Reporting and Classifications of Non-profit Organizations

Not-for-profit organizations consist of a variety of organizations such as churches, education, health, social services, commerce, and clubs through schools whether it is a high school or a college. The difference between a not-for-profit organization and for-profit organizations is for-profit organizations generate profits for their owners and not-for-profit organizations exist to pursue missions that address the needs of society. Net assets are an important source of information for funders and investors externally and for board members and management internally to assess the financial health of a private, not-for private organization. Under the FASB requirements, private, not-for-profit Colleges and Universities are required to report net assets just as any other not-for-profit organizations. This paper will be focusing on the proper statements that are used for reporting for each classification along with examples of each statement and classification. There are three classif ication categories that are to be used when reporting; unrestricted, temporarily restricted and permanently restricted. The following is a description of each classification: †¢ Unrestricted - The part of net assets of an organization that is neither permanently restricted nor temporarily restricted by donor-imposed stipulations. †¢ Temporarily restricted - Temporarily restricted assets are those that are donated subject to restrictions that are limited to a specific period of time. 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Budgets are utilized by for-profit and non-profit organizations to monitor the progress towards the goals, assist in the control of spending, and help predict cash flow for the organization. The central challenge that budget developers encounter is predicting what the future holds for the internal business and external factors. Reading the future is something

Mandatory Vaccination Should Be Mandatory Vaccinations

Mandatory vaccinations should be required for all citizens in the U.S. Having mandatory vaccinations will allow for well protected future generations that are susceptible to less health issues. With everyone being vaccinated there will be less occurrences of these diseases and sicknesses allowing future generations a more healthy life with fewer visits to the doctor’s office and hospital. Another reason to have mandatory vaccinations is that these vaccines are safe and approved by trusted medical organizations that give citizens advice on most other health issues. Because the vaccines are safe and trusted by professionals, there should be little resistance to having them be mandatory. Adverse reactions to vaccinations is a rare occurrence meaning there is minimal risk in implementing mandatory vaccinations. Also when children are given vaccines at a young age they will not have to pay to have them treated down the road. So with the possibility of healthier future genera tions, vaccines that are approved by medical professionals, minimal risk, and saving people money there is little reason to be against mandatory vaccination. With mandatory vaccinations, the lifestyle of citizens will be improved by having less doctor visits and healthier bodies. Keywords: vaccination, childhood, mandatory Page Break The decision of whether or not to make childhood vaccinations mandatory can rile up deep emotions in both parents and people arguing their rights. The side that makesShow MoreRelatedMandatory Vaccination Should Be Mandatory Vaccinations1975 Words   |  8 Pageswhen I found out I would be bringing a new life into this world in late August, many thoughts and options began flowing through my head. At this time I didn’t know routine vaccinations were a choice for parents to make, I always thought they were mandatory. This being said, I began my research on the pros and cons of vaccinations. 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Charecteristics of Effective Team Free Essays

TEAMWORK in Cooperative Extension Programs Home Go To Page†¦ Acknowledgements This booklet has been prepared as part of a national project on â€Å"Teamwork in Cooperative Extension Programs. † The project was conducted by the Division of Program and Staff Development, University of Wisconsin-Extension, under a grant from the ECOP 4-H Subcommittee’s Standing Committee on Staff Development. As authors, we wish to express appreciation to those who have offered support and valuable insights by serving as consultants for the project-especially our colleagues in Wisconsin, Virginia and Iowa; graduate students-Deb Russler and Linda Parker; Dr. We will write a custom essay sample on Charecteristics of Effective Team or any similar topic only for you Order Now John Banning and Dr. Scott Soder. A special ‘thank you’ is extended to the many Extension agents across the country who attended the Regional Association Presidents’ Workshops, 1980. Their reactions to draft materials and suggestions for further project development were most encouraging and helpful. Terry L. Gibson Jeanne Moore E. J. Lueder September, 1980 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Gale L. VandeBerg, Director, in Cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture publishes this information to further the purpose of the May 8 and June 30, 1914 Acts of Congress and provides equal opportunity in employment and training. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Introduction This booklet is intended specifically for use by County Extension professionals including secretarial staff, but is appropriate for all individuals interested in strengthening their Extension teamwork relationships (4-H committees, home economics committees, Agricultural Extension councils, advisory groups, area/state or national staff, etc. ). Although many examples of positive teamwork relationships can be identified, there is always an opportunity for staff to improve their understanding of and support for a teamwork approach to programming. This booklet is designed to do just that. It is our hope that ideas and activity suggestions presented will promote and/or strengthen positive attitudes on your part toward team efforts in Extension programming. This booklet attempts to answer the following questions about teamwork, as well as suggest numerous activities that will help you begin to assess your attitudes and working relationships. This is however, just a beginning. Actual development of your teamwork skills will require additional time and effort, so we leave that up to you! Teamwork †¦ What Are Your Beliefs and Attitudes? Team Building Opinionaire — Provides the reader with an opportunity to become aware of his/her own attitudes and beliefs about teamwork Teamwork †¦ Why? Rationale for a Team Approach — Describes the importance of and need for teamwork in Extension Teamwork †¦ What Is It? Dimensions of Involvement — Defines teamwork as a continuum of alternative relationships among Extension professionals Home Home Go To Page†¦ Teamwork . . . What Influences It? Variables In the Current Extension Situation That Influence Teamwork EffortsIdentifies organizational and individual variables in brief outline form, as cited from interviews with selected Extension personnel Factors That Promote and Hinder Working Relationships — Lists factors which Extension personnel feel promote or hinder positive working relationships Teamwork †¦ Is It Effective? Attributes of Ideal Teamwork Relationships — Describes characteristics and skills necessary for effective team relationships Team Building and Working in Groups-Offers a series of questions to guide a group in organizing for teamwork Teamwork †¦ How Does It Develop? Stages of Team Development — Explains seven stages through which staff units pass as they become effectively functioning teams Teamwork †¦ How Does Your Team Rate? Team Assessment Too/ — Series of 35 statements to help a group assess its teamwork relationships in seven key areas Home Home Go To Page†¦ Teamwork †¦. What Are Your Beliefs and Attitudes? Let’s begin by considering the most important element of teamwork-how you feel about it! Teamwork depends not only on your skills, but on your attitudes as well. Completing the following Team Building Opinionaire should help you become more aware of your own thoughts before looking at other ideas presented in this booklet. Team Building Opinionaire Instructions: Read each statement once. Indicate whether you agree (+) or disagree (-) with it. It should take you no more than 5- 10 minutes to complete this exercise. There are no right or wrong answers. If you wish, share and compare your answers with other team members. Try to arrive at a consensus with them on each statement. You may change the wording to aid such agreement, if you desire. Such an activity may initiate a â€Å"lively† discussion and help your team become openly aware of individual members’ beliefs and attitudes. 1. Teamwork stifles creativity and individuality. 2. Members should be required to attend meetings to set team goals and discuss team problems. 3. Personal goals can be accomplished through teamwork. 4. It is sometimes necessary to ignore the feelings of others in order to reach a team decision. 5. In teamwork, conflict should always be avoided. 6. A silent member of the group is not interested in working as a team. 7. The person in the group with the highest status in the rganization should always take the leadership role. 8. In teamwork, it is important and necessary to allow time for discussion and agreement on operating procedures. 9. Every team member has a contribution to make toward the group task. 5 Home Home Go To Page†¦ 10. In teamwork, â€Å"majority rule† applies. 11. Teamwork always involves working toward a common goal. 12. A good team member provides emotional support to all other members. 13. Every team needs a leader/coordinator. 14. Teamwork accomplishes a task more effectively and efficiently than individual efforts. 