depict heroicness and honor are just images of a false idea; that war is full of chaos and horror.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The title of â€Å"Fallen Angels† is the greatest indicator of the theme. All of...

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est Essays

The Charge of the Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen present different ideas about War in their poems, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est.’ Write about these poems and their effect on you. The first poem, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Tennyson was based on a newspaper article he read in the Times Newspaper on November 14th, 1854. The article was about the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. It described how the soldiers were wounded and killed because one man in their cavalry had made a mistake. It outlined how the plain was strewn with their bodies’ and ‘steeds rode rider less across the plain.’ This article was the inspiration for his poem. The second poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ was more vividly written, because its poem, Wilfred Owen, was an actual soldier in the first World War, which lasted from 1914-1918. He was too young to become a soldier, so he lied about his age and went away to fight. He was under the impression that War was dignified and sweet because of all the propaganda that was put about to encourage young men to join the army. He then realised that War wasn’t as glorified as he had thought and wrote poems to deter other young men, who, like himself, thought it was brave and courageous to die for their country. The poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade,’ tells the story of how one man in their cavalry, The Commander, made a huge mistake by charging them towards the Russian Army. This is depicted when the poet says: ‘Into the valley of death.’ This implies that the army on the other side of the valley were so great; the cavalry didn’t have any hope of beating them. Ironically, they won the battle. In ... ...nditions of War were and the terrible ways that the soldiers lost their lives. My favourite poem out of the two was ‘Dulce et Decorum Est,’ it clearly depicts what happened during World War I and Owen then says what he feels. At the start of the poem, I was shocked by how bad the conditions of War actually were. The vivid descriptions show how strongly Owen felt about discouraging other young men not to fall for the same propaganda that he did. It made me realise how lucky I am not to be living in those terrible conditions that he had to endure. I think that the poem does fulfil its purpose of discouraging men from joining the army because it is so graphic and vivid. It explains the true atrocities that War brings and how terribly they can affect lives, even after the War has ended. Owen clearly doesn’t want the young men to experience what he has.

World War 1: A Tragedy of Miscalculation Essays -- World War I, First

World War 1: A Tragedy of Miscalculation To some extent, the outbreak of the First World War was a tragedy of miscalculation. Austria declared war on Serbia, in the hope that it would only be a short and local war. Germany had miscalculated the risk of a two-front war. Germany’s war plan – the Schlieffen Plan, inevitably involved France, Russia, Belgium and Britain. In â€Å"The war to end all wars†, Germany also did not take into calculation the ‘Domino Effect’ of the alliances between France, Russia and Britain. Because Germany had made such a bitter enemy of France, it decided to protect itself by making alliances with other countries in Europe. Germany formed an alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy known as the Triple Alliance. To the keep the ‘Balance of Power’ in Europe, France allied itself with Great Britain and Russia; known as the Triple Entente. Both allies swore to help their allies if their countries were attacked. When a Serbian Nationalist assassinated the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Germany remembered their treaty with Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia. They also declared war on France and invaded Belgium using the Schlieffen Plan. Afterwards Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary because of their alliance with Belgium, France and Russia. Germany’s military reliance on the Schlieffen Plan working was a serious miscalculation. The Schlieffen Plan was a German war plan drawn up before 1914. Its essence was to avoid a two-front war for Germany, by first swiftly conquering France, the western front, through Belgium and then concentrating on the eastern front against Russia. ‘The invasion of Belgium was considered an essential element of the German war ... ...to expand into the Balkans itself and was supported by Germany. It was the creation of conflicts and miscalculations by the movements in the Balkans that led to World War1. ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (I come, I saw, I conquered) – Julius Caesar, Roman Emperor (100BC-44BC) No power had been able to perceive the extent of damages brought by a general war, which lasted fifty-one months. They had believed the Third Balkan War would be a short war like the First and Second Balkan Wars. This serious misconception brought harm to all European powers. On the other hand, World War 1 was made inevitable by the long-term antagonism between the powers, as a result of rival nationalist movements, secret alliances, militarism and empirical dashes. ‘I think, that in our eyes, it’s obvious that the First World War changed the world’ – Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau, University of Picardie.

Adavantages of Management Accounting Information

Advantages of management accounting information The provision of management accounting information are for the intention of planning, control and decision making which may contribute to the success of an organization. Management accounting is the process of gathering information about economic activity that will be advantageous for the organization.For the planning of an organization, the manager can use the historical, present and future information obtained from management accounting which based on the organization’s situation and position in predicting organization’s future needs, setting clearer objective and implementing specific strategies that can bring achievement to the organization. After interpreting relevant management accounting information provided, it will be more efficient for the organization to apply and realize their planning and objective that had been set earlier.For the planning of an organization, the manager can use the historical, present and fu ture information obtained from management accounting which based on the organization’s situation and position in predicting organization’s future needs, setting clearer objective and implementing specific strategies that can bring achievement to the organization. After interpreting relevant management accounting information provided, it will be more efficient for the organization to apply and realize their planning and objective that had been set earlier.Management accounting able to assists the manager in controlling organization’s cash flow and improve financial stability which included the costs and business operational expenses. With the management accounting information obtained, the manager is able to review the cost of economic resources and other business operations. Therefore, the manager is clearer and familiar with the estimation of cost needed to run the business. Manager can analyze the quality of economic resources consumed in producing goods by us ing the management accounting information.As an example, if the overall quality of product would not be affected significantly by replacing with cheaper raw material, the manager can change towards a reduction of production costs. Budgeting is considered as major part of management accounting. To create an effective financial plan with lower operational expenses, manager able to analyze necessary and unnecessary business expenses based on the budget plan obtained from management accounting information in the pathway of saving money for the organization. In ontrast, there is also some limitation of management accounting information which based on financial and cost accounting. The interpretation of financial information usually depends on the interpreters’ judgments. The accuracy of decision mostly will be affected by their personal bias or prejudices. Manager usually uses management accounting information as a decision-making tool. This is because management accounting inform ation consists of specific and accurate details related to different competitors, market and industry the organization involved.With the analyzed data such as competitive advantages, consumers’ demand, potential sales and consumers’ response to price change, manager is able to make decision among all other business opportunities. In contrary, there are some limitations of the management accounting information. The quality of the information is restricted with the proper understanding and knowledge of the management accountants who provided the information.They may be lack of knowledge in related subject such as Statistic and economics, thus it will lead to inaccurate management accounting information. In conclusion, it is foreseeable that management accounting information is important and can be known as a business tool for the organization although it may has some limitations. But, it can also overcome by applying expertise and professional training for every level of management in the organization.Therefore, the information still able to assists in internal operation management of an organization. Furthermore, all decisions of the organization rely heavily management accounting information due to the reason it identifies all the factors that will affect the organization to succeed. ABMC 2023 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING FUNDAMENTALS TUTORIAL GROUP: 2DAC4 WORD COUNT: 2997 NAME| STUDENT ID| KHOR SEONG SENG| 11PBD05485| KHOR PEI CHIEN| 11PBD03114| KHOR SHER LEE| 11PBD06416| ONG KAR SIN| 11PBD03057| YE YUN SHENG| 11PBD04700|