Floriography The Meaning of 13 Little-Known Flowers

Terrorism A Defining Moment in Our Recent History

As an American living in the 21st century, terrorism has been a defining moment in our recent history. It has shaped the foreign policies of many nations, changed the way society has viewed violence and created debates about national security. Yet, it is only recently that terrorism has gone global. The history of terrorism is rooted in its use by revolutionaries and governments, its influence on domestic affairs and the various methods used to instill fear and control. But since the end of the Cold War and more importantly after September 11, 2001, terrorism has been used by organizations to exert political and extreme religious agendas across the globe using new tactics with the advancement of technology The end result of World War I created revolutionary groups that would start the terrorism of the â€Å"revolutionary party.† The two most important groups were called the Bolsheviks in Russia and the Nazis in Germany. The men enlisted in these groups mostly consisted of veterans of World War I, the experience and expertise these veterans provided proved to be useful when they took power. Both the Bolsheviks and Nazi used terror and intimidation through the use of different state organizations to take control over the population and country. The three organizations the Bolsheviks used were the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Red Army, and the Cheka (secret police). With the rise of the Communist Party, the Bolsheviks gained control of the domestic politicalShow MoreRelatedThe Changes Our Country Has Gone through After 9-111591 Words   |  6 Pagesposition to analyze many of the changes that our country has gone through since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. While the majority of college students today were not even teenagers yet, in 2001 I was already a ripe old age of 25. I remember that day clearly and all of the feelings and emotions that came along with learning the awful truth of what had happened. That day is one of the most defining moments in our history. In the following years, our country has changed drastically in many waysRead MoreThe Attacks on September 11th 20012061 Words   |  9 PagesSeptember 11th of 2001 is a day in history that will be remembered forever. What was first thought to be a freak accident turned into a horrific nightmare for our country, America was under attack. On the morning of the attacks a group of al Qaeda terrorists took control of four commercial jetliners headed to California and purposively crashed two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The last plane fell into a Pennsylvania field never reaching its final destination, The White House. TheseRead MoreEffects of Iranian Hostage Crisis1853 Words   |  8 Pageseffects on the political environment of the United States, including the negative influence on the 1980 presidential election, complete destruction of diplomatic US- Iran relations, and the establishment of a precedent for foreign, anti-American terrorism as an effective strategy against the US. It’s debatable whether President Jimmy Carter would have won the election of 1980 if the Iranian Hostage Crisis never happened. However, even the most profound of historians know that the conflict with IranRead MoreAn Analysis of Terrorism Essay9824 Words   |  40 PagesAn Analysis of Terrorism On September 11, 2001, every person was stunned with the earth shaking news that the World Trade Center (WTC), the highest building in the world was attacked by terrorist. This was done by hi-jacking two commercial airplanes which plowed the two famous sites. More than 5,000 American was feared dead. This was the most recent and most devastating terrorist act that brought terrorism into the timelight. Terrorism is a term of uncertain legal content. The term itselfRead MorePersonal Privacy or National Security2424 Words   |  10 PagesPersonal Privacy or National Security William Shelton ENG122: English Composition Prof. Lisa Clark August 7, 2012 Defining National Security VS Personal Privacy is a matter of looking at the basic nature of each. From research collected there is a consensus that we need balance. Too much of one hurts the other and vise versa. There are a couple of articles that range from Civil Liberties to the birth of public right to know that support the overall claim. Talks about the effects of censorshipRead MoreA Study Of Warfare During The Modern Era4626 Words   |  19 Pagesto existing forces. As the world devolves into nations with less clear borders than perhaps any time in recent military history with the closest example being the 100 years war in Europe and finds itself possessing of enemies that heretofore have been much easier to classify there is a distinct change arising in the face of war. If one thinks back to the classic wars of recent U.S. history one can see clearly defined lines of this nation verses that nation and here are the bad guys and here isRead MoreSocio Economic Problems of Pakistan2655 Words   |  11 PagesSheikh Outline: Introduction: †¢ A problem-free society; desire of every individual †¢ Defining social and economic problems †¢ Why they are a menace? A. Social Problems †¢ Problems at the time of separation grew with the passage of time †¢ The current scenario a. Poor law and order situation b. Poverty c. Illiteracy d. Corruption e. Unemployment f. Child Labour B. Economic Problems †¢ Power crises and war on terrorism, root of basic economic problems †¢ Loss of MNCs business †¢ Tumbling stock market †¢ UnprecedentedRead MoreThe Human Rights Act and Anti-Terrorism in the Uk: One Great Leap Forward by Parliament, but Are the Courts Able to Slow the Steady Retreat That Has Followed?17827 Words   |  72 PagesAct and anti-terrorism in the UK: one great leap forward by Parliament, but are the courts able to slow the steady retreat that has followed? David McKeever Subject: Human rights. Other related subjects: Administrative law. Criminal law Keywords: Administrative law; Freedom of expression; Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Terrorism; Torture Legislation: Human Rights Act 1998 Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 Terrorism Act 2006 Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Terrorism Act 2000 EuropeanRead MoreThe Human Rights Act and Anti-Terrorism in the Uk: One Great Leap Forward by Parliament, but Are the Courts Able to Slow the Steady Retreat That Has Followed?17817 Words   |  72 PagesAct and anti-terrorism in the UK: one great leap forward by Parliament, but are the courts able to slow the steady retreat that has followed? David McKeever Subject: Human rights. Other related subjects: Administrative law. Criminal law Keywords: Administrative law; Freedom of expression; Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Terrorism; Torture Legislation: Human Rights Act 1998 Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 Terrorism Act 2006 Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Terrorism Act 2000 EuropeanRead MoreA National Security Strategy for the Philippines7627 Words   |  31 Pagesfor contingency planning for the defense of the Philippines. Growing out of World War II and the Commonwealth era the Filipino nation became an independent Republic. The scope of the National Defense Act of 1935, therefore, became inadequate the moment we became a sovereign nation and became increasingly so as we continued to mature. The body of literature on national security points to the fact that it is a complex and multidimensional entity. It must be based on the national principles embodied