15. Every team member should contribute equally toward accomplishing the task. 16. If a team fails to accomplish a task, it is the fault of the leader/coordinator. 17. A primary concern of all team members should be to establish an atmosphere where all feel free to express their opinions. 18. Final power in teamwork always rests with the leader/ coordinator. 19. There are often occasions when an individual who is part of the team should do what he/she thinks is right, regardless of what the team has decided to do. 20. All members must be committed to the team approach to accomplish the task. Teamwork †¦. Why? Rationale for a Team Approach Teams are a part of everyone’s life. You’re a member of a family team, an Extension staff team, church, school, and community teams. So it’s appropriate that you understand how to function effectively as a team member. In Extension especially, there is a need for teamwork. Extension clientele are confronted with increasingly complex problems with many dimensions. For example, the energy problem has implications for Extension programming in agriculture, family living, community development and youth development programs for both rural and urban people. Home Home Go To Page†¦ The multi-dimensional and thus multi-discipline nature of many problems requires a team approach. This approach encourages you as staff with complementary skills and competencies, to coordinate your efforts. By establishing priorities, concentrating financial resources, and combining knowledge and expertise, you can have greater impact on serious problems through your program efforts. Such efforts can serve to 1) lighten your work load, 2) reduce duplication of efforts, and 3) produce a result greater than all of your separate efforts. Teamwork †¦. What Is It? In Extension programming, a variety of working relationships exist among staff. You might view these relationships as dimensions (levels) of involvement or as a continuum of relationships among agents. As you move along the continuum, the degree of communication, integration and commitment seems to increase. Greater interpersonal skills are necessary if you are to work together effectively at more complex levels. As your skills develop, more options become available to you regarding the dimension of involvement which you might select for any particular program effort. There is no intent to place a value judgment upon this continuum, but merely to suggest that alternative working relationships exist. Not all programs should be planned and conducted by the total county staff. Other options are available. Some programs may be more effective if planned by individuals, some may require the resources of several staff members, including state specialists and volunteers, and still others may be most effective if planned and conducted by the entire staff. These dimensions of involvement should be considered a part of our definition for teamwork. Too often we think Home Home Go To Page†¦ Home Home Go To Page†¦ of a team as a group (a collection of people) who interact to achieve a common goal, but an effective, well-functioning team is much more than this. Participants in an effective team care about the group’s well-being. They skillfully combine appropriate individual talents with a positive team spirit to achieve results. Regardless of whether the program effort is that of an individual, several individuals or the entire county office unit, a climate of teamwork can exist. Viewing teamwork in this way encourages a broader nderstanding of the concept. It not only suggests that there are alternative working relationships for agents in their programming efforts, but that regardless of the approach selected, a climate of teamwork can be created. Can you identify dimensions of the continuum that you have used in your programming efforts? Are there some you have never considered? Are there some you might try? Te amwork †¦. What Influences It? As a part of this national project on teamwork, extensive interviews were conducted with selected Extension personnel to determine what influences their teamwork efforts. People nterviewed included district directors, state program leaders, state 4-H youth specialists, and county staff from both rural and urban situations in Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, Virginia, and Canada. As a result of these interviews, the following variables were identified as elements that affect teamwork efforts. Although they have been separated into two general categories -organizational and individual –there are interrelationships among all the variables described. How do some of these variables affect your working relationships? Do they influence them positively or negatively? Home Home Go To Page†¦ Variables In the Current Extension Situation That Influence Teamwork Efforts A. Organizational 1. Approaches to programming-vary among program areas 2. Continuing professional development-philosophy of organization 3. Administrative support 4. Staff turnover 5. New staff orientation 6. Number of staff within working unit (team) B. Individual 1. Understanding of and commitment to a teamwork philosophy 2. Personalities and attitudes of agents 3. Climate of openness and communication 4. Procedural guidelines for staff functioning 5. Leadership and management skills within county off ice . Degree of familiarity with alternative approaches for effectively working and programming together 7. Perceptions of roles/responsibilities/functions among team members 8. Time available as a resource Home Home Go To Page†¦ Factors That Promote or Hinder Working Relationships Other factors also promote or hinder teamwork relation ships among Extension personnel. Perhaps they will help you begin to think more critically about your team. Factors that promote good working relationships †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Staff meetings-with agenda and sufficient time to discuss Job descriptions with annual review Knowledge of others’ job descriptions and responsibilities Common criteria for personnel evaluation Openness and willingness to communicate-listening Trust Loyalty Respect for others in spite of professional differences Courtesy Respect for professionalism regardless of person’s sex, age, race Recognizing talents of the others Giving credit Recognizing a job well done Pride in work of total staff Understanding and supporting others’ programs. Agreed upon priorities Coffee-making shared by everyone Shared coffee breaks Circulation of pertinent information Willingness to talk over problems Adequate facilities and supplies Cooperation Sincere caring for others with a respect for privacy Constructive criticism Home Home Go To Page†¦ Factors that hinder good working relationships †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Lack of understanding of others’ jobs and responsibilities Lack of concern about total staff efforts Disregard for feelings of others Unwillingness to compromise Poor communication Competition among staff for individual prestige and recognition Negative and destructive criticism No involvement in administrative decisions Lack of leadership Over- sensitivity Lack of privacy Disregard for talents of others No job descriptions No opportunities for staff meetings Gossip, rumors Putting off decision making Inequities in facilities and supplies Lack of trust Negative and sarcastic remarks Lack of common goals and philosophy Disloyalty to staff and organization No evaluation and/or feedback from supervisors Limited understanding of total program Holding a grudge Poor job attitudes Uneven work loads Lack of confidence in fellow workers Prejudice, racism, sexism Home Home Go To Page†¦ Teamwork †¦. Is It Effective? In the literature on teamwork, the following factors are dentified as contributing to an effective teamwork approach. They provide the means for a team to begin to analyze its working relationship. Attributes of Ideal Teamwork Relationships †¢Participants believe in and are committed to the value of working together in a spirit of cooperation. †¢Team size is appropriate for effective communication (2-5 members are i deal, a group of 5-10 is workable, a group of 10-15 is difficult, and more than 15 may be impossible unless divided into subunits). †¢Participants understand the overall objectives of the organization and of the phase of the program each represents. Participants understand individual roles and responsibilities, as well as relationships to other staff members and to the total Extension program. †¢Participants take the time to establish and clarify guidelines and procedures for a working relationship; they are committed to making plans and achieving them. †¢Participants define and agree upon meaningful and measurable objectives that meet both group and personal needs; individuality and creativity are not stifled. †¢Someone within the group assumes leadership to coordinate each task or program effort. †¢Participants function well in a variety of roles (initiating, informing, ummarizing, mediating, encouraging) and know when appropriate roles are needed. †¢ Participants know each other-are aware of each others’ resources, skills and areas of expertise; they know what each can contribute to the group. †¢The group allows sufficient time for the teamwork effort. †¢The group places work orientation first, but allows social interaction, too. Home Home Go To Page†¦ †¢ Participants communicate openly and non-defensively; they listen attentively. †¢ Participants respect and trust each other, have confidence in each others’ abilities, and are supportive of one another. †¢ Participants allow and encourage equal participation and sharing of ideas, including expression of dissenting views. †¢ Participants confront conflicts and problems; they use disagreement and conflict productively. †¢ Participants are skillful in decision- making, problem solving; decisions are understood and supported by all members of the team. These attributes are important regardless of the ‘dimension of involvement’ described in our definition of teamwork. How many of these attributes