Mukesh Ambani Great Business Leader Essay Example

Mukesh Ambani : Great Business Leader Essay Suman Ledalla Great Business Leader Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (born on 19 April 1957) is an Indian business magnate and the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India, a Fortune 500 company, and one of the largest private sector conglomerates in the world. His personal stake in Reliance Industries is 48%. As of July 2010, he is the richest man in Asia and the fourth richest man in the world with a personal wealth of US$29. 0 billion. On 29 October 2007, a strong rally in the Indian stock market and the appreciation of the Indian rupee boosted the market capitalization of all Reliance group companies, making him for a while the world’s richest man, with net worth climbing to US$63. 2 billion leaving Bill Gates behind at around $56 billion. He is expected to regain the title of the worlds richest person in 2014, according to Forbes Magazine forecasts. Family and early life Mukesh Ambani is the eldest son of Dhirubhai Ambani, the late founder of Reliance Industries. He has a brother, Anil, and two sisters. The Ambani families lived in a two bedroom apartment in Bhuleshwar, Mumbai until the 1970s. Dhirubhai Ambani then purchased a 14-floor apartment block called Sea Wind in Colaba, where Anil his family and Mukesh and his family lived on different floors. Anil Ambani is also a billionaire and owns a competing company, Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The two brothers have had clashes over business. Personal life He is married to Nita Ambani and has three children, Akash, Anant and Isha. He owns the Indian Premier League team, the Mumbai Indians. They live in a private 27 story building in Mumbai named Antilia. We will write a custom essay sample on Mukesh Ambani : Great Business Leader specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mukesh Ambani : Great Business Leader specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mukesh Ambani : Great Business Leader specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Costing approx. US$500–$700 Million, with the increasing price of land, is estimated to be valued at over US$1 Billion to build. It is claimed to be the most expensive home in history. Career He joined Reliance Industries in 1981. He initiated Reliances backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibers and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production. Ambani set up one of the largest and most complex information and communications technology initiative in the world in the form of Reliance Infocomm Limited (now Reliance Communications Limited). Ambani directed and led the creation of the world’s largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, India, with a current capacity of 660,000 barrels per day (33 million tons per year) integrated with petrochemicals, power generation, port and related infrastructure. Mukesh Ambani’s Quote: â€Å"The organizational architecture is really that a centipede walks on hundred legs and one or two don’t count. So if I lose one or two legs, the process will go on, the organization will go on, the growth will go on. † His Business secrets: He used some secrets throughout his life-time to become a business tycoon. Some of them are as follow: Secret No. 1: Gather information, whatever it may be. Gather information about Governments be local, state, central or international. Secret No. 2: Find an opportunity. He always endeavors to analyze whatever information are gathered. Secret No. 3: Jump from an orbit to the next. No matter where you are. Just work there. Master that place or situation. Accumulate some energy and jump into another orbit, a higher one. Secret No. 4: Complete projects on time. Thrive to do it before the scheduled time. He and his sons completed all their projects on time, mostly before time. However big the projects were, they completed those timely. No matter how much disturbance or hurdles came in their way. Leadership Characteristics 1: Self-Esteem: Mukesh Ambani has great self-esteem that’s the reason he could reach sky high in his business. Underlying everything is a high sense of ones own self-worth. Without that, individuals will never undertake tough challenges. If one does not have it, its important to develop self-esteem. 2: Need to Achieve: Mukesh is focused on his needs. This need has been associated with entrepreneurs and leaders who constantly seek to perform at their best. 3: Screening For Opportunity: Like all individuals, leaders screen incoming information to separate the useful from the useless. However, Mukesh is also successful entrepreneur and business leader screen incoming information to constantly seek new growth opportunities. He never left any opportunity behind 4: Locus of Control: Mukesh assume that any success they experience is due to their personal efforts and that they have the ability to influence events. Interestingly, internal also assume failure was also their fault. 5: Goal Orientation: He was Goal Oriented and was keen in achieving it. Businesses come and go, but those that last always share a common characteristic with their founder—a relentless drive to accomplish goals. 6: Optimism: Positive thinking was another aspect Mukesh Ambani possessed. Underlying successful entrepreneurial leadership is a boundless font of optimism that never seems to end. When faced with a problem, they view it as a challenge. 7: Courage: He never gave up always carried the zeal to do new things. It requires a great deal of courage to build a company from the ground up. 8: Tolerance to Ambiguity: Mukesh Ambani was never a failure he constantly kept trying to reach success. This term refers to a person’s tolerance to uncertainty and risk. 9: Strong Internal Motivation: The motivation that drives Mukesh’s behavior comes from two sources: internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic). Intrinsic factors include constructs like needs, desires, motives, and will power. Extrinsic factors include any type of motivational influence from the environment such as rewards and punishments. Awards and Achievement Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has won the Business Leader of the Year at NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2010 in Mumbai. During the occasion, he said that Goods and Services Tax and Direct Tax Code are historical milestones and every country would want to have them * Chosen the businessman of the year 2007 by a public poll in India conducted by NDTV * Conferred the United States-India Business Council (USIBC) leadership award for Global Vision 2007 in Washington. * Ranked 42nd among the Worlds Most Respected Business Leaders and second among the four Indian CEOs featured in a survey conducted by Price water ouse Coopers and published in Financial Times, London, and November 2004. * He is also a member of the International Advisory Board, a globalist think tank council on foreign relations * Ranked 13th in Asias Power 25 list of The Most Powerful. Mukesh Ambani one of the leading Business Tycoon of India has made a great impact on Indian Economy and also on people’s life. Being optimistic, focused, goal oriented, achiever is some of the business lessons for me. His broad thinking and clear vision has made me to look at any kind of business at a broader level. What I really admire is that Mukesh Ambani has not only supported the higher class people but also the lower income category group as well by introducing Reliance cell phone which was feasible for everyone to effort. This concept has made me to look at business in all aspect and cover as many categories as possible. This research has helped me to understand what a leader is and what kind of qualities they possess. I learned from Mukesh Ambani’s life is that to be persistent and determined in the work and always look for the opportunities which I can implement in the business world.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution skills are invaluable source of establishing peace. However, conflict has for a long time been misconstrued to mean only the physical disagreements between two parties. This paper looks at conflict particularly in regards to personal mental conflict on a particular dilemma whereby an individual may be faced with difficult decision making options.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Conflict Resolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This kind of would require balancing between more important issues and those that are not of high priority. Such decisions include balancing relationships, loss of employment and the quest to settle for another job opportunity, what subjects to study at a college, careers to pursue, places to inhabit, business ventures options, health matters among others. I chose to read this chapter of the book because it has immense information on what I actually needed to understand o n improving my overall motivation towards my vision. Plans are important in the pursuit of our set goals in life. The book also provided me with the information I was looking for especially on the area of conflict resolution as an individual. These are discussed in details in the remaining section of the essay. Research has shown that mental conflict and dilemma experienced by an individual may lead to stress. Additionally, distress may also manifest itself as an advance level of stress and depression. Finally, frustrations which may lead to an individual to be fixated, brain being rewired and even death in some cases through suicide Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006). For one to effectively manage mental conflict, the individual victim must be prepared with the necessary tactics and skills of conflict resolution and the right knowledge on how to become proactive by self evaluation and regulation. This kind of approach enables an individual to understand self image, strengths, weakness , aspirations and threats from the world around and the needs of those with whom we interact with. One of the most important approaches to the resolution of the interpersonal conflict is the inculcation of willpower which is the aspirations of the individual in dilemma driven by the strength and the opportunities (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006). A person would have to forgo immediate self gratification which is of great pleasure for the sake of waiting for something far much more important but coming at a later date. I remember at my childhood, one day a young man collected about five of us and gave each of us a piece of banana. The rule of eating the piece of banana was that the first person to finish would be added but only on condition that the person takes very small bites of the banana.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was the dilemma of the game since mo st of us believed that the only quickest way to finish first was to take big bites. All of us failed the test save for one girl who did take small bites but was never the first to finish. This kind of conflict is referred to us Marshmallow Dilemma which is a prototype self conflict according to psychological research. Understanding individual differences and the social and cognitive adaptive skill is key to conflict resolution in an individual. Consciousness and ego can be controlled through restrain by avoiding impulsive reactions. Research shows that effective self regulation beginning at an early age predicts that such individuals can manage their future lives in a better way and become more responsible citizens as opposed to those who cannot regulate themselves effectively at an early age (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006). Therefore, they are more likely to exhibit poor academic performance, disorders in offsprings and even become social deviants in society. Reference Deutsch, M. , Coleman, T. P. Marcus, C. E. (eds). (2006). The hand book of conflict resolution: theory and practice, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Conflict Resolution Human beings experience internal and external conflicts on daily basis as they struggle with temptations and dilemmas they encounter and create (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006, p.294). For example, a cigarette addict (suffocating with emphysema) determined to quit smoking may find himself/herself fighting the urge on whether to light the next cigarette or not.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Conflict Resolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such internal conflicts are all-pervading as humans attempt to pursue a complex achievement or adhere to a health routine such as medications, prescribed diets or exercise schedules. This paper will discuss some salient features of internal and external conflicts and suggest how people can mitigate them. Conflict and stress are closely connected and work hand in hand in a manner that they weaken rational problem solving at the same time escalating self-defeating and irrational hot behavior (Rahim, 2011, p. 67). In this context, stress amplifies the likelihood for conflict which in turn increases stress level thereby generating a destructive gush of impulsive hot-system reactions. As a result, the likelihood of rational and effective conflict resolution if further undermined. Nonetheless, a number of studies have been done on this impasse and numerous solutions have been suggested on how handle conflicts in a constructive way (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006, p.302). The marshmallow test is one such example. For this case, delay of satisfaction and frustration tolerance is augmented if an individual can convert his/her average waiting time into an enjoyable, non-waiting state. There are two basic ways to accomplish this. One is by rerouting concentration and thoughts away from the exasperating elements of the delay of satisfaction and concentrating instead on pleasurable things. This type of distraction can be realized by taking part in mentally or overtly activities in the course of the delay period so as to repress the stress associated with waiting for the desired outcome. Distraction strategies such as time-outs are usually employed on a daily basis in conflict situations to allow people suppress the escalating conflict and concentrate on something else in order to calm down and take a fresh look (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006, p.302).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Second, the conflict arising from the delay period can also be alleviated by altering the manner in which people mentally embody the outcomes they are working or waiting for. Given the adverse effects of stress, the ability to manage stress is a critical aspect in conflict resolution. The ability to manage and alleviate stress enhances not only self-control and self-cooling but also the ability to produce and evaluate potential solutions to the conf lict. The ability to control stress can thus imply the difference between repressing hot desires and pouring out hysterically. It is against this background that Gottman and others (working with married couples with severe conflicts in their relationships) discovered that stress management tactics such as mediation, exercise and self-soothing habits for relaxing play important roles in terms of marital contentment and conflict resolution (Deutsch, Coleman Marcus, 2006, p.304). Severe conflicts, whether internal or external normally produce strong emotional excitement that can easily set off automatic reflective responses including hostility and fight or evasion and flight. These spontaneous responses often contribute to adverse long-term outcomes for the concerned parties. As the discussion above has elucidated, there are a variety of conflict management strategies (such as time-outs, reflection and mediation) that can be employed to facilitate the shift from hot impulsive response s to a cooler and efficient modes of cognitive problem solving. References Deutsch, M., Coleman, P.T., Marcus, E.C. (Eds.). (2006). The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Rahim, M.A. (Eds.). (2011). Managing Conflict in Organizations. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Conflict Resolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Managing and Motivating Employees in their Twenties Essay

