Career Management in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Career Management in Business - Essay Example â€Å"This section asks you to reflect on THREE significant experiences/incidents where you have learned a new, or developed an existing, skill or competence. These experiences/incidents could be based in any relevant context (e.g. work, university, home, social clubs etc.) but must refer to skills that you believe will be important in your future employment and career.†Ã‚  I was once interviewing a possible candidate for a position with the company and when I asked her why she wanted to change her work situation she informed me that it was her family situation which was forcing her to do so. I was shocked to hear it and when I asked for an explanation she told me how her father had died recently and she had to work to make ends meet rather than go to college. I was quite taken by the situation and decided to give her the job even though she scored very poorly on the interview and the skills evaluations text. In due course, she turned out to be completely incompetent on the jo b and I had to let her go after a few months of trying to deal with her.  What I learnt from this experience is that business decisions must not be made with emotional viewpoints and rational evaluations need to be made in order to get to the right decision. Simply hiring someone because they need the job could be a disservice to both them and the company because they would hurt the company and even hurt their own future prospects if they are not with the company for a significant period of time. This realisation jumped at me as it was fully explained by Welch (2005).  The skill that I developed was the skill of looking at a situation with rationality and it can certainly be applied to the development of my career. I can be rational about my objectives and about my aims with regard to where I want to be in a few years time and what I need to do in order to get there.

Implicit and explicit personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Implicit and explicit personality - Essay Example motivated by the fact that people express themselves differently within themselves and outwards depending on their personality and the self perception on aggressiveness (Frost, Ko and James, 2007, p. 1305). Through a methodological investigation, the study found out that the hypothesized model of interactive combination of explicit and implicit personalities and the demonstration of aggressiveness is significant in the determination of behavior. The study revealed that people who perceived themselves as being aggressive are attracted to aggressive behaviors especially overt aggression. Therefore people who think that they are capable of being aggressive are more likely to be involved in actions that are considered to be aggressive. The study also found out that people who thinks about themselves as being less aggressive or not aggressive at all but are implicitly aggressive demonstrate aggressive behavior in passive forms. On the other hand, individuals whose implicit personality are less aggressive but believe that they are hostile or confrontational are more likely to engage in verbal forms of aggression as the most appropriate way of expressing their feelings (Frost, Ko and James, 2007, p. 1307). The comparison of the study with prior investigations and the various models enabled the study to determine how implicit and explicit personalities determine the manner in which people think of themselves. This in return was found to be the explanation for the manner in which aggressive behavior of an individual is expressed. The implicit personalities are recommended to psychologist as significant in explaining aggression rather than the reliance of the explicit demonstrations of one’s personality and its implication in expression of aggression. The combination of self reported and implicit personalities in the study is significant because it helps in the understanding of the reasons why the expression of people’s aggression is diverse within organizations and

Strategic Management for Real Chocolate Company Research Paper

Strategic Management for Real Chocolate Company - Research Paper Example Political: Decrease in over all market demand due to unstable political situation. Economic: The Economic downturn being experienced in the whole world can be lethal for the demand of chocolates. Socio-cultural: The population of U.S is getting more conscious about the problems related to health. Any product accused of effecting health of the people can lead to the loss of market share. The changing demographics of US are also affecting the demand patterns. Technological: Increased innovation and technological improvement in manufacturing and services resulting in shape of economies to scale. Legal: Improved laws regarding the health affecting food products. Environmental: The industry can face environmental threat because of the Agro-terrorism. a) Segments (main market segments): The main market segments are the B2b customers getting the franchise of the company. b) Differentiation opportunities: Artisan chocolates are creating marketing Niches. The company can also experiment with exotic flavors and ingredients mixes as experimented with big chocolates in past. Godiva Chocolatier and Russell Stover, Company's largest competitors, hold a larger share of the global market in sales of chocolates. This likely was an outcome of being a publicly traded company and maintaining the capital required for large-scale marketing ventures. Regardless, Real Chocolate Company only maintains between eight and 12 percent of the entire market, which is insufficient for their growth requirements. Market Penetration: The revenue of the company can be increased by the introduction of new franchising schemes as this can be a low cost and high revenue option. The...This likely was an outcome of being a publicly traded company and maintaining the capital required for large-scale marketing ventures. Regardless, Real Chocolate Company only maintains between eight and 12 percent of the entire market, which is insufficient for their growth requirements. The revenue of the company can be increased by the introduction of new franchising schemes as this can be a low cost and high revenue option. The company should also keep its share in the annual sales of its franchised stores and outlets. The new product to be marketed to our existing customers can be the Dark Chocolate. This will be an innovative product for the loyal customers of the Company. The Company should also introduce new franchising programs with different offers for franchisees. The Real Chocolate Company is currently working in a market where sales are being affected by competitor activities and the external environment. There are several opportunities available for Real Chocolate Company to shift its position as a follower in the sales market and emerge a leader. The company reported the revenues of $ 31.6 million which was 12 % more than the previous year.