describe your team? Are there some areas which need improvement? Extension structures and processes vary from state to state nd from county to county. There is no single definition for teamwork, nor is there one model or one best way for staff units to operate. Rather, it is the responsibility of each team to develop procedures and approaches, based on the personalities, skills, and attitudes of individual members, as well as on the nature of the task to be accomplished. Perh aps the following questions will provide some beginning guidelines for establishing your team’s working procedures: Home Home Go To Page†¦ Team Building and Working in Groups A. Belief in Teamwork Approach †¢ Do you believe in the value of working together in a eam effort? Do you believe that a team decision or product can be superior to the work of a single individual? Have you made a personal commitment to work with your colleagues in a team effort? Has the collection of individuals made a commitment to work together in a team? B. Size of Team †¢ Is your team small enough to make effective communication possible? A team of 2-5 is ideal, a group of 5-10 is workable, a group of 10-15 is difficult and more than 15 may be impossible. C. Resources Available †¢ Do you know every member of the group and what they can offer to the group? Are your expectations ccurate or have they been blinded by past experiences? Do you perceive certain individuals as playing on ly certain roles, having certain skills, and limited knowledge? †¢ Is the group a collection of individuals assembled because each member of the group has a different area of expertise? Is that expertise accepted by all members of the group? What are the areas of overlap and thus potential conflict in the areas of expertise? D. Organization for Task Accomplishment †¢ Does the team take time to establish ground rules for the operation of the team, or is the team anxious to get on with the task? Has the group agreed upon: – goals and objectives – individual and team timetable – procedures for establishing an agenda – priority of efforts – individual and team – methods of conflict resolution – length of meetings – location of meetings – allocation of resources – leadership requirements Home Home Go To Page†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Does the group understand that any team usually goes through se veral stages of development before a team spirit emerges? Do you have enough time – realistic deadlines – to enable you to operate as a team? It takes time for a collection of individuals to become a team. Has the group designated a team leader? A group of peers can still benefit from a leader. The group can make more progress if they will let someone guide the efforts of the team. A group lacking a formal leader will usually waste much time in a struggle for power among group members. Does the group take minutes for the meeting? Are accurate notes kept to avoid losing group decisions? Do you proceed on the basis of specific conclusions and delegation of responsibilities rather than on the basis of general understandings? E. Maintaining the Team Effort †¢ †¢ †¢ Does the team have an open climate of trust and espect for all group members and their ideas? Has the group achieved an appropriate balance between the requirement for group productivity (task) and the satisfaction of individual needs? Do people in the group avoid breaking into subgroups of trusted friends to share rumors, complain, or form alliances that will affect the productivity of the team? Home Home Go To P age†¦ †¢ †¢ Does the group concentrate on the mission of the team rather than spend all the time socializing? As a member of the team, do you assume a variety of roles? – Task Roles Initiating activity, seeking information, eeking opinion, giving information, giving opinion, elaborating, coordinating, and summarizing. – Team Building Roles Encouraging, standard setting, following and expressing group feelings. – Task and Team Building Roles Evaluating, diagnosing, testing for consensus, mediating, and relieving tension F. Decision-Making and Conflict Resolution †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Do all members of the group have an equal opportunity for participation or do dominant personalities and people with status and power control the participation? Have you identified your vested interests and the vested interests of other group members that may ause conflict in reaching a group decision? Are dissenting or minority viewpoints tre ated with respect? Is there an effort by the group to understand the reasons behind a dissenting opinion? Can the group work through differences of opinion rather than ignoring them? Can team members separate criticism of an idea from criticism of the person who had the idea? Are group members willing to discuss areas of conflict or do they try to ignore the conflict or pass it off as being of only minor significance? Does the group avoid a â€Å"wait until next meeting† attitude toward decision making and conflict resolution? Home Home Go To Page†¦ †¢ Does the team make an effort to understand the problem before finding solutions? Is the team cautious about proceeding on the basis of premature conclusions? Have problem-solving procedures been identified? †¢ Are group members good listeners or are they busy preparing a rebuttal to ideas being presented? †¢ Is the group willing to accept a dissenting opinion and reduced level of commitment as a natural consequence of a group effort? Are individual members of the team willing to compromise their personal objectives for the sake of team objectives that are universally accepted by all group members? Are all members of the team required to adhere to the group decision? Can individual members â€Å"opt out† of the group decision? †¢ What criteria will you use in determining your personal level of acceptance of the team product? Do other members of the team know, understand, and accept the criteria that you are using? Are you really honest a bout the criteria you are using? Are other group members aware that a threat to your competence and self-esteem will reduce your level of commitment? †¢ Is the team willing to take the time to reach a totally acceptable decision? Is it possible to reach a decision with a uniform level of acceptance and consequent commitment? Is it better to have several members with a high level of acceptance-commitment and several members with a low level of acceptance-commitment than to have all members with only a medium level of acceptance-commitment? What is the trade-off? Assume five persons with a possible level of 100% acceptance-commitment–Which results yield the best investment of time and energy? 1. 2. 3. 5 persons at 95% requiring 10 hours of extra meetings? 5 persons at 75% requiring 3 hours of extra meetings? 2 persons at 90% – 2 at 60% – 1 at 25% = Average of 650, Are conflicts handled openly in meetings or negotiated privately in a â€Å"me and you† against â€Å"them† manner? †¢ Are conflicts handled on the basis of logic and agreed upon criteria or are they determined by loyalty to individuals? †¢ Does the team use voting as a means of resolving conflicts only whe n they are dealing with simple operational concerns? Conflict that is resolved by voting tens to encourage an argumentative atmosphere in which members commit themselves too quickly and may not examine the possibility of finding a settlement agreeable to all. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Teamwork †¦. How Does It Develop? It’s important to realize that the development of effective working relationships among staff is a gradual process which requires considerable time and skill. This is not meant to discourage you, but to help you realize that teams aren’t created overnight. A certain amount of frustration and conflict are normal. Team development is often viewed as a series of stages, described below. Although all the attributes and skills needed for an ideal working relationship (as listed in the preceding section) are important at every stage, some become more crucial as the team develops and staff members increase their level of involvement. At a minimum, it’s important for individual staff members to realize the benefits of teamwork and to have a commitment toward working together. Without such elements, further team development will be less likely to occur. Conflict, a natural part of the development process, will overpower or dominate the situation, preventing the team from ever reaching its full potential. With a positive attitude toward team efforts, and with increased opportunity and time to practice teamwork skills, staff members can develop as an effective working team, and consequently have greater impact upon clientele problems. Stages of Team Development Stage 1: Hello, I Am†¦ Getting acquainted is of most concern at this initial stage of team development. It usually includes polite dialogue of a superficial, information-sharing nature. Based on first impressions or past experiences, group members develop stereotypes in an attempt to categorize each other and anticipate future responses. Ideas are simple; emotions and feelings are kept in tight control, and controversy is avoided. There is an unspoken agreement not to disagree-a feeling that all members think and feel alike. Items on the hidden agenda stay hidden, and there is a shared ambiguity about the specific task to be undertaken by the team. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Stage 2: What’s Our Destination? Members begin to question the team’s goals and objectives. They want to discuss reasons for the group effort. If external forces have specified the destination of the team, members may want to discuss why each was placed on the team, and the purpose of the specific group task. As members begin to express divergent opinions, hidden agendas are sensed and poor listening develops. Team members may be quick to agree in an effort to avoid confrontation. A desire to move ahead without â€Å"real† understanding and commitment results. A tentative timetable may be developed that probably overestimates the contribution of each team member and underestimates the amount of time for each phase of the project/task. Stage 3: What Are the Costs/Benefits as Perceived by the Individual/Team? With first notions of a team effort emerging, members perceive that there are costs/benefits of their involvement in the team effort. Members may ask themselves such questions as: Will the team effort have value for me? Can I use the team to help me achieve individual goals? Will my individual contribution be large and the benefits small? Will I do all the work and have the team receive the recognition? Will nonproductive members get some of the rewards I deserve? OR: Will others on the team make comparable contributions? Will individuals share the workload? Can the team benefit from such an effort? As individual agendas are identified and expressed, members with similar needs and viewpoints begin to form private alliances. Stage 4: What Skills Do We Need? In the struggle to determine the costs/benefits of team efforts, the resources of team members are explored. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Attention is given to the talents and skills which each member might contribute to the effort. Hidden talents may go undiscovered as the group is still dealing at a superficial level and still blinded by stereotypes and labels, If talents overlap, if there are too many experts on the same subject, or if additional skills are necessary, decisions are made about whether to add or drop members or develop the skills of existing members. When members are added or subtracted from the team, the team development cycle begins again. Stage 5: What Is the Best Route? With the â€Å"end† goals agreed upon, team members begin negotiating the â€Å"means. † There is a strong need for structure, which includes a bid for power and struggle for leadership. As a result, competition develops. Individual agendas are made public. Emotion and alliances to each other, rather than logic, influence judgments of team members; members listen poorly and are close-minded about others’ opinions/ideas. The team may prematurely resort to voting as a means of making decisions, which causes some individuals to feel they have not been given adequate opportunity to express their viewpoints. There is a lack of team spirit in this stage. Many members feel uncomfortable with the group struggles. Some are silent and others tend to dominate the group. Commitment to this team effort will vary significantly. Individual priorities seem to block the work of the team as some members place personal commitments â€Å"first. † The team may be difficult to assemble as members are unwilling to change their schedules to accommodate the work of the team. Extreme frustration with indecision may impede progress such that the team will never get beyond this stage. It may still fulfill its task, but not to the satisfaction of all members. Home Home Go To Page†¦ However, if the team persists in its task and at least a few members are willing to sacrifice individual agendas for the benefit of the team, a compromise approach may begin to emerge. Stage 6: How Can We Compromise and Work Together? Team members’ attitudes change as they realize that working together can produce a product greater than the sum of their individual efforts. Individual agendas are adjusted to accommodate the needs of the group. Members begin to share leadership responsibilities. Individuals continue to disagree but their ideas are heard; members listen actively and differences are dealt with honestly and openly. Understanding results. Alliances remain, but they are built on ideas rather than personalities and loyalties. Logic rather than emotion guides the decision-making process. Competition gives way to compromise, for conflict is now viewed as a mutual problem. As team members begin to relax in an atmosphere of trust and openness, creative ideas emerge, and the team feels that progress is being made. Stage 7: We Are †¦ High group morale and loyalty, empathy, and an open climate of trust and acceptance characterize this final stage of team development. Even though one member may be identified as the â€Å"coordinator† for a particular group task, leadership roles are shared among all members. There is freedom to select from the variety of working relationships outlined by the earlier description of the dimensions of involvement. Group members agree to disagree; they agree to settle conflicts, to make decisions, and to proceed to work together on the basis of criteria identified by the group. The team is both effective and efficient in meeting deadlines and accomplishing its objectives. Productive results are most evident. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Because of an intense feeling of â€Å"group spirit,† new members are reluctantly accepted. If new members join, the group must regress to an earlier stage and grow again to this final phase, together. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Teamwork †¦. How Does Your Team Rate? A continual process of assessment is necessary for effective team development. Hopefully, the ideas and activities presented in this booklet have helped you begin such a process. The following tool can be used to provoke further thought and discussion among team members. As you read the statements under each of the specific areas, think about the working relationships among staff members within your immediate county office setting including secretarial staff. Record your responses on the answer sheet provided. Team Assessment Tool Work Orientation / Work Methods: 1. We accomplish much in our team meetings. 2. Team meetings are unorganized and chaotic. 3. At team meetings, we spend more time socializing than accomplishing the task at hand. 4. As a team, we spend time reviewing our working procedure, how it works, and how to improve it. 5. All members of the team are involved in decisions when appropriate; participation is real, not tokenism. Communication / Active Listening / Interaction: 6. People on our team communicate openly and frankly with each other. 7. In group discussion, team members are guarded and cautious. 8. We listen to each other in an effort to really hear and understand what is being said. 9. Communication among team members is poor (â€Å"catch-ascatch can†). 10. Disagreements between team members are worked through horoughly; individual viewpoints are fully heard. Home Go To Page†¦ Leadership: 11. The county chairperson makes decisions for the team without asking members’ opinions when appropriate. 12. The county chairperson adapts his/her leadership style to changing circumstances. 13. The county chairperson ignores the different needs of team members. 14. Leadership for group tasks is passed around and shared by various team members depending on the situation. 15. Levels of authority and responsibility for the county chairperson and team members are clearly defined and understood. Resource Utilization: 16. Team members are unable to handle the current requirements of their work. 17. The mix of expertise and skills among our team members is appropriate for the work we are doing. 18. Members adapt well to the needs of the team. 19. We know the skills and resources that each team member can contribute to our county program. 20. We involve volunteers/state specialists/other resource persons when appropriate to our program needs and if they are available. Objectives/Goals: 21. We have an adequate way to establish our team’s objectives and work strategies. 22. Objectives for team efforts are imposed by one staff member or by administration. 23. We lack understanding about our individual responsibilities in relation to each other and to the organization. 24. Our objectives for team efforts are vague and unclear to all team members. 25. Members seem to understand how personal needs/goals can be met through group work. 26 Home Home Go To Page†¦ Group Commitment: 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Members feel that teamwork is worthwhile. As an individual, I feet a strong sense of belonging to the team. Team members are reluctant to commit themselves to team efforts. I feel very motivated to work as a team. If a team member gets into difficulty, she/he is supported by other team members. Group Climate / Environment: 31. Our team respects the individual, as well as the innovative, creative ideas of members. 32. Individuals in our team get to know each other as people. 33. 1 feel uncomfortable expressing my thoughts and opinions with team members. 34. We compliment each other on our work when appropriate. 35. The climate of our relationships within the team is one of mutual trust rather than hostility, suspicion, fear or anxiety. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Indicate your response to each Team Assessment statement by selecting from among those presented. Place an X in the blank under the appropriate column. Note that the statements are divided into two columns (for analysis purposes). Do check the statement number carefully before marking your response. (instruction for analysis and coding follow. ) Home Home Go To Page†¦ Analysis and Team Coding Instructions Analysis The statements have been divided into two columns. Note the reason: some statements on the tool are positive and some are negative. Thus, adjustments must be made when interpreting the results. As you look over the entire coded sheet, â€Å"never† and â€Å"occasionally† responses to statements in the left column suggest a need for improvement in those areas (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, etc. ). Whereas, â€Å"never† and â€Å"occasionally† responses to statements in the right column suggest favorable working relationships, and less need for improvement as perceived by you, the respondent (Nos. 2, 3, 7, 9, etc. ) Team Coding Coding the responses of all team members onto a single answer sheet allows you to further analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your team’s working relationships. For each statement, tally (on a clean answer sheet) all team members’ responses by making a mark under the column which corresponds to each member’s response. (Example: For question No. 1, three members responded â€Å"never† and two members responded â€Å"occasionally. â€Å") Never 1. 