Suchergebnisse

AbstractSocial class is mostly inherited, but what is the source? From movies and TV, we can see how high social status often originates with efforts to gain control of strategic locations in an earlier generation. With that advantage and the economic leverage it offers, family fortunes are transformed into social standing. Westerns, such as Pale Rider and Once Upon a Time in the West, reveal how violence often lies at the root of today's social differences. Chinatown demonstrates how the same corrupt processes work in an urban setting. As long as private wealth gained through deceit or coercion can be sanitized in the next generation, rent seeking will remain the most popular means of gaining power. Filmmakers can help us see how these processes actually play out and possibly teach us how to prevent them.

4th Annual Acquisition Research Symposium of the Naval Postgraduate School: Acquisition Research: Creating Synergy for Informed Change ; This research investigates procurement scoring and the Department of Defense's (DoD) use of alternative financing methods, such as leases and public-private ventures. One of the major impediments to using alternative forms of procurement financing for acquiring defense capabilities is in the budgetary treatment, or "scoring," of these initiatives by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the congressional Budget Committees. The current scoring policy that has been applied to many initiatives essentially negates the financial advantage for using alternative forms of financing. Therefore, this research examines existing policies and their adherence to statutes and the role of the various government organizations and committees in actual recording of obligations and outlays related to financing alternatives used by federal agencies. Preliminary evidence suggests that this emerging area has major importance for future DoD acquisitions in a resource-constrained environment. Included are recommendations for changes in budgetary scoring that encompass the full scope of federal obligations and expenditures while promoting efficient, more rapid and fiscally responsible acquisitions. ; Prepared for: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93943 ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.