Case study on a restaurant operations management (Ks Biryani) Essay

Case study on a restaurant operations management (Ks Biryani) - Essay Example The restaurant currently has 35 working-individuals to meet the appetite of the customers with their delicious variety of food. With the help of these employees, the restaurant serves almost 250 individuals every day. The chain of restaurant comprises of 2 takeaways and a restaurant. Each takeaway counter interacts nearly with 50 individuals each day while the restaurant has the capacity to serve 120 people during its operational time. The company was established in 2006 with an aim to provide its customers with high quality food to satisfy their appetite. Even though the company started with just a takeaway store, it expanded in terms of location and size in its forthcoming years. The company was just in its introductory stage when it opened its second takeaway outlet in 2008 and its third outlet; a restaurant, in the following year. With promising growth and opportunity ahead, the company is planning to inaugurate its third takeaway store in Jeddah; the heart of Saudi Arabia, in the second quarter of 2013. To provide the customers with high quality and delicious food, the company has several expansion plans for the upcoming years. These plans include expansion and opening the company’s takeaway and restaurants at Jeddah Airport to attract as many customers as possible. Another plan of the company is to open their restaurant in the heart of Mecca and Medina; the two most holy places as it promise great business potential. The management of the company is based on hierarchical structure; the employees report to the manager, who then reports to the top management. The hierarchical structure could also be observed in the takeaway stores; two chefs, two cashiers, one cleaner and a delivery boy. The hierarchical structure eventually helps the company to earn 22,500 pounds on monthly basis. The company started its operation in June 2006 and during the next six months the company had to face lots of setbacks. The store was not even able to reach its break-even point due to which the com pany had to re-introduce its takeaway store with completely different marketing strategies. The re-launching decision was taken after critical analysis of the business with consistent feedback from the employees. After changing the marketing strategies, the company’s sales boosted rapidly due to which another location was added within a year. To eliminate any mistake from the senior management, the launching of second takeaway store was done under the guidance of external consultancy which was hired to set the basic operational policies and processes. The hiring of external consultancy was aimed to assure the senior management regarding the structured and transparent work culture in the company. With continuous improvement in terms of sales and stability, the company launched its first restaurant based on the management techniques; risk management, quality management, capacity planning etc. This report would provide extensive knowledge regarding the different operational mana gement concepts applied by the company and the challenges

APPLICATION PAPER Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

APPLICATION - Term Paper Example As a tradition, the two leading political parties; the Democratic and the Republican Parties select the best candidate to represent their party (4- Impression Management, Haun 50). In the primaries of each of the political parties, potential candidates file for nomination and they canvass for votes by telling leaders of the party why they are capable of winning power in the national elections (5- Compliance Gaining Strategies, Haun 64). In order to ensure the best results in the general presidential elections, the parties select the best candidate to represent them (6- Uncertainty Reduction, Haun 23). In doing this, a lot of checks are done on each candidate to verify and validate his or her claims of eligibility for the Presidency as well as acceptability to the voters (7- Fidelity Checks, Haun 69). After successfully convincing the leaders of the respective parties (8- Evidence Test, Haun 69), they are chosen as the Presidential aspirants to represent the two major political parties in America. The Presidential candidates are presented to the American electorates by the parties. The candidates are required to present a positive image about themselves and their parties (9- Impression Management Theory, Haun 50). In order to examine the promises made by each of the candidates, most presidential elections are marked by various presidential debates. In these debates, the presidential candidates tell the American people what they would do if they are voted into power. This provides a platform for informing electorates about the kind of leader who will fill the White House over the next four years. Presidential debates provide a strong insight into the policies that either parties have for the people and influences the way people think about the candidates (10- Perception, Haun 68). This year, the two contenders for the US Presidency, President Barack Obama and Senator Mitt Romney

The Bermuda Triangle Essay Example for Free

The Bermuda Triangle Essay The Bermuda Triangle is one of the biggest mysteries in the world. Since Christopher Columbus discovered it in 1492, there have been numerous airplanes, ships, and vessels to â€Å"disappear† in the middle of the triangle. There are many theories about what could have happened to these missing ships, but no one really knows what is out there for sure. Some say that the lost city of Atlantis is at he bottom of the Atlantic Ocean; some say there are Aliens. Others believe it is just as simple as mother nature and is all just over exaggerated. This all leads to the million dollar question: is the Bermuda Triangle just a living legend, or is there really something paranormal out in the â€Å"Devils Triangle†? Many know that the Bermuda Triangle is a triangle is the Atlantic Ocean, but would like to know who discovered the Bermuda Triangle, and how it was became discovered. There are many myths and legends about the triangle, but many do not know a lot about them. This paper will look more into each myth; the Atlantis myth, the underwater electromagnetic field, and the UFO attacks. Many people ask which myths are real and which ones are fake, but no one will ever know for sure. Some of the myths seem a bit far fetched, such as the aliens, but the electromagnetic fields at the bottom of the ocean seem a little bit reasonable. The triangle is also known for getting many typhoons, so maybe that has something to do with the missing airplanes. Another frequently asked question is how many ships have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle? There must be a lot if it is a worldwide myth. What happened during Flight 19?. When did it happen and how? The biggest question that people may ask is if the Bermuda Triangle is real or not. It is a very frequently asked question when the subject comes up. Is there any strong evidence towards one side or another? The vicinity of the Bermuda triangle is known, however the exact spot where people disappear is not known. Where the Bermuda Triangle is located, is subject to three way water currents. These currents are capable of causing storms powerful enough to damage ships and aircrafts. The boundaries of the triangle cover the straits of Florida, the Bahamas, and the entire Caribbean island area and the Atlantic east to the Azores. There are over sixty-six airplanes and ships that have passed through the Bermuda Triangle and have never been found. The Bermuda Triangle is not known for any specific season. It is sunny, but there are usually winds. Some of the accidents that have been told to have happen in the Bermuda triangle did not, the happened in other locations but somehow get added to the list of accidents in the Bermuda Triangle over time. Christopher Columbus and his crew was the first people who discovered the Bermuda Triangle. He first documented dancing lights on the horizon, and bizarre compass readings. It was said that Christopher Columbus documented these sitings on October 11, 1492. There are several disappearances and several myths about the Triangle. In 1872, a large vessel called ‘Mary Celeste’ was spotted by a ship call Dei Gratia sailing awkwardly. The Dei Gratia decided to stop by and take a look and saw no one was on the ship. The life boat was missing and they left the ship vacant and in perfect condition. Another weird myth and mystery that happened in the Bermuda Triangle happened on December 27, 1948. Commercial flight called NC-16002 DC-3 was flying to Puerto Rico. The pilot radioed Miami when they were fifty miles out to receive specific directions. Once they received the directions, Miami never received a response back, making it a missing ship. Yet these are known as myths, they have really happened. (Bermuda Triangle Facts, Mystery, Myths Theories Surrounding Bermuda Triangle) One of the first myths about the Bermuda Triangle was the disappearance of USS Cyclops in 1918. The ship was launched in 1910, and carried coal for the Navy in World War I. The ship was on it was from Salvador to Baltimore, but the ship never made it. The ship had to make an unscheduled stop in Barbados on March 3rd, but after this stop it vanished without a trace. No traces of this ship were ever found, no wreckage or distress signals were received. There were 306 people’s lives lost on this ship, the most lives lost in Naval history that did not involve combat. Not only is Cyclops being a missing is a mystery, so is where it went missing. This ship could of gone missing anywhere from Barbados to Baltimore. Communication was unreliable in 1918 making hard to tell what happened, and they might not have had time to call before sinking. Flight 19 is another mystery about the Bermuda Triangle, a training mission that took off from Fort Lauderdale on December 5th, 1945. The leader of Flight 19 was Charles Taylor, an experienced crew member. Twelve of the people on the plan were students. About 2 hours after takeoff Taylor messaged the base stating he was disorientated. He stated, Both my compasses are out. Im over land, but its broken. Im sure Im in the Keys, but I dont know how far down and I dont know how to get to Fort Lauderdale. If the flight had gone like it was supposed to, the flight should have approximately been over Great Sale Cay, 200 miles from the keys. For the next two hours, the crew flew north and east with little communication. The base was under the belief the flight should have been over the Gulf of Mexico and soon be back over Florida. One the final things the base heard from the flight was, All planes close up tight we will have to ditch unless landfall. when the first man gets down to 10 gallons we will all land in the water together. Immediately a boat was launched to find the men, but had to return when its antenna iced over. Another boat took off and within an hour and a half, a tanker observed an explosion. A patch of oil and wreckage was found boat is believed to have exploded. A five day search was sent out, and 250,000 square mile was searched. Not even a