Literary analysis paper on 2 chronicles 33 1-20 Essay

Literary analysis paper on 2 chronicles 33 1-20 - Essay Example The narrator wished to further his anti-Manasseh sentiments in verses 7-8, relaying how Manasseh was purposely trying to rebut God’s orders regarding his temple to invite his wrath, knowing full well what had happened to tribes of the past who had succumbed to God’s contempt and had been driven out of the land. In verse 9, Manasseh is described as an evil force who led others to the wrong path as well, in the process doing more evil than the people of the past. This more or less sets the scene for God’s resolution with regards to Manasseh to come. That is not to say God does not give Manasseh a chance to improve. In verse 10, God’s goodness is demonstrated when he gives Manasseh and his people a chance to mend his ways. However, in 11-12, Manasseh’s refusal to accept God’s advice angers the Lord further, so that he resorts to resolve the matter by getting Manasseh capture by Babylon in a humiliating way. Manasseh then seeks forgiveness and pr ays to the Lord in verse 13, who listens to his plea and rids him from the clutches of Babylon bringing him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. This reaffirms Manasseh’s faith in the Lord. ... In verse 18, Manasseh becomes an example for kings and the narrator mentions how his name goes down in the history accounts of the Kings of Israel, referencing further reading at the end of the verse. In verse 19, a summary account is given of the past happenings, of how Manasseh’s prayer was accepted and his land rid of evil by him, referenced again by further reading, in order to secure a place for him with his ancestors in his palace upon his dead in verse 20. He is taken over by his successor Amon, his son as a way of bringing Manasseh’s life to an end. Interpretative Problem The literal narrative brings about an interpretative problem that is central to the theme. It demonstrates that all evil, no matter how obscene and disproportionate to man’s inherent goodness, is redeemable by repentance. God, the all merciful, has a soft spot for those who repent if His creation calls out to Him in prayer. This in a way suggests that a person who goes against Godâ€℠¢s wishes and commands would more than likely cause himself to be addressed by Him in a much more direct way, thus inviting his curiosity and bringing about an insight in God that eventually leads to salvation. This inherent theme to life has a very pivotal criticism, in such that, if the assumption of salvation is made regarding anyone who repents his sins, then is it not also possible for the devil to do the same? This notion is readily defeated if the concept of God’s discretion is invoked. God forgives what he chooses to forgive, and is not bound by prayer alone. In verse 13, in response to Manasseh’s plea for forgiveness and help, God’s eternal compassion was evoked in a discretionary fashion. He chose to forgive

Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Coursework

Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy - Coursework Example The paper "Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy" concerns the two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy. This group ÃŽ ¿f powerful families wanted to show the world that their learning, piety and taste made them worthy ÃŽ ¿f their high standing in society. Among the greatest patrons were members ÃŽ ¿f the powerful Medici family, who spent money on constructing churches and encouraging art. The works date from the time ÃŽ ¿f Lorenzo de Medici whom Machiavelli called "the greatest patron ÃŽ ¿f art and literature that any prince has ever been. The Florentine government also transferred the responsibility for artistic projects to individual guilds. The guilds formed the basis ÃŽ ¿f the city's political system. For example, during the fourteenth century, the Duomo and Baptistery were allocated to the Wool and Cloth Merchants respectively. The government also established "...guild rivalry as a powerful competitive spur to publ ic patronage in Florence. Females were also energetic artistic patrons and commissioned art in their roles as religious, royalty and noble women. Time and again, agreements with artists were arranged for females by a male family member, a monk, or a priest. Religious women and their communities (holy orders, individual nuns and abbesses) ordered decorations for their convent cells, refectories, and church altarpieces. The Christian church dominated the lives ÃŽ ¿f Europeans and thus embodied both the government and the patron

Weekly refection Essay Example for Free