The Service Change Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

string(189) " appropriate for public consciousness runs, in coaction with academic establishments with expertness in research and development of showing tools \( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 \) \." This essay critically analyses service alteration required in physical therapy services for older people in India, specifically concentrating on developing falls bar. Fallss are one of the most common geriatric syndromes endangering the independency of older individuals. Hazard factors for falls include musculus failing, a history of falls, usage of four or more prescription medicines, usage of an assistive device, arthritis, depression, being older than 80 old ages of age, and damages in pace, balance, knowledge, vision, and activities of day-to-day life ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . We will write a custom essay sample on The Service Change Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now There is therefore a demand for developing a comprehensive service which can supply preventative, healing and rehabilitative services for the aged in India. This is peculiarly of import as the aged population in India is turning. Harmonizing to the WHO, it is expected that there will be about 107 million in 2010, 198 million in 2030 and 326 million in 2050. The rapid addition in the figure of old people in the population raises assorted societal, economic and wellness issues ( Kumar et al, 2008 ) . However, unlike the developed states, India does non hold good structured, bing wellness services for the aged, taking to a comparatively ad hoc system of wellness attention bringing to this vulnerable population ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . Consequently, a specialised geriatric wellness service has to be developed, to educate, develop and help in the care of healthy life styles and to supply comprehensive wellness attention. There is a demand for extended instruction and communicat ing programmes to be undertaken through assorted media every bit good as governmental and nongovernmental organisations sing autumn events and preventative steps ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . In relation to the specific context of falls, this paper presents a service alteration which would imply the development of a autumn bar plan. This would affect preparation of cardinal stakeholders, such as Physicians, Health workers and Care givers. The development of the programme would besides look into the effectivity and feasibleness of utilizing new and advanced diagnostic and showing devices. These are required non merely to be cost effectual and advanced but should supply a practical tool for placing and forestalling possible falls. Specifically the essay foremost analyses further, the context of this service alteration, discoursing how it relates to wellness A ; societal attention policy and pattern. Drivers and facilitators for the alteration are critically discussed along with possible barriers and suggestions for how these may be addressed are made. Perceived benefits and the possible impact on the bing service and patient result are so evaluated. How the alteration will be promoted, implemented and its impact evaluated will besides be discussed. 2. MAIN BODY: Section 1: The context of the service alteration, discoursing how it relates to wellness A ; societal attention policy and pattern Over the following several decennaries, aged people will stand for a big section of the population. Aged people have common geriatric jobs such as impaired mobility, falls, impaired knowledge and urinary incontinency ( Prudham A ; Evans, 1981 ) . Out of this, falls are common events in the lives of older people and can ensue in a scope of inauspicious results, from minor contusions to breaks, disablement, dependance and decease ( Kumar et al, 2008 ) . Recurrent falls are an of import cause of morbidity and mortality in the aged and are a marker of hapless physical and cognitive position ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . There are many factors taking to or doing falls in the aged, classified into intrinsic and extrinsic factors and can be a complex interaction between both ( Drozdick A ; Edelstein, 2001 ) . Merely three large-scale national studies have been carried out entirely with the purpose of understanding the magnitude and form of assorted physical disablements among the aged population ( Reddy A ; Sureender, 1992 cited in Krishnasawmy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . Among the 35 provinces and brotherhood districts in India, Kerala has registered the highest proportion of aged. The aged in Kerala constitute 11 % of the population. The Kerala Aging Survey ( KAS ) , conducted among more than 5,000 aged ( 2,271 work forces and 2,722 adult females ) in 14 territories of Kerala reported that falls and breaks are a important issue among older grownups ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . Another survey by Joshi et Al ( 2003 ) conducted a cross-sectional study of 200 topics over 60 old ages old in a urban population of Chandigarh metropolis and rural population in Haryana metropolis in India reported that break occurred in 21.3 % , and other hurts occurred in 79.6 % of those who had fallen. Furtherm ore, breaks among females ( 26.4 % ) were reported more often compared with males ( 16 % ) and break was seen more in urban topics ( 29.4 % ) compared with rural topics ( 13.4 % ) . On the other manus, Johnson et Al ( 2006 ) examined the frequence and nature of falls and fall-related hurts among older adult females in the province of Kerala, India and reported that about 1.5 to 2 million individuals are injured and 1 million succumb to decease every twelvemonth in India due to fall. Falling is emerging as a important public wellness job and is of import cause of morbidity and mortality in the aged. Most frequently the cause of autumn is multifactor. Falls and their squeal are potentially preventable and hence it is importance to cognize the hazard factors for falls in the aged. Therefore, fall bar schemes to turn to falls should be explored and implemented within the Indian context. Section 2: Drivers and facilitators for the alteration are critically discussed along with possible barriers and suggestions for how these may be addressed are made. At the beginning, it is desirable to sketch nucleus constituents that drive successful grounds based pattern execution known as â€Å" drivers † ( Metz et al. , 2007 ) . This would assist to fix a program and accomplish a success. A PESTLE analysis ( Renewal Associates, 2003 ) can look into the internal and external factors involved in the service of autumn bar. First, an appropriate authorities investing is required to develop a showing tool appropriate for public consciousness runs, in coaction with academic establishments with expertness in research and development of showing tools ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . You read "The Service Change Health And Social Care Essay" in category "Essay examples" Second, preparation of Physicians, Health workers and Care givers in autumn bar plans, is desperately needed. Furthermore, pre-service and in-service preparation should be delivered. Training should include activities related to supplying specialised information, direction, o r skill development in an organized manner to staff members at all degrees. Third, it is besides necessary to look into the effectivity and feasibleness of utilizing new and advanced diagnostic and showing devices. These are non merely cost effectual and advanced but could supply a practical tool for placing and forestalling possible falls. Additionally, puting up of wellness attention installations for the aged, at both authorities and private infirmaries and medical colleges will supply comprehensive attention and to develop, informations, research methodological analysis and intercession techniques for falls and other related morbidities ( Krishnaswamy A ; Usha, 2007 ) . Performing studies on falls among the aged life in all parts of India could assist in obtaining a comparative position and information proposing suited constabularies at regional and national degrees, to assist the aged to populate healthy and disability-free life. In add-on, there should be internal direction support available excessively. It refers to activities related to set uping constructions and processes that facilitate implementing a new evidence-based pattern by staff. These activities will supply leading and information on decision-making, back up the overall procedures and assist staff to stay organized and focused on the specific causes and bar of falls in aged population. Furthermore, persons or organisations, funders, policy shapers, or other community organisations that support a pattern, but are non straight involved in service bringing, should make systems-level partnership. It will guarantee the handiness of the fiscal, organisational, and human resources that are required to back up practicians and carry through any demands needed to set pattern into the day-to-day work. Finally, it is necessary to command practician ‘s public presentation and attachment to the new pattern introduced every bit good as observes accompli shments of peculiar results. This will assist to measure and better the pattern that does non run into staff member ‘s and patient ‘s outlooks. Apart from these, the societal, economical and legal factors are every bit of import drivers which influence the alteration. The aged populations, their household members and siblings are the chief facilitators of the physical therapy service alteration for the autumn bar and the population expects the service to be extremely equipped and treated by skilled healers and attention givers. They want to be given the greatest attending from a physical therapist and be provided the best attention possible. Therefore, the healers and attention givers are needed to be extremely skilled and have a complete thought of history of falls and autumn bar. As drivers are more than the facilitators, it is necessary to convert the drivers to ease proper service and carry through other demands through which both drivers and facilitators would be benefited. Finally, for the success of the new service, the authorities of India and the society should be unfastened to alterations and pull the concerned population for the service. Apart from drivers and facilitators for the autumn bar in older people in India, there would be possible barriers in the alteration which is needed to be considered. First, there would be a opposition from the doctors or healers to the new system of alteration, who find comfy in the bing system and may act upon other stakeholders from making the same. Second, deficiency of consciousness about the hazard factors of autumn and late entries in infirmaries may be a barrier to the service for fall bar. On the other manus, the long list of waiting in infirmaries, handiness to infirmaries and healers would be major barriers in service alteration. Apart from this, the support of the service would make up one’s mind the eventual quality of the stakeholders and the autumn bar service group. Time is required to prosecute specializers, provide preparation and motivate physical therapists to make their best in handling patients. It would be advisable to pay physical therapists for the preparation taking into history the fact that physical therapy puting would profit largely from the evidence-based pattern ; it would be recognizable as the one lovingness about its patients. Furthermore, the money given would represent an inducement to derive physical therapists ‘ attending and encourage specializers to portion the cognition about evidence-based pattern. Some of physical therapists may defy the alterations in fright of occupation loss or debasement doing it more hard to present evidence-based pattern of the autumn bar service. Therefore, good leader and director may be needed to discourse future programs with employees and back up them. The positive effects can be seeable in many old ages and they may non carry through increasing demands of patients. In other words, it is hard to foretell accomplishments of peculiar ends and their consequence on physical therapy pattern. Therefore, it is necessary to pass on with patients, by studies and so set up accomplishable ends and timeframes to enable alterations and non let down physical therapy service users. Section 3: Perceived benefits and the possible impact on the bing service and patient result are so evaluated The autumn bar physical therapy service would decidedly profit the older people from the bing services. The older population need non hold to travel to the general infirmaries and base in the waiting line for long hours. Furthermore, the older population can straight come to the physical therapists. On the other manus, presenting a new autumn bar centres may make consciousness about the autumn hazards and can finally cut down the rate of autumn and morbidity in India. However, clip is required to get the better of all the barriers but placing the hazard factors of autumn can cut down the instances of breaks in older people. By placing opposition from stakeholders, it would be possible to work on carrying those against or seeking to maintain them on the side in instance of farther uncertainty non to allow them negatively act upon the others. Movement involves alteration execution with promoting employees to see the job from fresh position and work together to accomplish a success. Finally, refreezing demands to take topographic point after the alteration has been implemented in order for it to be sustained. Its purpose is to stabilise the new state of affairs taking topographic point because of the alteration introduced. The effects of alteration should be evaluated loosely by studies, focal point groups and statistics informations. Observation could be used every bit good to cognize how physical therapists ‘ attitude changed after evidence-based pattern execution. By placing opposition from stakeholders, it would be possible to work on carrying those against or seeking to maintain them on the side in instance of farther uncertainty non to allow them negatively act upon the others. Movement involves alteration execution with promoting employees to see the job from fresh position and work together to accomplish a success. Finally, refreezing demands to take topographic point after the alteration has been implemented in order for it to be sustained. Its purpose is to stabilise the new state of affairs taking topographic point because of the alteration introduced. The effects of alteration should be evaluated loosely by studies, focal point groups and statistics informations. Observation could be used every bit good to cognize how physical therapists ‘ attitude changed after evidence-based pattern execution. Health attention policy shapers could execute every bit ‘observers as participants ‘ with no engagement but interaction wit h the other participants ( Polgar A ; Thomas, 2008, p. 119 ) .They would be able to enter events and observe patients and interview physical therapists about their attacks towards peculiar status. Lewin ‘s three-step alteration theory is easy to follow and can assist to put appropriate program taking into history bing drivers, facilitators and barriers for alteration. In add-on to implementing the theory, coincident promotional activities could be included such as accessing through telecasting, wireless, newspapers and wellness magazines. The chief purpose to make so is to make to each and every corners of India about the autumn bar service. However, people of India besides suffers from poorness, hence, free services at rural countries and place based services for the people who can non come to the clinics or infirmaries would be great alteration of aid to the community. This essay critically analyses the service alteration required in physical therapy services for older people in India, specifically concentrating on developing falls bar. From the above treatment the chief findings of the service alteration is to place the issues of autumn hazard and consequently the alterations would be made. Again, for the autumn bar service, skilled physical therapists are required and present healer should be trained to get the better of the barriers. Finally, the survey recognised a demand for a good leader and a director to take the system alteration with coaction with Government of India. Unfortunately, this essay lacks grounds and literature about the autumn of aged people in India taking to generalisability of the consequence. Therefore, farther research and studies are warranted to advance grounds based pattern and could implement for the rehabilitation of the older population enduring from autumn. How to cite The Service Change Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Holocaust the U.S. free essay sample