trace of Flight 19 was found. Over the years the story of Flight 19 has been changed and exaggerated. Some sources say UFOs were spotted, none of which was recorded. Although it seems bizarre that Taylors compasses failed, where the landed it also questionable. Bahamas look similar to Florida from the air, after a five hour flight not knowing where they were headed, means it could of landed various places. It seems very possible that the flight ran out of gas before the men had time get on the rafts. Along with many myths and mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, there are also a lot of theories. Some theories about the triangle are that it could have something to do with UFO. Steven Spielberg used this theory in his Hollywood film called ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. This site explains some supernatural theories just to explain why things disappeared in the vicinity of the triangle. It also says that it is also known as one of the two places on earth where a compass will not point to true, magnetic north. Another theory that the world has come up with is Atlantis and its mysterious crystals. This theory has become popular by a man named Edgar Cayce, who claims to see the future and spirits from the past life in Atlantis. Cayce says that they had remarkable technologies such as powerful â€Å"fire crystals† which helped them produce energy. He believes that those crystals went out of control and sunk the whole city of Atlantis. It is believed that the crystals are damaged, therefore sending out their nuclear power beneath the ocean waves. The nuclear power interferes with the ships and planes going through the Bermuda Triangle. Dr. Ben Clennell is the man who brought the â€Å"methane gas† theory to the eyes of the public. He believes that the methane gas locked in the bottom of the ocean has to do with the missing ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle. He says that subterranean landslides can possibly release the methane gas into the oceans making it dangerous for ships to pass through. A large amount of methane would reduce the density of the oceans water, making ships sink like nothing. After it sunk that Gulf Stream could have the ability to move the wreckage miles from where it sunk. The gas is also highly combustible and can ignite, sending planes shooting into the ocean. These explosions can be very violent. Another theory is that the Bermuda Triangle is a portal to another dimension. A number of witnesses have reported UFOs in this area. There is thought that the government is conducting tests in the Bermuda Triangle, but what they are looking for is a mystery. National Geographic is investigating reports of an underwater city near Cuba, but have not made any announcements on what they have learned. The Bermuda Triangle is known for geomagnetic fields. These fields could cause the compass readings. Geomagnetic fields are common throughout the world, making this very possible. The planes could also go missing by methane rising into the air and causing them to blow up. There is no proof what really happens in the Bermuda Triangle and still remains as one of Earths biggest mysteries Lawrence David Kusch did an investigation to the Bermuda Triangle. Kusche frequently requested information from the library about the Bermuda Triangle, but he discovered there was very little reliable information available. Him and group of librarian formed a group, and began researching the area. Kusche tried to find the answer to the mystery and legends that had been created about the Bermuda Triangle. He had a good background that helped him understand the research that he was conducting. Kusche explains his research by presenting each myth, followed by the known facts. He then states the source of which he got his information. One of the legends Kusche researched was the one that involves Air Force C-124. This flight disappeared on its way to Ireland. This legend happened in March 1950. The Air Force has no recorded of ant missing C-124s that month in the Atlantic. In March 1951 there was a report of an aircraft that went down in route to England. This aircraft did not go missing within the next 24 hours pieces of this aircraft showed up. In conclusion, whether or not the Bermuda Triangle is real or fake has never truly been discovered. There is a lot of evidence on both sides, but some of which cannot be proven to be true or false. Scientists know for a fact that there is something bizarre about the triangle and what happens inside, but some of the occurrences may not be truly paranormal activity. Some of the disappearances may only be mother nature and nothing more. The Bermuda Triangle still is one of the worlds biggest mysteries.

Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning

Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning Governmental Control Over Curriculum and the Impact on Teachers as Skilled  Professionals Introduction Caldwell and Hayward (1998) state that the need for reform in England’s school system was realized in 1976 (p. 1). Yet, it was not until 1988 with the Education Reform Act instituted under Margaret Thatcher that a â€Å"national curriculum, national tests† and control of the schools by the government began to become a reality (Caldwell Hayward 1998, p. 1). Murnane and Steele (2007) contend that national involvement in the public schools was intended to support the learners, as well as the teachers (p. 15). However, because of the continued awareness by governments that Western educational institutions were lagging behind the accomplishments of Eastern schools, continued changes in the area of education and government’s control over it have completely altered the educational landscape (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). This is because of an adopted neo-liberalist policy approach that has favored markets over learners and policies over teacher effectiveness (Apple 200 1, p. 182). As a result teachers are becoming â€Å"deskilled† and incapable of maintaining their own control over their effectiveness in the classroom (Hall 2004, p. 3). As this control subsides, therefore, teachers are leaving the profession due to frustration and an inability to maintain their professional capabilities in the schools. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Neo-Liberalism Apple (2001) indicates that there was once a â€Å"classical liberalism† that existed in relation to the schools and those policies related to education that impacted teachers and students (p. 182). However, Apple (2001) states that as time has progressed the classical liberalism of the state policies has been altered toward a â€Å"neo-liberalism approach† (p. 182). According to Apple (2001), it is important to understand the differences between these two types of views of education because these differences are at the core of the educational issues that schools in many countries face today (p. 182). Olssen (1996) defines classical liberalism in the schools as a method of â€Å"freeing those within the schools from state control† (p. 337). Olssen (1996), on the other hand, specifies that neo-liberalism supports the state’s role in controlling education by â€Å"creating a market†¦[that involves] the conditions, laws and institutions necessary for its operation† (p. 337). Apple (2001) argues that when an education â€Å"market† is, therefore, created it is a market that seems to suggest â€Å"individualization† (p. 182). However, the individualization of the market is subjected to the controls of the government and the policies that force parents, teachers and students to act in a certain manner, leading to the end results that the state intended from the start (Apple 2001, p. 182). This is because the actions of the entities connected to education are restrained by the boundaries set forth in the policies of the government and as those boun daries become more tightly fixed the actions of the parties are more predictable. Choice and Influence on Teachers Apple (2001) expands on this notion by examining the middle class in society (p. 182). Apple (2001) stipulates that when parents of different nations in the middle class are given the opportunity of school choice the government knows that those parents will naturally begin placing their own criteria and/or expectations on schools (p. 182). Consequently when parents are unhappy with the curriculum at one school the teachers at the school are forced to alter that curriculum in order to meet the demands of the parents or they will loose the students within that school (Apple 2001, p. 182). The loss of students within a school means the loss of government funding, the loss of jobs, the lack of teacher’s ability to provide resources and ultimately the loss of the school itself in the community. Therefore, as Apple (2001) indicates, the government policies may be suggesting that people have a greater choice; yet, what is actually occurring is a more significant control of schools th rough the ability of parents to actively use choice to influence curriculum in relation to the schools (p. 182). As parents influence how the curriculum is created, consequently, teachers are placed under greater scrutiny and are forced to expand their offerings in the classroom – even if these offerings include learning that the teacher is not knowledgeable or skilled in. Brooker (2003) contends that the manner in which parents and private entities are capable of influencing the education of students is evident in the United Kingdom with the inclusion of computer technologies in the elementary classroom (p. 261). Over the past decade there has been such a significant increase in the demand for computer technology training of young students. Yet, those schools that do not conform to this expectation are loosing students (Brooker 2003, p. 261). In general this is because parents, manufacturers and the government insists that if children are not trained in the use of computers at an early age they will not be capable of competing with their peers or those in the outside world later on (Brooker 2003, p. 261). Yet, Brooker (2003) argues that technologies in the classroom has impacted teachers negatively due to the fact that many of today’s teachers are not skilled in the use of computers and they are not capable of acquiring the knowledge needed to instruct their students adequately (p. 261). This is because, in general, many schools fail to provide teachers with new training that will support the increase in the instructional scope and teachers do not have the ability to seek outside skill training and maintain their work schedule at the same time. New Teacher Training The concept of choice and control offered by the government is also being reflected in proposals by government entities associated with initial teacher training (Apple 2000, p. 1). Apple (2000) specifies that in the current educational climate what is being considered is the â€Å"deregulation† of teacher training as a means of promoting competition among institutions of higher learning (p. 1). Essentially what this causes to occur is that colleges and universities are freely allowed to choose their own approaches to teaching and teachers have the choice of training institutions