Weekly refection Essay Home Page  » Business and Management Mgt 521. Weekly Reflection In: Business and Management Mgt 521. Weekly Reflection Weekly Reflection MGT/521 Learning Team A Team A: Weekly Reflection In this paper, Learning Team A will collaborate on Week One objectives while expressing our level of comfort and discomfort to the following topics: †¢ Identify channels for business communications †¢ Evaluate credibility and validity of sources of information. †¢ Develop effective arguments The information addressed within our Weekly Reflection will provide direction for effectively distinguishing between formal and informal business communication channels. In addition, Learning Team A agrees that identifying the proper business communication channel will ensure the appropriate channels are used and messages are transmitted efficiently through the communication process. Lastly, Learning Team A will also address how the weekly topics relate to our field of business. Team A: Identify channels for business communications In efforts of identifying the various channels for business communication Learning Team A was able to relate to and understand collectively the various forms of communication used within business. We all share the common fact of possessing secure employment; however, the areas of business vary from entrepreneurship, management, and the medical field. Considering our areas  of employment differ with regards to the area of business in which we all specialize in, they all come down to the some of the same channels for business communication. Two primary channels of business included face to face and email communication. Within entrepreneurship, management and the medical field utilizing the benefits of face to face and email communication is most effective. In the area of patient care, customer service and management, conducting one’s self within direct proximity of another individual is extremely common.

Ideological differences of Cold War

Ideological differences of Cold War Question 1 What was the Cold War about? Present a thorough analysis that makes reference to the differences between countries in the East and West up to the demise of the Soviet Union. The Cold War was based upon the ideological differences of the countries of the East and those of the West. The East or Eastern Bloc referred to the countries of Eastern Europe; the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its satellites in the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia; and the West referred to the United States of America (USA), Britain and France in particular who were rebuilding western Europe post world war II. Geographically speaking the references to east and west were more so based upon the notion that the English speaking part of the world had adopted democracy, in particular liberal democracy as the main or ideal political ideology and capitalism as the method of economic development. Almost like references to the north/ south divide where there is no strict geographical adherence. In this essay I propose to show how the Cold War of capitalism versus communism played out as well as to explain the fall of communism and the subsequent demise of the Soviet Union . Liberal democracy and capitalism seem to go hand in hand at least that is the ideal put forward by the US and Britain who seem to be basking in the consumerism that followed the Industrial Revolution. Liberalism as an ideology developed quickly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Post World War I (WWI) liberal democracy was identified by the President Woodrow Wilson as the ideology that would maintain peace and stability as long as nation states observed each others sovereignty. At the core of liberalism were the freedoms and rights of the individual, respect for private property, representative government, collective will and the minimal role of the state. The rights of the individual in particular were most important. In framing its constitution the United States had taken this into consideration with its Bill of Rights which entitles citizens to life, liberty, justice, toleration and the right to economic prosperity. This paved the way for liberal economics, which encourag ed free trade and the use of the market to determine supply and demand; Adam Smiths invisible hand. This economic policy or capitalism was based on five principles: private ownership, market economy, competition, profit and stable prices. These principles in keeping with the political regime were individualistic in nature. The idea was the private interests (entrepreneurship) would produce goods for mass consumption and the entry or exit of other players would fuel the economy. It is assumed that the consumer is rational, that is, he or she will make choices depending on taste and cost of the product. Production is consumer driven and based on profits. Communism as a political ideology and economic policy has its groundings in the theoretical precepts of Karl Marx (1818-1883). Marx had an economic interpretation of history and war in particular. He saw the basis of any conflict as class related rather than something such as race. The conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, or what he viewed as the exploitation of the masses by the elites was the basis for the production and exchange of goods and services. This was the human interaction which influenced the social processes and institutions. Marx believed that those who owned the factors of production: land, labour and capital controlled the social and cultural norms and as such dominated the society. Therefore the superstructure, laws and government were controlled by these people. Basically those who controlled the economic sphere controlled the political sphere as well. It is to this end that Marx posits that imperialism driven by capitalism