Managing and Motivating Employees in their Twenties - Essay Example In this case, education involves introducing new ideas to them, particularly ideas involving technology. To manage young people effectively, mangers will also need to devolve their decision-making process. Young people will work better if they are consulted during the decision-making. An autocratic management system is likely to attract rebellion and uncooperativeness from young employees. Organizations that have young people in their twenties as the main employees are likely to succeed if they increase employee’s authority in making decision. Unlike past generations, current generation of employees in their twenties prefer short-term goals and objectives (Fertik, 2011). Managers are therefore, encouraged to set projects that can be completed within a short period. This is because the generation is always after instant results due to their short concentration span. Although managers of young people need to do all they can to motivate employee, it is important to maintain standard and orders. This will involves incorporating appropriate and professional disciplinary measure for employee who compromises the organization’s rule. Firing non-performing employees will promote order and discipline among young

Short Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Paper 1 - Essay Example At most, what was achieved was a failed attempt to establish morality and anarchaic is the order of the day. One may dispute this by raising the argument that nations are forming groups and alliances with the objective of making this world better by fostering peace, economic prosperity, harmony and cooperation. Nobody can dispute that. It can even be added that there is the UN with its councils and courts, the WTO, the G7, NATO, ASEAN or what have you. But the question is, were they ever successful in their objectives. The glaring truth is No and morality will only be considered when it serves a certain purpose but in reality, it really has no place as nations asserts with their selfish interest. Can you blame them? No. We cannot blame because nations has to advance the interest, welfare and security of its own people and country even if it means transgressing other countries. What is moral is becomes relative and immorality can be twisted to something moral to justify an interest. Y ou just cannot be nice in international arena otherwise you will be eaten alive. One may protest that this is a very harsh description of international arena but harsh as it is, it is true. We can cite many recent examples and we do not have to go far. In the United States, the anarchaic war of terror is plaguing us and the way it is waged on us is devoid of morals. Imagine killing innocent civilians just to destroy our way of life. And the way we respond cannot be categorized as moral no matter how we justify it that we are the good guys. We kill, we bomb, we torture people, we connive and manipulate other governments just to achieve our end. Is that orderly as contrary to anarchy or moral as we would like it to be? The answer is a glaring no. What made the situation worst is that we and everyone else never learned the lesson of history and experience. We all know that war is a lose-lose situation where its destructive force knows no one. But look around, the international arena is anarchaic war of all as if we never knew the concept of morality. Syria is now undergoing a brutal civil war. In Libya, we help them oust their former dictator Gaddafi thinking that they will be grateful to us. Instead, they attacked our embassy and killed our personnel. Now, you may ask where is order and morals there? Isn’t that a classic examply of anarcy where all is against all because you are not sure who your allies are? Perhaps one is inclined to wonder why we are so predisposed to war and anarchy? The answer is obvious. For as long as there is conflict of interst, there will always be anarchy and our sense of morals will always be set aside in pursuit of our interest. Dostoyoevsky already anticipated this as he wrote a sketchy outline in his short essay The Dream of a Ridiculous Man that anarchy without morals is about to happen as we esteemed governments advancing our interests as people. Why not esteem them? They get elected and it is morally upright for governmen t to assert the aspiration of the people they represent. The problem is, this interests could also be in conflict with other countries who also have the same mandate to assert the interest of their people. So what happens next? Conflict ensued and anarchy became the order of the day despite of the efforts to establish order and morals only exist in words to justifiy a nation’s interest. The clear example is the conflict going on in Sabah. The Sultan of Jolo had been the traditional ruler of Sabah and they had the island

