Debt and Equity Essay Example for Free

Debt and Equity Essay Long-term financing requires a meticulous understanding of the various features of debt and equity and their impact an organization. While evaluating debt and equity, an investment banker also has to consider the unique characteristics of the organizations dealings while ensuring that the organizations requirements are met. Debt CapitalDebt capital includes all long-term borrowing incurred by the firm. The cost of debt was found to be less than the cost of other forms of financing. The relative inexpensiveness of debt capital is because the lenders take the least risk of any long-term contributors of capital. Their risk is less than that of other because (1) they have a higher priority of claim against any earnings or assets available for payment (2) they have a far stronger legal pressure against the company to make payment than do preferred or common stockholders, and (3) the tax-deductibility of interest payments lowers the debt cost to the firm substantially. Equity CapitalEquity capital consists of the long-term funds provided by the firms owners, the stockholders. Unlike borrowed funds that must be repaid at a specified future date, equity capital is expected to remain in the firm for an indefinite period. The two basic sources of equity capital are (1) preferred stock and (2) common stock equity, which includes common stock and retained earnings. Common stock is typically the most expensive form of equity, followed by retained earnings and preferred stock, respectively (Pinegar, Wilbricht, 1989). A firms capital structure is determined by the mix of long-term debt and equity it uses in financing its operations. Debt and equity capital differ with respect to voice in management, claims on income and assets, maturity, and tax treatment. Capital structure can be externally assessed using the debt ratio and the debt-equity ratio to measure the firms degree of indebtedness or the times interest earned ratio and the fixed-payment coverage ratio to measure its ability to meet fixed financial payments. Research suggests is an optimal capital structure that balances the firms; benefits and cost of debt financing. The major benefit of debt financing is the tax-deductible interest, and the costs of debt financing include the  probability of bankruptcy, agency costs imposed by lenders in their loan agreements, and asymmetric information costs attributable to managers having more information about the firms prospects than do investors (Modigliani and Miller, 1958). Reference: Modigliani, Franco and Miller, Merton. (1958). The Cost of Capital, CorporationFinance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review. Pinegar, J. Michael and Wilbricht, Liza. (1989). What Managers Think of CapitalStructure Theory.