has shaped modern histo ry. This knowledge shaped Marxs view that there was a need for social change, a revolution. He believed in the universal nature of class conflict and suggested that sheer universal identification of the working class everywhere would cause mass revolution and the overturn of elite government, bringing social and economic reforms. The basic tenant of communism was the communal ownership of the means of production; the polar opposite of a liberal democratic society. Andrew Heywood (Politics, 1997:33) defines communism simply as a â€Å"communal organisation of socail existence on the basis of collective ownership of propertya classless society in which wealth was owned in common, production was geared to human need and the state had withered away†. In its truest sense the Cold War was not an actual outright war which used military but more of a rivalry expressed through military coalitions, strategic conventional force deployments, a nuclear arms race, espionage, proxy wars, propaganda, and technological competition. This war was fought mostly in satellite areas. It was about military postering and the expansion of ideology on either side. There is much contestation on when the war started, some believe it was right before the end of WWI in 1918 when the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, pushed for socialist revolution and others believe it started after WWII in 1945. Lenin and his Bolshevik party took power in October 1917 and he was the first head of the Soviet Union. His interpretation of Marxs communism is rivalled by no other. His aim was the modernise Soviet Russia, bringing it from a backward agrarian state into an industrialised nation. He knew building a new state from the bottom up was going to be difficult so he or chestrated a means of keeping the working class disciplined and committed to the cause. His attempt at starting with the working class in the countryside was miscalculated. The working class wanted to be the middle class and the middle class wanted to be the upper class, there was no immediate consolidation of the working class and the middle class to overthrow the upper class. So Lenin would have to take measures into his own hands; the revolution had to come from the top then. The Bolshevik party had to seize power and maintain it in order to keep the proletariat in check and committed, it became less of soviet democracy and more like a dictatorship. The pressure that Marx said would force a revolution and development of the state was not coming from the masses but from the political elites. The vanguard party was in the process of fashioning a regime which eventually let to a civil war. The internal fighting did not help the fact that the Soviet Union had now found it self in a d iplomatic wilderness because it had isolated itself from its capitalist neighbours. The civil war started to create chinks in the soviet armour, the intense spending on the war meant less money being spent on the social welfare of the masses. According to Martin McCauleys The Soviet Union 1917-1991 (1993:31), â€Å"(M)ore than anything else it was the lack of Bolshevik success in the economic sphere, under the conditions of civil war, which shaped and fashioned the Soviet regime. Shortages, cold, hunger and disease racked the communist body politic† The Bolshevik party had forgotten about their people, the very people that they were supposed to be serving. The party had lost its way and the Russian economy was dwindling because of it. Money had become useless as the state was encouraging production with out pay, there was little incentive. Lenins dream of a mixed economy had died and had ushered in the new socialist economy but soon he became disillusioned again with what see med to be the non-existence of a proletariat essentially there was no one to lead, the country was far from where he has thought it would be, it was in ruin. With the succession of Leon Trotsky the economy did not fare any better. Trotsky did not under stand the political principles as his rival for leadership Stalin did. Slowly and surely Stalin was undermining Trotskys, at first with minor disagreements and then replacing Trotsky supporters with his own friends especially in the key areas around the country. Even through all of this, Lenin was observing and had found that Joseph Stalin was a brilliantly skilful man but he had become too ambitious and opportunistic. Lenin saw this as huge fault and that is why he continued to support Trotsky as his successor because Trotsky was willing to see Lenins dream through to the end. Stalin however, eventually stepped into the shoes of Lenin by sabotaging Trotskys attempts to let the words and ideas of Lenin live in his memory. Lenin was the only Soviet leader who was even remotely close to what was Marxism and Marxs ideal. Stalin stated that he viewed international politics as a bipolar world i n which the Soviet Union would attract countries gravitating to socialism and capitalist countries would attract states gravitating toward capitalism, while the world was in a period of temporary stabilization of capitalism preceding its eventual collapse. Socialism and capitalism came together to fight World War II against Nazi