Examines possible passive active role of U.S. leaders in Nazi campaign against Jews. Development of Final Solution, Amer. knowledge of Jewish persecution and effects on U.S. history. The purpose of this research is to examine the oppression of the Jews during the Holocaust and its effects on the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Holocaust the U.S. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context in which issues surrounding the impact of the Holocaust on the U.S. emerged and then to discuss the extent of knowledge and belief of the events of the Holocaust in the U.S., reactions from and behavior of various sectors of society when they learned what was happening to Jews in Europe, and in what ways the American response to the Holocaust had an impact on American society during the years of the Third Reich and afterward. Any judgment of the impact that oppression of the Jews had on the U.S. must begin with a look at the oppression in Europe. The evidence of Europe is that the apparatus of oppression was built systematically and the very thinkability of the methods Nazis..

Assignment Details essay

Assignment Details essay Assignment Details essay Assignment Details essayIn the second half of this course we have explored the idea that television and new media do more than simply represent social reality; their capacity to create an aesthetic sense of â€Å"liveness,† intimacy, and/or immediacy also allows them to play a key role in constructing social reality as we know it, and shaping the norms of behavior, identity, and citizenship that define it from one culture to the next. Your task in this assignment is to write a short paper analyzing how one television show or online video can be said to perform this function- representing â€Å"reality† in a way that not only naturalizes a particular set of ideological values and beliefs, but also â€Å"governs at a distance† by creating collective social relationships and/or teaching viewers how to identify, behave, and relate to one another as fellow citizens.Further Assignment Details: All papers should respond to one of the three essay prompts below in order t o complete this analysis. However, the goal of this assignment is to further develop your skills of close formal analysis and give you practice connecting this type of analysis to the presentation of a well-formulated argument concerning concepts and ideas explored in class. Therefore, regardless of which prompt you choose, the basic requirements of the assignment will remain the same:Ÿ Essays should consist of 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages, double-spaced, with standard margins, not including footnotes and/or bibliography).Ÿ Essays should present an original thesissupported by evidence, includingdetailed formal analysis of examples and thorough explanations of relevant concepts, quotations, and ideas from readings. Your thesis should not simply repeat an argument suggested in class or readings; it should be your own idea and interpretation.Ÿ Essays should engage with at least two scholarly sources- one from assigned readings and one from an unassigned text- in a substantive wa y. They should cite these sources properly and consistently, using either MLA or Chicago style as outlined in the Hacker Somers Pocket Style Manual.Ÿ Essays should explicitly demonstrate a clear understanding of all relevant conceptual terms and stylistic conventions, defining key ideas such as â€Å"disciplinary power,† â€Å"performativity,† â€Å"liveness,† â€Å"naturalism,† and any other relevant terms by referring to readings and/or examples as needed.Ÿ Essays should be clearly written using correct grammar and spelling. Arguments should be well-organized and develop in a logical progression of ideas; style and quality count.Essay Prompts: Choose one of the following three options and respond according to the criteria laid out above.Benedict Anderson has argued that â€Å"communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined.† We read about and discussed the idea that â€Å" live† media events and more contemporary â€Å"social media† platforms help construct an experience of urban, national and/or global social existence as an â€Å"imagined community.† Write an essay that meets the guidelines laid out above and explains how one particular media event or social media platform (such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, FourSquare, Instagram, Twitter, or any other type discussed by Friedman, Doane, or Sturken) can be said to construct a particular sense of national, global, or civic social identity, informed by a specific â€Å"style† of â€Å"imagined community† that is predicated on a set of cultural and/or ideological values.Note: In order to answer this question thoroughly, you will need to do a close formal analysis of a specific scene or scenes from an actual media event, such as the half-time show of the Super Bowl or the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics, or a specific use of a social media interface. In particular, y ou will need to describe how the visual style of the broadcast or the interface uses aesthetic conventions of realism, naturalism, and/or TV liveness, etc. to create an experience of social unity. So make sure you can find video of the event or use the platform you have in mind online and watch it repeatedly. You will also need to demonstrate a basic grasp of Anderson’s concept of the â€Å"imagined community,† so you will want to read a chapter from his book on the subject. To this end, I have posted a selection from the book online under Optional Readings.Over the last few weeks we have explored the argument that reality TV programs can be understood as a â€Å"technology of governance† that shapes social norms of identity, behavior, and good citizenship in liberal democratic societies. Along the way, we explored a number of different concepts that help to explain this process- including â€Å"disciplinary power,† â€Å"governmentality,† â€Å"p erformativity,† and â€Å"environmentality,† to name a few. Write an essay that meets the requirements laid out above and explains how one particular example of â€Å"reality TV† or a specific â€Å"social media† platform (such as a YouTube) can be said to function along these lines, focusing on one of the concepts listed above to explain how and why. Once again, keep in mind that much of your evidence will come from a close formal analysis of the stylistic features that allow one particular text to function in this way (for instance, conventions of naturalism, intimacy, etc) and the particular ideological values it instills as norms in the process, so make sure you can look at your example repeatedly and discuss these aspects of it.

Immaterial Labor

Immaterial Labor Introduction Immaterial labor refers to the two aspects of labor: informational content and cultural content. Informational content are the skillful changes utilized by workers in the labor processes that occurring in the industrial and tertiary sectors while cultural content refers to all the activities that cannot be categorized normally as work but determines the cultural artistic standards, fashions, tastes and consumer traditions that shape quality of service or product.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Immaterial Labor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mass intellectuality Empirical research and theoretical reflection of the new forms of work organization led to the radical modification of the management, composition and control of the work force that have profoundly influenced the roles of intellectuals within the society. Manual labor has undergone great transformation into intellectual labor due to the demands of capitalists and self-valorization as factors of production. Intellectual labor requires workers to be subjective to the organization as the aim of modern management strategies is to make workers’ soul be part of the organization. The subjectivity of workers to the organization is the basis of achieving quality and quantity immaterial labor in production given that work is the ability to activate and manage a team of workers productively. In addition to subjectivity of workers, activity is another attribute required for optimum productivity in an organization since the heart of productivity is collective learning and innovation of new organizational functions. Subjectivity has a disadvantage of generating conflicts between various social classes within the organization because capitalist demands absolute subjectivity, which is practically impossible in the view of the competencies of the workers. The management concept of subjectivity seems to be an autocratic management a s capitalist seeks to have a communicative process that totally involves and emanates from their subjects. Immaterial Labor Immaterial labor activities entail forms of networks and flows characterized by the precariousness, hyper-exploitation, mobility and hierarchy hence its power depends on the professional and management capacities. The challenge of immaterial labor is its interface position between production and consumption, which compels it to promote both productive and social relationship through the process of subjective though it seemed to be autocratic.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The big question revolves around the independence and ability of immaterial labor to develop organizational capacities and corporate relationship. According to the economists, industries do not create new power but takes an on-board power by adaption. On contrast, immateria l labor requires new forms of work organization to be innovated through activity. The two differing views arise; one is the neoclassical analysis that tries to redefine the market problem by introducing cooperation and intensity of labor to optimize production. The other view is the system theory that conceives organization factors such as material or immaterial, individual or collective in eliminating market constrains. The immaterial labor leads to the improvement of productive cooperation in aspects of production and reproduction of communication thus enhancing the concept of subjectivity. Integration of consumption into the immaterial cycle by Fordism and subsequent integration of communication disrupts producer-consumer relationship. Conclusion In immaterial labor, informational and cultural content are the aspects that determine productivity in an organization. Harmonization and optimization of the aspects results in the expected quality and quantity of immaterial labor in pro duction. Although immaterial labor is very productive, capitalist’s demands of absolute subjectivity is an autocratic management characterized by the hyper-exploitation and generation of conflicts between different social classes within the organization.

