How important was citizen participation in Soviet decision-making Essay

How important was citizen participation in Soviet decision-making - Essay Example 46). Only in the beginning of 1990s, citizens of the former Soviet Union began to speak about the 74 years of Soviet regime as a "blank space" in the course of national history, a blunder, a roundabout way, as something that virtually better hadn't happened. "Now 1991 is referred to as the "collapse" or "falling-apart" (raspad), a word with almost purely negative connotations, even though people also tell opinion-pollers that they would not want to go back to the old order" (Sherman 1990 p. 15). Besides there is no doubt that knowledge in this area is highly disordered disorientation and blurred as for a very long time nearly until the beginning of "perestroika" the Soviet Union remained a skilfully isolated and closed political system (Segal, Batt, Buzan, Duncan, Goodman, Price, Margot, Williams & Womack 1992). In our work we'll investigate the Soviet era itself with its "backwardness". We will view the question through the prism of the course of comparatively recent history from 1917 to 1991. In short, our incentive is not to prove that twentieth century Russia and the whole USSR was backward but to demonstrate how decisive this backwardness was and even is for Russian and Soviet self-understanding (Fitzpatrick 2000, p. 378). Russia's "backwardness" as compared with the Wes... 104) "Russia as third Rome" were still general and common, but even the supporters of such concepts like Slavophiles often had prejudice and concerning the universal Russian intelligentsia's sense of inferiority about west countries that were considered to be more developed (Motyl 1990, p. 211). Marxist revolutionaries as a group of the radical intelligentsia which appeared in the beginning of the 20th century got the name the Bolsheviks. Socialism implies for them a lot, but what appeared to be the most essential, as became clearly understandable after they gain power in the October Revolution in 1917, was the process of "modernization" or "modification" the whole society. Their fundamental incentive was the surmounting of historic backwardness of the country (Drakulic 1987). The Bolsheviks considered that this so-called economic and cultural backwardness was the result of quantity of the non-Slavic peoples of the North and East and "dark" peasantry. "Since Russia's population in the early twentieth century was 80 per cent peasant, and non-Slavs constituted close to half of the population of the state that in 1923 became the Soviet Union that meant that "backwardness" was the prevailing condition" (Fitzpatrick 2000, p. 378). The Bolsheviks considered themselves a vanguard party. Strictly speaking, this implied that they represented the vanguard of the proletariat; and in broader meaning, it implied a vanguard of education with the main aim to steer the public masses out of backwardness. And after the winning of Revolution they declared their vanguard in the whole world (Sherman 1990 p. 14). These events were profoundly based on their Marxist perception of history, with its ideas and postulates

Marketing Management Master Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Management Master - Assignment Example Secondly, the customers might not be as knowledgeable as the ones who were there for the larger boats. This means that the company has to educate the buyers on how to use their boats in addition to giving them appropriate maintenance and handling tips. All this would mean that the company has to handle the entire marketing setup in a different way compared what they were doing earlier. 1. Products that are made by the company are positioned as a niche product. This positioning has to be altered in order to ensure that the company does not lose out on their turnover. The company has to cultivate and build relationship with buyers of the smaller boats. 2. On analysing the pricing position of the product, it is clear that the company might have to sell larger numbers to reach the same turnover that they were doing earlier. This can be realised only if the company decides to sell these boats through a distributor network. 4. The company has to have a clear public communication program that would enable the company to reach the buyers and the targeted clients. This promotion is required in order to ensure that the product gains on the market. This overall strategy will be strengthened by the positive aspects that are already present with the company. These are typically, the brand of the company that would help it to realise the market much more easily. Secondly, there is also a technological supremacy that would help the company to market much better than the rest of the competition. However, it needs to look at the new set of customers differently and also approach them in a different method. In order to realise the overall objectives listed above the following three jobs need to be executed. 1. Appropriate stocking of the finished boats should be present for immediate selling. 2. Since the company has to sell larger numbers, they need to deal through a set of distributors. 3. Competition has to be studied well and continuously monitored to fix an appropriate pricing policy and customer satisfaction policies. These three objectives are discussed in detail below. Promotional Strategy The company has to ensure that the 'right' quantity of boats and yachts are maintained in stock. This will enable the company to dispatch or supply boats on demand and meet the customer requirements immediately. The stocks have to be planned in contrast to the original pull style production system that they had. They need to move over to the push style system that would expect the company to