Germany, but the Soviet Union was growing suspicious of the wests ambitions regarding the resettlement of the war torn European continent. The western Allies desired a security system in which democratic governments were established as widely as possible, permitting countries to peacefully resolve differences through international organizations, such as the League of Nations (United Nations). In order to combat this situation the Soviet Union sought to insert itself into the domestic politics of nations on its borders and so Poland (incorporated into two different SSRs), Latvia (Latvian SSR), Estonia (Estonian SSR), Lithuania (Lithuanian SSR), part of easter n Finland (Karelo-Finnish SSR) and eastern Romania (Moldavian SSR). After annexing several occupied countries as Soviet Socialist Republics at the end of World War II, other occupied states were added to the Eastern Bloc by converting them into puppet Soviet Satellite states, such as East Germany, the Peoples Republic of Poland, the Peoples Republic of Hungary, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Peoples Republic of Romania and the Peoples Republic of Albania. The Soviet-style regimes that arose in the Bloc not only reproduced Soviet command economies, but also adopted the brutal methods employed by Joseph Stalin and Soviet secret police to suppress real and potential opposition. Stalin began completely shut out the rest of the world. The only thing the people of the Soviet Union knew was the positive propaganda espoused by Stalin. Films, books, art of any kind were forbidden and creativity was stifled. In order to preserve what was left of the communist dream Stalin shut off the world all technology even household appliances were forbidden. Foreign products were contraband and the black market thrived. There was an ideological battle going on within the Soviet Union. Many were executed and exiled. Beginning in 1934, Stalin began murderous purges of the Party through a series of show trials. By January 1947 the Soviet Union had become more and more financially strained. Further more the division of Germany into east and west had created a political nightmare for those living on either side. In Asia, the Red Army had overrun Manchuria in the last month of the war, and went on to occupy the large part of Korean territory. In early 1947, Britain, France and the United States unsuccessfully attempted to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union for a plan envisioning an economically self-sufficient Germany, including a detailed accounting of the industrial plants, goods and infrastructure already removed by the Soviets. In June 1947, in accordance with the Truman Doctrine, the United States enacted the Marshall Plan, a pledge of economic assistance for all European countries willing to participate, including the Soviet Union. The Marshall Plan was to rebuild and democratise Europe and this was contingent on Germanys recovery. The United States and Britain merged their western German occupation zones into Bizonia (later trizonia with the addition of Frances zone). As part of the economic rebuilding of Germany, in early 19 48, representatives of a number of Western European governments and the United States announced an agreement for a merger of western German areas into a federal governmental system. In addition, in accordance with the Marshall Plan, they began to re-industrialize and rebuild the German economy, including the introduction of a new Deutsche Mark currency to replace the old Reichsmark currency that the Soviets had debased. After the death of Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev presented himself as a down-to-earth activist prepared to take up any challenge. Khrushchev arranged for the Kremlin grounds to be opened to the public, an act with great public resonance. Khrushchev sought reforms to agriculture; in fact he started to de-Stalinise the state. To the shock and dismay of his party members he was openly criticising Stalin whom he had seemed so faithful to. He openly discussed Stalins brutish behaviour and all his crimes. Essentially assassinating what little was left behind of Stalin. Nationalist movements in some countries and regions, notably Guatemala, Iran, the Philippines, and Indochina were often allied with communist groups—or at least were perceived in the West to be allied with communists. In this context, the US and the Soviet Union increasingly competed for influence by proxy in the Third World as decolonization gained momentum in the 1950s and early 1960s; additionally, the Soviets saw continuing losses by imperial powers as presaging the eventual victory of their ideology. The US government utilized the CIA in order to remove a string of unfriendly Third World governments and to support allied ones. The US used the CIA to overthrow governments suspected by Washington of turning pro-Soviet Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954. Between 1954 and 1961, the US sent economic aid and military advisers to stem the collapse of South Vietnams pro-Western regime. Many emerging nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America rejected the pressure to choose sides in the East-West competition. In 1955, at the Bandung Conference in