Global Success of Gores Culture Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 122

Global Success of Gores Culture - Case Study Example The approach ensures efficiency and uniqueness in its products; hence, acting as a competitive strategy. Â  Gore has modified its core values to suit its different operations. It has made sure that the codes are employee friendly so that they can act as motivators. For example, one of the company’s core objectives is to ‘Make money and have fun’ (Hill and Jones 2013). The objective describes a culture that employees will have fun while conducting their money-making operation, leading to the success of the firm. Â  The Gore culture has four guiding principles that include commitment, freedom, waterline, and fairness. An employee should make and keep guiding commitments that will guide them in their operations. The ‘waterline ensures that employees consult other associated before making decisions that they are not a 100% sure may be rational. Freedom and fairness ensure that employees share, encourage, and assist each other in gaining more knowledge about their activities. Â  The culture also stipulates that current global competitions require firms to enhance the degree of coordination among employees in the development and production sectors (Hill and Jones 2013). Collaborative leadership and cutting-edge technology are also used as competition strategies. Firms should also adopt innovative human resources practices to ensure employee satisfaction.

Today's Youth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Today's Youth - Essay Example This includes the following: connectivity, interactivity and access (Sipe & Pantaleo, 2008). Interactivity pertains â€Å"to the dynamic, user-controlled, nonlinear, non-sequential, complex information behavior and representation in or† associated to print materials and other media (Sipe & Pantaleo, 2008, p.41). Connectivity on the other hand â€Å"refers to the sense of community or construction of social worlds† which develops from changing ideas (Sipe & Pantaleo, 2008, p.41). Access refers to the disintegrating of long-standing information barriers which creates an entrance â€Å"to a wide diversity of formerly inaccessible† opportunity and opinion (Sipe & Pantaleo, 2008, p.41). In this context, when the theory is applied to explain the behavior of the digital age youth, the following changes could be made clear: (1) changes in their perceptions (2) changes in how they analyze and learn (3) changes in the information and ideas to which they have access. Two Te xt Based Today’s youths are described to be fearless. They are not afraid in voicing out their ideas and concerns; they speak their mind (Anon., 2001). They are never tired asking questions (Anon., 2001). Stated otherwise, the youths of today are very courageous and idealistic. They are not afraid of public scrutiny. It seems that what is important for them is that they are able to express their idea and be heard by everyone. It is contended that the digital age has triggered this kind of attitude. The youths have mastered the use of many types of digital equipment which could show and relay their beliefs and ideas. Nonetheless, their being too vocal has a known disadvantage. Some would perceive their boldness as being disrespectful (Anon., 2001). The adults believe that there are topics which are ought to be discussed privately and not publicly. Nevertheless, they have not admonished the youths regarding this matter. According to Momma Hawks, the adults are afraid of the eff ects of such action (Anon., 2001). They are specifically afraid of the sanctions that the government would impose against them (Anon., 2001). To note, when the parents admonish their son or daughter, there is a possibility that their child will report such action in a negative way to a government agency. According to Connor and Crane (2008, p.155), the younger generation of today has been raised to adhere to the idea on individualism. They have been thought to think of themselves first before anything else. In this sense, they learn to disregard even the advices of the people surrounding them. Sometimes, they even defy the authority. This attitude has led some of them to be an activist. One Web-based Nigel Davies has expressed his amazement on how the youths of today adopt to new technologies. He observed that the youths use the technologies with speed and ease (Davies, 2010). Some of the youths could even â€Å"type their names long before they could write† (Davies, 2010). I t seems that they find it easy to learn the basic functions of these technologies especially computers. This is due to the fact that these new technologies are usually user-friendly. Being user-friendly means that a technology could easily be used by anyone. This presupposes that the use of such technology is founded on simple and understandable instructions. Relevance to Gramsci’s Notion on Hegemony Gramsci actually believes that hegemony is an organising principle, one that is permeated by socialisation process into every aspect of daily life

Graduate Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Graduate Career - Essay Example Serving in the ministry whether in Nigeria or in their foreign missions is okay with me but I would wish to work abroad. I am a person who likes travelling and meeting new people and this job would offer me the best chance to do that. I believe I am well suited to perform tasks in the ministry basing this on my academic credentials. I am currently pursuing a bachelor degree at Greenwich University, London in Politics and International Relations to end in 2012 and I also have a Diploma in Law acquired in 2005 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in many occasions deals with political assignments between countries (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria 2011). This is basically the role that is centred in international relations and the other part of my degree covers this fully. The ministry also acts accordingly through the understanding of international law and that of the land i.e. Nigeria. In this regard my law diploma comes in handy to offer the required background knowledge. It is important to note that this position will require me to have ample experience in international relations of which am short of. My plan in order to eliminate this gap is to apply for internship programs in related areas within the time I will be doing my degree. Hopefully it will be a foreign affairs ministry or other relevant organization. The current employment state has been plagued with institutions and organizations asking for experience from job applicants mostly ranging from 2-5 years. I therefore seem to have quite a mountainous task to clock the minimum experience requirement for the current job market. The other huge requirement lies with the need to acquaint myself with a number of languages that come in handy in the international platform like French and Spanish among others (Vsesoi?uznoe 2006). Language barrier is the biggest obstacle when dealing internationally and one needs to have knowledge of as many languages as possible. Lo oking back at the passion I have for this kind of job, I believe the task ahead is achievable with the required amount of effort and dedication. Applications are sent in their thousands to the ministry and to get an appointment one needs to have skills and experience that offer a considerable level of competitive edge. On the side of skills am planning to enrol in a law class to further my diploma in a college in London particularly to study International Law. World Vision International The world has been dogged by many challenges ranging from poverty, disease and natural disasters (Jones 2006). It is here that World Vision International comes in to alleviate people from such suffering by offering the necessary humanitarian assistance and advocacy (World Vision International 2011). In community development initiatives World Vision concentrates more on poverty and people’s welfare more so that of children. This Non-governmental Organisation is the other that I wish to join aft er my graduation. It is centred on helping the less fortunate in the society and the world at large. I am a charitable person and it is my wish to see the world being a better place through my direct efforts. World Vision in this case offers the best platform for me to exploit my knowledge and expertise in helping these kinds of people. I may wish to concentrate more on the African plight and Nigeria in particular. Helping people who are in need and enabling them to cross to some level of comfort is the

