Thursday, December 26, 2019

Humes Ethics - 1047 Words

Hume’s Ethics Contents 1. Introduction 2. Hume’s ethics as an emotive theory of ethics 3. Conclusion 4. Bibliography David Hume is an outstanding Scottish philosopher of the 18th century whose views has a significant impact on the following generations of thinkers throughout the world. His sceptical arguments concerning induction, causation and especially religion, including his famous thesis that human knowledge arises only from sense experience and not from rational judgments, shaped the 19th and 20th century empiricist philosophy. His famous saying that ‘reason is the slave of the passions’ is a cornerstone of his ethical views largely explains the emotive character of his ethics. Hume’s ethics as an emotive theory of ethics†¦show more content†¦However, he reminds that the reason alone can motivate nothing – reason discovers matters of fact and logic, and it depends on individual’s desires and preferences. Consequently, reason alone cannot motivate moral beliefs. On the other hand Hume does not absolutely deny the role of reason since it works though under the influence of human emotions and desires. Furthermore, Hume advanced the idea that the explanation of moral principles is to be sought in the utility they tend to promote. At this respect it is quite noteworthy to mention that Hume argues that moral spectators approve of benevolence and benevolence is approved of because it has utility. At the same time, it should be said that Hume’s ethic theory is not deprived of some controversial points. For instance, attempting to determine whether an agent’s motivating character trait is natural or artificial, he decides this one virtue at a time. For him, the natural virtues include benevolence, meekness, charity and generosity. By contrast, the artificial virtues include justice, keeping promises, allegiance and chastity. Paradoxically in fact, Hume classes the key virtues that are necessary for well-ordered state as artificial, and he classes only the more supererogatory virtues as natural. Conclusion Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that Hume’s ethical views are based on denying the role of reason andShow MoreRelatedA Comparison Of Determinism And Free Will Theory1629 Words   |  7 Pagesthat we believe do not affect others, or even ourselves, at all. There are decisions that we believe do not matter and would have no impact on our existence. Two theories that shed some light on these aspects are the theory of determinism from David Hume, and the theory of free will from William James. While the two thinkers uphold different perspectives on the way in which humans come to make decisions, they are not so polarized that they do not overlap in some areas. Hume’s Determinism David Hume’sRead MoreWe DonT Have Free Will In The Film Lola Essay1757 Words   |  8 PagesHume defines will as â€Å"the internal impression we feel and are conscious of when we knowingly give rise to any new motion of our body, or new perception of our mind† (Hume, 2). He means that we just have a feeling that we have free will, but we don’t have free will. In the film, Lola the main character did have free will since she could go back in time and change her actions. We all agree that physical things or â€Å"external bodies† which Hume calls them, don’t have free will, they are subject to physicalRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of Humes Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion4493 Words   |  18 Pagesusing empirical facts and experimental forms of inference available to anyone, the existence and nature of an Author of Nature. But few connect this concern to the simple fact that the Dialogues is itself authored. It is a text with an author, David Hume. At the very least, then, on Cleanthess approach, (3) there should be some resemblances between the world and this text, insofar as they both imply an intelligent author; at the most, this analogy of authorship might prove even more fruitful forRead MorePhilosophy Essay on Self1800 Words   |  8 Pageshe lived in a crucial juncture of western culture when the Latin translation of Aristotelian corpus was made available which in effect reignited the debate on relating faith and reason. His theories borrowed from Aristotle and Christian dogma and ethics which were consistently reaffirmed by the church over the centuries (auquinas from stanford). The aforementioned medieval religious conception of self forms the basis Acquinas ethical premise on how we ought to act (Greetham, B., 2006). Right andRead MorePhilosophy of David Hume Essays1927 Words   |  8 Pagesa general notion Learning a lot this busy semester I have chosen to focus on David Hume and W.K. Clifford Theory. Davi d Hume is a very famous philosopher for the methods that he takes to attack certain objects that he has a strong opinion on. He is the type of philosopher that will attack some of the simple things that we accept as humans and have grown to believe over time. First I’ll start off with David Hume and his outlook on Induction and generalization. Then we will go into W.K. CliffordRead MoreHow Do We Know Something?2341 Words   |  10 Pagesor rationalized. With constructed a person knows something because they created it and it may be subjective instead of objective and it may be based on practice or awareness. There will be five authors that will be referenced in this essay, they are Hume, Kant, and Locke. Empiricism, A-priorism, and Skepticism will be discussed. Empiricism: A mind that is blank has no room