that they prefer. However, as time progresses it becomes apparent to schools and the communities that support them which teachers are trained effectively and which are not (Apple 2001, p. 182). This occurs when standardized test scores are revealed from students, reflecting directly back on the teacher’s abilities to educate (Apple 2001, p. 182). As a result, when enough teachers from a particul ar institution are incapable of developing learners that can pass standardized tests that institution begins to realize a decline in enrollment (Apple 2001, p. 182). Although teachers in training are given the choice of schools to attend and colleges are given freedom in determining how those teachers are training, ultimately it is the governmental control of policies that impacts whether or not the institution of higher learning will survive and what curriculum will be used to teach teachers in society. In the neo-liberalist approach to education there is evidence that the freedoms that are being given to colleges and universities are instead tools that negatively impact teachers entering the profession, often with the new teachers being unaware that they are ultimately slated for failure before they even begin their careers. Able Students Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz (1994) stipulate that governmental control over education further impacts teachers and curriculum due to the fact that teachers and schools begin to attempt to avoid students with special needs and â€Å"seek out able children† (p. 19). This is because special needs students require a greater amount of teacher time, teacher expertise and teacher interaction with students that takes away from the teacher instructing â€Å"able† students who do not have special needs (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). In England, Ball, Bowe and Gewitz (1994) state that this intent to encourage able students enrolling in schools by teachers and administrators is directly related to the â€Å"publication of performance indicators such as examination league tables† because schools find it difficult to explain that test scores may be low due to an abundance of special needs students (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). Yet, Gerwitz, Ball and Bowe (1995) further argue that control of the curriculum and teacher performance is also related to the students of different cultures (p. 6). For example, in England it is known that African American students traditionally have difficulties in the schools because of the large segment of this population that is impoverished (p. 6). Poverty is correlated to the abilities of the students, with those in the impoverished classes historically performing less successfully on standardized tests (Gerwitz, Ball Bowe 1995, p. 6). Apple (2001), therefore, states that this causes teachers to develop curriculum that targets students who are more capable of learning and ignores those students that standardized testing was intended to support in the first place (p. 182). Fragmentation Allen and Ainley (2007) contend that as time progresses the governmental control over the curriculum in the schools is continuing to expand, impacting how teachers not only teach, but changing what is taught to students, causing a fragmentation of teacher control over their own labor (p. 1). An example of this exists within English schools as education reform is focused on vocational education for students beginning at age 14 (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). According to Allen and Ainley (2007) the government came to the conclusion that there was a decline in students graduating from schools with marketable skills and this impacted their success after public schooling (p. 1). The issue, therefore, became less concentrated on a student’s ability to read, write and perform simple math and more on specifically training students to function in specific jobs once they have left academia (Allen Ainley, 2007, p. 1). Allen and Ainley (2007) indicate that this brings about two specific issues. First, while teachers in the United Kingdom have indicated that they do not support this policy, teacher organizations throughout the country have ignored teacher protests and called on educators to ensure that the policies are successful (Allen Ainley 2007, p 1). Second, programs for vocational training are being largely created in schools that instruct low income or impoverished students, with those students in high performing schools working with a traditional curriculum (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). What this means is that while governmental policies are once again suggesting that there is choice in relation to education, the policies are ensuring that only those choices that support what the government deems appropriate for education will be made (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1; Chitty 2004, p. 160). Furthermore, Murnane and Steele (2007) state that this causes teachers to be inundated with having to cope with a curriculum that is ever-changing and that they believe they no longer have control over (p. 15). As a result teachers are leaving the teaching profession in vast numbers and this is creating a greater shortage in the teacher workforce than ever before (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). Conclusion Duggan and Pole (1996) suggest that the dissatisfaction in the teacher workforce began to be ever apparent in the 1990s (p. 139). Hall (2004) states that this is an issue that has increased over time because of policies such as â€Å"the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies in primary school and the Key Stage 3 Strategy in secondary schools†, as well as the inclusion of technologies and standardized testing that â€Å"constricts teachers† and their capabilities throughout the curriculum (p. 3). According to Hall (2004) the types of control connected to the schools and the deskilling of teachers are endless (p. 8; Appendix 1). Consequently there is an increased teacher workload, decreased teacher satisfaction and a reduction in the number of teachers that want to or are capable of instructing students in the manner in which government and/or society demands. For the future of education in the Western world this could mean that the attempt by government to regulate education and create more successful outcomes for students in England has the opposite effect, as is indicated by Hall (2004, p. 3). The research indicates that the original intent of education to create students that were capable of being productive citizens after their educational careers ended became extremely complex when it was realized that Western students did not achieve at the same rate as Eastern students. Therefore, a neo-liberalist policy toward education by the government was adopted, suggesting that choice was available to parents, teachers and students and that a greater freedom in education would exist. Yet, the research also demonstrates that the idea of choice was restricted by the policies related to education that were adopted by the government and that these policies minimalized the choices that actually existed. Moreover, these neo-liberalist policies became so intricately woven within education that the choices made by those connected to education could be predicted and manipulated with ease. For teachers this has meant that they are overworked, under-trained and unprepared for the demands o f the modern educational system and given few options as to how they can overcome these issues. This knowledge provides serious implications for the educational system because as teachers continue to become frustrated due to their increasing deskilled status they are leaving the teaching workforce. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Appendix 1 (Hall 2004, p. 8). 1. Regulated market control: metaphors of the market and consumer demand are imposed upon schools; success and profits go to those who best meet consumer demand. Teachers’ work is evaluated in terms of measured outputs set against cost. Competition is the key element in relations between schools. (Ball, 1994) 2. Technical control: this is embodied in structures rather than people – in, for example, notionally ‘teacher proof’ teaching materials and text books, and in specified competences (Apple, 1988, 1996) 3. Bureaucratic control: hierarchical power is embedded in the social and organisational structure of institutions – jobs are differently divided and defined, have different salaries, and supervision, evaluation and promotion arrangements. The potential for establishing a career operates as a control mechanism. 4. Corporate control: the focus of the institution is on economic rather than social good. A competitive ethos prevails. Managers focus on economic goals. The head teacher is perceived more as a line manager than as a first among professional equals. 5. Ideological control: hegemonic beliefs – for example, that a good teacher has certain characteristics – become part of the dominant ideology within schools. These ideas and beliefs are reinforced in pre-service and in-service training. Certain conceptions of teachers’ work become naturalised – for example, a move away from child-centred discourse to market based discourse. 6. Disciplinary power: Foucault (1977) shows how, by means of the technologies of power – hierarchical observation, normalising judgment and examination –individuals are ‘disciplined’ into ways of understanding their work. Minor procedures and routines are specified (times, dress, expected responses) in ways that become anonymous and functional within a school; teachers and others within the school regulate their own behaviours to meet these expectations. Smyth describes this as a ‘triumph of technique over questions of purpose’ Bibliography Allen, M. and Ainley, P. (2007) Education make you fick, innit? London: Tufnell Press. Apple, M. (2000). Power, meaning, and identity. New York: Peter Lang. Apple, M. (2001). Markets, standards, teaching and teacher education. Journal of  Teacher Education. 52(3): 182-207. Ball, S., Bowe, R., Gewirtz, S. (1994). Market forces and parental choice. In S. Tomlinson (Ed.), Educational reform and its consequences (pp. 13-25). London: IPPR/Rivers Oram Press. Brooker, L. (2003). Integrating new technologies in the UK classroom. Childhood  Education. 79(5): 261-289. Caldwell, B., and Hayward, D. (1998). The future of schools: Lessons from the reform  of public education. London: Falmer Press. Chitty, C. (2004). Education policy in Britain. London: Palgrave. Duggan, R., and Pole, C. (1996). Reshaping education in the 1990s. New York:  Routledge. Gewirtz, S., Ball, S., Bowe, R. (1995). Markets, choice, and equity in education.  Philadelphia: Open University Press. Hall. C. (2004). Theorizing changes in teacher’s work. Canadian Journal of Education  Administration and Policy. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/pdf_files/hall.pdf Murnane, R., and Steele, J. (2007). What is the problem? The challenge of providing  effective teacher for all children. The Future of Children. 17(1): 15-35. Olssen, M. (1996). In defense of the welfare state and of publicly provided education.  Journal of Education Policy. 11: 337-362.