Informational Interview Assignement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Informational Interview Assignement - Assignment Example I went ahead and gave him a called and asked him for a one on one interview where he delightedly invited me to his home office for the interview. During the interview, I learnt many things regarding how a studio runs, its clients, its services and even the challenges the studios face. He also enlightened me on how to deal with challenges the studio faces. With such important and useful knowledge, I can easily solve problems in a studio and even come up with very important projects, which can improve service delivery and the image of a studio. This experience also gave me a chance to know how to go about with my area of specialization which is 3d modeling and to make it a huge success. I also got to learn the importance of teamwork in this field of work and the importance of working with other people as you get to share ideas and solve problems easily and efficiently. Summary of the interview Upon graduation, he became an Art Director for a political consulting company, designing grap hical looks for various senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns. This is the first job which he landed on after completing his university education. In the university he trained as a photographer at Arizona State University and in fact, he wheeled free office space out school administrators and at a point used his student union digs to design a design firm before his graduation in1975. This is one of his great achievement while was still in the university. This required a lot of determination and sacrifice in order to accomplish it. His determination, hard work, and passion for design are the ones that really his dreams come true. Without these qualities Mr.Jon Ridgway could not be where he is today. The idea of applying print graphic design to broadcast environment, from promotional spots to the studio’s surroundings also helped him a lot. At that time, he was a graphic designer at a television station where he worked with journalists and other people in the st udio. It is at this time that he contributed to the launch of the successful show, Entertainment Tonight. This show became a huge success and it attracted many viewers in the nation. When it comes to skills, Mr.Ridgway has good communication skills, which has really helped him in relating with his colleagues, clients of Novocom and the general public. He also has extensive creative talent in photography and high interest in graphic design. He is also very skillful in doing graphic design work which is his area of specialization and interest. He keeps his skills current by engaging himself not only in office work but also in fieldwork to explore and use his skills. He also works with his juniors in many projects and he gives them his ideas. This makes his skills updated and he also gains from them in one way or another and his skills are in use. By doing this he also passes his skills to his juniors whom he works with and this enables them to learn from him and also emulate him. He a lso argues that creativity, self-reliance, and consistency are the most crucial values in this line of work. Without this values then it is very difficult for one to become successful in this field of work. When it comes to attitude, then one should have positive mind and believe in what he or she is working on. What he likes most is his work, his family and he dislikes the things that

Tim's Coffee Shop Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tim's Coffee Shop - Research Paper Example This write up is an analytical paper focusing on the Tim’s Coffee Shoppe, a small sole proprietor business with 10 employees who are currently working and serving the customers visiting their coffee shop. Since the business is situated at a prime location and as a result the customer footfall quite high. Moreover, the service hours offered by the shop acts as a competitive advantage for the firm.   However, there are certain areas where the company needs to improve. For instance, the vision statement can be modified and the company can clearly define its long term and short term goals. The vision statement of the company can be to provide the perfect cup of coffee in the perfect ambiance. This would mean that the shop will provide good quality coffee. The store will provide a good strategic location and the ambiance of the store will provide the customers with the ability to socialize or relax and pampered by the excellent customer service. To meet this vision the company ne eds to improve its present state of performance, improvise the quality of coffee and customer service, maintain the store ambiance and provide additional value to the customers. Scholars such as Drucker, emphasizes that management denotes both â€Å"a function† and â€Å"the people† who discharge it. The importance of management in an origination cannot be denied; thus, organizations have dedicated departments for managing the workforce. Tim’s Coffee Shoppe is a small sole proprietor business with 10 employees who are currently working and serving the customers visiting their coffee shop. Since the business is situated at a prime location and as a result the customer footfall quite high. Moreover, the service hours offered by the shop acts as a competitive advantage for the firm. However, there are certain areas where the company needs to improve. For instance, the vision statement can be modified and the company can clearly define its long term and short term g oals. Action Items The vision statement of the company can be to provide the perfect cup of coffee in the perfect ambience. This would mean that the shop will provide good quality coffee. The store will provide a good strategic location and the ambience of the store will provide the customers with the ability to socialize or relax and pampered by the excellent customer service. To meet this vision the company needs to improve its present state of performance, improvise the quality of coffee and customer service, maintain the store ambience and provide additional value to the customers. Short Term Goals 1. The first goal of the company in the next year should be to increase the market share by attracting new customers which will in turn help to generate higher revenue. 2. The companies in the industry constantly strive for innovating new products based on customer demands in order to attract consumers and differentiate them from the competitors. With increasing health consciousness a mong customers, the companies are introducing healthy alternatives. Differentiation gives the companies a competitive advantage. 3. According to the survey records of the customers, majority of them mentioned that the customer service was poor. So it would be important for the company to improve customer service in order to attract new customers and retain existing customers. Long Term Goals 1. The quality of coffee is crucial for any coffee shop to become successful. But through the customer surveys it was found that the quality of coffee was average. So the company should focus on improving the quality of coffee and offer more competitive products. 2. The employees’ opinions reflected that they were satisfied with their jobs but were suffering from low morale. Some of them were planning to leave the company and join the competitors. So in the next 3 years, the company needs to develop a strong retention plan and provide customers with career growth opportunities. Federal an d State compliance Issues Some of the Federal and State compliance Issues that the company might face are as follows:- Multiplicity Issues. Code issues (Community Development Law Center and Fair Housing Council of Oregon, 2009). Now in order