to process sensations. A blank mind is no mind at all. The process of empiricism can’t even begin. The senses aren’t trustworthyRead MoreThe Different Ways Of Which Freedom Can Be Compatible With Determinism1334 Words   |  6 Pages(Consider Ethics text book on page 224), Freedom and determinism can be compatible with Simple Compatibilism, which according to David Hume, he claimed that ‘’all the puzzles and disputes about free will result from sloppy and confused use of language. Therefore, if we think carefully, and avoid verbal entanglements, then free will is a simple and obvious matter, and all mankind both learned and ignorant, have always had same opinion about the nature and existence of free will. Therefore, David Hume inRead MoreDavid Humes Theory of Ethics Essay1675 Words   |  7 PagesDavid Hume is considered to be one of the big three British empiricists, along with Hobbes and Locke, and lived ne ar the end of the Enlightenment. The Catholic Church was losing its control over science, politics and philosophy and the Aristotelian world view was being swallowed up by a more mechanistic viewpoint. Galileo found the theory provided by Copernicus to be correct, that our earth was not the center of everything, but the celestial bodies including the earth circled the sun. MathematiciansRead MoreImmanuel Kant And Kant On Morality1097 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent societies. Examples would be don’t cheat, don’t steal, and treat others as you would want to be treated. When dealing with the philosophers take on morality, there are two which are usually compared to one another, Immanuel Kant and David Hume. Immanuel Kant had many theories throughout his philosophical time. Here are some of his ethical works, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), the Critique of Practical Reason (1788), and the Metaphysics of Morals (1797), which contains bothRead MoreIs David Hume Or Immanuel Kant?1428 Words   |  6 PagesWas David Hume or Immanuel Kant more virtuous in their ethical philosophy? First we must understand what these ethical writings were for each modern philosopher. Both Hume and Kant were very influential philosophers during their lifetime, they have also disagreed on many ideas they argue for. We will be focusing specifically on their ethical philosophies to determine which philosopher, if any, would be considered to be more virtuous. In order to answer this question, we must answer a few other

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

My Goals For My Future Classroom - 1534 Words

My primary goals for my future classroom are to create a climate that is welcoming and accepting for my students. I want my students to learn acceptance in turn and welcome diversity and become culturally aware and culturally sensitive students. This course has enabled me to think practically and pragmatically about how I can create and model that culturally sensitive environment for my students. After spending this month reflecting on what cultural diversity and multiculturalism are and mean I have definitely come away with a greater understanding of the terms. To me cultural diversity means that there are multiple cultures that are present in a given community or environment. Multiculturalism means to me more so that that community coexists and thrives based off the presence of different cultural beliefs and systems. A definition of Multiculturalism that was presented in one our readings was: Multiculturalism is a system of beliefs and behaviors that recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in an organization or society, acknowledges and values their socio-cultural differences, and encourages and enables their continued contribution within an inclusive cultural context which empowers all within the organization or society. (What Makes a School Multicultural? 2015) The key terms in this definition to pull out, for me, is the respect and that we value the differences. Without acceptance and inclusion in a multicultural setting, there is in fact, noShow MoreRelated The Personification of an Educator Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pagesthe teacher in the classroom. How a teacher functions within a classroom determines how students learn, what students learn, and how they apply that which they have learned. Therefore, because I am seeking a profession in the field of education, I think I must consider the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the value of an education, the techniques that I will be using in my classroom, the curriculum, and my future goals as an educator because by doing so I improve my abilities and performanceRead MoreA Teacher s View On The Purpose Of Schooling989 Words   |  4 Pageskeep the focus on what your goals are as an educator and the way you plan to integrate those goals into your teaching. A statement of philoso phy begins with the educator s view on the purpose of schooling. In what ways are teachers going to challenge students to have high achievement standards? Along with goals for students, what are their responsibilities going to entail? These two questions play into the most significant focus of a teacher s philosophy: what is my role going to be as a teacherRead More Teaching Philosophy Statement Essay984 Words   |  4 Pagesevery teacher stand behind. The certain philosophy that one chooses provides the answers to many vital questions, such as the purpose of schooling, a teacher’s role, and what should be taught in the classroom. In schools today, I think that the majority of students do learn and accomplish their goals. I firmly believe that many students work hard to make good grades. The nature of these students is to their best in their classes. I also think that there are those few students who attend schoolRead More Nothing Compares to Teaching Essay823 Words   |  4 Pageswanted to do with my life. I would ask myself â€Å"If I could do anything I wanted to do for eight hours a day and get paid for it, what would I do?