Impact Of Security Risks On E Commerce Information Technology Essay

Impact Of Security Risks On E Commerce Information Technology Essay A security risk often can be represented as the event that compromises the assets, operations of an organization. The impact of the security risks is different on different kind of systems depending on the environment in which they are being utilized. That mean the impact on server systems is different to that of the impact on the client systems. Because of its openness and convenience Internet has become the biggest and most important market for people to do business and transactions. The security risks are mainly due to Intruders, viruses, worms, Trojans which have their own impact on the data systems. So here the scope of this research paper covers the security issues and their impact on the e-commerce. This focuses on a risk in case of e-commerce and it is defined as a function by security business professionals and the impact on the systems because of various security threats and vulnerabilities with real time examples and scenarios. These security issues are basically consists of various vicious attacks, these attacks, from a technical view can be sort into some categories; Loss of Confidentiality, Loss of Integrity, Loss of Availability, Loss of Accountability. And there are some threats that affect the computer systems such as; Web Server threats, Database threats, Programming threats, Threats to physical security of Web Servers which also affects the e-commerce. INDEX Introduction Risk in e-commerce Risk as a function Literature review Findings and discussions on typical Impact of risks on e-commerce systems Conclusion References 1.Introduction: With the development of Internet is still on the fast track even after the .COM bubble burst, more and more companies, enterprises especially small and medium size companies came to realize the opportunity that electronic commerce can brought to them. Therefore, they are trying to catch up with those forth goes in this area. In the meantime, quite a lot of companies that are in the leading position of e-commerce implementation are caring more on how to strategically avoid, reduce and manage the potential risks behind the   e-commerce  stage. Here this paper narrates; what is a risk in case of e-commerce? How it is defined as a function by security business professionals? What is the impact on the systems because of various security threats and vulnerabilities with real time examples and scenarios? In early days of using computer systems, most of the systems are standalone and the security was accomplished by the physical controls over the access to the computers. Burglar alarms, alarmed doors, security guards, security badges, cameras allowed the people to the most secured and sensitive areas. The interaction with the systems at that time is very less and its confined to very limited numbers i.e. to enter the data, manipulate it. The network of the systems is also confined to limited number of terminals and the security of it is in the hands of a limited persons. But now the condition has changed extra-ordinarily that millions of people around the globe are able to access to the network at a single moment of time effectively. So as the information from one place is being accessed by someone in another place over the computer networks, the security issue arises. Lots and lots of sensitive information are being accessed over the both private and public networks. So along with the fast growing technology the security threats are also increasing day to day. 2. Risk in e-commerce: What is risk in case of e-commerce? A risk may be defined as a security breach in which there might be a loss or theft of some information or assets containing the secret issues. The E-commerce systems are depending upon internet use, which provides open, flexible and provides a way for easy communications on a global basis. However, may be because of any reason the internet is unregulated, unmanaged and uncontrolled, so it posses many and wide range of risks and threats which in turn will affect with a great impact to the systems operating on it. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the main risks which are associated with e-commerce concern intruders, hackers, viruses, worms and interception of credit card numbers which are passing over the telecommunication lines or channels.  These risks can lead to the events resulting in the deliberate or inadvertent loss of many assets and this deliberate loss of assets can result from disclosing of the information, fraud, and deliberate disruption of service.   3. Risk is a function of three factors: Risk as a function Most of the security professionals will see that risk is a function of three primary factors: threats; vulnerabilities; and their business impact. Combining all these provides a standard formula for the risk that is often used in security and business continuity planning. So, E-commerce has had a big impact on all these three factors. Threats: Threats are naturally increased with the exposure. The more exposed a system is to people or other systems, the greater will be the odds that someone or something or some system will attack that system like Cyber squatting, Eavesdropping, Web Jacking, Denial of service attacks. E-commerce magnifies this exposure of systems by making various business services available via the Internet or other kind of networks and by integrating them with the back-office systems, such as some softwares, mainframes and by using enterprise resource planning software. Vulnerabilities: Vulnerabilities are those which increase with complexity. If the system is more complex, then there would be a greater likelihood of software defects, system defects or configuration defects/flaws that make that system susceptible to compromise. E-commerce increases complexity by promoting the more use of Web services, distributed databases, security zones, multi-tiered applications and other sophisticated technologies. Impact: Here comes the main subject of this research paper, the impact can be of any type-business or personal. Business impact is the one which increases with the business value of the system, as well as the amount or the length of time the system is compromised during an attack. There is some relationship that exists between these-business impact, its value and length of time of attack. The relationship between business impact and its value is almost linear, where as the relationship between business impact and the length of time is very rarely linear i.e. the maximum loss of the information or anything may be incurred instantaneously. For example, consider an attacker may steal the information of 100 credit card numbers and the associated customer profiles very quickly after compromising a banks or financial institutions database server. Here the E-commerce affects the business and its value directly on bottom line. 4. Literature Review: While the concept of e-commerce is no longer be considered as a new concept, an important part of E-commerce which is still relatively new is the issues of security risks that greatly affect the economy of the e-commerce business that directly connects with the customers to sell the products and services. The main trend in the E-commerce is to rely greatly and heavily on the network of computers connecting with all the databases. And they have the ability to provide a connection directly with the customers regardless of location and in the way that builds loyal and trust relationships between a customer and seller. However, it is important to examine a full range of issues related to the e-commerce strategy of the security risks as a way to attempt to connect with customers and increase their revenues. There are issues such as the issue of the impact of the security risks due to viruses, worms, bugs, attacks, frauds around the world, and even the way in which these attacks and frauds on the e-commerce systems affecting the revenue and making the trust of customers towards the business sites to decrease to a great extent. The information about the actual success of e-commerce methods and strategies that are based around business networking and an idea that the customers insight has been reduced because of the ease with which people can communicate will also is examined. In this review of the recent academic literature regarding E-commerce related to the use and impact of security risks and frauds, information about the reduction of customers insight into the commerce websites due to frauds and the impact on E-commerce strategies due to which the revenue is reduced is also reviewed. Even more, with the academic literature that is seen and reviewed, the strategies and variables that are very important for E-commerce companies i.e. how the security risks will affect the revenue and how the customers lost their information due to frauds will also be discussed. 5. Findings and discussions on typical Impact of risks on e-commerce systems: There are various threats to the e-commerce systems: threats posed to files, databases by viruses, Trojans, botnets etc, card payment frauds, malicious attacks from in and out of the business, hacker threats etc. So now we see the findings based on the function of the risks i.e. we see threats like web bugs, active content, integrity threats: Cyber vandalism, spoofing , Necessity threats: denial of service, web server threats, database threats and vulnerabilities and the impact of them on their business and systems. Impact by Trojans, viruses and botnets- Viruses and worms are the computer programs that spread across the computers and networks by making multiple copies of themselves i.e. usually without the knowledge of a computer or system user. A Trojan horse is a type of program which appears to be a legitimate but it actually contains another type of program or block of undesired malicious, infected code, disguised and hidden in a block of the desirable code. It can be used to infect a computer with a virus. A back-door Trojan is a program that allows a remote user or hacker to bypass the normal access controls of a computer and gain unauthorized control over it. Typically, the virus is used to place a back-door Trojan into a computer, and once it is online, the person who sent that Trojan can run programs on the infected computer, access personal files, and modify and upload files. So these merely affect the computer systems which are involved in the transactions, these by installing themse lves into the computers make some mess with the data in it or make it vulnerable for other type of attacks and in case of a Trojan the impact is very high that the attacker can bypass the access to the resources for the unauthorized use. Example: There has been a new wave of malware attack that has started affecting BlackBerry and it has originated from Poland. The aim is to extract banking passwords. So by this the attackers can affect the e-commerce transactions by using the credit card or bank details. A botnet is one of the infected vaults which are a group of infected, remotely-controlled computers. The hacker sends out a virus, Trojan or worm to ordinary computers. These computers can then be used to launch denial of service attacks, distribute spam e-mails and commit click fraud, identity theft and thefts of log-in details and credit card numbers. The impact due to the web bugs makes the user or customer to feel bad about some companies which involve e-commerce. This is because the attackers who attack with web bugs gains the information of the ISPs of the system, so the web bugs are introduced in the e-mails and makes that e-mail address a valid one. Active content is the content which is used by the e-commerce sites to display their items, perform check out tasks and calculate tax and shipping information etc. This active content may include java applets and java scripts. Many websites have the options to control the active content but despite the attacker use this active content to impose their code into the website. By this the attacker can do a mess with the content of the website and can gain some private information about the customers. So the impact is very risky that the users details such as the card details etc can be by passed to other attackers terminal. The impact of the Cyber vandalism is very bad that the customer may get disgusted by the web site presence which in turn makes the customer never come back to this web site thereby decreasing the business of this website. This is because the attacker will replace or defaces the content of the website with his own content such as with porn content. So this cyber vandalism made a serious dent in the customer confidence in internet based e-commerce. This is a type of integrity attack in which the impact is majorly on the information present in the website. Example: When the Internet was new for the home users, the young hackers would gleefully deface websites; they break into corporate, e-commerce computer networks and try to outdo each other at how much mischief they could cause for the corporate networks, looking for fame among their contemporaries.  (Husted, 2011) Spoofing is another type of attack by which many websites are victims and its impact is great on the economy of the e-commerce websites. In this type of attack the perpetrators make use of the loop holes in the DNS servers and make their fictitious website as a real and original website to spoof the website visitors, so when the visitors have submitted their credit card details or any private information the attackers use these details to order the items and make them to ship to other addresses. Even the big e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com, AOL, eBay are the victims of this attack. Example: Recently many of the individuals are getting the e-mails that found to be legitimate from the original e-commerce websites such as Dell, Amazon that these e-mails will encourage the victims to click and submit usernames, passwords and some of their private information like card details, so then boom, they are spoofed i.e. the attackers now use their credit card details and can do all the mess which may be expected. The impact of the Denial of Service on the e-commerce is great that the websites which are attacked with this delay in service cannot handle the requests given by the customers thereby decreasing the sales and commerce. The attackers will keep the central server that handles the request very busy by sending the inappropriate requests. This makes the customers of a particular e-commerce website disgusting and they automatically go for the other competitor website. This can also be seen in the credit card payment gateway in the websites making the customers waiting for longer times and leave the website. Example: On December 8, 2010, a group called anonymous launched a Denial of Service attack on organizations such as  Mastercard.com,  PayPal,  Visa.com  and  Post Finance and made the payment gateways as dead for many hours irritating the customers of many e-commerce websites.( Addley, Esther; Halliday, Josh, 2010) The web servers threats also had a great bad impact on the e-commerce business. Actually the web servers are responsible for delivering the web pages upon the request through http protocols. So here when there are vulnerabilities the attackers will do mess and in affect the e-commerce business degrades. Web servers can compromise the security by prompting the users to enter their usernames and passwords when the user visits multiple pages in the same web servers protected area. The passwords that the user selects can be a threat. They select the simple passwords. If the file containing the private details is compromised, an intruder can enter into the privileged areas, and obtain the usernames and passwords. The database threats also pose a great impact on the e-commerce business. Besides storing the information the database servers also connected to the web servers which contain valuable private information that could damage the whole company irreparably if disclosed or altered. And most of the database servers rely on the username and password security that if compromised can cause a great impact on the whole website. Generally the database that contains the usernames and passwords are encrypted but some of the databases of some companys may not be encrypted, so if the unauthorized users obtain the authorization information then they can masquerade as the original database users and can get the confidential and potential valuable information like bank details etc. Once if the database of a certain company is compromised then the attackers may play with these details that they can use the card details and can buy the things they want in the e-commerce websites and can ship to their addr esses. The impact by Server Root exploits refer to techniques that gain a super user access to the server. This has a very big impact on the e-business because it is the most coveted type of attack and the possibilities are limitless i.e. the attacker can play what he wants. When the attacker attacks a shopper or his personal computer, he can only affect that single individual. But with this kind of root exploit, the attacker can gain control of the merchants, sellers and all the shoppers information that has links with the site. The attacker uses are two main types of root exploits: buffer overflow attacks and executing scripts against a server. The consequences may be very high that the attacker can do a mess with the website. In a buffer overflow attack, the hacker here takes the advantage of a specific type of computer program may be a bug that involves the allocation of storage of information during the program execution. This technique involves tricking of the server into executing a code written by an attacker. The other technique uses the knowledge of scripts that are executed by the server. This step is easily and freely found in the programming guides for the server. The attacker then tries to write the scripts in URL of a browser to retrieve information from his server. This type of technique is frequently used when the attacker is trying to retrieve data from the servers database and after getting he or she may misuse the details of the users who shop through online. This will intern make the customers not to visit the particular site again as they got crapped by it. Example: AS MANY as 9000 New Zealanders may have had their credit card and personal details stolen after a Lush cosmetics website was hacked. This company has urged its online customers in New Zealand and Australia to contact their banks to discuss cancelling their credit cards (Rogers, 2011). In 2007, IC3 Internet Crime and Complaint Center received 219,553 complaints that totaled $239,090,000 in financial losses in the form of assets or in form of theft. The average loss per complaint is around a $1000. C:UsersBharathDesktop2007_ic3report.jpg Source: Internet Crime and Complaint Center 2007 Report 6.Conclusion: This article outlined the key security attacks and impacts in an E-commerce system. The Current technology allows for secure website design. The rise of users identity theft and the fraud that attackers do and it has long been seen as a threat to e-commerce revenue growth. With the complaints of identity theft, loss of private information and phishing attacks on the rise, many customers may shy away from buying goods and services online. It is up to the site developing team to be both proactive and reactive in handling the security threats to reduce the high impact on the e-commerce business, and up to the shopper to be more responsible and vigilant when shopping online.

A Chemist :: essays research papers

A Chemist Becoming a chemist takes a lot of hard work and discipline. One very importan aspect of being a chemist is English, Comunication is of the utter most importance (Murphy). As well as having good communication skills, you also need a lot of patience. However, there are many other qualities you will need such as an excellent learning ability and mathematical skills. You will also need to be able to preceive concepts or objects. Once you get into college you need to know what kind of degree to get in order to have a fulfilling and successful career. For most entry level jobs a BS degree is sufficient. However, for a college teaching job a Ph.D. is required (Choices). After obtaining a degree, your next step would be to find a job. According to Jerry Murphy, if you want an easy way into the chemistry field you need to know someone already in that occupation. For the most part in Missouri, employment is increasing. Nevertheless, if you are not restricted to finding a job in Missouri, in the United States a whole employment is expected to increase 21% (Choices). After finding a job in the chemistry field that you will enjoy another quesiton arises, money. On hte average if you begin working at a entry level job witha bachelors degree your salary will be somewhere around $24,000 a year. If you start work with a masters degree you can expect about $32,000 and with a Ph.D. as mcuh as $60,000 ("Chemists") Research and development is the subcareer most chemist choose. In this subfield your primary goal would be to look for and use information about chemicals ("Chemists"). A chemists also spends a considerable amount of time in an office where he/she stores information or reports about research he/she has made. There are two different types of research basic research and applied research. In basic research a chemists studies the qualities and what makes up matter. In applied chemistry a chemist uses information obtained from basic research and puts it to practical use ("Chemists"). Chemistry includes many other subfields some of these are analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. Analytical chemists ascertain the nature, structure, and composition of a substance.

Explanations of East Asian Economic Development

The economic success of the East Asian countries has inspired many economists to study the background of their rapid growth. Interestingly, different economists interpret this success in entirely different ways. During the 1970s and an important part of the 1980s advocates of the neoclassical model argued that growth in East Asia was the result mainly of the market mechanism and the emphasis on export promotion in these countries. Especially since the mid-1980s the neoclassical approach was criticised by economists who stressed that government intervention played a crucial role in the process of economic growth. This paper aims at presenting a survey of the arguments recently put forward by the critics of the neoclassical approach to explain the role of government in the economic success of the countries in East Asia. Such a survey is very useful, since it forms a new breeding ground for the discussion on the role of the government in the economic development of other Developing countries and the countries in Eastern Europe. Without a doubt East Asia’s economic expansion during the past twenty years is one of the most remarkable economic changes since the Second World War. Gross national product of the East Asian countries increased by more than five per cent per year in the period 1965-1990, which is considerably larger than that of Latin America (1. 8 per cent), sub-Saharan Africa (0. 3 per cent), or even the OECD (2. 4 per cent). Six of the seven fastest growing economies in the period 1960-1985 (measured on the basis of the average growth of per capita GDP) were East Asian countries. The economic success of these countries has inspired many economists to study the background of this rapid growth. What is rather remarkable in this context is the fact that different economists interpret this success in entirely different ways. During the 1970s and an important part of the 1980s advocates of the neoclassical model argued that growth in East Asia was the result mainly of the market mechanism and the emphasis on export promotion in these countries. This interpretation dominated the debate for a long time. Especially since the mid-1980s the neoclassical approach was criticised by economists who stressed that government intervention actually played a crucial role in the process of economic growth. In this paper these economists are referred to as the new interventionists. The debate between the neoclassical economists and the new interventionists seems to concentrate on the issue concerning the role of the government in the process of economic development in general and the East Asian growth miracle in particular. In this article East Asia includes the following countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. A significant part of the literature used for this article concentrates mainly on South Korea and Taiwan. This paper mainly aims at presenting a survey of the arguments recently put forward by the critics of the neoclassical approach to explain the economic success of the countries in East Asia. In particular, it emphasises their view with respect to the role of the government in the process of economic development. Such a listing of the contributions of the new interventionists concerning the backgrounds of the Asian miracle and the possible contribution of the government is very useful The article is structured as follows. Section 2 presents a survey of the contributions of development economists with respect to the role of the government in the process of economic development as put forward by them in the 1940s and 1950s. Section 3 describes the reactions of the neoclassical economists on these early contributions. They emphasised that especially the market mechanism played an important role in the growth of the East Asian countries. Section 4 deals with the critics of the neoclassical economists and describes their approach to the backgrounds of the Asian miracle. The discussion on the role of the government in the process of economic development originated in the 1940s and 1950s, this discussion fits into the post-war