In the years following the end of the Second World War and the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the threat of Communist insurgency was very real across Southeast Asia. For those countries which, like Thailand, wished to remain steadfastly a member of the capitalist west, yet had a longstanding relationship with China and many millions of ethnic Chinese residents, the situation was complex.

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Citizen science is the name given to enlisting members of the general public to  participate in scientific data gathering and analysis. One of the founding  institutions of the concept was the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence  (SETI), which has collected an enormous amount of data from observations of  space across many years and in a variety of formats.

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If you would like to contribute your opinions, please let me know and I will be glad to send you a copy of the questionniare.

Taylorism is named after Frederick Taylor, who is recognized as the founder of  scientific management. Scientific management is an approach which attempts to  maximize labour productivity by treating employees as if they were cogs in a  machine and can be positioned in exactly the right position.

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This conference was due to be held last year but was postponed as a result of the floods here in Bangkok. I was unable to attend but I know Khun Petcharat is quite capable of representing us well and she seemed pleased about the reception. Here is the abstract:

In recent years, many businesses have focused more closely on their images and good reputation. They have, to some extent, recognized that revenues and profit are not the ultimate goal in doing business. Much publicity has been sparked by periodic donations to charity contributed to organizations, associations and needy individuals. These activities are known collectively as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR activities seem to be developing more meaningful perspectives than have been witnessed in the past. In Buddhism, the concept of CSR is similar to the Buddhist principle called Sangahavatthudhamma 4, which is composed of sharing (Dāna), pleasant speech (Piyavācā), useful conduct (Atthacariyā) and promoting equality (Samānattatā). It is a method rooted in social welfare and one which creates good corporate governance as a sustainable development in society. This way of life shows the approach of assimilation in terms of both material and spiritual dimensions. This research will explore the connection between CSR and Sangahavatthudhamma 4 conducted in one of the hospitals in Thailand both in theory and practice. This approach has called for not only reflection in individuals but also in team working as a whole. Consequently, this may be an important method to develop and manage people in organizations as well. The findings rest upon personal in-depth interviews. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn from the research.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sangahavatthudhamma 4, Human Resource Development, Hospital

I believe the proceedings and conference details are available online too, if anyone should wish to see the full text and other papers presented.

Einige Pflegeeinrichtungen für ältere Menschen sind in Thailand schon vorhanden. Doch noch kümmern sich die Kinder um die Senioren.

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Behavioural Decision-Making in the Context of Sustainable Business Practices: The Case of Jaipur Rugs, India, 2011

Dr. R. K. Tyagi Head, School of Management, RGGI, Meerut

Abstract: Jaipur Rugs reaches more than 40,000 artisans —approximately 60 percent of who are women— in the most economically disadvantaged regions of India and is a handmade carpet manufacturer. As a part of its commitment to the Business Call to Action in January, 2012 it has announced that it will train some 10,000 people in Northern India in advanced carpet weaving techniques and provide them with access to global markets by 2015. This case focuses on the general concept of sustainability and the dynamics of underlying social and economic factors by outlining CSR practices in Jaipur Rugs and discussing its role in the business model. The issues involved were discussed with the company’s CEO, HR Manager, employees and staff. Telephone and personal interviews, together with company visits, were carried out to understand the business model, production processes and socially responsible practices employed in the company. It was found that Jaipur Rugs is using labour-intensive production processes, which boost employment and support economic growth through increased exports. The business model of the firm leads it to operate in a highly decentralized manufacturing and logistics system which, eventually, dramatically decreases its fixed cost. Medium-sized as well as small-scale productive ventures are human problems no less inimical to society than do large-scale ventures. It is further found that the model can be replicated by other firms willing to make CSR an integral part of a business model rather than just through paying lip service to it. This model is different from that of cooperatives and if replicated in other industries it can bring or add to self-employment. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Rural Employment.

All of Russia – well, urban Russia anyway – is in turmoil in the middle of the nineteenth century and a semi-voluntary émigré, living in Germany, returns to the city of St Petersburg to establish the circumstances surrounding the death of his foster son. The son, Pavel, has apparently become embroiled in the notorious Nechaev gang of revolutionaries, who seem to be pursuing a campaign of anarchistic terror. Pavel himself is reported to have left behind papers, amongst which is a list of people to be assassinated. The step-father is a well-known novelist and an intellectual and, in Czarist Russia with its reliance on the secret police and suppression of political dissidence, this makes him automatically a figure of suspicion.

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Back to the 1930s and a freshly orphaned American teenager is taken on to a schooner by his uncle, who is seeking a way to return the boy to civilization (they are currently located in the South China Sea) so that he can take up an educational career suitable for a young member of the bourgeoisie. Alas, a typhoon blows up and all must take refuge on land, where the merry band (supplemented by large, partially-housetrained Swedish sailor, scholar wannabe Chinese cook, enormous species non-specific dog, and others) soon become embroiled in a series of adventures: Russian spies, Chinese warlords, Tibetan monks, Mongol nomads, the Yeti – all of human life is here.

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