† After thinking about that question a couple of times the answer seemed perfectly clear. Spending my career devoted to children would be the most rewarding thing I could do with my life. There are many other jobs that revolve around children, but none that could compare to teaching. The most important goal in my classroom will be to ensureRead MoreEducation Is A Unique Experience For Every Child Who Enters A Classroom1086 Words   |  5 Pageshow small.† I believe education is a unique experience for every child who enters a classroom. Each child is unique and deserves a safe and secure classroom with a teacher full of passion for each child’s education. After classroom experience and observing many inspiring educators, I have created a personal philosophy that includes goals for my students, a method for enacting the goals, and assessing students’ goals to ensure proper development of each student. I have a desire to support each studentRead MoreReflection on Personal Goal for School Essay586 Words   |  3 Pagessemester, I have set three goals that I will be working towards to make improvements on. The first goal I set is to start an assignment the day that it is assigned so that I do not procrastinate. The second goal I h ave set for this semester is to be more organized with my materials. The last goal for this semester is to relieve my stress in a positive way. By working on these goals during the next couple of weeks, it will make my life a little less stressful. The first goal I need to work on is doingRead MoreClassroom Philosophies for Preparing for the Real World693 Words   |  3 PagesThe primary goal of an educator is to prepare students for the â€Å"real world†. By implementing key concepts of Glasser’s Choice Theory and Fay Funk’s Love and Logic theory, I believe this goal can become a reality in the classroom. When used together, these classroom management philosophies have the potential to benefit students in a variety of ways and engage them In learning. When utilized correctly, these strategies hold the promise of allowing teachers, like myself, to develop positiveRead MoreThe Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development814 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding of how to effectively interact with my future students. This theory refines my ability to identify and gage my student’s unique psychological developmental progress. A deeper understanding of this enables me the ability to identify key develo pmental milestones and improve my lesson plans accordingly. I selected this theory because it provides me with the insight required to establish a bond of trust with each student in my classroom. Additionally, I selected this theory because it providesRead More Goals and Philosophy Essay1339 Words   |  6 PagesGoals and Philosophy A persons philosophy on education covers many different aspects. Such things that ones personal philosophy can contain are the purpose of education, methods one may use in education, and even the curriculum which may be taught. I feel that these three things are the most important for my personal philosophy and goals of education. The overall purpose of education is not only to teach students about the set curriculum, but also to teach themRead MoreMy First Goal Is A Delicate And Vulnerable Process923 Words   |  4 PagesI believe that every child brings unique talents, ideas, and perspectives to the classroom. As an educator, it is my job to help foster these distinctive attributes while also facilitating the emotional, social, physical, and intellectual growth of each and every student. Learning is a delicate and vulnerable process. To learn, one must make mistakes, reflect, and recognize both strengths and weaknesses. I firmly agree with Abraham Maslow’s humanism theory, which states that students will not be

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Management of Coles Supermarkets-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Management of Coles Supermarkets. Answer: Introduction Global marketing, often referred as, International marketing, is the form of marketing which is carried out by various overseas companies or across national borderlines, which includes identification of market, marketing, targeting the markets, mode selection and also implementing some strategic decisions for competing in the international markets. The world is becoming increasingly global in the terms of production, capital, technology, people, business and information (De Mooij, 2013). The report mainly discusses about a well known Australian based organization, Coles Supermarkets which is a supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. Founded in the year 1914, it has over 100,000 employees and covers about eighty percent of the market in Australia. The report highlights the management of the organization and why they need to expand their involvement with international marketing and the future prospective of the company, with a brief explanation of what Global marketing really is. Discussion Market Needs The Global marketing can be defined as the art