predominance of Keynesian economics. During this period several theoretical models contributions in the literature pointed out that market imperfections justified government intervention. The main emphasis was on the existence and benefits of economies of scale and the external effects of production. One of the most influential models was the model of industrialisation based on the notion of infant industry. The existence of dynamic economies of scale and positive external effects of production in certain industries prompted the government to actively stimulate the development of these industries since the private sector was thought to be incapable of assessing the long-term economic benefits of investing in these industries. According to this model the government would stimulate the development of these industries by means of subsidies and protective measures until they were sufficiently developed to produce without government support. Other models went further in their recommendations concerning the role of the government in development. According to several economists, the economic growth potential of developing countries was restricted since many of these countries mainly exported primary goods. They expected that the prices of these goods relative to prices of industrial goods would fall permanently; this is also known as export pessimism. By combining the infant industry argument with export pessimism they pointed out that a structural change in the production structure of these countries was absolutely necessary in order to obtain positive long-run economic growth prospects. The government ought to play an important role since such a drastic change could never be realised through the market mechanism due to considerably large coordination problems in the economy. The emphasis was put on improving infrastructure and education. Both these aspects were assumed to be extremely important in order to realise such a structural change. Furthermore, the mutual dependence of industries was pointed out: the development of one industry was also determined by the development of other sectors, either as a producer of inputs4 or as a demander of output. This caused simultaneous support of different industries necessary. Later on, the debate in literature concentrated on the way in which the government ought to intervene. Some supported simultaneous intervention in all industries essential to economic growth; others stressed the limited availability of scarce resources which would hinder the execution of such a comprehensive strategy. They advocated government intervention mainly in those industries that had the most relations with other industries (unbalanced growth strategy; see Hirschman, 1958). These models very much influenced the economic policies pursued by the various developing countries during the 1950s, 1960s, and a large part of the 1970s. The idea of a government intervening in the process of economic growth was appealing to many politicians. It contributed to developing models of central planning, and it stimulated to using trade policies, such as import quota, export subsidies, and fixed exchange rates, introducing price controls and subsidies in markets for goods and production factors, and establishing public enterprises in important sectors like mining and heavy industries. Many governments pursued policies of import substitution (and later also export promotion). Initially, several countries appeared to be successful in achieving economic growth by way of government intervention. However, as increasingly more problems arose with respect to the models of planned economic growth, this approach was increasingly criticised by economists whose ideas matched the neoclassical tradition. This is the term to which they are referred to in the debate on the role of markets versus the Government in the process of growth. Mainly at the fact that the above described models primarily pointed at the imperfections of the market mechanism; the models seemed not to be concerned about the possibility that government intervention in itself could also lead to an inefficient allocation of resources. The neoclassical economists rejected the implicit assumptions that allocate inefficiency due to market imperfections would always be larger than the inefficiency resulting from government failures. This assumption would imply that the government has sufficient information in order to determine for which particular industries positive externalities and dynamic economies of scale could be expected, and to properly assess the costs and benefits of supporting certain activities and industries. This also would imply a well-functioning apparatus of government within which this information would be translated into a policy in the right way. Moreover, it meant that the government would also be strong enough to resist pressure groups and to minimalize the negative effects of rent-seeking behaviour. Finally, it was anticipated that the government put maximum welfare for the country as a whole before maximising the individual objectives of those representing the government. The neoliberals very much doubted the fact that these conditions had been sufficiently met in developing countries. They were rather convinced of the fact that especially such factors as lobbying, rent seeking, and a government pursuing maximisation of the individual welfare function, would negatively affect the efficiency of intervention. Therefore, they concluded that the imperfections of government intervention generally exceeded market imperfections. Only in some cases the government could play a role, e. g. with respect to providing physical infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, and maintaining order and upholding the law. This is all the government should do. The device of getting the prices right plays a crucial role in the neoliberal view: If the markets are not interfered with, scarce resources will be allocated most efficiently. Their starting points were the basis of the IMF and World Bank policy. Recommendations that were part of the structural adjustment programmes presented to developing countries in the 1980s and 1990s. The neoliberal interpretation of the role of the government versus the role of the market in the process of economic development has also been applied in analysing the economic success of East Asia of the past three decades. According to the neoliberals, the governments of these countries observed the limits of their capabilities, and the economic success, therefore, was caused mainly by the market which functioned quite well. They especially pointed out the emphasis governments placed on developing and stimulating exports, private entrepreneurship, and the execution of market-oriented policy measures. Focusing on export enhanced the development of industries with a comparative advantage. The East Asian countries especially developed those industries in which they had a comparative advantage. The governments had created the right environment – by providing macroeconomic stability and public investment in social and physical infrastructure – in which the private sector was encouraged to invest in such a way that it, would contribute positively to economic development. The neoliberal interpretation of the economic success of the East Asian countries was supported by the observation that several African and Latin American countries, where the government had played a very significant role for several decades, had experienced a deep economic crisis since the 1980s. The failure of government intervention and the positive contributions of the market mechanism were elaborately discussed in studies by, among others, these studies considered the East Asian countries as examples of countries where the market mechanism had positively influenced the process of economic development. The neoliberal criticism of the models from the 1940s and 1950s was justified to a certain extent. They rightly emphasised that too much government interference in the process of economic development could lead to considerable inefficiencies. They provided a theoretical basis for the possibility and consequences of government failure (Islam, 1992). Since the early 1970s and especially during the 1980s practically everybody agreed on the fact that government-led economic development, with an important role for state enterprises, would lead to large inefficiencies. However, this did not automatically mean that the neoliberal alternative provided a correct interpretation of the backgrounds of the successes in East Asia. Since the mid-1980s there was increasing criticism of the neoliberal interpretation of the role of the market versus the role of the government in development. These critics can be referred to as new interventionists. This group of economists argued that the government could contribute more to economic development than just providing certain important public goods. They based their ideas mainly on their analysis of the backgrounds of economic success in East Asia. The centre of their analysis proved to have rather a lot in common with the analyses of and themes addressed by development economists of the 1940s and 1950s. Criticism of the Neoliberal Model and the Arguments in Favour of Government Intervention According to the new interventionists, the neoliberal interpretation could not explain satisfactorily the success of the East Asian countries. A growing amount of research showed that government could indeed contribute positively to growth by means of comprehensive intervention in the economic process. This was not in keeping with the usual neoliberal starting points, and therefore alternative approaches were sought after to explain for this finding. An important alternative explanation of the East Asian economic success was found by emphasising the extent of problems concerning coordination in less developed economies. Critics of the neoliberal interpretation pointed out that the government could play an important role in stimulating the process of economic development by reducing coordination problems, related to the hoice of and relationship between production decisions that hinder development. These problems concerning coordination are the result of dynamic economies of scale of production and external effects resulting from the strong mutual dependence of certain industries. If such circumstances do play a role, the allocation of resources on the basis of the market mechanism can quite easily become sub-optimal. To begin with, in practice market prices provide information abou t the current profitability of productive activities; they contain hardly any – if at all – information on future profitability. Under these circumstances, if there are any activities that lead to economies of scale in the future, current market prices give the wrong signals with respect to optimal allocation. In this case, allocation will not be dynamically efficient. Moreover, investment decisions at the level of the individual entrepreneur may be sub-optimal if the future profitability of an investment project also depends on the degree to which investments are made in other sectors at the same time. In this case, too, allocation of resources based on the free market principle results in dynamically inefficient allocation. According to the new interventionists, interventions of East Asian governments were mainly aimed at decreasing these coordination problems, thus stimulating economic growth. The interventions actually improved the economy since barriers caused by economies of scale and external effects were taken down, which probably would not have happened if resource allocation was based purely on market principles. The model explaining the East Asian economic miracle as proposed by these new interventionists matches some of the central thoughts of the development economists of the 1940s and 1950s. One major difference, however, is that this model is formalised in some recent contributions. Recent theories on industrial organisation also point at the positive effect of limited competition – rather than free markets – and protection and co-ordination by the government. The remainder of this section will discuss in more detail several of the above mentioned aspects of the East Asian intervention policy, such as the characteristics of industrial policies, the instruments that were used to stimulate specific investments, the institutional context, and the preconditions. Industrial policy The contents and effectiveness of the industrial policies pursued in the East Asian countries is the central focus of several new interventionist studies, Focusing mainly on the analysis of the Korean experiences, this is also presents a new interventionist interpretation of the economic development of South Korea. In her analysis she shows why the Korean government policy can be considered dynamically efficient. She emphasises the fact that government intervention led to a situation of getting the prices wrong, which, according to her, precisely resulted in an