3 Occasion- Some- Most of ally times the time Always 2 Continue in a similar manner for all statements. Each team member may want to do this so as to have a copy, or one such coded sheet per team may be sufficient. If there is a wide variation in response on a statement by eam members, it may be especially beneficial to discuss such a statement and attempt to clarify reasons for the varied perceptions. This analysis should help team members identify particular areas of concern. Additional time/activities could be planned for team members to further explore and develop their attitudes and skills in working together. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Conclusion Keep in mind that the de velopment of an effective team requires a positive attitude and commitment toward teamwork, coupled with an understanding of what teamwork involves. Secondly, it requires practicing teamwork skills. This booklet of ideas has attempted to promote the former; it is up to you to pursue the latter. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Annotated Bibliography 1. Dyer, William G. , Team Building: Issues and Alternatives, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1977, 139 pp. This book is highly recommended for its practical focus upon how to design and conduct a program in team development. A range of design alternatives are suggested for both improving a unit’s effectiveness, as well as for developing a new team. Dyer emphasizes the need for individual team diagnosis with the creation of a program suited to a team’s particular needs. Instrumental checklists, an index of characteristics essential for team effectiveness, and need assessment tools are included. Problems such as role clarification, suppression of disagreement, revitalizing the complacent team, and reducing team-conflict are discussed. 2. Filley, Alan C. , Interpersonal Conflict Resolution, Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1975, 175 pp. A manual for people who are working in groups, this book speaks of changing conflict situations into problem solving challenges. It presents an analysis of the conflict process, how it develops, and methods of resolution. It relates the various effects of language, personal behavior, attitudes, and situational conditions upon problem-solving. Also included for groups are a series of exercises demonstrating issues and behaviors discussed. Home Home Go To Page†¦ 3. Francis, Dave and Don Young, Improving Work Groups: A Practical Manual for Team Building, La Jolla, California: University Associates, 1979, 261 pp. This book is a practical, easy-to-read guide to building an effective team. Teambuilding is explained in depth; the book includes a questionnaire for use in identifying team strengths and weaknesses. It explores many learnable skills for team members to develop in working through their problems; suggested structured experiences are described in detail. 4. Lawson, John D. , Leslie J. Griffen, and Franklyn D. Donant, Leadership Is Everybody’s Business (A Practical Guide for Volunteer Membership Groups). San Luis Obispo, California: Impact Publishers, 1976, University Associates, 1979, 261 pp. This book combines group dynamics theory, philosophy, activity suggestions, and resources for task-oriented groups or organizations of volunteer memberships. Part I focuses on individual values and motivations for joining groups. Part II describes organizational ski[ Is and competencies necessary for leaders. Part III discusses in more depth such leadership concepts as the cycle of organization involvement, leadership styles, role conflicts and suggestions for overcoming them, improving individual motivation and interpersonal communications. 5. Robinson, Jerry W. and Roy A. Clifford, Process Skills in Organization Development, University of Illinois: Board of Trustees, 1972, 212 pp. This text was created for use with Extension professionals and local leaders. It emphasizes personal behavior and process skills within an organization. Five concepts important to organizational development are developed and discussed-organizational styles, leadership styles, team skills, conflict management, and change implementation. Team activities and additional references are included. Home Home Go To Page†¦ Dr. Terry L. Gibson, Project Director and Co-Author, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, and Chairperson of the Personnel and Professional Development Unit of the Division of Program and Staff Development, University of Wisconsin-Extension. Jeanne Moore, Associate Project Director, Co-Author, and Editor, is a former Extension 4-1-1 and Youth Leader from Iowa, and graduate student in Continuing Education, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. E. J, Lueder, Project Consultant and â€Å"Reality Tester,† is a Professor in the Department of Youth Development, and a Youth Development Specialist in the 4-H Youth Development Program Unit, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Published by: Division of Program and Staff Development University of Wisconsin-Extension 432 N. Lake St. Madison, Wisconsin 53706 T ypist: Julie Harper Artist: Dale Mann Editorial Consultants: Sheila Mulcahy Rick Crowley Home Home Go To Page†¦ How to cite Charecteristics of Effective Team, Essay examples

Brazil 2 Essay Research Paper On January free essay sample

Brazil 2 Essay, Research Paper On January 12, 1999, over a billion dollars fled Brazil. Three yearss subsequently, the Central Bank attempted to convey about a limited devaluation of the Brazilian currency, the existent, but it failed to forestall a free autumn. Over the following two yearss, another $ 3 billion was pulled out, and by the terminal of the month, the existent had lost over 40 per centum of its value. The Central Bank president resigned, his replacement lasted a hebdomad, and as bad onslaughts continued, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, in some despair, sought out one of international moneyman George Soros # 8217 ; s closest associates, Arminio Fraga, for the occupation. Fraga used to pull off a fund that took stakes on macroeconomic alterations, such as currency devaluations in topographic points like Brazil. It was, as the Brazilian imperativeness pointed out, a instance of seting the fox among the poulets. The mentality for 1999 is inexorable. Brazil is confronting a deep recession and a return of rising prices ; go oning volatility in the value of its currency ; a political cat battle over financial reform statute law in Congress ; acute emphasis in the relationship between the federal authorities and the provinces ; the hazard of defaults on province and federal authorities debt every bit good as in the private sector ; and astronomic and unsustainable involvement rates. For Brazil # 8217 ; s spouses in Mercosurthe common market that joins Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil-its dip into recession and the quantum spring in the monetary value of their ain exports in the Brazilian market ( particularly for Argentina, which has locked its ain currency into a one-to-one relationship with the U.S. dollar by agencies of a currency board ) has put tremendous strains on the fledgling trade axis. Other Latin American authoritiess worried that investors would non distinguish between Brazil and the remainder of the part, decelerating down entree to the foreign capital needed to run into their ain adoption demands. The remainder of the universe grew fearful of # 8220 ; contagion. # 8221 ; For the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) and the U.S. Treasury ( and finally the American taxpayer ) , which gambled in November 1998 that a immense $ 41.5 billion bundle of many-sided aid for Brazil would prolong the value of the existent, the realisation began to d rop in that, as with Russia, good money might good hold been dropped one time once more into yet another bottomless cavity. The Fall from Grace How did Brazil acquire into this sorry province? Who or what was to fault? The autumn from grace was dramatic, to state the least. Merely a twelvemonth earlier, this huge South American state of 167 million people, with the universe # 8217 ; s eighth largest economic system, had seemed steadfastly set on the way to a more comfortable, modern, and even just hereafter. It was led by a linguist, internationally minded leader of high intelligence who was hailed in European capitals and in Washington as the original of the new Latin American leader who would draw the part steadfastly into the new universe envisioned by the # 8220 ; Washington consensus # 8221 ; -a universe of free trade, unfastened markets, privatized province corporations, and booming democracies. Get downing in late 1994, Brazil had broken the old form of hyperinflation by the adept debut of a new currency-the real-which was tied to the U.S. dollar but allowed to fluctuate within a narrow set. The immediate positive effects were rapidly felt by the Brazilian population, particularly those who lived precariously on the border of destitution. For the first clip in decennaries hapless people had hard currency in their pockets that retained its value, and could non merely purchase more nutrient but besides consumer goods. The impudent side of this rose-colored image was heavy adoption on the international fiscal markets- # 8221 ; external nest eggs # 8221 ; as the economic experts put it with Orwellian bewilderment. Brazil was non entirely in this game, since it was an built-in portion of the new equation whereby the liquidness of planetary capital flows made such shortage financing extremely profitable. Brazil was, after all, now an # 8220 ; emerging market, # 8221 ; and a really large