of conveying and conceptualizing a final service and product across the world, in the hope of achieving the international marketing community. If Global marketing is done correctly and properly, then it has the power to take any company to its next level. Various strategies should be implemented, keeping in mind the region or the place the company is marketing its products (Lee Carter, 2012). For instance, the menu of any restaurant say, KFC varies from place to place, based on the region or location the restaurant is serving. Any company focuses its marketing on its items which are popular within the country. Global marketing is very important for the companies which provide services and products that are having a universal demand, such as food, automobiles, household items and others (Keith, 2012). Supermarkets always play a very important role in influencing the food purchasing techniques of most of the households. Australia is considered as the worlds most concentrated supermarket sector. One of the major supermarkets in Australia is the Coles Supermarkets, which was founded in the year 1914. Presently, it has over 100,000 employees and covers the maximum percentage of the market in Australia. It has been highly regarded part of Australian life and much loved by most of the Australian people (Keith, 2012). Technology And Cost Scale The main aim of Coles Supermarkets is to provide to all the people and suppliers with quality products at less cost. It keeps its grocery products under control to satisfy the demands of the consumers, doing quality check on a daily basis. It dominates the Australian food retail market, firstly because of the highly urbanized population, which keeps on fostering the development of bigger and metropolitan food retailers instead of the smaller ones or the ones which are locally based. Secondly, the vastly dispersed habitation centers and main areas of food producing require effective networks of transportation which is difficult for the smaller producers. Lastly, the scattered population of Australia favors substantial scale of economies to keep the costs low (Dwivedi et al., 2012). They have dominated the Australian culture and have focused on three factors, which includes; highly effective supply of products and services, maintaining its good image and reputation in terms of quality and services and also by receiving positive feedback from the consumers, effective management and competitive nature (Richards et al., 2012). Government And Communication The company has over seven hundred and forty one operating stores. It markets its products by offering discount coupons to its customers, loyalty program points for the regular ones, holds campaigns like, Apple for Students for promoting Apple laptops and accessories, Sports for Schools and lot more in order to gain a huge consumer base. The main aim of the company is to give the Australian people the best shopping experience. The company is not internationally famous as it focuses only on the Australians benefits and its target customers are only the Australian people (Coles.com.au, 2017). However, Coles has started online delivery system to reach the international markets, which is a success to some extent. Customers can view the product and order anytime, anywhere. It has achieved more than 25 percent growth, which is still less if compared to its offline growth. Therefore, more strategies need to be applied in order to gain more popularity internationally. Digital marketing must be done on a regular basis to dominate the international market, with special offers and discounts depending on its target customers (Lee Carter, 2012). Conclusion To conclude, Coles Supermarkets is the first store in Australia and it has received much consumer appreciation. However, it needs to expand its online strategies, in order to reach internationally and gain mass attention. The focus should be on international consumers also. It needs to enhance its marketing strategies in order to be more enriched and also focused for a good venture. Digital marketing must be done to dominate the international market, with several campaigns. With the advent of digital world, it is very easy to market anything and at any point of time. This would be beneficial and prove advantageous for the company itself References Coles.com.au (2017). Retrieved 7 August 2017, from https://www.coles.com.au/ De Mooij, M. (2013).Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes. Sage Publications. Dwivedi, A., Merrilees, B., Miller, D., Herington, C. (2012). Brand, value and relationship equities and loyalty-intentions in the Australian supermarket industry.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,19(5), 526-536. https://myassignmenthelp.com/free-samples/marketing-strategy-of-coles Keith, S. (2012). Coles, Woolworths and the local.Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies,2, 47-81. Lee, K., Carter, S. (2012).Global marketing management. Oxford University Press. Richards, C., Lawrence, G., Loong, M., Burch, D. (2012). A toothless chihuahua? The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, neoliberalism and supermarket power in Australia.Rural Society,21(3), 250-263

Monday, December 2, 2019

Tax Reforms in Zimbabwe free essay sample