Company Overview of VEDANTA RESOURCES

Company Overview of VEDANTA RESOURCES INTRODUCTION Vedanta resources is the first Indian company to be listed in the London stock exchange in December 2003. It is an FTSE 100 metals and mining company with its headquarters located in London, UK and is Indias largest non ferrous company based on their revenues. The company is principally situated in India, although they have possessions and operations in other locations such as Zambia and Australia. Vedanta Resources is mainly invested in copper, zinc, Aluminium businesses, however the company is now adding to their portfolio by diversifying into a commercial power generation business. The group has experienced a significant growth in recent years on grounds of various expansions in projects owing to a world class resource base containing copper, zinc and Aluminium, the result of this being the acquisition of Sesa Goa in April 2007, which enabled them to penetrate into the iron ore market. Therefore the organization is actively participating in the iron ore, zinc, Aluminium and copper businesses. Vedanta has a precise vision and mission statement, vision being to be clear and committed so that they might become the market leaders in the non- ferrous market segment and their mission is to be a low cost, million-ton per annum producer, the ultimate goal however is to make the company a success, needless to say that such a mission will certainly put India on a global competitive platform, in the metals and mining segment. The company has continuously demonstrated that they are able to bring in projects that are of high significance thereby contributing unmatched growth at minimum pricing while ensuring high returns to all their shareholders. Also, the organization makes certain that they meet the high conservative standards that are set, so that unjustifiable numbers are not shown in their balance sheets. Vedanta Resources deals with a diverse portfolio of mining and metals business as they make available eminent proceeds to their shareholders even as they make sure that they are socially and environmentally accountable, as the management keeps track of their employees health and safety, community issues and of their surroundings. Several of Vedanta Resources operations are authorized by International Management Systems Standard ISO 14001, proof of it being the many awards won by the company such as Recognition of Commitment Award from the Institute of Internal Auditors, USA in 2005, Vedanta Resources being the only manufacturing company out of a total of four Indian companies to have ever received this award, not to mention the numerous safety and environment awards. To quote the chairman of Vedanta Resources, Mr.Anil Agrawal India is a fast-emerging and attractive resource destination, and we believe our strategy and business objectives will harness Indias high-quality wealth of mineral resources at low costs of development, positioning it as a leader on the global metals and mining map. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Vedanta is an emerging multinational conglomerate with many overseas operations. Its organizational structure is a complex one with many subsidiaries, governing board and a management committee. The governing board consists of executive and non executive directors. The executive board of directors consists of Mr. Anil Agarwal, Mr. Navin Agarwal and Mr. M S Metha. Mr. Anil Agarwal founded the company and is leading the company as the executive chairman. Mr. Navin Agarwal is the deputy executive chairman of Vedanta and looks after the corporate business strategy and responsible for overall performance and growth. He also heads the executive committee. Mr. M. S. Metha is the chief executive officer of Vedanta. He joined the conglomerate in the year 2000 and previously was working at Lloyds Steel Industries. The non executive board consists of Mr. Naresh Chandra, Mr. Aman Metha and Mr.Euan Macdonald. Mr. Naresh Chandra was a Padma Vibhushan award winner from the Government of India and he is an Indian Administrative Service officer. He joined the group in 2004 after holding many prestigious positions in India. Aman Metha also joined the group in 2004. Before that he was the CEO of HSBC. Euan Macdonald was the chairman of SBC Warburg India and specializes in emerging market finance. The management committee is lead by Mr. Navin Agarwal and consists of: COMMITTEE DESIGNATION TARUN JAIN PRESIDENT GROUP HUMAN RESOURCES DD JALAN WHOLE TIME DIRECTOR CEO ALUMINIUM BUSINESS MS METHA WHOLE TIME DIRECTOR BALCO P K MUKHERJEE DIRECTOR OPERATIONS KCM DILIP GOLANI COO HZL RAJAGOPAL K. KUMAR CEO COPPER ZINC BUSINESS AKHILESH JOSHI HEAD MANGT ASSURANCE FUNCTION J. JANAKARAJ CEO VEDANTA RESOURCES PRAMOD SURI CEO IRON ORE BUSINESS M SIDDIQI CFO VEDANTA RESOURCED A THIRUNAVUKKARASU DOF STERLITE Vedanta Resources plc. is the parent company with many subsidiaries operating in different sectors in different names. Vedanta has interests in five main businesses. Each business is operated by one of its subsidiary. Below is the Vedanta resources plcs group tree. Copper Business: Copper business are run and operated by Sterlite Industries (India) Limited, Konkola Copper Mines Plc and Copper Mines of Tasmania, however, Vedanta holds 53.9%, 79.4% and 100% stakes respectively and management control in the above companies. The total copper business has an annual production of 678,412 tons and generates revenue of $4,012 million. The end products are the Continuous Cast Rods and Copper Cathodes. Copper from the copper mines are smelted using ISA process, one of the worlds leading technology in copper smelting. They have the latest version of CS 3000 Distributed Control System of Yokogawa from Japan to control the entire copper smelter. Aluminium Business: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) and Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) are responsible for Aluminium business. Aluminium business has a total production capacity of 500,000 tons per annum. Vedanta has the controlling stakes of 70.5% in VAL and Sterlite, the subsidiary of Vedanta owns a stake of 51% and exercises management control. Currently the Aluminium business is under vigorous expansion and by 2012 it would become top five Aluminium producers in the world. The company produces metallurgical grade alumina and Aluminium ingots, billets and bars used for making buses. The Aluminium smelter used the advanced technical specifications of British Standard Institute (BSI). The company has bagged OHSAS 18001 certification for good health and protection standards. VAL unit has obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates for quality production and management practices. These Aluminium complexes also have integrated power plants in them. Zinc business: Zinc business is wholly owned and operated by Hindustan Zinc limited (HZL). Vedanta own 64.9% of share capital in HZL. It has an annual production of 9,64,000 tons of zinc that generates revenue of $1,782 million. HZL is the worlds integrated second largest producer of Zinc and Lead. Apart from Zinc and Lead the plant also produces Silver, Cadmium and generates power. Silver and Cadmium are obtained as a byproduct of Lead and Zinc metal respectively. The equity shares of HZL are traded at the Indian stock exchange. The metals are refined and sold according to their quality. Iron ore business: The whole iron ore business is operated by its subsidiary Sesa Goa limited. Vedanta has a controlling stake of 57.1%. The company makes iron ore, pig iron and metallurgical coke. The company has a production capacity of 21.4 million tons of iron ore fines and lumps which generates revenue of $1221.7 million. Apart from these they also sell the in-house technology for coke making. They found new technology using vibro compaction to stabilize coal before using in the furnace for firing. Sesa Goas mines have ISO status for good management standards and safety. Commercial Power Generation business: This is a new business venture for Vedanta group and is run by its subsidiaries Sterlite Energy Limited (SEL) and Madras Aluminium Company Limited (MALCO). SEL is a 100% subsidiary of Sterlite Industries Ltd. As of now the excess power from its various plants are sold. Specialized commercial power generation plants are being set up in India. By the end of 2011 the power plants would become fully operational. Two plants are being set up with a combined generation of 4380MW per year. OPERATIONS OF VEDANTA RESOURCES PLC: CORPORATE STRATEGY Since its incorporation in 1976, Vedanta has been very successful in its operations. The current turnover of company is $ 7931 million. The success can be owed to the corporate strategy of Vedanta which can be explained as follows: Organic Development: This includes developing organizations own capabilities. It is done by making using of latest technology for manufacturing processes; spreading investments over a time, venturing the scope of entry in new markets, analyzing the ability of the company to enter them and then enter into such markets. Latest Technology for Mining Smelting Operations: Vedanta has been doing it by using highly advanced technology for manufacturing and designing. This helps in reducing the production costs and thereby gaining advantage to compete in the market. For e.g. The Sesa Goas team did a detailed experimentation involving studies on the temperature profile of the oven and redesigning the refractories. Followed by the systematic plant trials, it developed energy recovery coke making, an environment-friendly technology that is characterized low capital and operating cost, high energy recovery and capable of producing high quality metallurgical coke. Implementing cost reduction techniques: Vedanta has signed long-term contracts with suppliers of raw materials. This not only reduces production costs but also accounts for the continuous availability of resources without getting affected by market fluctuations. Launching Brownfield and Greenfield Projects: These form a very important consideration for a mining industry. Brownfield projects are abandoned sites that are available for industrial or commercial reuse. The development or expansions of such land is more difficult owing to contamination by earlier use. Greenfield projects are the ones which lack any constraints imposed by prior work. There is no need to demolish or remodel the structure. Vedanta has been investing in Brownfield and Greenfield projects for expansions. A 1.4 mtpa aluminium refinery project at Lanjigarh and an aluminium smelter of capacity 500,000 tpa both in state of Orissa, India are few of the Greenfield projects launched by the company. Entry in New Market: Also the company has now ventured into Commercial Power Generation. It recognised the tremendous scope in the industry for commercial power generation, in India. It has therefore started commercial power generation plants in Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Also these plants are locates at strategic positions, mainly in the coal rich zones of India, thereby facilitating transport and easy availability of coal. Consolidation of Group Structure: As shown above, Vedanta has many subsidiaries like KCM, Sterlite Industries India Ltd, Sesa Goa Ltd etc. Although it has the Holding Stocks and management control over all these, some of the stakes are owned by private investors. Vedanta is constantly trying to buyback it stock and purchase shares of all its subsidiaries. This would help in a consolidated group structure. The main advantage of it is ease in the management decisions. Mergers and Acquisitions: Since 2004, the Vedanta Resources had only one acquisition till date by acquiring the Madras Aluminium Co Ltd. While taking stake into consideration the Vedanta resources taken over 5 companies till finalization of balance sheet for 2010. Acquisitions include Konkola Copper Mines Plc. in 2004 and part in 2009 with a total of 79.4% stake, next Sterlite Gold Ltd and Finsider International Co Ltd both in the year 2007. Moreover, the company acquired approximately 25.8% by the outstanding common shares of Sterlite Gold on a fully-diluted basis. Also the company acquired Finsider International Co Ltd. Fully from a Japanese company called Mitsui Co at around USD 981 million. In the year 2009 the company acquired 51% of Sesa Goa Ltd, Indias largest producer-exporter of Iron-Ore in the private sector at INR 4070 Crore. Now, the Vedanta Resources are planning to acquire 60% stake in Crain India Company. The Cairn India is a leading player in Oil and Gas industry in India. Moreover, Crain India is one the biggest private exploration and Production Company currently operating in India. Edinburgh based Crain Energy is holding a total of 62.37 percent stake in Crain India. According to the deal the Crain Energy will sell its stake to Vedanta Resources Plc for the deal amount of USD 9.6 billion at 405 INR per share. Successful acquisition of KCM, MALCO, Sterlite Gold Ltd and Sesa Goa has added substantial growth to the Vedanta as a whole. They are continue looking for a new growth and acquisition opportunities in the metal and mining sector and related opportunities in India and elsewhere. They are taking all these steps by keeping government privatization programmed in mind. PESTEL ANALYSIS Political Legal: As minerals are a nations wealth, the mining industry operates under the huge cloud of political and legal pressure. Mainly they are state owned or nationalized and involves a large and complicated process for licensing. The industry is very much regulated by governmental law that mainly focuses on labour and environmental factors. In the recent days, the increasing concern for environmental issues has made the government to pressurize the mining policies. Upon this the media focus is still more an added pressure for the mining industry. Even though the governments policies are mainly aimed to protect the resources but they also encourage exports by giving subsidies and encourage new technology developments. Economic: Mining is an industry that requires very high capital investment. Thus, interest rates make a major impact. Not all countries are rich in deposits of minerals; hence mining generally involves import and export of products. The exchange rates fluctuations are a dominant concern. The import taxes and international trade cycle are also important economic factors for the mining industry. Social: Being an industry that impacts the surrounding environment in areas of its operation, the support of the local community is of the most important and underlying factors for mining. Mining, though, a resource based industry, cannot be carried out in areas of high population because of the concerns that it may affect the public health. Mining has also been under the scanner of various activist groups over the recent years. The industry thus has also been attracting continuous media attention. Vedanta has been attracting a lot of media attention recently over ESG issues. Technology: The process involved in the mining industry right from the raw material transportation still export involves risky process. In those conditions the laws prevent the use of human resources that make the mining industry heavily dependent on technology. Recently the mines are using computerized machines that operates according to its program and automated conveyor belts to reach its specified destination i.e. harbor or warehouse. But still the underground mining relies mainly on human resource due to its complicated nature of mining. Environmental: Mining is an industry that affects and makes a negative impact on the environment during and after the process. Thus any mining activity has to go through a number of clearances and regulations concerning the environment. Almost all countries demand an investigation of its impact on the environment before any activity can start. PORTERS 5 FORCES ANALYSIS The following diagram gives the 5 Forces Analysis for Vedanta Resources: Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants to Vedanta is very low. This is mainly because of high capital investments required. The limited resources in mining and the costs of exploration, the various government laws, the equipment required, additional costs incurred in rehabilitation of people living at mining sites etc all make it difficult for new entrants to venture in this industry. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes also is low. This is mainly because metals are required basically for all types of manufacturing industries as an input. Even if substitution is considered, it has limited scope. Also the price/performance ratios of iron, aluminium etc is low, making the threat of substitutes even less. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The suppliers include the suppliers of raw materials required, that of equipment etc. There are very few suppliers and therefore their bargaining power is high. Also the cost of switching suppliers is high making it difficult to do so. Vedanta has entered into long term contracts with their suppliers, thus reducing the costs. It also ensures that Vedanta get supply of goods without being affected by market fluctuations. Bargaining Power of Buyers: This is low as the demand of the metals and metal products is very high. Also switching costs are high as the costumers normally have contracts with the company. Competitive Rivalry: Some of the competitors of Vedanta Group are Rio-Tinto, BHP Billiton Ltd, Grupo-Mexico, Hindalco etc. The competition is intense as every player is trying for their market share as the resources are becoming restricted and limited. SWOT ANALYSIS: A complete SWOT analysis of Vedanta Resources plc would provide a clear and unbiased strategic analysis of the companys strengths and weakness and potential opportunities and threats, this sort of analysis helps the business in understanding its partners, customers and competitors better. STRENGTHS: The strength can be determined by the fact that the company has assets that are global with respect to both scale and size; their low cost of production which makes the group competitive among its peers and the skill and experience that are incorporated in the nature of their assets is of high quality. Their recent growth in volume and the many measures that the group have taken in reducing costs has increased their cash flow considerably; The Company understands the fact that it is important to maintain a low leverage by enabling adequate liquidity and meeting all their financial obligations, possessing a strong vision, making strategic acquisitions and having an ability to think ahead. They also understand the value of their employees which is a competitive advantage as its not easily reproducible like technology and the fact that they strive for excellence has only increased their strength. WEAKNESSES: Poor brand management, not giving importance to marketing of the company, keeping silent while a swarm of people accusing the company has increased trouble for the company. Therefore, the company must make all efforts in order to correct the problem before they run out of business and need to curtail their operations. OPPORTUNITIES: The opportunities for the group are many, success in the group will allow the company to compete globally. Several efforts are made by the company with respect to expansion of the company and growth and this can be clearly seen in the group on having acquired Sesa Goa, which makes it possible for the company to penetrate through the iron ore market and by making strategic decisions, will guarantee that Vedanta Resources triumphs. THREATS: The potential threats as reported by The Independent news paper is the fact that the human rights protestors that stood outside the companys building in their avatar costumes, outshone the companys accomplishments which is a major threat to the companys image. The backing out of the Church of England; only six months after researching into the company or Aviva who is one of their backers, who voted against them in three resolutions in board meeting which they attended. Vedanta however, denies the rumors concerning the pollution of Lanjugarh, or any breach in human rights, the encroachment of land in Nyamgiri Hills in Orissa and any other accusations that have been made against the company and they continue to contest any allegations made against the group. Although the rumors are overtaking their defensive stand and is causing a serious dent to the Vedanta Groups image. (The Independent, 2010) COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: In terms of the competitive advantages for Vedanta resources Plc, Firstly, they have a mining site located where the availability of natural resources is high. Their production is done on the basis of the accessibility of the raw material. As the natural resources are highly available, the supply of the raw material and the cost of production can be low, and the cost of capital can be divided to sustain it in the current market. The raw material in the industry is nothing but the resources held by the group and as they located where there is a rich source of natural resources, not to mention the availability of cheap labour at their mining site which results in Vedanta having a low cost of production per unit leading the company to win an award for the low cost of production in year 2007. Culture of the society where there are located, is also well known by them so the adjustment to the market environment would not be an issue placing the company is a very advantageous position The company has also started their operations in power production unit. They had produced the power sufficient enough for their production and the excess production was sold out and this resulted to the investment in a power generation plant. Now they have obtained blocks for 112.2 million tons with the ministry of coal. They have signed a contract with Chhattisgarh government for the interested thermal and coal power generation plant for 1200 MW power capacity. India is fifth largest in the world for the bauxite with the reserve about of 2,600 million tones and for the coal reserves and for iron ore it is sixth. The most of the mining and smelting site for Vedanta resources are in India. This is advantageous for potential growth in the further prospective for the company. CORE COMPETENCE For Vedanta the core competence of their business strategy is developing low cost, with inexpensive skilled and educated labour. (Business Standard, 2008) In the mining industry, the high costs are to do with the investment in acquiring a mining site and costs need for production. However, Vedanta has reduced its cost of production owing to their location, which is rich in natural resources. The current production for the Aluminium is 1.4 mtpa which is planned to be increased by 6,00,000 tpa to reach is total production of 2 mtpa. The company aims at investing $ 9.8 Billion by which they will be the fifth mining company for Aluminium metal. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY In the present-day business scenario, Corporate Social responsibility (C.S.R.) and sustainability have become a very high-profile agenda in many countries and industries. Thus, due to the nature of its business, Corporate Social Responsibility is a pretty confound and complicated issue for Vedanta Resources Plc. The company has quite a mixed record on the social responsibility front. Nonetheless, the company has made certain valiant efforts to conduct their business in a socially responsible manner. Vedantas current C.S.R. agenda acknowledges the responsible management of the Environmental, Community, Health and Safety and Employee issues with respect to all of their operations. The companys Health, Safety and Environment (H.S.E) management framework administers the healthy and sound management of its operations. According to its current agenda, the company aims to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment. Efficient consumption of energy and water and use of recycled materials is one of its main motives. It has taken initiatives through its subsidiaries to fulfill its motives. Being a mining company, the health and safety of its employees and the community is a core concern for Vedanta. The company has a Health and Safety management framework and policies in place, which aim to ensure a risk-free environment for its employees. Vedanta has also taken efforts to support and enhance the local community in the areas of their operations. Sterlite Foundation is financial ly supported by the group, which provides free computer training to the young under-privileged people. The company has also made several contributions and donations to the community. For example being the donation of US$1.1 million to the Rajasthan drought relief fund, through its subsidiary H.Z.L. Despite making certain efforts to conduct its business in a socially responsible manner, Vedanta has been engulfed in a web of allegations concerning this issue over the last few years. The company has been under immense criticism for having a poor human rights and environmental record by various activist groups and authorities. A human rights group called Amnesty International, has criticized and raised the issue of ill treatment of the local tribal people by Vedanta in the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa, India. Various other activist groups have also accused Vedanta and its subsidiaries of threatening the livelihood of the community residing in and around the areas of its mines. This also led to recent public demonstrations and protest against the company worldwide. However, the company has maintained a stance that, it would act in a responsible manner and that the proposed project will only enhance the community as a whole in the particular area. Vedantas Alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa, India, has also been critiqued by the State Pollution Control board in India for air and water pollution. Amnesty International has accused Vedanta of failing to curb the impact created by its refinery of air pollution on the local community. The company is also facing investigations and charges regarding pollution because of its project in Armenia. This is another issue that has been raised by various activist groups. The company has also failed to maintain a clear health and safety record recently. Separate incidents have darned its reputation concerning safety efforts. An under construction chimney at its smelter in Chhattisgarh, India collapsed causing death of more than 40 workers and employees. The company has also been accused of safety negligence as its unsafe mining operations have led to deaths of more than 25 workers and employees and injuries to hundreds of others in 2007. The controversies, poor human rights and environmental allegations have caused a lot of socially responsible investors to divest from the company. After protests by Survival International a human rights group regarding the Orrisa issue, the Church of England sold its stake worth 3.75 million pounds in Vedanta resources on the basis of ethical grounds. The Church stated that we are not satisfied that Vedanta has shown, or is likely in future to show, the level of respect for human rights and local communities that we expect of companies in whom the Church investing bodies hold shares, The Scottish investment firm Martin Carrie Investments also sold its stake worth more than 2 million pounds following protest from activist groups. Other responsible investors like the Swedish Government, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Dutch investment firm PGGM and a few others have joined the bandwagon of disinvesting from the company following its poor recent social record. The BP Pension fund has also reduced its share following similar concerns. The UK and Norwegian governments have also condemned the company. The disinvestment by shareholders has been a major concern for Vedanta as it certainly threatens to affect its growth. On 24th August 2010, the Indian government blocked the companys proposal for a new mine in India alleging Vedanta of having a poor human rights and environmental record. Indias Environment minister stated, There is no emotion, no politics, no prejudice I have taken the decision in a purely legal approach, that these laws are being violated. This has been a major blow for Vedanta as it was planning to invest more than 5 billion pounds in the Niyamgiri project. The company has also been alleged of charges of bribery in Chennai, India for the reopening of a factory that was shut down due to a major accident. Sterlite, a subsidiary of Vedanta was slapped with tax notice of more than 44 million pounds by the India Excise department in 2010 while a few other legal violations have also tarnished the companys image. All the recent allegations and controversies in the recent times resulted in a negative image for the company. Its stock rose tremendously by more than 200% from April 2009 to April 2010 but after the recent allegations and concerns over disinvestment by investors, the stock has been a sharp decline. Thus, the issue of corporate social responsibility has certainly made an impact on its growth recently and could also be a cause of concern if the company does not adopt new strategies to improve its CSR record. Vedanta must revive its CSR agenda to clarify investor concerns. The company has however claimed that it aims resolve all the issues regarding the allegations and aim to enrich and empower the community wherever they operate. Projects Under Scrutiny Lanjigarh Bauxite Mine Lanjigarh Smelter Chhattisgarh Chimney Collapse Chennai Factory Source: CONCLUSION: In conclusion Vedanta Resources is Indias largest non-ferrous metal and mining company based on revenue. This FTSE-100 company has a strong balance sheet with cash and liquid investment of $7.2 billion and has cash in excess of $7.0 billion. Moreover, its the only Indian manufacturing company listed at London Stock Exchange. They are working with workforce of 30,000. The analysis shown above certainly explains the success of Vedanta Resources in mining industry. This success can be hugely owed to its corporate strategy. However there are still some glitches in the strategy. This is evident by the SWOT analysis, so also the effects on its business as an aftermath of its weak corporate social responsibility. Therefore it is evident that their current corporate strategy is not sustainable. Although due consideration has been given in asset optimization, reducing costs and thereby gaining profits; Vedanta has not given due consideration to the threat posed by its competitors. If any of the competitors enter India, for mining then Vedanta would not be able to survive. Moreover their corporate social responsibility has been lacking; this has severely affected their Brand-name, a very important factor in todays market. It has also resulted in decreased market share and withdrawal from many of their investors like Church of England. Therefore certain cha nges have to be made in their current corporate strategy. First of all, the company should give due consideration to its Social Responsibility, it should provide rehabilitation facilities to people, who have lost their lands due to mining activities. It should provide safety and security measures for their workers. It should also come with policies that are in accordance with the human right and environment. All this would add up with Brand Image of the company. It should try to improve relations with Indian governm