one at that. It was no longer # 8220 ; 3rd universe # 8221 ; or # 8220 ; underdeveloped # 8221 ; or even # 8220 ; developing, # 8221 ; much less a state with a history, establishments, and a immature democracy agitating off the bequest of two decennaries of autocratic regulation. To money directors in New York, London, and Frankfurt, and progressively Madrid and Lisbon, it was a topographic point where bad investing promised double-digit returns. Financing shortages of one type or another, and at all degrees of the domestic economic system, every bit good as prolonging the instability in external payments was what everyone did with the foreign capital thrown at them-Brazilians no less than Indonesians. But in the existent economic system itself, a strong Brazilian currency made Brazilian exports expensive and beguiled the Brazilian authorities into complacence in the one country in which it needed to acquire its house in order rapidly if the state was to prolong the new economic theoretical account over the long draw: its chronic inability to roll up sufficient grosss to cover outgos at the federal, province, and municipal degrees, and its every bit dramatic inability to incorporate outgos on forces, pensions, and politically divine porc. So long as the universe did non look excessively closely at the inside informations all was good, but when the Asiatic crisis hit, and Russia defaulted, the flow of easy money dried up nightlong. In the immediate wake of the Russian crisis, Brazil spoke tough words about financial reform, and for a clip Wall Street and the U.S. Treasury were tranquilized. But Brazil did non present. In fact, it did the antonym. President Cardoso had changed the fundamental law in 1997 so that he could seek an unprecedented 2nd term. And with elections in the offing, shortages escalated as politicians at all degrees made certainly that if a president could be reelected, so could they. Postponing the Crisis The U.S. Treasury-to which policy with regard to Latin America had been mostly ceded by the State Department-unsurprisingly saw the suave Cardoso, and non the gruff brotherhood leader Luiz Inacio Lula district attorney Silva, as its presidential campaigner of penchant in Brazil. And with the fiscal markets spooked by renewed frights about the wellness of the international fiscal system, it took the lead in crafting a mega-package of IMF support merely as the electoral run in Brazil reached its flood tide last October. The U.S. Congress was at the clip preoccupied with Iraq and the at hand impeachment of President Clinton, something an anon. U.S. Treasury functionary noted with some alleviation at the clip. But the crisis was postponed, non eliminated. In order to keep capital flight after the Russian fiasco in August 1998, Brazil had raised involvement rates to 40 per centum a twelvemonth. With shortages go oning, this served to balloon duties at all degrees, public and private. Legislation was already on the books to compel the province governors and city managers to populate within their agencies, but it had non been enforced. The colossal duties accumulated by the terminal of 1998 included involvement on public debt that was three times higher than entire direct foreign investing for that twelvemonth. Social security payments in 1998 amounted to more than twice the amount the authorities received from denationalizations. And the $ 25 billion that disappeared from its militias between August and October 1998 were three times what Brazil earned in exports over the same period. There is another spot of history the IMF seems to hold neglected to notice: Brazil # 8217 ; s record of conformity with IMF understandings is abysmal. Six Brazilian presidents have signed six IMF understandings since the late fiftiess. Not one of them was fulfilled. In the Mexican bailout of 1994, the IMF money was collateralized with crude oil grosss. The recent Brazilian bailout was collateralized with promises. This was non merely a # 8220 ; moral hazard. # 8221 ; It was obviously dense. The effects of the loss of cardinal secret agents on whom President Cardoso had relied for political clout and economic expertness besides became distressingly evident as the twelvemonth ended. The unexpected deceases over the old months of both his prime intimate and political influence peddler, Sergio Motta, the communications curate ( a key place in the authorities because of the megaprivatization of the telecommunications sector in 1998 ) , and of Luiz Eduardo Magalhaes, the authorities # 8217 ; s whip in the lower house of Congress, robbed Cardoso of his eyes and ears, every bit good as two really large sticks. Luiz Eduardo was the favourite boy of the powerful president of the Senate, Antonio Carlos Magalhaes, and progressively was seen as Cardoso # 8217 ; s heir apparent. ( The younger Magalhaes had the support of his ambitious, doting, and, if need be, ruthless father, a factor that would hold contained the challenges from other politicians looking toward the presidential e lection in 2002. ) The economic squad had blown apart as old friends in and outside the authorities were caught on tape in a bugging dirt trading inside chitchat about denationalization commands. In mid-January 1999, two hebdomads after Cardoso # 8217 ; s 2nd startup, the speculators returned with a retribution and the long-feared crisis erupted with ruinous effects. By the terminal of the month, Brazil had lost in capital flight more than it had gained in promised budget cuts. The first tranche of the IMF expense of $ 9.32 billion released in December equaled the sum of exposure to Brazil the large U.S. money centre Bankss had cut back since the program was announced, and Brazil, non surprisingly, was back at the trough seeking more money with a new set of promises. But with confusion reigning in Brasilia, this clip President Cardoso found really few who would accept his words at face value. Disquieted squads of IMF technocrats arrived to concentrate over the books and seek more budget cuts and higher involvement rates: the old expression that had helped intensify the crisis in the first topographic point. Cardoso put the challenge bluffly in private remarks to his advisers: # 8220 ; If this bundle of asceticism steps is non approved, the authorities, I, you, and the Congress will be in the rubbish bin within six months. # 8221 ; All Was Ashes During the tallness of the terror in January, President Cardoso, borrowing from Winston Churchill # 8217 ; s celebrated wartime exhortation, radius of the demand for # 8220 ; blood, perspiration, and tears. # 8221 ; Later, it became evident that Brazilian Bankss had made more net income in January than had the whole Brazilian banking system over the old twelvemonth. Elio Gaspari, the Brazilian political editorialist, pointed out that non merely had President Cardoso forgotten to add Sir Winston # 8217 ; s name to # 8220 ; difficult work, # 8221 ; but that he could besides hold evoked another Churchillianism to explicate what had happened that month in Brazil: neer before had so much been given by so many to so few in so short a clip. The Brazilian population # 8217 ; s choler that the existent program had collapsed is non hard to explicate. Brazil # 8217 ; s recent history is littered with failed economic plans and derelict currencies. Brazilians had hoped against all hope that this clip the existent was for existent. Even its name was now an insult. And Brazil had had more than its just portion of political letdowns as good. Tancredo Neves, Brazil # 8217 ; s first civilian president since the military putsch of 1964, indirectly elected by Congress in 1985, was a hardy figure of the resistance to the military government. But he died of bosom failure before he was inaugurated and was succeeded by his frailty president, Jose Sarney, a politician who had long supported the military government in Congress. The first straight elected president, Fernando Collor de Mello, who was elected in 1990 with high hopes of overhauling Brazil, was tripped up by the deep-rooted wonts of the little backward province he came from. He was impeached in a corruptness dirt and succeeded in 1992 by his frailty president, the fickle Itamar Franco. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who was foremost elected to the presidential term in October 1994, had sought his 2nd term on the footing of the existent program # 8217 ; s success. Now all was ashes. Having been reelected to the presidential term merely three months before with over 50 per centum of the ballot, Cardoso saw his blessing evaluation in the polls bead below 22 per centum by the terminal of January 1999. Many perceivers have been speedy to impute the Brazilian crisis to # 8220 ; politics. # 8221 ; Certainly there is a big portion of political relations involved, as in any democracy. But to impute the failure to politics entirely handily avoids the more hard inquiries about the sustainability of the economic theoretical account itself. Nor did the obstructions Brazil faces in implementing reform Begin with the January moratorium on debt payments by the province of Minas Gerais declared by its governor, Itamar Franco, the former Brazilian president. It was as Franco # 8217 ; s finance curate that Cardoso had introduced the existent program in 1994. Franco had long been irritated that Cardoso got all the recognition, some of which he felt he deserved. The personal hostility was existent, but on taking office, Franco found that 80 per centum of his grosss were needed for province wages, 33.8 per centum for active and retired pensions, and 12.5 per centum on debt payments -for a sum of over 126 per centum of expected income. At least 13 other provinces were in similar passs, including several of the most of import 1s under resistance governors. Minas Gerais, Brazil # 8217 ; s third most of import province in footings of its economic system and one of the most of import in footings of its political relations, therefor e faced a crisis in its histories that many other major