Indonesia, dozens of Third World governments resolved to stay out of the Cold War. The consensus reached at Bandung culminated with the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. Meanwhile, Khrushchev broadened Moscows policy to establish ties with India and other key neutral states. Independence movements in the Third World transformed the post-war order into a more pluralistic world of decolonized African and Middle Eastern nations and of rising nationalism in Asia and Latin America. The Soviet Union formed an alliance with Fidel Castro-led Cuba after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy responded to the installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba with a naval blockade. The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world closer to nuclear war than ever before. It further demonstrated the concept of mutually assured destruction, that neither nuclear power was prepared to use nuclear weapons fearing total destruction via nuclear retaliation. The aftermath of the crisis led to the first efforts in the nuclear arms race at nuclear disarmament and improving relations, although the Cold Wars first arms control agreement, the Antarctic Treaty, had come into force in 1961. In 1964, Khrushchevs Kremlin colleagues managed to oust him, but allowed him a peaceful retirement. Accused of rudeness and incompetence, he was also credited with ruining Soviet agriculture and bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. Khrushchev had become an international embarrassment when he authorised construction of the Berlin Wall, a public humiliation for Marxism-Leninism. From the beginning of the post-war period, Western Europe and Japan rapidly recovered from the destruction of World War II and sustained strong economic growth through the 1950s and 60s, with per capita Gross Domestic Products approaching those of the United States, while Eastern Bloc economies stagnated. A succession of leaders followed and failed to correct or reform the failing USSRs bid for a social revolution. By the time the comparatively youthful Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary in 1985; the Soviet economy was stagnant and faced a sharp fall in foreign currency earnings as a result of the downward slide in oil prices in the 1980s. These issues prompted Gorbachev to investigate measures to revive the ailing state. An ineffectual start led to the conclusion that deeper structural changes were necessary and in June 1987 Gorbachev announced an agenda of economic reform called perestroika, or restructuring. Perestroika relaxed the production quota system, allowed private ownership of businesses and paved the way for foreign investment. These measures were intended to redirect the countrys resources from costly Cold War military commitments to more profitable areas in the civilian sector. There were many contradictions within the party and the execution of the communist re ality. 1. The first contradiction is that collectivization and heavy-handed bureaucracy kept productivity and efficiency in agriculture and industry low. 2. The second contradiction is that the Soviet Union was trying to encourage communism by providing significant monies in aid to countries in its socialist sphere of influence, especially Cuba, and engaging in revolutionary activities e.g.: Angola, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, etc†¦, but was experiencing severe economic difficulties. Overstretch. 3. Marx and Lenin postulated that people would unite base on class but underestimated thee power of nationalism. 4. The Vanguard Party was to be temporary but its top level bureaucrats â€Å"the nomenklatura† became an entrenched class. It was to represent the people but the needs of ordinary people were ignored. 5. The command economy meant that while the USSR was occupied with the space race and arms race, it also had an additional burden not carried by the US, that is, a large welfare system to maintain, as well as satellites to look after. Despite initial scepticism in the West, the new Soviet leader proved to be committed to reversing the Soviet Unions deteriorating economic condition instead of continuing the arms race with the West. Partly as a way to fight off internal opposition from party cliques to his reforms, Gorbachev simultaneously introduced glasnost, or openness, which increased freedom of the press and the transparency of state institutions. Glasnost was intended to reduce the corruption at the top of the Communist Party and moderate the abuse of power in the Central Committee. Glasnost also enabled increased contact between Soviet citizens and the western world, particularly with the United States, contributing to the accelerating dà ©tente between the two nations. Gorbachev spent his first two years consolidating his power by purging the party of dissidents and continuing the policies of previous presidents. It is however, the reform era (1987-1989) in which perestroika took place. Gorbachev was not th e first USSR leader to make amendments; Yuri Andropov had called for increased discipline and decentralization. But these were initially minimalist and so was Gorbachev at first. However, by 1987 it became apparent to him that more widespread changes