Brainwash Training in the Army :: Personal Narrative Writing

Brainwash Training in the Army I never would have imagined I would leave the Army brainwashed. Everyone has the preconception that basic training would be kind of hard and that you would leave in shape. Everyone finds boot camp challenging, and the reward you get for completing it? You leave a brainwashed killer. I joined the Army National Guard while I was a senior in high school. I was tired of Bristol and my unfulfilling life in Tennessee. I could not wait to leave and go far away from home and see what other places had to offer. In August I left for Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, a basic training post. There were a five or six of us that left from Knoxville by van to get there. We arrived around midnight. As soon as we stepped out of the van we were ushered into a room like cattle. There was already over a hundred people sitting elbow-to-elbow on the floor. This room was extremely small and overcrowded, but I managed to wedge myself between two people. Someone was standing behind a counter telling that we could not have weapons, drugs, pornographic material, and things for gambling with. After that, the people in charge, drills sergeants started yelling at us and telling us to get up and run out of the building. They ran us to another building. This building had our beds in it. We were told to go upstairs, put our things on the bunks, and come back down. The drill sergeants said that we had one minute to accomplish this and that fifteen seconds of it had passed. All of us darted up the stairs, knocking each other down, trying to make it back down in time. All of us arrived back down stairs to the screaming of drill sergeants. They were saying, "Front leaning rest position move". Once the drill sergeants saw me they got really angry. I was just standing there because I did not know what front leaning rest position was. One of the drill sergeants came over and began to verbally assault me, yelling, "Are you deaf? I said, FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE!" I told him I did not know what that was. He replied that it was the push-up position in a very unfriendly manner. He said it was all right that I did not know what that meant, because I was another dumb inbred from Tennessee.