Study of Chinas first five year plan

Study of Chinas first five year plan The industrial system taken over by the Chinese Communist leadership in 1949 was not only rudimentary and war-devastated, but also extremely imbalanced. Over 70% of the industrial assets and output were concentrated in the coastal areas while the rest of the country shared the remainder. Within the coastal region, modern industrial production was again heavily concentrated in a few cities, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi, Dalian and Fushun accounted for 55% of the total for the coastal region. China was a typical dual economy, in which a few industrial cities were surrounded by large-scale agriculture. When the Chinese leadership started its efforts at industrialization, it regarded the huge coast-interior imbalance as irrational because, firstly, areas of industrial production were usually too far away from energy and raw materials supply areas and the interior market, meaning substantial long-distance transport costs and creating a strain on Chinas undeve loped transport system. Secondly, the rich resources in the inland areas could not be properly exploited. Finally, since the coast was easily exposed to foreign military power, the heavy concentration of industry there represented a national security risk, as was the case during the Second World War. To rectify that regional imbalance, the Chinese leadership decided to pull the levers of centrally directed investment. (Yang, 1990) Land Reform During the land reform, a significant amount landlords were murdered at Communist Party gatherings, the land was then given to peasants and there was also the Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries, involving public executions of mainly former Kuomintang officials, businessmen accused of market disturbances, former employees of Western companies and intellectuals whose loyalty was suspect. In 1976, the U.S. State department estimated around a million may have been killed during land reform, and a further 800,000 killed in the counterrevolutionary campaign (Shalom, 1984, p24). Mao himself claimed that a total of 700,000 people were executed during the years 1949-53 (Chang Halliday, 2005). However, because there was a policy to select at least one landlord, and usually several, in virtually every village for public execution, the number of deaths ranged between 2 and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5million people (Short, 2001), perhaps as many as 6 million were sent to refor m through labour camps where many perished (Valentino, 2004). Mao played a personal role in organizing the mass repressions and established a system of execution quotas, which were often exceeded, arguing that these killings were a necessity for securing power. First Five year plan Chinas first Five-Year Plan entailed the forced provision of cheap agricultural supplies to cities, though per capita allocation kept low to discourage urbanization. In rural areas, production decisions are shifted from households to mutual aid teams, and then to cooperatives where a cadre makes key decisions. Ownership is redefined in the form of state-owned enterprises and collectivized farms. In terms of financial structure, the binding constraints on households and enterprises at this time are coupons, authorizations, and orders to deliver. These instruments rather than money determine production and consumption outcomes; therefore prices are of secondary importance. The Hundred Flowers campaign brings unanticipated criticism, especially from intellectuals, which Mao silences in the repressive anti-rightist campaign. Almost two-thirds of the major projects, including many being built with Soviet aid were located in the interior. Despite allowance made to help rehabilitate war-devastated coastal industrial facilities, nearly 56% of the state investment in fixed assets went to the interior during this period. The interior-orientated investment policy took its toll in terms of economic efficiency as coastal industrial growth was sorely needed as a foundation for the development of the whole country. More concentrated efforts at rehabilitation and improvement of old enterprises in the coastal region could have produced more immediate economic pay-offs than making new investments in areas that lacked infrastructural support. Thus, Mao, in his April 1956 speech On the ten great relationships, commented that in the past few years we have not laid enough stress on industry in the coastal region so that the productive power of coastal industry could be used for the full development of the whole country, e specially the interior. In the same speech, however, Mao also revealed he was in favour of building most of heavy industry, 90% or perhaps still more, in the interior. Worden, Savada and Dolan (1987) discussed how China used a Soviet approach to economic development was manifested in the First Five-Year Plan. The main objective was a high rate of economic growth, with primary emphasis on industrial development at the expense of agriculture and particular concentration on heavy industry and capital-intensive technology. Large numbers of Soviet engineers, technicians, and scientists assisted in developing and installing new heavy industrial facilities, including entire plants and pieces of equipment purchased from the Soviet Union. Government control over industry was increased during this period by applying financial pressures and inducements to convince owners of private, modern firms to sell them to the state or convert them into joint public-private enterprises under state control. By 1956 approximately 67.5% of all modern industrial enterprises were state owned, others were under joint ownership. No privately owned firms remained. During the sam e period, the handicraft industries were organized into cooperatives, which accounted for 91.7% of all handicraft workers by 1956. Agriculture also underwent extensive organizational changes. To facilitate the mobilization of agricultural resources, improve the efficiency of farming, and increase government access to agricultural products, the authorities encouraged farmers to organize increasingly large and socialized collective units. From the loosely structured, tiny mutual aid teams, villages were to advance first to lower-stage, agricultural producers cooperatives, in which families still received some income on the basis of the amount of land they contributed, and eventually to advanced cooperatives, or collectives. In terms of economic growth the First Five-Year Plan was quite successful, especially in those areas emphasized by the Soviet-style development strategy. A solid foundation was created in heavy industry. Thousands of industrial and mining enterprises were constructed, including 156 major facilities. Industrial production increased at an average annual rate of 19% between 1952 and 1957, and national income grew at 9% a year. Despite the lack of state investment in agriculture, agricultural output increased substantially, averaging increases of about 4% a year. This growth resulted primarily from gains in efficiency brought about by the reorganization and cooperation achieved through collectivization. As the First Five-Year Plan wore on, however, Chinese leaders became increasingly concerned over the relatively sluggish performance of agriculture and the inability of state trading companies to increase significantly the amount of grain procured from rural units for urban consumption. T he First Five-Year Plan was for a long time the only plan that was even partially executed. Second The success of the First Five Year Plan encouraged Mao to initiate the Great Leap Forward, in 1958. Mao also launched a phase of rapid collectivization. The Party introduced price controls as well as a Chinese character simplification aimed at increasing literacy. The Great Leap was not merely a bold economic project, it was also intended to show the Soviet Union that the Chinese approach to economic development was more vibrant, and ultimately would be more successful, than the Soviet model that had been used previously. Under the economic program, the relatively small agricultural collectives which had been formed were rapidly merged into far larger peoples communes, and many of the peasants ordered to work on massive infrastructure projects and the small-scale production of iron and steel. Some private food production was banned; livestock and farm implements were brought under collective ownership. Under the Great Leap Forward, Mao and other party leaders ordered the implementation of a variety of unproven and unscientific new agricultural techniques by the new communes. Combined with the diversion of labour to steel production and infrastructure projects and the reduced personal incentives under a commune system this led to an approximately 15% drop in grain production in 1959 followed by further 10% reduction in 1960 and no recovery in 1961 (Spence, p.553). To win favour with superiors and avoid being purged, each layer in the party hierarchy exaggerated the amount of grain produced under them and based on the fabricated success, party cadres were ordered to requisition a disproportionately high amount of the true