This study applies the concepts of elasticity and buoyancy to determine whether tax reforms in Zimbabwe achieved these objectives. Elasticities and buoyancies are computed for the pre-reform period as well as the post-reform period. Evidence suggests that reforms had a positive impact on the overall tax structure and on the individual tax handles. In fact, the elasticity of indirect taxes was low and that of direct taxes was high, especially after the reforms. Despite this positive impact, the reforms failed to make VAT responsive to changes in income, although VAT was predominant in the tax structure. This was mainly aimed at reducing Government expenditures, particularly the recurrent expenditures, and redirecting resources to the productive sector. As a result the budget deficit was targeted to reach 5% of GDP by 1994/95 from a level of about 10 % of GDP, that is by end of the first phase of the reform programme. Reform the tax system to improve quality and resource allocation; Targeting to reduce the tax ratio from 35% of GDP to about 33% by the end of the reform period; Introduce cost forms, a case of Zimbabwe recovery measures to boost non-tax revenues; Removal of subsidies, which stood at 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Tax Reforms in Zimbabwe or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page % of GDP in1990/91; Reduction of the civil service wage bill from 16. 5% of GDP to 12. 9% by 1994/95; Allocate some resources to civil servants made redundant, the poor and the unemployed. In the literature tax reform includes key issues as: †¢ Dispersion of tax rates; †¢ De-emphasizing steeply progressive tax rate structure; †¢ Reducing the tax burden of export and import sectors; and †¢ Strengthening tax administration. The trend in total revenue to GDP in Zimbabwe remained almost constant at levels around 27% of GDP. The research question will then be why the revenues remained constant throughout the reform period. One hypothesis could be an indication that the tax reforms which took place – if there were any at all did not have an impact on revenue performance or this could be traced to delays in implementing improved tax administration measures. The research will have to establish this. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Despite close to a decade of economic reforms in Zimbabwe, the result has been further decline in economic performance. This lack of response to macroeconomic adjustment policies pointed to a need to revisit the more realistic, but much neglected socio-cultural, political and other institutional factors as possible explanatory variables of this observed poor performance. It is our contention, therefore, that it is not only economic factors, but also a host of other complex historical, political and socio-cultural determined factors that continue to impede the success of the economic reforms in Zimbabwe. A clear understanding of the role played by these factors in determining the reform outcomes in Zimbabwe is very important. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY Knowing and understanding the key political and socio-cultural constraints to economic reforms in Zimbabwe can be of great importance for re-designing economic reform policy and its ultimate implementation. This can be done, for example, through drafting all-inclusive participatory policy reform interventions that reduce the severity of the identified po litical and cultural constraints and related impediments to undertaking meaningful economic reforms in Zimbabwe. In other words a deeper understanding of the political, institutional and socio-cultural factors that determine the success or failure of economic reforms in Zimbabwe is of vital importance for policy-making reasons, hence the need to undertake this study. 7 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The general objective of the research project is to increase the body of knowledge for the design and implementation of future reforms in Zimbabwe, including lessons that can be learnt from the failed past reform efforts. The specific objectives of this research, however, are: †¢ To provide analysis and evidence of reasons for the failure of reform efforts in Zimbabwe to provide analysis and evidence or no evidence of the role of stakeholders in the design, implementation and outcomes of the reform programmes in Zimbabwe, as well as methods used to consult and ensure or not to ensure their participation in the reform process; †¢ To assess the social costs and benefits of the reform process and to identify who the potential losers were or those who shouldered the burden of adjustment; †¢ To increase the domestic capacity to undertake research related to major economic and political reform in Zimbabwe; and †¢ To derive some policy implications based on the findings of this research that will find their way into formulation of future reform policies in Zimbabwe. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Essentially three broad research questions that are going to be addressed by this study are as follows: W ith reference to the failed Zimbabwean reform efforts: †¢ Why did Zimbabwe undertake reforms? †¢ What factors enabled Zimbabwe to adopt reforms and how did these factors shape reform design and implementation? †¢ How well did the reforms perform and, what were the results? With special reference to the failed Zimbabwean reform efforts, answers will also be sought for the following specific additional questions: †¢ Which main stakeholder groups with an interest in the country’s economic and political reforms were consulted or are being consulted? †¢ What role did lack of information and awareness about the reform programmes result in lack of ownership and therefore poor participation by all the concerned stakeholders, particularly the poor? †¢ Is it true that lack of political will and lobbying by certain interested groups, which saw their interests threatened by the reforms explains the failure of Zimbabwe’s economic reforms? If the above is true, what should have been done or should be done in the future to minimize the resistance to the reform process by those interest groups that are bound to lose as a result of the form process? †¢ Is it true that adverse and often change resistant ideologies, socio-cultural and so cietal norms also explain the failure of meaningful reforms to take place in Zimbabwe? HYPOTHESES This research project, in addition to the above research questions, will also be fundamentally guided by six testable hypotheses. These hypotheses are: †¢ Domestic crises triggered/beget reforms in Zimbabwe. †¢ External factors shaped Zimbabwe’s reforms, particularly the collapse of socialism, the influence of the IMF and the World Bank, world economy shocks, and learning/imitation from other countries. Reforms in Zimbabwe were blocked after they have been started as individual uncertainty gets resolved and losers became organized and asked for higher compensation and finally stopped their continuation. †¢ Lack of an explicit involvement or consultation of all the relevant stakeholders at the reform policy formulation/design and implementation stages, implying lack of consensus building and broad ownership of reforms, is partly responsible for the failure of the re form process in Zimbabwe. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The Zimbabwean research team advocates for an inclusive and consultative-based research process targeting all the relevant stakeholders, particularly the poor communities, which are in most cases adversely affected by the reform process. This is because some of the conventional research methodologies used in Zimbabwe in the past to study the reform processes did not include a participatory approach to doing research that can enhance both relevance and effectiveness of the research process itself. Such conventional research methodologies have in most cases produced disappointing results, which have further marginalized the poor and therefore continue to exclude them from crucial government decision-making processes in Zimbabwe. It is against this background that the active participation of local actors, the poor, policy makers, representatives of the business community, disadvantaged groups and other interested stakeholders in the Zimbabwean research project is of fundamental importance. This is because it is going to be part of the research team’s strategy to nurture participatory-based policy making, implementation and evaluation processes as well as social analysis in Zimbabwe. DATA COLLECTION METHODS Since studying reforms in Zimbabwe calls for the need to gather both qualitative and quantitative information from our respondents, in this study, besides the use of available secondary data, e. g. documents, reports, books, files, statistics, etc. , additional qualitative and quantitative information is going to be gathered through the use of individual case studies. Much emphasis will also be put on personal observations and intensive informal discussions with respondents and key informants during the study period and providing a well-documented description of the reform process and outcomes in Zimbabwe. This description is going to rely heavily on secondary data to be gathered from both national and international sources and will involve summarizing empirical results obtained by other studies and discussing the performance of economic variables such growth, investment, exports, savings, macro stability and competitiveness rankings; social indicators such as income/assets distribution, poverty, earnings, health and nutritional status, education enrolment, and social expenditure levels; and political indicators such as political awareness, autonomy, confidence/credibility in government; etc. Real changes in exports and imports are good indicators of effectiveness of trade liberalization policies during reforms and therefore will calculate in the process of doing the study. The outcome of the financial reform will be analysed by observing the following: †¢ Ratio of broad money to GDP; †¢ Concentration ratio as measured by share of assets of largest banks to total bank assets; and †¢ Price stability or inflation trends overtime. Another indicator, however, which is associated with financial reform, is desegmentation of the financial sector so that they can offer a broad array of financial services. The new types of products, which were introduced during the reform will also be catalogued and analysed. The effectiveness of tax reform measures will be assessed through the following amongst others: †¢ Tax revenue to GDP ratio; and †¢ Ratio of international trade taxes to total revenue. The above will be aided by the conduct of an analytical narrative of the whole reform process, which will help us to analyse the causal factors or the driving forces behind the reform. In addition micro level case studies will be used to qualitatively test of some our hypothesis. Informal interviews are going to be carried out with all important persons who were advisers, academics, donor agencies, business leaders, union leaders, consumer and student representatives, farmers’ and employers’ representatives, central bank and government officials as well as heads of institutions, committees and task forces that were created to strengthen state capacity to implement reforms during the reform period.