Role of Charged Lipids in Membrane Structure

Role of Charged Lipids in Membrane Structure An observation of BMC Bioinformatics Journal  on the Role of charged lipids in membrane structure In this journal, the experimenters make observations to note in saying that charged lipids play and important role in what they call a phenomenon. This includes lipid protein binding, membrane potential and membrane permeation (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). In this journal the experimenters note the following; effects of charged lipids on membrane properties and effect of charged lipids on membrane proteins (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). They then go on to note what they call the interplay between charged lipids and Nano sized molecules or particles (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The objectives of the experimenters in this journal review and discuss the recent findings that describe charged lipids as active players in the membrane system (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The experimenters in this journal will discuss how charged lipids affect membrane properties. Then further expand on how their charged nature comes into play in lipid-protein interactions (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). In further detail the experimenters focused on the recent simulation work done in the field and integrate the work in recent simulations with that of their own observations to experiments (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The tested hypotheses in this journal is represented as testing Phosphatidylcholine (PS) for key players in preprogrammed cellular death as discussed by computer generated simulations about the properties of charged lipids (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). Who in turn also plays many roles in a variety of different processes. The experimenters noted that the null hypothesis was testing phosphatidylinositol (PI) which is often involved in the modulation of membrane receptors and their signaling processes and testing to see if there was any significant difference between the two variables due to their role in many biological processes (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The materials and methods the experimenters introduce in this journal are preexisting scenarios. Having done their own research on charged lipids the experimenters inputted their data to continue the experimentation. The experimenters in this journal mention that that dependent variables are the various simulations of the (PS) (PI) that can get to the importance of atomistic details (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The experimenters used the force fields for complex charged lipids as the independent variables to change or manipulate the experiment. Specifically mentioning than any model can only be as good as the underlying force field referencing Insight into the Properties of Cardiolipin Containing Bilayers from Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Using a Hybrid All-Atom/United-Atom Force Field. In this journal the experimenters reference several terms. These terms represent a few of the many biologically relevant processes where charged lipids are highlighted in the importance of understanding the function of charged lipids in cells (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016): Phosphatidylcholine or (PS): is one of the key players in programmed cell death and phosphatidylinositol or (PI): which is often involved in the modulation of membrane receptors and their signaling processes. Using already existing simulations the experimenters manipulate the force fields of the lipid bilayers in order to test the hypotheses. In this journal the results show that the experimenters have failed to reject the null hypothesis in determining that the simulation data has shown in what they refer to as a convincing manner that specific details are often important in determining the properties of charged lipids. It is not only the charge that matters. If it did, then lipids such as PS and PI would largely have the same effects, which is the not the case (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The experimenters in this journal note that the (PI) lipids have been observed to cluster around several human RTKs and around EGFR and state the same could be said about the (PS) except that the (PI) has a better chance in interacting with proteins than the latter (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). The experimenters also note that the (PI) chemical details matter as well because the different properties of the (PI) lipids show. In conclusion the experimenters mention that (PS) (PI) have both had their fair share of attention in biology. The experimenters continue to state that when (PS) (PI) are incorporated into bilayers they have been shown to increase the ordering of phosphatidylcholine (PC) chains and state they stiffen the bilayers. The experimenters making a considerable note; state that there has been a great deal of a lack of attention being paid to diffusion. Or as they put it dynamics of charged lipids. Being specific in noting that there is a clear void for future research to fill (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). In this journal the experimenters mentioned that future work would be more than welcomed in this field stating that this field of study for complex charged lipids is not a simple feat when pertaining to force fields (Pà ¶yry Vattulainen, 2016). Comparatively speaking, the experimenters state that it is difficult to find commonalities especially when the models being tested in various studies are based on different force fields. Lastly and concluding the journal the experimenters state that studies based on the same force field work would most likely have more reliable trends that are revealing and would be most welcome. References Cited Pà ¶yry, S. Vattulainen, I. (2016). Role of charged lipids in membrane structures Insight given by simulations. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Biomembranes, 1858(10), 2322-2333. D. Aguayo, F.D. Gonzalez-Nilo, C. Chipot, Insight into the properties of cardiolipin  containing bilayers from molecular dynamics simulations, using a hybrid all-atom/united-atom force field, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 8 (2012) 1765-1773. Abstract Reference: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.03.016