harvest for state use primarily in the cities and urban areas but also for export, which resulted in the rural peasant snot left enough to eat and millions starved to death in the largest famine in human history. This famine was a direct cause of the death of some 3 0 millions of Chinese peasants between 1959 and 1962 and about the same number of births were lost or postponed. Further, many children who became emaciated and malnourished during years of hardship and struggle for survival, died shortly after the Great Leap Forward came to an end in 1962 (Spence, p.553). The famine was due to Maos leaning heavily on mass mobilization to speed up industrial development. The Great Leap emphasized heavy industry in general, and the iron and steel industry in particular. In any case, the Great Leap came to be a leap into disaster and was a major cause of Chinas worst famine (1959-61). During this period state investment in industrial assets in the interior continued to increase. It averaged 59.4% of the national total during 1958-62 and further grew to 62-5% in the post-Leap adjustment period (1963-65). In the meantime, worsening Sino-Soviet relations and U.S. involvement in Vietnam led Chinas leaders to perceive a greater need for enhancing its national defence capabilities. As a result, despite the much felt post-crisis need to invigorate existing industrial production and restore consumption levels, Mao in 1964 ruled in favour of building more defence-orientated industries in the interior so that Chinas industrial infrastructure would survive a foreig n invasion and provide for a protracted defensive war. (Yang, 1990, p.236-7) As part of this push for hierarchical organization and revolutionary thinking, Mao initiates the Peoples Commune Movement to foster a communist-agrarian society. Bad incentives and bad weather bring the famine of 1960 with its accompanying economic turmoil, starvation, and rural revolt. Twenty to thirty million people lose their lives through malnutrition and famine (Fairbanks 1987, p.296). The failure of the Great Leap Forward and the Peoples Commune Movement created the first open split within the ranks of communist leaders. Furthermore, a major rift opens with the Soviets, leading to a break in relations and Russian aid flows. (Jaggi et al., WP 1996) The Great Leap Forward was a disaster for China. Although the steel quotas were officially reached, almost all of it made in the countryside was useless lumps of iron, as it had been made from assorted scrap metal in homemade furnaces with no reliable source of fuel such as coal. At the Lushan Conference in 1959, several leaders expressed concern that the Leap was not as successful as planned. The most direct of these was Minister of Defence and Korean War General Peng Dehuai. Mao, fearing loss of his position, orchestrated a purge of Peng and his supporters, stifling criticism of the Great Leap policies. Senior officials who reported the truth of the famine to Mao were branded as right opportunists (Becker, 1998). A campaign against right opportunism was launched and resulted in party members and ordinary peasants being sent to camps where many would subsequently die in the famine. The party have now concluded that 6 million were wrongly punished in the campaign. (Valentino, 2004, p . 127) The largest man-made famine on record was the Chinese famine of 1958-1961, which resulted in the death of an estimated 30 million people and approximately the same number of births lost or postponed. This famine was thought to be as a direct result of the decision by Mao Zedong to launch the Great Leap Forward, a mass mobilization of the population to achieve economic advancement. Mao followed the Stalinist ideology of heavy industry being the answer to economic advancement, peasants were ordered to abandon all private food production and instead produce steel which proved to be of extremely poor quality and of little or no use (Smil, 1999). This created a similar pattern to that of the loss of grain production needed to feed the population as seen in the Ukraine in the 1930s,by the spring of 1959 famine had affected people living in one-third of Chinas provinces. Until the mid 1980s, when official census figures were finally published by the Chinese Government, little was known abou t the scale of the disaster in the Chinese countryside, as the handful of Western observers allowed access during this time had been restricted to model villages where they were deceived into believing that Great Leap Forward had been a great success. There was also an assumption that the flow of individual reports of starvation that had been reaching the West, primarily through Hong Kong and Taiwan, must be localized or exaggerated as China was continuing to claim record harvests and was a net exporter of grain through the period. Because Mao wanted to pay back early to the Soviets debts totalling 1.973 billion yuan from 1960 to 1962, exports increased by 50%. (ONeill, 2008) Censuses were carried out in China in 1953, 1964 and 1982. The first attempt to analyse this data in order to estimate the number of famine deaths was carried out by Dr Judith Banister. Given the gaps between the censuses and doubts over the reliability of the data, an accurate figure is difficult to ascertain. Banister concluded that the official data implied that around 15 million excess deaths incurred in China during 1958-61 and that based on her modelling of Chinese demographics during the period and taking account of assumed underreporting during the famine years, the figure was around 30 million. The official statistic is 20 million deaths, as given by Hu Yaobang (Short, 2001). Third Temporary realignment of political power, from Mao to Liu Shaoqi Recovery policies informed by pragmatism Readjustment of priorities Agriculture, Light, Heavy Take agriculture as the key link Agriculture as the foundation of the economy; grain as the foundation of the foundation Reorganisation of agricultural institutional framework commune production brigade, production team Introduction of grain imports Retrenchment in industry Third Five year Plan (1966-1969) tasks included developing agriculture to feed the populace and meet other basic needs (such as clothing); strengthening national defence (a priority given Chinese concerns of a potential war); advancing technology; developing infrastructure; encouraging economic self-reliance. Again striving to expand his command over the Party, Mao orchestrates the Cultural Revolution. Early stages of the movement entail a struggle against the so called antiparty clique, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Mao calls on the youth as Red Guards to spread revolutionary zeal. They make a specialty of attacking professionals and intellectuals, and wreak havoc on the educational system. Begun as a political struggle, the Cultural Revolution paralyzes normal life and throws the economy into turmoil. Fourth The Cultural Revolution change political succession discipline government bureaucracy produce a new generation of revolutionary successors introduce egalitarian policy initiatives Transfer of political power from pragmatic economic technocrats to radical elements of CCP (esp. gang of four) Three elements of Cultural Revolution economic strategy self-sufficiency egalitarianism the Third Front Cultural Revolution as an urban, not rural, phenomenon industry, not agriculture, the major loser The Fourth Five Year Plan was more successful than anticipated, with the industrial and agricultural goals exceeded by 14.1% and industrial gross output value goals by 21.1%. Agricultural gains also exceeded goals, but more moderately, with a 2.2% rise above expectations. According to the Official Portal of the Chinese Government, however, the focus on accumulation and rapid development in this and preceding plans were impediments to long-term economic development In September 1970, the Plan was drafted with such goals as maintaining an annual growth rate of 12.5% in industry and agriculture as well as specific budget allowances for infrastructure construction (130 billion yuan during the Plan). In 1973, some of the specific provisions of the plan were amended to lower the targets. All targets had been reached or surpassed by the end of 1973. China experienced a vibrant economy in the years 1972 and 1973. Conclusion In conclusion, Maos five year plans, during his time as Chairman of the CPC, were not only enabled China to grow in terms of GDP, but enabled improved rates of literacy, improved living standards if only slightly, some elements of trade liberalisation occurred and a focus on agriculture was eventually made in order to develop food securities, there was some industrialisation and investment in infrastructure. The growth was mainly export-led as GDP per capita did not drastically increase, infrastructure investment rose to a level allowing China to uphold its ability to It therefore can be argued that although many millions of people suffered due to Mao, that China today has partly benefited from the Mao years, although I believe that if Mao had not been kept unaware of the situation that arose in the Great Leap Forward years, that the suffering and deaths that occurred could have been avoided.