Brazilian provinces besides faced. The difference was that Itamar Franco put a really confrontational spin on his default because he resented President Cardoso and had been humiliated by him, and saw nil to derive by adjustment when confrontation would impel him back into the spotlight. Ironically, Franco was nominally a member of the alliance of parties that supposedly supported Cardoso # 8217 ; s disposal. More softly, Olivio Dutra, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil # 8217 ; s 2nd largest province in economic footings, who is a member of the resistance Worker # 8217 ; s Party, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court leting him to put his debt to the federal authorities in escrow and avoid being declared # 8220 ; in arrears, # 8221 ; which would trip the impounding of federal transportations to his province. Therefore, when all the governors except Franco met with Cardoso at the terminal of February, the president was obliged to acknowledge that their state of affairs was unstable and needed federal support. Federal-state tensenesss were in fact bound to break out in early 1999, given the chronic status of province authorities fundss. But this is besides an old narrative that resurrects a potentially unsafe struggle. The flux between cardinal and regional power has marked Brazilian history since the early 19th century, and it is a critical constituent of the current crisis. Brazilian cardinal authoritiess have frequently been required to pacify the formidable involvements of the parts, and policymaking in Brazil, even at the best of times, is at its nucleus a complicated dialogue over the distribution of resources between the centre and the powerful province foremans. Brazil is a complex state, larger than the immediate United States, with strong regional power centres, an entrenched bureaucratism, and legal and administrative systems with a formidable tradition of corporative self-defense. Party association has been less of import at the national degree than the entree to the power and resources that a congressional or senatorial place brings with it. Brazilian political parties lack subject and trueness, and the particular involvement groups-whether they be bankers, rural landholders, pensionaries, evangelicals, or civil servants-tend to back up single senators and congresswomans instead than parties, which are decrepit organized at the national degree and to a great extent dependent on backing at the province degree. This state of affairs is farther aggravated by the immense dimensions of electoral territories -covering full states-which makes runs really expensive, even by U.S. criterions. By the late eightiess, for case, successful congressional campaigners in Sao Paulo were passing on mean $ 600,000 per place. In that same period in the United States, successful congressional campaigners were passing $ 393,000. Given this world, the popularity of Brazil’s president is critical to his ability to obtain consequences in Congress. An unpopular president, or a feeble duck president, rapidly loses authorization. President Cardoso is both a feeble duck and profoundly unpopular. Not a healthy state of affairs in a clip of crisis. The Transition Game In the past decennary and a half, Brazil moved off from one of Latin America # 8217 ; s longest periods of military regulation ; but its passage from military to civilian regulation came approximately through a procedure of dialogue instead than rupture. Many of the civilian politicians who cooperated with the armed forces during their 21 old ages of regulation moved seamlessly into the more pluralistic system established after 1985 and were cardinal participants in the authorship of Brazil # 8217 ; s 1988 Constitution. While the 1988 Constitution enshrined many societal and political rights, it besides retained, at the insisting of the military and powerful regional oligarchs who had benefited from military regulation, a cardinal instability in which the more traditional, more rural provinces of the North and nor-east were overrepresented to the hurt of the more developed industrialised provinces of the South and sou-east, where the chief political resistance to the military autho ritiess had ever existed. The 1988 Constitution besides provided protections to administrative officials and the organized or corporative sectors of society, doing administrative reform hard and supplying extraordinary benefits to those entrenched within the authorities setup in a state where 1000000s still lived in low poorness and the distribution of income was among the worst in the universe. The postmilitary fundamental law became a Christmas tree of entitlements. It besides mandated the distribution of revenue enhancement grosss off from the centre to the provinces. The provinces, because they could utilize their deputations in Congress to barricade efforts to command extra outgos and compel the federal authorities to absorb the costs of turn overing over their debts, faced few obstructions to a monolithic escalation of outgos with small respect for their ability to cover these outgos from their ain resources. The formidable alterations Brazil was sing with urbanisation, greater political engagement, and wider entree to instruction and to the media and engineering were at the same time giving a voice to progressively larger sectors of the Brazilian population. And as new voices emerged in the more pluralistic environment of the mid1980s and 1990s, the political game became even more complicated and more ideological, with freshly independent brotherhoods, spiritual groups, autochthonal motions, adult females # 8217 ; s organisations, environmental militants, a powerful and more critical imperativeness, and a formidable motion of landless rural workers all stimulating civil society and disputing the old oligarchic manner of determination devising and political representation. Therefore, the crisis that hit at the beginning of 1999 resulted from the convergence of three developments: the load of the province setup and its rigidnesss ; the jussive moods of the political calendar ; and a unsafe exposure to external conditions. The 1988 Fundamental law, because it had incorporated such a high grade of specificity on societal every bit good as political rights, made policy inquiries, which in other political systems could be resolved by statute law, weighty affairs of constitutional amendment, thereby puting really high barriers to governmental reform by necessitating a cumbrous procedure of constitutional alteration. This involved achieving two back-to-back 60 per centum ballots in each house of Congress, virtually guaranting holds in the passage of any steps for which seasonableness was indispensable, and doing any such steps highly dearly-won for the authorities in footings of the Equus caballus trading needed to roll up sufficient ballots to go through the amendments. The unmanageable procedure led necessarily to the usage of # 8220 ; probationary steps, # 8221 ; mechanisms retained in the 1988 Constitution # 8217 ; s Article 62 at the insisting of the military and its Alliess during the passage from autocratic regulation. Under this article, the president could enforce steps with the force of jurisprudence for a 30-day period. The existent program itself was implemented by these agencies. In theory, probationary steps could be rejected if Congress did non go through enabling statute law within 30 yearss. In pattern, presidents merely reissued them. The stoping in 1995 of # 8220 ; indexation, # 8221 ; by which wages had been adjusted at the terminal of each month to the rising prices index of the old month and which contributed mightily to Brazil # 8217 ; s hyperinflation, was besides achieved by agencies of a # 8220 ; probationary step # 8221 ; reissued 47 times. In his first three old ages in office, in fact, President Cardoso issued 1,800 probationary steps, including 1,698 reissued edicts. Merely 90 were transformed into jurisprudence. This made Congress progressively determined to deprive the president of such powers in any revising of the fundamental law itself. This means that the tradeoff for simplifying the fundamental law, which all agree is indispensable to do the system map more expeditiously, will be necessarily marked by attempts to deprive the Brazi lian president of the very constitutional mechanisms that had made possible any forward advancement at all over the past decennary. The intractableness of societal security reform encapsulates the jobs of outgos and particular involvement authorizations. To give but two sensitive and politically explosive illustrations: The military contributes R $ 100 million to societal security yearly, while military benefits cost R $ 7.2 billion. In the metropolis of Sao Paulo, pensions absorb two-fifths of the public safety budget. The military constabulary of the metropolis entirely have 35,000 pensionaries, one for every two work forces on active responsibility. With 53 functioning colonels, the metropolis supports 100 retired colonels roll uping pensions. Chronic Insecurity and Public Order But to cut outgos such as this, in a state of affairs where most Brazilians already face chronic insecurity, can be really unsafe to public order. In late 1997, sometimes violent constabulary work stoppages erupted in several Brazilian provinces, including in Alagoas, where the constabulary had been unpaid for over seven months by the belly-up local disposal. The mean authorities pension is eight times higher than private-sector pensions. And those received by sitting congresswomans are 30 times higher on norm than what the mean pensionary receives. Pensioners, in fact, organize the largest anteroom in Congress. Therefore, the power to paralyse the disposal of authorities prevarications to the full in the custodies of those who most benefit from this state of affairs and have the most to lose by its reform. Federal civil retainers, who contribute R $ 3.3 billion yearly, be the system R $ 12.8 billion a twelvemonth. The