Differences between Macro and Micro sociology

Differences between Macro and Micro sociology Explain the differences between Macro and Micro sociology. Identify some of the key sociological approaches in both areas. Which do you think is more useful for studying society and why? Giddens (1989) defines sociology in the following way: Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes. Sociology is a significant subject so it is almost impossible to know all its aspect, it is only possible to learn how to apply sociological imagination , that is why all the sociological  theories may be broadly  divided into macro and  micro approaches, which will be deeper discussed and considered from each angle in this essay. Macro sociology studies social structures, communities, big social groups, layers, systems and processes that occur in them. The social community such as civilization is the main objective of macro sociology. It is not focused on detailed analysis of certain problems and situations; its target is a complex understanding of the issue. Macro sociological approach to phenomena is associated with the social world systems and its interaction with different types of culture, social institutions (complex social forms), social structures and global processes. Mainly macro sociology concentrates on the models of behavior that help to understand society as a whole. The main concepts of macro sociology are: society, culture, social institutions, social system, structure and also global social processes. Macro sociologists argue that society is in a more priority than individual as his behavior is formed by society he was born and brought up in. Macro sociology includes several important sociolo gical perspectives such as: functionalism that focuses on relationship between the parts of society and how aspects of society are functional and Conflict Theory which main focus is competition for scarce resources and how the elite control the poor and weak. Micro sociology  is one of the main branches of  sociology, examining the nature of everyday human  social interactions  and  agency  on a small scale. Micro sociology is based on interpretative analysis rather than statistical or empirical observation. It includes a theory of Symbolic interactionism that focuses on the use of symbols and face-to-face interactions. Micro sociology appeared in the late 30s of this century and had another name sociometry. This term is associated with Jacob L. Moreno, who was a  Jewish  Romanian-born  Austrian-American  leading  psychiatrist, sociologist, thinker and  educator. During his lifetime, he was recognized as one of the leading social scientists. Sociometry has got very original research methods, which are widely used as  a general scientific  tool  in  various  social  studies. For Moreno three the most important concepts of the sociometry were: socius companion, metrum measurement and drama action. Mor eno (1948) defines sociometry as the inquiry into the evolution and organization of groups and the position of individuals within them.  For  Moreno  and  other  representatives of  sociometry the main  object of  research  is an existing small  social groups and the most  important,  what  characterizes these social groups is  the peoples emotional  relationship  with each other that is  forming  an atomistic  structure of  society. Simple  observations are not  able to  capture these  relationships,  but  they can  be  identified by  using specific  measurement methods,  particularly survey  techniques  and processing of data. For example: sociometric tests, sociomatrices and sociograms. This  technique allows  detecting the  actual  situations of conflict  and  efforts  to eliminate them. The creation of sociometry has importantly contributed to the sociology and is considered to be one of the most si gnificant achievements of sociology as a science for the entire period of its existence.  The introduction of quantitative methods in sociology considerably transformed it and allowed to study with unprecedented accuracy.  One of the most significant consequences of creation of the micro sociology has become the increase of interest and opportunities for social research in the study of various problems of human existence with the use of quantative methods and modern computer technologies. Functionalists mainly  focus on the  macrostructures  of society,  but representatives  of symbolic  interactionism  are usually  more concerned about micro aspects  of social life. Also they argue that micro sociology is more useful for studying society. For instance  John  H.Mead and  H.  Blumer  studied the  social  interaction  of individuals  and  speculated  how  they manage to  coordinate their actions with each other. The Representatives of symbolic interactionism emphasize the fact that people are social beings.  However, in comparison with ants, bees, termites and other insects, that are leading a social life, people almost do not have any inherent models of behavior that connect us with each other. Consequently,  if people have essentially no inherent nature of the mechanisms of social behaviuor it is not clear how society can be created.  Representatives of symbolic interactionism find the answer in the ability of people to communicate through the symbols. Geogre Herbert Meed (1863-1931) and other representatives of symbolic interactionism state that we perform an act by conforming to the meaning we put in it. Generally Blumer states that the meaning is not something initially related to the things, on the contrary, it is characteristic which emerges from the interaction between people in their everyday life. In other  words, social  reality  is created  by people  when they  act  in this  world and  interpret  events  occurring in  it. Nietzsches 1880s notebooks repeatedly state that there are no facts, only interpretations. We  choose the  facts  from the  universal  context  by  the activity  of our  brain , and  because of that all  the facts  are the creations  of a man.  Accordingly, representatives of  symbolic  interactionism  believe  that  we perceive the world  as  constructed  reality. All  this leads  representatives  of symbolic interactionism  to the conclusion  that  if  sociologists  want to  study the  life  of society, they must first understand the  words  and actions of  members of  this society,  taking  their  point  of view.  This  theory  was largely  influenced by  Weberian  concept  of understanding  (Verstehen) or empathetic understanding. This gives an opportunity to the sociologists to mentally put themselves into the other persons shoes and thus obtain an interpretive understanding of the meanings of individuals behaviours. To conclude, the advantage  of this approach  is that  it  introduces the  people in the  panorama of  sociological research.  It  pays  attention  to  the activities  of individuals  in  their  daily  lives and  sees that the  people  are not robots that mechanically carry out the orders of social rules and institutional norms  but beings that are  living  their  lives  and have got and ability to  think. Through interaction, they operate on symbols and meanings à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹that enable them to interpret the situation, assess the advantages and disadvantages of certain actions and then choose one of them.  Thus, representatives of symbolic interactionism suggest the image of a man as an individual, actively shaping his behavior, rather than passively reacting to external dictates of structural limitations.