How Do You Spell Baby Murder? - A B O R T I O N :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. With the exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims are thrown into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims lay waiting in the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, the murderers are in their offices waiting for their next patient--the accomplice to the murder. This is the murder of an innocent child by a procedure known as abortion. Abortion stops the beating of an innocent child's heart. People must no longer ignore the scientific evidence that life begins at the moment of conception. People can no longer ignore the medical and emotional problems an abortion causes women. People must stop denying the facts about the procedure, and start hearing the silent screams of unborn children.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The argument by the pro-abortion side is that the unborn child is not truly a child. Many people who are pro-abortion justify their beliefs through the concept that a fetus is only a blob of tissue until it is born, or the statement: life begins at birth. Abortion is not as simple as removing a "blob of tissue" (as the pro-abortion activists put it) from a woman's body. Abortion is the destruction, dismembering and killing of a human life--an unborn baby. "But it is scientific and medical fact based on experimental evidence, that a fetus is a living, growing, thriving human being, directing his or her own development" (Fetal Development). A fetus is not just a blob of tissue, rather a fetus is Latin for "offspring or young one." Human life begins at fertilization, therefore it is wrong to murder the innocent child in the womb. At a US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting, most scientists said that life begins at conception or implantation of the embryo. No scientist at the meeting claimed that life begins at birth (Factbot). Professor Hymie Gordon of the Mayo clinic stated "' . . by all criteria of modern biology, life is present from the moment of conception'" (Fetal Development). In a 1963 Planned Parenthood pamphlet entitled 'Plan Your Children' it states "an abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health" (Factbot).