ASTR 123 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

ASTR 123 - Assignment Example This theory however, fails to account for the possibility of the huge unconceivable numbers of comets that could have collided or passed near earth for this to have happened. It is believed that during the formation of the earth e.g. the big bang process and later developments, the materials that formed it contained large amounts of water that condensed and later collected, resulting in its large surface water volumes. Though this could be a possibility, the earth’s surface was less massive during the development stages leading to its gravity being too weak to hold the waters from escaping its surface at that stage. This fails to explain the almost immediate existence of water after the earth’s formation. The Snowball earth theory explains that at least once, massive glaciations occurred on earth that left almost the whole of it--if not its entire surface -- completely frozen. The theory has convincingly tried to explain the existence of similar sedimentary deposits found especially at the tropical paleolatitudes. Despite the many suppositions of the theory, it however, cannot feasibly be dependent on as it contradict known facts and theories such as the origin of glacial models and the slushball earth hypothesis. The surface of Europa is believed to be covered in thick ice crust, which prompts scientists to conclude that there is a possibility of a large salty water body rich in chemicals beneath the ice. These combined, form basic necessities required by extreme microbial life forms to thrive. Heat from tidal flexing regulates the energy changes and provides the necessary energy for microbe survival. Sulphur and sulphuric acid deposits in Europa has little resemblance with some extreme conditions on earth where microbes like pioneering bacteria evolved and mastered basic survival skills without directly getting their energy from the

The Theatre of Marcellus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Theatre of Marcellus - Essay Example Today, there are a number of theories regarding what is architecture and they continue to change with time, material, usage of the structure and so forth. To help limit our discussion, Vitruvius provides us with three basic elements of design that must be considered when attempting to understand architecture. These include utility, flexibility and beauty. â€Å"By utility, Vitruvius means the functional arrangement of rooms and spaces so that there is no hindrance to use and so that a building is perfectly adjusted to its site. Firmness referred to foundations that were solid and to building materials being used wisely to do their required work. Beauty meant that ‘the appearance of the work is pleasing and in good taste, and [that] its members are in due proportion according to correct principles of symmetry† (Roth 11). These three principles will be taken into account in an examination of the architecture of the ancient Theatre of Marcellus as it existed within its cont emporary society and as it has influenced architecture into the future. Social life in ancient Rome was full of spectacle including triumphal processions, aristocratic funerals, public banquets, gladiatorial contests, wild beast shows, athletic competitions and chariot races. â€Å"As a whole, this pervasive culture of spectacle served both as a vehicle for self-advertisement by the sociopolitical elite and as a means of reinforcing the shared values and institutions of the entire community† (Klar, 2006). One form of entertainment that had long-term impact upon the citizens of the city was the theatre. â€Å"According to the ancient historian Livy, the earliest theatrical activity at Rome took the form of dances with musical accompaniment, introduced to the city by the Etruscans in 364 BC† (Klar, 2006). Full length plays were introduced by 240 BC through the comedies and tragedies of