Oppression Of People Of Color Essay -- essays research papers

The myth that â€Å"all men are equal† has created false hopes for the people of color, who continually seek opportunities to excel, that just aren’t there. They have been led to believe that intelligence and ambitions are key contributors to one’s success. Even if they do possess ambition and intelligence, the dominant majority of the white population oppresses them. This type of oppression points out that new methods of struggle are needed, such as whose employed by Martin Luther King, Jr., Franz Fanon and W.E.B. Du Bois. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated nonviolence to suppress oppression in his essay, â€Å"The Power of Nonviolent Action.† King's factual and reasoned approach is intended to win his adversaries over by appealing to their consciences. King realized that the best strategy to liberate African-Americans and gain them justice was to use nonviolent forms of resistance. He wanted to eliminate the use of violence as a means to manage and establish cooperative ways of interacting. Moreover, King states that the â€Å"oppressed people must organize themselves into a militant and nonviolent mass movement† in order to achieve the goal of integration. The oppressed must â€Å"convince the oppressors that all he seeks is justice, for both himself and the white man† (King, 345). Furthermore, King agreed with Gandhi that if a law is unjust, it is the duty of the oppressed to break the law, and do what they believe to be right. Once a law is broken, the person must be willing to accept the ...

Algebra As Thought Experiment :: Education Mathematics Learning Essays

Algebra As Thought Experiment ABSTRACT: This paper addresses the problem of understanding what mathematics contributes to the exceptional success of modern mathematical physics. I urge that we give up the Kantian construal of the division between mathematics (synthetic a priori) and physics (experimental), and that we ask instead how algebra helps synthetic a posteriori mathematics improve our ability to study the world. The theses suggested are: 1) Mathematical theories are about the empirical world, and are true or false just like other theories of empirical science. 2) The air of artificiality in mathematics lies exclusively in the use of algebraic method. 3) This method is constructive much like all fiction is, but this construction is for the purpose of experimental investigation of the physical world to the extent that anything in the world has objects like those in the fictional world of a particular algebra. 4) This is why algebraic techniques are successful even when the assumptions of the system are fal se: they may still be applicable to some things considered from some perspective. 5) The success of mathematical physics is also due to Descartes' discovery of a remarkable truth: we live in space and time which can be described as a whole. 6) Therefore, what distinguishes modern science from earlier and later philosophy is not a general method of science, but the fact that it happened to find a truth, and a particular way of studying reality which bore fruit. In the sixteenth century, physics was a part of the general subject known as philosophy. When Galileo wrote the Dialogues Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, he was commenting on some aspects of Aristotle's Philosophy. He was more favorable to the use of mathematics in various problems of physics than was current in his day. He may be described as trying to revive an Archimedean conception of motion in terms of geometry, which may be called "kinematics." Galileo also introduced the experimental method into physics. The experimental method had been very successfully utilized in Alchemy, which was a low or a clandestine science at the time. Its success in physics brought the issue of experimentation into the spot light. Since there are few claims original to Galileo that we may still wish to defend, we may want to describe his success as the introduction of these techniques which he invented or adapted for subsequent physicists to employ. Experimental techniques have improved considerably since Galileo's day.