American Revolution or Evolution

Saroosh . H. Khan American Evolution or Revolution? The theme has been subject to excessive discussion over the course of more than two centuries encompassing the existence of the United States. Although it has been taught for as long in our schools and classrooms and all other educational institutions that the year 1776 Anno Domini marks the year of American Revolution, but amidst historians and intellectuals the dilemma to whether to call it a revolution or an evolution has never been out of question. Reader! Doesn’t it enthrall one that a single word could bifurcate scholars and create factions amongst the erudite. ?Por que (why? ) there must be a reason and there is! The answer is simple yet rational: Perspective. Albert Einstein, (the famous physicist) most remembered by his theory of relativity, concluded that distance and time were not absolute. History resides in the same niche. It is more than a chronological account of past events of a period or a livelihood or development of a people, an institution, or a place. But what it is not is absolute. It is always left upon interpretation, scrutiny, analysis, probing and pondering. The perception or perspective gained through such rigorous processes is also subject to the base of a historian. It is very uncommon to find historians sharing their bases of initial learning and therefore the effect of their own era, age, surroundings and upbringing must also be taken account of. A revolution, defined by Encyclopedia Britannica is: a major, sudden, and hence typically a violent alteration in government and in related associations and structures. On the other hand Oxford dictionary defines an evolution as: the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form. Let us decide upon the usage of the word Revolution, which one can venture out to say, could be dated from the year 1775 with its ignition being the battle of Lexington and Concord and culmination being the ratification of the constitution of the States in 1782. Seemingly easy doesn’t it? It doesn’t really respond to how fundamentally did the thoughts, ideals, ideology and mindset of a 2. 5 million inhabitants change and led to he chain of events that became known as the American Revolution. What I believe is that no people in the course of history have ever rebelled against a certain state, condition or ideology without a buildup of grievances, resentment or a gradual shift of attitude towards accepting a better socio-dogma. Let’s go back to the early 17th century when immigrations began to take place into the New Wo rld. Herds of folks comprising of German, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Jewish descent and not to mention the French Huguenots, began pouring into the lands in order to escape from the fetters of the Old World. They did not have any more an appetite for its rituals, its doctrines, its curbing of civil liberties, and mostly the cost of living in it. One can even say at this particular time, that they were revolting as a denouement of the evolution of the aforementioned causes. So it would be appropriate to say that a 17th century Europe was in revolution. Let’s go further with this theory and say that the immigrants reaching the New World were revolutionaries. Almost 150 years of Pax Americana (used strictly in context with the time period and not according to current usage) so to say was enjoyed by the colonists. During this time, some changes irrevocably did take place. This is evident from the fact that the language that the majority of the immigrants originally spoke had evolved into a different dialect. So from this we can also entrust upon the belief that alongside linguistics political and socio-economic changes did also take place. A political change that actually began with the migrations was the rise of a political ideology known as Republicanism. Technically ruled by Great Britain or more accurately looked over, the colonies practiced the policy through their town halls and city councils. Very famous examples of such republican instruments were the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Massachusetts Assembly. These were regulated by either representative or direct democracy. The symbol of democracy at the time was looked upon as the House of Commons in England, however it did seem a bit more than contradicting to have the Buckingham Palace towering high in the very country. The colonists did give their allegiances to the monarch but because of the fact that it was kind of conditional. Although they did not realize it nor was it formally declared but they remained docile because they were never tampered by British legislations. They had during this time, created their own principles, created their own system of jurisprudence, law, justice, methods of trade, commerce, education, agriculture etc. When after the French and Indian war, the British began actively participating in the earlier enumerated colonial components of society; it would’ve obviously been not received glad handedly by the Colonists as it did not. Let’s now examine the economic evolution that took place to ensure America’s Independence. The 150 year old period was in terms of trade and commerce coined as a period of salutary neglect. For the colonists it brought economic prosperity and industrialization. For the British it was shooting themselves in the foot. Intentional lax in order to show the appreciation for economic freedom while regulating the policy of mercantilism. Does it make any sense? One would question Robert Walpole’s sanity between all of this; however he is not our subject of concern. What you shall so sow so shall you reap; a very old and passed around saying isn’t it? But it does make sense in the context. The British for a very long period of time followed the policy and the colonist enjoyed its benefits. Smuggling was nothing out of the blue, very common. Other European nations also benefitted from it, the Colonial agriculture products such as hay, wheat, barley, maize and cotton were valued highly in foreign markets. When the British annoyed at Colonial stubbornness to pay taxes, passed the writs of assistance; there was an outrage. There had to be one, like it did, smuggling was not put up with anymore and a flow of revenue generation created as a result of foreign trade stagnated. How were the merchants to run their businesses without the freedom of trading being allowed to them as it had always been? Hence there was an outcry by the merchants who went bankrupt as a result of such legislation. Ah! One cannot expect the theme to be talked about without the mentioning of taxes somewhere or another. The country was not at all familiar with taxes; once again it is necessary to mention that when we talk about being not being tampered for almost 150 years it is meant more than it sounds. Citizens in Britain were obliged to pay taxes, however their brethren in the New World were not. I do at times believe that absolute freedom corrupts absolutely, there should be some harnesses or bridles put on in order to let ivility root in or in this case for rule to sustain. When suddenly exposed to direct taxes such as Stamp Act and Sugar Acts why would it not cause havoc with in the colonists? It would lead to acrimony towards the crown like it did, it would lead to mass protests like it did and would lead to severing of ties like it did. In the beginning I wrote about how a historical event is su bject to independent interpretation. How historians may or may not agree on something because of the different elements molding the shape of the basis for their knowledge. I must confess that it is not arbitrary and applies to myself as it does to any other individual. I believe that evolution without revolution is lame and revolution without evolution blind, very similar to what Einstein said about religion and science. One thing is for certain though, nothing is by nature revolutionary. There has to be friction to beget fire. During the 150 year period evolutionary changes in political beliefs, social policies and economic mechanisms did take place otherwise the colonists would’ve never armed themselves to teeth and hoisted the flag of revolution.

Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary - Emphasis

Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary Simple strategies for clear written communication, The Actuary For most actuaries, its a love of maths, statistics, probabilities and risk analysis that draws them into the profession. However, once theyve been fully trained in these hard skills, working life throws up new challenges. If youre a consulting actuary, for example, youll often have to explain complex ideas to clients who are not experts in the field. And even if you work in-house, explaining your work to colleagues is a crucial part of your role. So mastering communication is essential. And since these days we use written communication more than weve ever done before, you need to be able to write and to write well. Being able to explain yourself clearly and write in plain English can help you to gain credibility and increases the perceived value of your work. In turn, this will help ensure your clients or colleagues realise that what you do is an integral part of the organisation. Writing is a core professional skill that must be learned and then continually improved. The demands of business writing and the rigours of producing professional reports are very different from the English learnt at school. It should come as no surprise then that the actuarial profession have changed the CA3 Communications syllabus for trainees, in order to focus on writing for a non-actuarial audience. The Institute of Actuaries and The Faculty of Actuaries have introduced a residential course and workbook to help give students support and practice in this type of writing before they take the written exam. They have recognised that many students struggle with this module and they want to ensure that actuaries are able to express their ideas confidently through writing. Employers are also putting more and more emphasis on writing skills. Firms such as Hewitt and Hymans Robertson have commissioned specialist writing-training programmes for their actuarial staff, for example. So what can you do in practice? Well, imagine that you have completed a report on corporate pensions. You need to present it to a client who has staffing issues, an upcoming annual general meeting to prepare for and several other reports to read. The bottom line is that he is only interested in the financial implications of your search. You need to make an impact and ensure that your ideas are fully understood. If you get the communication wrong, you could lose valuable business. Trainees will soon have to complete an orally-based presentations module as part of their exams. But for trainees and qualified actuaries alike, explaining actuarial mathematics to a layperson is not an easy prospect. And the better you can become at communicating your ideas, the more effective you will be as an actuary. Training doesnt end when you qualify and learning writing techniques can make all the difference to your professional life. Here are the top tips for improving your written communication: Put the reader first Presenting complex figures, modelling techniques or probability theories doesnt have to be a daunting prospect. The answer is to think carefully about your audience and avoid a one size fits all approach. Ask yourself the following questions: What is the document about? Who will read it? How much do they already know about the subject? What do they absolutely need to know? How important is the subject to them? How interested are they in the subject? Dont include absolutely everything about a piece of research or a new idea. Instead, pare down to the main points and write them in plain English. This doesnt mean that you need to dumb down or be patronising, though. The message is to be as clear and precise as possible, and this means using technical language where appropriate. Jargon doesnt have to be avoided at all costs. Just make sure that your audience understand the technical terms youre using. (And always bear in mind that they may no less than they care to admit.) The aim is to save the reader time and wasted effort in trying to decipher unclear prose. Try to picture your reader with your document. If youre writing for a trustee, for instance, its likely theyll have to read several reports before a meeting. So, make sure that your introduction grabs the readers attention. Immediately convey your conclusions and recommendations with a concise, powerful executive summary. It doesnt matter whether youre writing a report, memo, letter or speech. Ask yourself what you want the reader to do when they have read the document. If you want them to take an action, you need to be direct. Clarify your main message Always offer a clear viewpoint. Keep asking yourself what you really want to communicate. It can seem like dangerous ground to express an opinion but its likely that your clients will see it as refreshing. Do this by using the active voice. So say, We predict a decline in employee pension provision, rather than Employee pension provision is predicted to decline. Keep it short Keep your sentences short and simple and avoid flowery phrases. There is no limit on the amount of full stops you can use. Aim for an average length of 15-20 words and an absolute maximum of 35. And stick to the rule of one sentence, one idea. Pay attention to structure If youre worried about structuring your ideas, the questions: what?, where?, when?, how?, why? and who? are useful prompts. When you know what you want to communicate, and why, you can then lay out your core idea first, and expand on it in the rest of the document. Proofread every piece of work Its easy to neglect to read through a document carefully once its finished. Dont. If at all possible, leave at least a day before you read it, to put some distance between you and the content. Otherwise youll read what you think it says, not what it actually does. Love, as they say, is blind. Look out for fuzzy thoughts, typos or badly-worded phrases. And make sure that you check the grammar, punctuation and spelling. Microsoft Words spellcheck doesnt know whether you mean peak or peek. Writing the wrong word can completely change your intended meaning and affect how your work is received. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.