optimal allocation of scarce resources. By deliberately disturbing prices, the government was able to reduce the coordination problems that occur when allocation of resources is left to the market mechanism. Policies aiming at disturbing the market mechanism led to other priorities concerning what should be produced as compared to the outcomes of the market as the coordinating mechanism. The industrial policies of other rapid growers in the region have been interpreted in a similar manner in other studies; characterises the process of economic development in South Korea as the process of late industrialisation. Fast growth in this country is mainly based on the implementation of existing (Western) technologies. The aspect of learning, adopting and adjusting existing technologies is central in her analysis. Since learning processes have the characteristics of a public good and are for example, closely related to increasing economies of scale and the external effects of production, government intervention is vital in the process of late industrialisation. The government sees to it that the Western technology is copied and implemented as efficiently as possible, and that the labour force is educated sufficiently to work with the new technology. Moreover, they coordinate production decisions in different industries. Thus, the government becomes an entrepreneur who decides what, when, and how much to produce. The active intervention resulted in the industrial development of South Korea, which would not have been realised without government intervention. The government especially stimulated those industries that were thought to be of crucial importance to the long-term development of South Korea. Whereas in the 1960s mainly export-oriented industries were stimulated, in the 1970s emphasis was placed on the development of heavy and chemical industries, the electronics industry, and shipbuilding. In the 1980s the centre of attention of industrial policies shifted towards stimulating the development of high-quality industries, the so-called sunrise industries. Due to government intervention South Korea became a leading producer of microchips, and had an important share in the world markets for consumer electronics, cars, and in shipbuilding. In this context, leading economists point out the difficulties involved in the development of especially heavy and chemical industries, and in electronics and shipbuilding. The relatively long time these industries require reaching maturity, and the limited profitability (or even temporary loss) during the initial phase cause these industries to be rather unattractive when it comes to private investment. This provides a legitimate reason for an active industrial policy by the government. Instruments of government intervention The East Asian governments used various instruments that enabled them to influence the organisation of production decisions and the allocation of production factors, in order to achieve that scarce resource would be applied in the areas they preferred. These instruments primarily aim at creating rents, i. e. providing subsidies for certain investments. A subsidy may be a strong instrument to influence the use and allocation of means; provided that the granting meets certain conditions. A subsidy will contain a protective element on the one hand, and provide an incentive to implement specific activities on the other hand. Given these conditions, a subsidy may contribute to the fact that investors who are granted a subsidy may take into account more than short-term profitability only, and may also consider future possible profitability of the decisions. In these cases, the dynamic aspects of implementing investment decisions are taken into account, and thus granting subsidies may contribute to a better allocation of means. Initially, subsidies were granted by means of programmes for cheap credit and selective credit loans. In countries like South Korea and Taiwan, the government had a significant impact on determining the nominal deposit and loan rate in the 1960s and 1970s. Moreover, they also introduced guidelines with respect to the allocation of bank loans to the private sector. Thus, they were able to stimulate the development of specific industries and private activities by granting them access to external funding and by subsidising this Funding. The role of the export promotion policy Especially with respect to the role of export-oriented policies as part of industrial policies, and the related specific instruments of government intervention in East Asia, the neoliberals and the new interventionists do not agree. In the neoliberal model the emphasis of government policies on export promotion is very important, since they believe that competition on world markets stimulated East Asian companies to produce efficiently. They exported especially those products for which the countries had a comparative advantage in production. According to the neoliberals, the rapid growth of exports justified this approach. Subsequently, the development of export industries was thought to have a positive effect on the production in other sectors of the economy. In this model – the so-called model of export-led development – the rapid growth of the export industries led to a growth in investment and was therefore the driving force behind the overall economic success. The new interventionists disputed the neoliberal point of view. Some of them point out the fact that the governments created comparative advantages, thus actually reversing the causal relationship between export growth and14 comparative advantages. The above mentioned industrial policies in South Korea can again be used to illustrate this view. The South Koreans developed advantages in shipbuilding, and in the electronics and car industries, all industries in which they initially did not have comparative advantages. Some new interventionists stressed the fact that government intervention stimulated especially those export industries for which competition in international markets was fierce, in order to stimulate the building up of a competitive external sector. To a certain degree, this view resembles the neoliberal interpretation of the role of international trade, although the new interventionists put much more weight into the role of government intervention to develop such a competitive external sector. They argue that international competition can be regarded as an efficiency check of interventionist policies and the policy measures used. The success or failure of export producing firms provided the government with information which enabled it to decide whether or not to continue support to particular industries, and to decide on the extent of this support. Thus, protection measures and the granting of subsidies were linked to the performance of firms with regard to the development of sales in foreign markets. Others, however, resist the argument that exports played a crucial role in stimulating the economic growth of these countries. On the one hand, they point at the limited share of the export sector in total GNP of most East Asian growing countries in the period concerned. Considered this limited share, this sector could never have been the driving force behind the strong economic development during the 1960s and 1970s. On the other hand, the direction of the causality between exports and investments as supposed by the neoliberals is questioned. It is more likely that the explosive export growth was the result of a strong increase in domestic investments, rather than the other way round. The increase in these investments led to an increasing demand for imports, which – taking into account the limited availability of foreign currencies – went hand in hand with an increase in exports. This increase in exports was realised by reducing the domestic consumption of tradable goods, making them available for exports. Exports were not hampered by any unfavourable exchange rate policies, which had indeed been the case in many other developing countries in the 1960s, 1970s, and part of the 1980s. They argue that export production was actively stimulated by means of several instruments, particularly the above described systems of subsidisation. Therefore, some new interventionists argue that the explanation of economic growth in East Asian countries lies in the factors that influenced the strong growth in domestic investments, such as the creation of rents to stimulate investment behaviour. Cooperation between the state and the private sector in the previous sections it has been pointed out continuously that the East Asian governments proved to be able to reduce coordination problems, which contributed to stimulate economic growth. However, this still has not answered the question concerning the way governments were able to dispose of sufficient information to efficiently coordinate investment decisions and to determine which industries were important in realising a dynamically efficient allocation of scarce resources. Several studies have examined this aspect. These studies show that very close ties existed between the government, banks, and the private sector. These ties led to frequent contacts between the government and the private sector about the economy’s weaknesses and strengths. In this way, the government gained a better understanding of the nature of the coordination problems that played a role in the economy. On the basis of this information the government was better able to take decisions concerning intervention. In the case of South Korea, civil servants from different ministries, bank managers, and managers of large companies regularly met on so-called deliberation councils. Apart from this there were also monthly export meetings. At these meetings, presided by the president of the country and attended by16 senior civil servants, managers of banks and companies, economic bottlenecks were directly discussed, and decisions were taken concerning the outlines of the industrial, trade, and financial policies. Specific attention would be paid to the performance of the export industries, and if necessary the export policy would be adjusted on the basis of the information available. The South Korean private sector was very much organised on the basis of conglomerate structures, the so-called Chaebols. A limited number of very large conglomerates were actively involved in various economic activities, thus controlling an important part of the total production of the private sector. The government actively stimulated the development of these large conglomerates. The idea was that this would lead to an optimal use of economies of scale and external effects due to the strong mutual dependence between industries. In this way, the conglomerates would internalise existing coordination problems. Moreover, an advantage of the existence of several large conglomerates was that there were only a small number of ties between the government and the private sector, so that a relatively small number of policy makers and managers would be responsible for making important decisions. This added to an efficient exchange of information and a reduction of coordination problems. Some studies describe the model of the East Asian economies as a governed market. This means that private companies competed and cooperated and were supervised by the government. Other studies – especially referring to the case of South Korea – characterise the relations between government and the private sector as a quasi-internal organisation. This model describes a firm as an organisation that minimalizes transaction costs by internalising certain activities, i. e. hese activities are executed within the organisation. This may cause the allocation within an internal organisation to be superior to allocation resulting from the market mechanism. The model contains a central management that determines the outlines of the activities of the firm and that delegates the execution and immediate responsibility for the results to different divisions. The divisions are accountable to th e central management and have to provide information regularly, enabling the management to change its strategy on the basis of this new information – if necessary. In this way, coordination problems between the different activities can be reduced. The comparison to the characteristics of the Korean society applies to a certain extent, if the government is regarded as the central manager and the various conglomerates as the divisions. Due to the intense and informal contacts between the government and the private sector, the government had at their disposal information concerning the nature and extent of coordination problems in the economy. On the basis of this information, economic policies could be designed and choices could be made on which industries should be supported, since they were supposed to be of crucial importance to the growth of the country. Furthermore, economic policy programmes could constantly be adjusted on the basis of new information so that they would