Alcohol Abuse in Russia

Joe Bloe Professor I. B Smart BS 131 December XX, 2008 Alcohol Abuse in Russia Family Issues Russians drink more alcohol than any other nation in the world. (Halpin, 2007, p1) The Times of London reports that Russians are currently going on an alcoholic binge even by Russian standards. According to the country’s chief public health officer, Gennadi Onishenko, Russians are drinking nearly three times as much as they did sixteen years ago. Onishenko’s study was promulgated by the Russian equivalent of the consumer protection agency and it reported that at least 2. million people in Russia were alcoholics. The average Russian consumed 15 litres (26 pints) of pure alcohol per annum, up from 5. 4 litres in 1990, and this phenomena is blamed for a rising rate of mortality among men. This compares to 8. 4 litres for people in the United States and 7. 6 litres in Japan. (Halpin, 2007 p 1) Violent crime and alcohol consumption have increased throughout the Russian federation sin ce the fall of the Soviet Union. This has shown harmful consequences for families and communities, as heavy alcohol drinking is closely associated with violent behavior in Russia.The correlation between heavy drinking and violence is a complicated mixture of physiological, psychological, situational, social and cultural elements. Whenever measures to control alcohol production and consumption have been introduced, reduced violence has occurred in Russia and elsewhere. (WHO, 2006) Violence is a family’s worst enemy and may include physical and sexual assaults, mental or emotional abuse and neglect. It may also be categorized into interpersonal violence, child maltreatment or neglect, intimate partner violence within a relationship, sexual violence, abuse of the elderly or self-directed violence including suicide. WHO, 2006) There is ample evidence to support the relationship between heavy drinking and violence. In Russia, alcohol has been involved in three-quarters of homicide arrests. Families often bear the brunt of the violence that emanates from heavy drinking. In the Central Black-Earth Region of Russia, a study showed that 77% of violent crimes against family members involved drinking with 35% of these drinkers bingeing every day. Among male perpetrators of spousal homicide, 60–75% of offenders had been drinking before the incident. (WHO, 2006)Alcohol abuse affects physical and cognitive functioning resulting in reduced self-control and the ability to process incoming information. This makes drinkers more apt to resort to violence to resolve conflicts. (Rand Corp. , 2002) Heavy drinking can impair parents’ responsibilities toward themselves and their children. Drinking also reduces the amount of time and money spent on their children, often neglecting the children’s basic needs. Alcohol abuse by either the parent or the child increases the child’s vulnerability to sexual abuse.Sometimes children are made to drink alcohol to facilitate sexual acts or involve them in child pornography. (WHO, 2006) Alcohol abuse during pregnancy can result in children being born with fetal alcohol syndrome as well as health issues for the mother. Excessive drinking in a relationship can create problems with finances, childcare, infidelity or other stressors leading to potentially violent situations. (WHO, 2006) Health Issues Russians are suffering from a problem with demographic retention and a declining population base.Alcoholism is a leading cause in rising Russian mortality rates, particularly among males. Alcohol contributes to premature deaths involving accidents, injuries and violence particularly among males. Male mortality rates fell sharply during Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign of 1984 to 1987. This effort reduced state alcohol production, raised prices for liquor, mandated alcoholic treatments where needed and cracked down on homemade liquor. The program was highly unpopular and abandoned, after wh ich both consumption of alcohol and mortality rates for males increased dramatically once again. Rand Corp. , 2002) Russia’s population has dropped from 145 million in 2002 to 140,702,000 in July of 2008. The birth rate is slightly higher at 11. 3 births per 1,000; up from 9. 1 per 1,00 in 2002. Male life expectancy is only 59 years and for females it is 73 years. (Fitzgerald, 2003, CIA 2008) Statistics for children are not encouraging. In 2003, the number of healthy children in Russia dropped from 45. 5 percent to 33. 9 percent over ten years, and the number of disabled children doubled, according to the epidemiology section of the Health Ministry.According to information gathered form the 2002 census, one third of Russian children are born out of wedlock. (Fitzgerald, 2003) The Russian Ministry of Health did not blame alcoholic parents for substandard health environments or the usual culprits of drug abuse, or smoking and eating junk food but blamed an increase in the schoo l workload and less time for outdoor exercise. The Ministry claimed that an incredible 75% of children were said to have hypertension and related problems in the 2003 analysis of Russian health. (Fitzgerald, 2003)Beer is regarded in many areas as if it were soda pop. Children as young as 13 routinely drink beer in public in some areas