The Sopranos

The Sopranos: Peppers Paul McCartney, Wingspan: Hits and History Various artists, Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack) Emmylou Harris, Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years The late Eva Cassidy's incredibly soulful, powerful voice takes flight on Songbird. From the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" to Sting's "Fields of Gold" and Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," Cassidy makes each song her own. More Cassidy in Folk: Get Editors' Recommendations by E-mail Sign-up for our Music Delivers, and we'll e-mail you expert recommendations and info on the latest releases by your favorite artists. And if you sign up for our Rock or Alternative Rock Delivers today, you could win a copy of R.E.M.'s brand-new Reveal CD autographed by all three members of the band! Here are our sweepstakes rules. The Sopranos: Peppers Paul McCartney, Wingspan: Hits and History Various artists, Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack) Emmylou Harris, Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years

Marketing is a philosophy that puts the customer at the centre no Essay

Marketing is a philosophy that puts the customer at the centre no customer, no sales - Essay Example It highlights three important aspects that marketing accomplishes. First, it recognizes the purpose of business organizations to design products which satisfy customer requirements. Marketing does not just involve offering any goods and services but business organizations should strive to offer those which offer customer value. Second, it stresses the aim of business organizations to generate profit from its operations. Thus, the definition of CIM involves assessing the marketing strategy which will be mutually beneficial for customers and companies. Business organizations as this definition implies are profit maximizing entities. Lastly, this definition highlight that marketing is not just about providing the current needs by â€Å"anticipating† the future requirements of the markets. In summary, the CIM’s definition of marketing balances the satisfaction of customer and profit maximizing goal of business organizations. This definition creates an image for marketing as something which merely reflects the needs of customers and marketers are tasked merely to identify and respond to these various needs. It recognizes that marketers have a great part in shaping customer’s needs by offering innovative solutions to their problems. Nonetheless, it is still the customers that determine which among the various products they are bombarded with represent their real need through their demand backed by purchasing power. It is irrefutable that business organizations are now operating on what Kotler (2002) termed as a hypercompetitive environment. This arena is characterized by more intense rivalry between players and higher buyer leverage. Thus, it becomes a great challenge for companies to create and deliver product offerings which will satisfy the need of individuals as well as establish efficient strategies in order to capture

Individual case study analysis(Ireland's Tiger Economy) Essay

Individual case study analysis(Ireland's Tiger Economy) - Essay Example A stiff prohibition on foreign ownership of firms and high tariff barriers from the 1930s to the late 1950s hindered Ireland’s economic growth (Barry,1995). By the 1950s, it was evident that policies, which aimed at giving local investors the priority was not beneficial at all (Barry,1995). This was because infant industries had not matured and were not sufficiently competitive to generate sizable exports. As a result, Irish policy makers changed tact. The â€Å"control of manufacturers’ act†, which gave local investors priority, was abolished. Policy makers engineered the development of the foreign direct investment. The first step was to introduce zero corporate profits tax on manufactured exports. Secondly, policy makers initiated attractive investment grants to foreign investors. Thirdly, policy makers abolished tariff barriers. The Irish economy in the past three decades is strongly linked to FDI. The investment platform has significantly changed. Currently, foreigners who own export-oriented firms, additionally, own almost sixty percent of gross output and forty-five percent of employment in manufacturing. U.S. investors are the majority of foreign investors operating firms in Ireland followed by UK and Germany (Barrell, 1996). Amazingly, a majority of foreign manufacturing firms in Ireland imports their raw and semi processed materials. This is because FDI has abolished barriers, which hinder investment making the cost of investment extremely affordable. Current data indicates that companies, which are owned by the locals, export only 35 percent of output (Barry, 1996). On the other hand, foreign owned manufacturing companies exports a whopping 86 percent of the output (Barry, 1996). This indicates that Ireland’s economy cannot strive without the investment from foreign firms. The success of Ireland’s economy is also because of a solid political economy. Furthermore, the political, economic and legal systems of any give n country take a huge role in determining the economic well being of that particular country. Ireland’s political economy and legal systems offer a perfect environment to foreign investors. Although, seen as the most successful economy in Europe and the world at large, Ireland’s economy was greatly affected by the global financial crisis. Between 2002 and 2007, the economic prowess that Ireland enjoyed changed in fundamental ways. At that moment, the economy continued to grow steadily owing to the rapid expansion of credit cards and an increase in personal indebtedness by the Irish natives. Rising property prices were seen as one of the igniters of this situation. Between 2002 and 2007, construction activities grew rapidly, accounting for the economic boost and rise in employment (ESRI, 1997). Amazingly, the rampant growth in the construction industry was supported by huge bank lending. At that moment, the balance sheets of many Irish banks expanded relative to the siz e of the economy. Reports indicate that a majority of the banks relied, on their deposit base, to fund loans. Unfortunately, greater financial integration, which was initiated partly by the introduction of the euro, forced local banks to source funds from abroad. In addition, the same period realized an increate appetite in financial markets, which caught Irish banks with surprise. A concentration in risky lending practices and lending in property