state of affairs at the province degree is small better. The provinces spend on norm 30 per centum of their paysheets on inactive and retired workers and lasting partners. Not surprisingly, the cutbacks in pension payments promised to the IMF-a mere R $ 3 billion in 1999-are derisory in face of the degree of debt and unfunded duties in the societal security system. As if these rigidnesss were non plenty, the timetable of political relations besides made reform surety to the electoral calendar. President Cardoso had succeeded in altering the fundamental law so that he could run for a 2nd back-to-back term-a traditi on even the military swayers had neer attempted to alterbut this mortgaged reform to political aspiration. Cardoso # 8217 ; s statement was that reform could expect the 2nd authorization when it would be his primary aim. The job was that any hold in steming the financial hemorrhaging of the province became highly expensive once the demand to retain # 8220 ; investor assurance # 8221 ; became paramount. This required that Brazil pay astronomical involvement rates to keep capital flight in the self-contradictory belief that this would prolong the strong belief among aliens that it retained the ability to serve its debts, something the inordinate involvement rates made progressively improbable. This critical factor was masked non merely in the IMF plan itself but besides in the coverage on the concern pages, which spoke about switching primary shortages into excesss without quantifying what this entailed or ciphering what the involvement on these authorities adoptions involved. But involvement, more than per centums, was a key to the intensifying crisis. The load of debt rapidly attained unsustainable degrees. Yet because of the planetary crisis of liquidness and the hazards it posed, the fiction that all was good in Brazil needed to be sustained, and it was-at least until the planetary system could be inoculated against the possible impact of a Brazilian clang and President Cardoso was safely reelected. Time magazine put Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, and Lawrence Summers on its January 27, 1999 screen, proclaiming these # 8220 ; Three Marketeers # 8221 ; as the work forces who # 8220 ; had saved the world. # 8221 ; Possibly the editors meant Wall Street. Surely the U.S. edition of Time contained non a word of describing from most of the universe South and E of Manhattan, where that message of rescue might hold seemed hollow at best. The Fiction Is Over What are the hazards now that the fiction is over? The section of the population that is most threatened by a return of rising prices and recession are the 19 million people who during the mid-1990s, deriving from the stableness brought approximately by the existent program, had moved into the emerging lower in-between category. As electors, many of these people provided solid support for President Cardoso # 8217 ; s reelection. But they excessively had became hooked on recognition, much of it linked in the little print to the dollar. They are the most vulnerable to the new state of affairs, and the most volatile. An acute battle over land and belongings has been developing on the rural frontiers for over a decennary. Here, the landless rural workers motion comprises the most organized and radicalized sections of the Brazilian population. Rural workers have long claimed that Cardoso # 8217 ; s policies were unsustainable. Industrial workers have been under force per unit area since 1995, the inundation of imports and the consolidation of the fabrication sector holding forced many out of stable employment into the informal sector. The brotherhoods, fearful of arousing more occupation losingss in the face of worsening chances have preferred dialogue over confrontation, but this excessively could alter. Brazil is besides a state where over a million people seek to come in the work force each year-they will hold minimum chances in the foreseeable future-a serious long-run job for an economic system that needs rapid growing if it is to both absorb workers and vie in an progressively competitory universe market. On all these counts, Brazil will fall behind in the new planetary economic system, non leap frontward as many had hoped. At the terminal of 1998, unemployment in greater Sao Paulo stood at an all-time high of 18.3 per centum. It can merely acquire worse in the face of a contraction of the economic system and the intensifying recession. Bankruptcies and defaults will be ineluctable in both the populace and private sectors. It is hard to see where the federal authorities in peculiar can cut farther, since its ability to utilize financial agencies is limited by political and societal restraints, and its pecuniary policy is hostage to the domestic debt load. The secondary market in province and municipal securities, valued at some R $ 9 billion, came to a practical arrest in February, as an increasing figure of authoritiess in all countries of Brazil failed to pay their duties on adulthood. The decrease of the stock of dollars in the commercial bank caissons threatens Brazilian importers and companies with abroad committednesss, which are estimated to be $ 13.5 billion for the first one-fourth of 1999 alone. The current history shortage reached about $ 35 billion for 1998 despite the $ 9.32 billion initial payment from the IMF bundle. Brazil # 8217 ; s external funding demands in 1999 are estimated to be in the part of $ 52 billion. With the 2nd tranche of $ 9 billion due in March 1999, this will intend that about 44 per centum of the IMF bundle has already been committed. The state # 8217 ; s entire foreign debt interim stands at over $ 230 billion, and its domestic public debt, as of this authorship, in March 1999, exceeds R $ 500 billionroughly equal to the entire buying power of the 28 million households that make up the Brazilian center and lower center classesand is lifting rapidly due to the expensive involvement that must be paid. Almost 20 per centum of this debt is dollar linked, and 70 per centum must pay nightlong rates. This barbarous rhythm means that a one per centum point rise in the involvement rate-and the IMF wanted the involvement rates to lift to 70 percent-forces the authorities to presume an excess R $ 1-2 billion in debt service costs. It is non hard to see the clefts already seeable at the province degree rapidly turning into canons. If # 8220 ; fume and mirrors # 8221 ; had enveloped the IMF bundle in the first topographic point, the same applies two-fold to its failure. As an functionary of the Group of Seven industrialized economic systems told Stephen Fidler of the Financial Times in October 1998, # 8220 ; There is one thing worse than failure and that # 8217 ; s failure that takes a batch of your money and credibleness with it. # 8221 ; So it was barely surprising that the IMF declared rapidly in January 1999, after the value of the existent had collapsed, that the # 8220 ; float # 8221 ; of the existent was the best policy for Brazil, even though the # 8220 ; care of the current exchange rate government # 8221 ; had been a cardinal board of its bailout bundle announced the old November. Or that the R $ 28 billion Brazil finally cut from outgos under force per unit area of the currency crisis was hailed in Washington as grounds of conformity with IMF directives, despite the fact that these figures had been predicated on # 8220 ; care # 8221 ; of the existent # 8217 ; s value. But one time once more, no 1 wanted to look excessively closely in the involvements of restoring # 8220 ; assurance, # 8221 ; much less talk about it. The world was that the old figures were shot. U.S. Treasury secretary Robert Rubin had said of the bailout bundle in November, # 8220 ; This should make it. # 8221 ; It had non. George Soros told the one-year assemblage of worthies at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in February 1999 that what Brazil needed from the international fiscal community was a # 8220 ; wall of money # 8221 ; -in add-on, presumptively to the $ 41.5 billion already committed by the IMFled bundle. On March 8, in Washington the IMF announced yet another memoranda of understanding with the Brazilian authorities. Cardoso, it said, promised to cut down Brazil # 8217 ; s public debt ratio to GDP ; addition excesss ; increase monetary values of domestic energy ; cut down federal outgos ; # 8220 ; retrench # 8221 ; with regard to province employees ; privatise more province companies and province Bankss ; promote the # 8220 ; voluntary committednesss of foreign Bankss # 8221 ; ; and publish more bonds. On the same twenty-four hours in Rio de Janeiro, Cardoso, speech production at the Superior War College, was more equivocal, particularly about the denationalization of Petrobras, the province crude oil company, and other cardinal province endeavors. # 8220 ; If this is utile to excite the markets, so be it. But it does no good for Brazil to fantasy about paths that are non needed, # 8221 ; he told the generals whose societal security parts he had merely promised the IMF he would increase. Possibly he assumed the generals did non read English-or Wall Street bargainers Portuguese-a unsafe given in the age of the cyberspace. But looking at Brazil # 8217 ; s black chances, Soros knows of what he speaks. With involvement rates at 45 per centum, rising prices in the month of February making 7.65 per centum, and 2 million unemployed between the ages of 15 and 24 in Greater Sao Paulo, his former plus director, Arminio Fraga, now Brazil # 8217 ; s Central Bank president, to whom the state # 8217 ; s economic policy has been mostly ceded, will hold his custodies full. So excessively will the # 8220 ; Three Marketeers # 8221 ; if Brazil fails to convert flighty investors that it is back on path, if it is forced to fall back to capital controls, or even defaults, as the twelvemonth progresses, and Western taxpayers finally wake up to the manner their revenue enhancements have been gambled on a mission impossible.