and the national legal drinking age is currently 18 years. Vodka has traditionally been available nearly everywhere to nearly everybody in Russia and children have no problem finding it. As in America and elsewhere, heavy alcohol consumption in Russia impedes a family’s well being in a host of problematic ways. And Russians drink more alcohol per capita than any other national population in the world. (Halpin, 2007)Gorbachev’s attempt to limit alcohol abuse In 1985 President Gorbachev, who was then president of the USSR, began a campaign to limit alcohol abuse by raising the legal drinking age to 21 years and imposing tough legal sanction s on home production of alcohol. (Today, the drinking age is 18 years. ) During the period of 1984 through 1987 when the campaign was running, state sales of alcohol decreased by 61%. Statistically speaking, the effort was successful in that total violent deaths dropped 33% and alcohol-related violent deaths dropped by 51%.The program was not popular with the public, however, and was abandoned in 1987. By 1992, market reforms for alcohol were instituted that liberalized trade and dropped prices and the rates of violent deaths increased substantially. (WHO, 2006) These rising figures are subject to interpretation because this was the era of perestroika in Russia and increases in violent deaths cannot be solely attributed to increases in alcohol availability and consumption. The temporal correlations between the crackdown on alcohol and the drops in violence indicate that they are interconnected.Perestroika and glasnost were introduced to Russian society in response to President Gorba chev’s initiatives toward political reform and moral recovery. A cornerstone of his plan was a reduction in drinking which he saw not only as a health problem but a cause of economic inefficiency. (McKee, 1999) He adopted a heavy-handed approach to limiting alcohol production, distribution and use. All state agencies were ordered to develop departmental strategies to cut down alcohol consumption. Alcohol was banned at official functions and party officials who drank heavily were dismissed from their jobs.Liquor outlets were dramatically reduced and the media changed its attitude to one of intolerance for alcohol and organizations like the All-Union Voluntary Society for the Struggle for Sobriety sprang up. This association claimed 12 million members one year after organizing. (McKee, 1999) Within a few years, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, the campaign faltered and was eventually replaced by a rapid rise in consumption, driven by widespread illicit production of homemade alcohol on a massive, national scale. Economic IssuesRussia's stock markets have lost about 70 percent of their value since peaks in May, and workers have been hard hit by lay-offs and wage arrears. The tepid global economy has left Russians hurting and they, like most of the world, have had to cut back on expenses. The result is less state-sanctioned vodka being sold and an increase in homemade spirits. Research by the National Alcohol Association showed that deaths from alcohol poisoning increased to 1,458 in September, presumably the result of Russians drinking dangerous substitutes for vodka as a cheaper way to get drunk. (Shuster, 2008)During Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign, the production of samogon (homemade spirits) had become a large-scale industry that provided cheap alcohol to Russians while depriving the state of tax revenue. When restrictions were eased in 1988, alcohol consumption quickly exceeded the pre-1985 level. A Russian study done in 1995 revealed that regular drunkenness affected between 25 and 65 percent of blue-collar workers and 21 percent of white-collar workers, particularly in rural areas. (Coutsoukis, 2005) Unemployed workers are particularly vulnerable to alcohol abuse problems.Being available in most places, day or night and being historically cheap people without occupations tend to drink more often and heavier. When vodka is unavailable or too expensive, they will often resort to dangerous substitutes. In 1994, the number of people who died of alcohol poisoning rose to about 53,000, a major increase from 36,000 in 1991. These are typically the result of drinking homemade alcohol substitutes. Bootlegging had become a widespread criminal activity by the mid 1990s. (Coutsoukis, 2005) Legal vodka is big business in Russia.The word â€Å"vodka† means â€Å"little water† in Russian, a term of endearment. (Tartakovsky, 2006) The brand â€Å"Stolichnaya† sells $2 billion a year worldwide and was privatize d in 1992. Soyuzplodimport, or SPI, has the exclusive rights to export Stolichnaya, which vodka lovers in the U. S. fondly refer to as â€Å"Stoli. † Some 50% of the company's export turnover comes from the United States, thanks mostly to its strategic alliance with Allied-Domecq for U. S. distribution rights. (Shuster, 2008) Alcohol and workers The Russian workplace has always been a place where vodka contributed to the socializing rituals.Before the Bolshevik Revolution the Russian tradition of prival'naia, a welcoming ceremony for new workers that included snacks and vodka. It was a socializing event where the new workers would become acquainted with their fellow