Broad Environment Essay Example for Free

Broad Environment Essay Knowing the Unknown about the Broad Environment University of Tampa MGT 431 Practical Strategic Assessment Dr. George Bud Wynn June 09, 2009 Abstract In â€Å"Foundations in Strategic Management†, pages 21 to 27, author Harrison discusses the influence that the external environment has on a particular company’s operations and how its managers can adapt to environmental uncertainties to sustain their competitive advantages. Harrison also points out why it is important for firm to analyze and evaluate its broad environment. He also mentions how managers can analyze and evaluate external forces and devise strategies to complement the rapid-changing environment in order for their company to be competitive throughout and take advantage of its strengths and minimize its threats. He further divides the broad environment into four sub-headings (socio-cultural, economical, technological and political/legal) and states why each is important and the effect each have on a company’s operations. The purpose of the paper focuses more on informing the reader of the importance of evaluating a particular company’s broad environment. The paper also includes a review of and my opinion on what I think firms and their managers should be aware of when it comes to their company’s broad environment. The Importance of the Broad Environment to Managers Before the 1990’s, if a business had a competitive advantage and opened its doors to the general public, it was almost guaranteed success. However, such cases no longer exist. In modern times, companies with competitive advantages such as sufficient resources, skilled workers, superior technologies and the like can still go under due to the ever-changing environment. Nowadays, successful businesses are shifting focus from just having a competitive advantage in one or two areas, to maximizing on the relevant information that its managers have about its operation environment; including the broad and task environment. In order to operate a successful business, it is important for managers to have a comprehensive understanding of its broad environment in which it plans to operate. The broad environment includes socio-cultural, economical, technological, and political/legal forces which have an effect on how the company plans to gain a profitable market share. Such comprehensive understanding allows managers to save valuable time and money; subsequently making their business profitable. Due to the uncertainties of the rapidly changing economy, it is almost required by top performing firms to research the broad environment; even if its plan to merge or joint venture with another firm elsewhere. In addition, such research is also highly recommended for companies that plan to do business globally; if the company wishes to create a buffer from potential losses. Also, companies that analyze the broad environment effectively are able to maximize its advantages and opportunities while limiting weaknesses and threats. In conclusion, successful firms must recognize the importance of the broad environment in order to take advantage of its strengths and opportunities while minimizing its weaknesses and threats. Well-defined researches coupled with a complete understanding of a company’s broad environment are always important because, when done properly, it can enable companies to seize potential market areas and dominate a particular geographical location. Maintaining a complete understanding of the broad environment is vital to a company’s success. Understanding the broad environment is important for many reasons. Socio-cultural forces occur randomly and without warning. Many firms experience difficulties with these forces many times during operations. Examples of socio-cultural forces range from the influence of terrorism on the economy to the legality of abortion. Proper socio-cultural assessment enables firms to minimize its threats from potential restrictive legislation. Firms which are aware of pending restrictive law changes can avoid huge fines and penalties. In addition, managers should spend ample time researching law changes in order to save their company from falling intothese traps. Managers who are aware of demographic and economic changes in society can take advantage of opportunities that their competition fails to recognize. For example, a careful study of a firm’s social environment can gather information on what products/services or lifestyles people from a particular neighborhood purchase or prefer. In conclusion, a thorough understanding of socio-cultural forces can enable managers to gain from their knowledge about its societal operations and make it work to the best interest of their business. This will enable them to take advantage of strengths while also minimizing their threats. Economic forces play a critical part in the understanding of a firm’s broad environment. Factors such as interest rates, economic growth and inflation are important variables which managers must be aware of in order to process their broad environment effectively. Without such knowledge, it would be almost impossible to run an effective and efficient business and establish a competitive advantage. Furthermore, information gained from economic forces enables managers to allocate resources while allowing time to seek other investment opportunities. For example, multinational firms can benefit from favorable exchange rates. In order words, an understanding of fluctuations in exchange rates can lead such firms to purchase raw materials in countries where their own currency is superior to that of the foreign country. On the other hand, without knowledge of inflation, companies can suffer huge losses when investing in these countries. As a result, managers must be aware of such economical changes beforehand in order to make educated decisions that can assist their company’s growth and production. Another broad environment which managers should be aware of is technology. Nowadays, technology is changing the ways individuals and firms do business. New innovations such as the internet, handheld computers, and direct satellite systems are making it much easier for firms to purchase, deliver, and sell its products/services. Firms must be aware of and adapt to new technological changes in order to stay ahead of its competition in the fight for market shares and profits. If not, these companies are bound to fail or file for bankruptcy. Most firms are pumping millions of dollars into research and development in order to find new ways of improving its product’s life cycle which will in turn, generate more revenue and satisfy customer. One of the world leaders in electronic supply, the Sony Corporation of America, has developed new ideas to save its customer time and money. As a result, Sony is one of the main leaders in its industry and continues to see profits soar in 2008. According to one official, one of its newest inventions, â€Å"Eye on Education†, â€Å"[e]ducation educators receive competitive pricing, exclusive service and support capabilities, financing options, and trade-in opportunities for Sony professional display products. † Technology awareness and continuous improvement in its research and department hasled the company to success over the years. In modern times, in order for any one company to be effective, managers must be aware of the technological forces that can assist their companies to save money, andtime; subsequently improving the business purpose and values. Finally, close attention must be geared towards political/legal forces which can change the company’s focus or purpose in one way or another. Government regulations can alter the ways in which companies wish to perform its business in terms of locally or globally. Therefore, managers must pay attention to different types of changes that their companies might undertake if there is a desire to join multiple or particular industries. Government normally provides advantages to some businesses in the form of tax incentives which promote ethical behavior and remind firms of its responsibilities. Managers who are vigilant can take advantage of these incentives. Overall, a comprehensive understanding of a company’s broad environment such as socio-cultural, economical, technological, and political/legal forces are an essential assessment that needs to be considered before a merger, joint venture, acquisition, or even to successfully run a business. On the other hand, trained personnel must carry out such researches in order to avoid huge losses and business failure. Also, integrated understanding coupled with awareness can provide managers with information on what types of products/services to offer, sell, customers, delivery, and the like to enable their business to accomplish its goals. Assessments are highly recommended for starting up and strugglingcompanies and businesses which wish to operate globally. If somehow a particular set of managers can make a reasonable assessment of its company’s broad environment, they are almost guaranteed to run an effective and efficient company.