needed to be made. In his book Perestroika, he noted that his immediate priorities were: to put the economy in order tighten up discipline rise the level of organization and responsibility Catch up in areas where they were behind. And by 1987, Gorbachev had formulated a theory and plan known as perestroika, Russian for restructuring. Gorbachev saw quality control as a means to achieve this. He created a new bureaucracy and introduced evaluators and controllers in factories to reject faulty products (Kenez 249). He sought to implement greater incentives for workers to produce. Kenez notes that these made him unpopular with the working class, diminishing his support. He also cut back on aid and reduced USSR involvement in proxy wars (e.g: Afghanistan), Cuba. He also called for the need for acceleration of scientific and technological progress and modernisation of industry. He gave power to factory workers to determine their own product mix and wage scales (Kenez). These changes undermined the existing centrally planned and centrally controlled economy. Not only this, manager would bid up wages because they knew the state wouldnt allow the factories to go bankrupt and would bail them up and this further contributed to inflation. It should be noted that Gorbachev made it clear that he was conducting all the reforms in accordance with socialism. His initial domestic and foreign goal was to make the existing soviet system work better. He initially spoke of perfecting the economy, rather than reforming it and was sceptical about free market experiments. Perestroika can only come through democracy. Unless the interests of people and social groups were taken into account, it was impossible to accomplish any of these tasks. Glasnost, or â€Å"openness† it should be noted was one of the first reforms he implemented even before this whole reform package which later became known as â€Å"Perestroika†. Glasnost was initially a slight opening of expression to facilitate fuller discussion of economic issues (Ebenstein and Fogelman). Eventually it came to include a wide range of freedoms. But can democratic freedoms be implemented on a political structure held together by force ad expect the structure to maintain its integrity? So what exactly were these reforms and what were the consequences? Foreign radio broadcast beamed at the USSR were no longer jammed. This meant that citizens had access to alternative sources of information about this own country and weakened the position of the party whose power was based on its secrecy and control of info. Openness led to an outpouring of information to Soviet citizens and to the world concerning current Soviet political, economic and social problems, e.g: Chernobyl. The USSRs dirty laundry was being aired. It showed that the seemingly powerful USSR had problems. Formerly banned works of writers were allowed Glasnost was seen as a threat by party members because it threatened the bureaucratic structure and positions of privilege and affluence they once enjoyed. This weakened Gorbachevs support among party officials and hence his legitimacy. â€Å"By opening the door to public criticism of the regimes failures and inequities and perestroika, by decentralizing the economy, threaten the monopoly of party power.† Along with criticism of Stalin, etc.†¦Gorbachev also found himself being openly criticized. This weakened his aura of power and this was decisive because what does this mean for a system predicated on a leader who rules with an iron fist? If the leader is weakened, so is the system. Anti-alcohol campaign was to â€Å"improve the health of the family and enhance its role in society† and stopped serving alcohol at state functions, raised the price of vodka, limited distributions, among other things. The anti-alcohol campaign reduced alcohol consumption to an extent but was largely unpopular. People were hospitalized for drinking poison. Production of home brews increased. More importantly, vodka was one of the mainstays of the USSR economy and revenues dropped (Kenez). To sum it all up, perestroika by itself did not lead to the fall of the USSR, neither did Reagan. The collapse of the USSR was as a result of a combination of factors. Including growing contradictions within the USSR which Perestroika unwittingly helped to exacerbate. Gorbachev sought to bring about democratic practices on a system which had been founded upon and maintained through force. The revelation about the increasing political and socio-economic problems of a military overstretched and overburdened USSR helped to show up the chinks in the USSR armor. A relentless West and a more conciliatory USSR and Gorbachevs weakening position within his own country were the final nails in the coffin, which allowed a coup to occur and Yeltsin to declare independence for Russia and ultimately the fall of the USSR. Bibliography Ebenstein, A. et al (2000) Todays ISMs : Socialism, Capitalism, Fascism, Communism and Libertarianism. New Jersey: Prentice Hall McCauley, M. (1993) The Soviet Union 1917-1991. New York: Longman Pipes, R. (1994) Russia Under The Bolshevik Regime. New York: Vintage Books Kenez, P. (1999) A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End. New York: Cambridge University Press