positively contribute to the economic development of the country. To conclude, it can be argued that the strong ties between the government and the private sector contributed to an intense exchange of information. Based on this information, the government was able to follow and if necessary adjust the activities in private industries. The new interventionists considered the combination of these ties and the nature of the way the government created rents and distributed these among firms and industrial sectors as an important explanation of the successful government intervention in the various East Asian countries. Initial conditions and political factors The new interventionists also point at other factors they feel have been important in realising that the government translated the information they eceived from the private sector into a policy that contributed to the successful18 reduction of coordination problems. These factors are closely related to the initial conditions that applied at the moment this miraculous process of economic growth was started. They also point at certain specific political economic circumstances. To begin with, the new interventionists emphasise that in these count ries the educational system and the level of education of the labour force were of a relatively high standard as early as the 1950s, especially compared to countries in Latin America and Africa. This positive initial condition had various positive consequences. To start with, this meant that labour productivity was relatively high and that the East Asian economies were at least capable of working with relatively high-grade production processes as early as the 1950s. Moreover, this meant that the copying of Western technologies is the essence of late industrialisation – could be executed faster. Finally, the high level of education had a positive effect on the quality of the civil service. The latter was not to be underestimated as an aspect of the success of the East Asian intervention policy. Several authors have therefore paid special attention to the aspect of the quality of the civil service. An efficient apparatus of government was of great importance in order to translate the information on coordination problems in the economy into a policy that could contribute to increasing economic growth. Moreover, the work ethic of the average civil servant in the Eastern Asian countries was also important in explaining the efficiency of government intervention. In many developing countries civil servants seemed to be easily corrupted, whereas in most East Asian countries this was relatively less common. Consequently, the abuse of, for example, the granting of subsidies and other benefits to firms could be kept rather limited. To explain this phenomenon the new interventionists argued, among other things that in such countries as South Korea and Taiwan a high degree of social responsibility had been developed and introduced through the educational system. Education very much contributed to a sense of social awareness. This led to the fact that a position as a civil servant involved a high social status. This may be an explanation for the fact that the best students often accepted a19 position with the government whereas a similar position in the private sector would pay far more. This high status would also contribute to a lower degree of corruptness as compared to that in many other developing countries. Moreover, a career with the civil service was considered the perfect way to a high position in the private sector. Apart from these initial conditions, several authors argue that the political economic circumstances in the East Asian countries contributed to the fact that government intervention could concentrate on the efficient use of scarce resources. As is well-known from the public-choice literature, a government may implement a policy because they are being pressurised by certain groups in society that are crucial to a possible re-election. In such case, in their policy the government may to a certain extent want to comply with the wishes of their future voters, rather than pursue a policy that contributes to economic growth as much as possible. 9 For example, they may not use subsidies to support certain important economic activities; instead subsidies may be used to secure political support. In many Latin American and African countries such a populist policy has been pursued in the past with all the associated negative consequences to general economic growth. In case of a more autocratic government, the government will use part of the means available to bribe representatives of powerful lobbies who could jeopardise the government’s continuity or to forcefully suppress these lobbies. In South Korea and Taiwan the government hardly ever faced lobbies of real importance so that a populist policy was not necessary. Therefore, they could develop and pursue their policies independent of any lobby and they could efficiently employ subsidies and other instruments to promote economic growth, rather than use them in order to gain political support. There were several different reasons for this particular circumstance, according to the new interventionists. Among others, for an empirical analysis of such kind of political economic processes, to start with, countries like South Korea and Taiwan were characterised by a relatively equal income distribution due to which the governments of these countries were less pressurised into taking popular measures to please certain lobbies. The equal income distribution was mainly the result of the land reforms of the 1950s which took place both in South Korea and Taiwan. Thus, equal income distribution had been realised before the start of the period of rapid growth. More recently, empirical support for the positive relation between equal income distribution and economic growth has been found. Moreover, some mention the fact that both the South Korean and the Taiwanese society were characterised by a relatively cultural unity, This meant that this potential source of political instability was less strong than it often was in other developing countries and that this made it easier to develop a solid nation state. Some authors also mention the fact that the Japanese oppression of South Korea before 1945 drastically reduced the role of lobbies in this country. With respect to Taiwan, the flight of political leaders and their supporters from China had actually decimated the differences between the various political lobbies. Finally, there was no elite based on the ownership of natural resources, since these countries hardly had any natural resources. In several Latin American countries this elite was an important opponent of the government. The new interventionists offer an alternative explanation for the economic success of the East Asian countries during the past few decades. They point at the existence of coordination problems and argue that these problems are the main obstacle for economic development. For this reason the government should play an active role. The analysis of the role of the government in East Asia shows under which circumstances government intervention may have a positive impact on the economic growth of a country. The contributions by the new interventionists appear to resemble those by the development economists21 from the 1940s and 1950s. The difference, however, is that the new interventionists have provided the understandings of the development economists with a more solid theoretical and empirical basis. Some questions remain unanswered, however. For example, the new interventionist analysis of the role of the government in the East Asian success has not convincingly shown why the efforts of the governments of these countries seemed to have been explicitly concentrated on promoting long-term economic development. This paper has described all conditions that must be met in order for government intervention to contribute positively to economic growth, as was the case in East Asia. Another starting point for future research refers to the empirical foundation of the existence, nature and importance of coordination problems in a less developed economy. Although the new interventionists have frequently and convincingly described the existence of these failures, until now their empirical proof has been scarcely provided. Therefore, micro-level research – i. e. t the industrial level – into the significance of these coordination problems in economic development is vital. Related to this, more empirical research ought to be conducted into the importance of dynamic efficiency in a less developed economy. This requires more analysis of the nature of the possible economies of scale, the external effects in such economies, and the way in which they could be exploited by government interventi on. The debate on the role of the government was quite explicit after the World Bank had published a study in 1993 which contained an in-depth analysis of the backgrounds of the East Asian success. The new interventionists criticised the World Bank for the contents of this report ,the analysis in this report builds on an earlier World Bank report (World Bank, 1991) in which the neoliberal view on the role of the government is somewhat changed with respect to their previous attitude on this subject. Both the 1991 and 1993 reports assign a more positive role to government intervention. The reports argue that interventions may add to economic growth, provided that these interventions are market friendly. The market friendly nature of interventions means that markets ought to function freely, unless the results are clearly better in case of government intervention. Furthermore, checks and balances have to be introduced: interventions must always be subject to the discipline of the domestic and foreign markets as much as possible. Finally, intervention must be straightforward and transparent, based on clear regulations, so that the contents and consequences can be monitored by anyone. The 1991 World Bank report introduces the market friendly approach of government policy as the alternative road between market and government. Starting from this analysis framework, the 1993 report studies the economic development of East Asia and endorse the positive role of the government in the process of economic development of these countries. Furthermore, the report argues that the distortions that were a result of government interventions were small, especially as compared to those in other developing countries. Government policies were often embedded in a competitive environment, all according to the market friendly approach. At the same time, however, the analysis shows that government intervention was by no means always successful. The market is considered to remain the most efficient coordinating mechanism. Therefore, the report’s advice is to get the prices right. The final conclusion is that the most important positive contributions of government intervention referred to creating a stable macroeconomic environment – in the form of low inflation and government deficits, and a stable exchange rate – and investment in the development of human capital. The government created the right environment within which private initiative could optimally contribute to economic growth. Economic policies should concentrate on these factors, the World Bank argues. The recent World Bank report does only partly do justice to the new interventionist’s criticism. The policy recommendations still seem to be rather neoliberal. Although the World Bank report initially appears to lead to a synthesis of the neoliberal model and the new interventionist understandings, the policy implications of the analysis of the two camps differ very much. The new interventionists point at the importance of government intervention and set great store by industrial policies and the use of subsidies and other instruments in order to realise a dynamically efficient allocation of resources, whereas the World Bank continues to argue that the government ought to aim mainly at creating macroeconomic stability and should aim solely at creating the right conditions for private initiative. Conclusion To conclude, since the early 1990s there appears to be some general agreement concerning the debate on the role of the government in the process of economic development in East Asian countries. The World Bank – being the main representative of the neoliberal point of view – and its critics agree on the fact that the governments of these countries severely intervened in the economic process. Thus, it would make great sense for developing nations in Africa, South America and south East Asia to place prodigious importance of state intervention to economic development and to dismay the western â€Å"liberal† model as useless and deceptive. As they themselves (western countries, including Japan) all at some point in their economic development guided their economy towards what they thought was suitable and progressive, which is called â€Å"industrialisation†.