workers. The new workers were expected to provide the snacks and vodka for the veterans in exchange for training in the new job. (Andreasen, 2006) The Revolution changed the way workers were hired. Prior to this era, workers were usually hired on the recommendation of an acquaintance and the ceremony of prival'nai a was part of the payback for getting the job.With the implementation of the communist trade unions, the hiring became an impersonal process and there was no payback necessary and it eliminated the worker’s obligation to train new employees. These changes brought about the practical end to prival'naia, although some workers and organizations still clung to the old tradition where they could get away with it. (Andreasen, 2006) Russian worker culture has always included vodka. The working class sees vodka as an essential element for surviving their brutal winters and poor economy.It is an escape that causes apathy among the work force and contributes to poor health and accidents that make Russia’s work force less productive and more costly. Productivity in Russia has always been known to suffer because of heavy drinking. That belief is one of the motivators behind Gorbachev’s plan to reduce drinking in the 1980s. It is difficult to gauge the true impact of worker drinking and productivity because the Russian economy is still in a state of flux as it transfers from a state-controlled, centralized economy to free-markets. It is inappropriate to make comparisons about worker utput and drinking since the two economies measure productivity in myriad different ways. (Kryzanek, 2004) Many Soviet patriots and party leaders recognized the need to curb alcohol to increase worker productivity.Pokhlebkin was one of these patriotic historians who published his extensive research in a book called â€Å"A History of Vodka† he included a chapter depicting what he determined to be Russia’s descent into rampant alcoholism. Drunkenness, he asserted, is incompatible with socialist principles in that it undermines worker morale and curtails industrial productivity. Tartakovsky, 2006) Russian workers have become complacent after seventy years of communism. Entire generations have grown up shirking work because private initiatives were always discour aged and sometimes even dangerous. Wage inversion led to high pay for lowliest work while job dissatisfaction created moonlighting and demoralized workers moved from job to job. Alcohol has always exacerbated this complacency and lack of motivation. (Kryzanek, 2004) Heavy drinking has a deeply rooted history in Russian culture and life.The problem seems so ingrained in their society that it would be impossible to completely eliminate drinking from the society. This heavy drinking behavior is exhibited in other northern cultures like the Finish or Polish societies without such devastating consequences. In Russia, however, there is historical evidence to suggest that the country’s governments from the Czars to the Soviets have helped to create this culture. (McKee, 1999) There are also several sub-cultures of the drinking population in Russia because of geographic, gender and socio-economic variations, making it difficult to generalize the problem.There are even some people amo ng these groups who actually abstain or drink in moderation. The state itself has contributed to the drinking problem throughout the country’s history by producing and distributing cheap vodka in the name of tradition and profit. It should be feasible for the government to take some kind of proactive measures to stop its population from killing themselves with even-more toxic substitutes for a toxic product. Apparently, it will take many generations of sober Russians to change the high-profile role alcohol plays in so many national traditions.The Russian people have gone through many changes throughout the ages. Hopefully, their resilience will help them change their love of vodka and allow them to become socially conscious drinkers. That’s a tradition easily passed on.

Culture in Negotiation Essay

What is a good outcome in negotiation? What does it take to get a good outcome? What goes wrong in a negotiation that has a poor outcome? However, if culture has an effect on negotiation, the mental models of negotiators from one culture may not map on to the mental models of negotiators from another culture, making the speci ® cation of a single mental model problematic. There are two ways to approach this problem of specifying a mental model of negotiation. One is to specify the model in use in one culture and then compare and contrast its elements with elements of models of negotiatio n from other cultures. Alternatively, we can specify the mental models of negotiation in many different cultures and aggregate their common and unique elements. The latter approach is less likely to overlook culturally unique aspects of negotiation, but requires the prior existence or current construction of many culturally emic (unique) models of negotiation. (See Brett, Tinsley, Janssens, Barsness, & Lytle, 1997 for a discussion of these two approaches to designing cross-cultural research. ) This article relies on the  ® rst approach because there is a well-speci ® ed model of negotiation grounded in Western theory and empirical