Conflict Reflection

University What makes an effective, moral, and efficient leader? Over the last several years in the workforce I have tried to learn what it takes to have strong leadership in the workforce. The way I see it leadership is made of many different parts which have been taken from many different areas. Things such as reading, training, and various programs that we have taken part in while in the workforce that are meant to enhance our leadership capabilities.Leadership from my perspective is made up of any different things such as being open minded, how we work and interact with others, being open to lifelong learning from any meaner, being a collaborator, having vision, and you must be willing to take risks when necessary. I have been working hard to become a better leader and feel like I make more and more progress all the time. I have learned that a key part of this is how you work with others. I have also learned that a definite key to to success it having characteristics such as inte grity, education, knowledge, skill, and determination.I am still learning and want to learn and improve more every day. Introduction: While preparing to do this paper I used a few different sources to complete the research that allowed me to complete this paper. I first read the text from the course, which lead me to the web sites kissers. Com and outfielders. Com/big five. I was able to take the information from these three sources to make a pretty accurate assessment of my leadership style, my strengths, and of my weakness. This information will help me to better understand and make a plan for me to become a better leader for the future.Test Result Kissers Style Sorter: When took the personality on the Kerrey website, my personality type was labeled as n idealist. I was not really sure that I agreed with this until I really sat down and read the assessment. When I reflected on what I though this meant I was not sure that this was a good or bad thing. I really though that this was not necessarily a good thing and was really beginning to doubt my abilities as a leader. After reading the assessment I realized that this was much more me that I ever really thought it could be.I believe that being an idealist can be considered and amazing strength. Being an idealist shows that I not only strive to develop myself but that I strive to be the best that I can be. In striving to be the best this also meaner wanting to help others. Others, and they want to help them reach their full potential in many area such as learning, counseling, social services, personal work, Journalism, helping others find their way, and helping them to reach their maximum potential. Idealists are also very ethical. In today's business environment all to often ethics continue to be an issue.It is very hard sometimes to determine the difference between right and wrong and choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. Idealists' still find a way to hold themselves to the highest standard of persona l integrity. Idealists are also very kind people who show love and good will to most all people. They believe in being warm and giving to others, this leads to good friendly and loving relationships. They are one of the smallest populations and a very rare group only making up 15 to 20 percent of the population.Big Five Personality Test When I took the Big Five Personality Test, one of the strengths that I found was in the area of conscientiousness. When I scored a 78 in this area and was very proud of that. There are many things that I would love to say that I have strengths in, and this is definitely one of them. I would to think that I and reliable and self-disciplined and this assessment showed me that I truly am. As I went through these assessments I realized that there are many areas that I could use some growth in.I will not say that I was not shocked by some of them but seeing as how I answered the questions very honestly I figure that they must be pretty honest results. I r eally had in some of the areas sort off hard pill to swallow but I have done so and hope to use forward and use this to my advantage. On the Big Five assessment the score showed I was extremely closed minded, and his came as a shock to me. I always considered myself to be a person who was open to new ideas and new experiences. I now can see with the way that answered these questions that that must not be the case.I now know that I need to start looking at things and thinking about them before I make a final decision. I need to learn that I should not Just have the attitude that it is my ideas or my way or nothing. This attitude can be a big turn of to all of those who I work with, whether they are above or below me. I also was truly shocked to find out that this assessment show me to be an introvert. I had always considered myself to be an extrovert, this is the third time I have taken an assessment that has show me to be Just the opposite.This is something that I definitely need to work on and I am not even sure how to fix it, as I don't really see it. I guess how I can grow in this and the previous area is Just to sit down and talk frankly with those that I work with. I can pose the issue to them and assure them that I would like them to address this subject freely so that I am able to correct the issue and move forward. If I do not find away to address and correct these issues it will have a great impact n how effective that I am in my Job. If people think that I am closed minded and introverted they will never want to approach me.If I people perceive me to be unapproachable and closed off this could lead to issues that need to be address being put on the back burner. This could lead too lack of productivity and an unhealthy work environment. Overall I found these results to be shocking. Some of the areas on the assessment ultimately I am happy with the results because I may have otherwise never seen where these weaknesses lie. This helped me to see that I have both strengths and knees and how I can impact both sides for the positive.

Giselle essays

Giselle essays Giselle is a romantic ballet which displays multiple aspects of youth love: joy, deception and sorrow. Giselle, a weak hearted, innocent, village maiden, is sought after by Hilarion, a gamekeeper, and Count Albrecht whose affection for Giselle has led him to disguise himself as a village peasant. Despite the ballets romantic style origins, it still possesses a number of classical elements and techniques. The scene is set so that Giselles cottage is on the left side of the stage, and the forest hut on the right. Both Hilarion and Albrecht display their affection by standing outside of Giselles cottage, tempted to call her out. At last, Giselle comes out and notices Albrecht, disguised as Loys. Albrecht strips himself of his royal garments and dresses as a peasant. Giselle and Albrecht parade around the stage performing the same moves together rather than having the male, Albrecht, support Giselle through her moves. The convention of repetition is present as they perform the s ame short, small skips with simple footwork which takes them from the back of the stage towards the front while holding each others hands. Her innocence is displayed through the petite, light skips she performs which take her across the stage. Her moves are graceful, performing spins which allow her to smoothly glide from one end of the stage to the other. Midway through the first act, Giselles peasant friends arrive. Giselles mother comes out of the cottage to warn her against dancing. A hunting party which consisted of Duke of Corland and his daughter Bathilde, who was engaged to Albrecht. Both are wearing extravagant red garments which exemplifies their aristocracy and power over the casually dressed peasants. A grands pas de deux was performed by two peasants for the party. The dance incorporated a number of spins by the female as she was being supported by the male dancer. The male dancers solo parts ...

The Crucible Essay Example

The Crucible Essay Example The Crucible Essay The Crucible Essay Essay Topic: The Crucible Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in response to the red scare of the 1950s, in which he was was condemned for disrespect disapproval of the United States Congress for being unsuccessful in naming numerous individuals who had attended meetings with him. In a bid to not only secure his career as a Journalist play writer and also to alert the American people against the government misinformation propaganda that were headed their way. The characters in the play are faced with the same tragedies sentences that befell people during the McCarthyism trials; he ses the Salem Witch Trials as a metaphor to draw national attention towards the doings and executioners of the McCarthyism propaganda. Arthur Miller uses allegory in his play, The Crucible, to show the similarities between the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare. During the McCarthy era, freedom was a very important aspect in life; during the Salem witch trials, religion was a very important aspect of life. In both of these events, people are frightened. The Red Scare led to many people fearing others, thinking everyone was a Communist. In the Salem witch trials, itchcraft is threatening the village. Miller also wanted to show the similarity between both corrupt courts in these two events. In the Salem witch trials, all substantial evidence is through out of the window, and everything that supports witchcraft is valid. Much is the same with the Red Scare court system. The obvious connections between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy era are illustrated throughout The Crucible, and one could argue Miller wrote the play to help Americans realize the wrong in accusing others without evidence. During both the itch trials and the chaos in the 1950s, innocent people were blacklisted, trivial actions became suspicious, and humans allowed their fear to run their actions. Miller ahs portrayed John as having tried the reasoned, co-operative approach and, this having failed, Johns desperate resort to open defiance to his understandable response to the sudden heightening of the stakes. However, some of the pauses in the scene also play on the emotions of the characters. When Cheever discovers a needle in the poppet that is in the Proctor household, he becomes wide-eyed. He then explains what had happened to Abigail earlier that day, John, infuriated, immediately turns to Hale asking if youre takin this for proof. Hales silence, struck by the proof, confirms that Elizabeth is now in his view guilty. Another example of how pauses mean something is just after Hale has asked John to recite his commandments, John either deliberately or accidentally forgets the commandment about adultery. The ambiguous smile, full of misgivings, with which Hale reacts to this slip, heightens the tension in the conversation, and reminds the audience that John and Elizabeth are in real trouble. The language of the characters is also characterised by a steady build-up of tension. On some occasions, the words used by a character are said just out of anger, whereas on other occasions, the characters give considered replies. A good example of a shrewd talker is Giles, as his arguments in favour of releasing his wife and the other accused women are fairly persuasive and clever. At one point, Giles tries to make Cheever feel bad about what he is doing: an honest tailor might have gone to Heaven must burn in Hell. This language causes the audience to feel real pity for Giles and commiserate with him. The timing and pace in this scene are mostly fast but sometimes quite slow. During the conversation between John, Elizabeth and Hale, the pace of the conversation is quite slow, as John and Elizabeth answer Hales questions and try to remain calm, whereas in the conversation between Cheever, Hale, Herrick and John, the pace is much faster. This is mainly because they are interrupting each other and disagreeing with various statements said, the conversation quickly becoming very heated. This makes for good drama, as the audience will want to see what happens next between these characters and how far John will go as the tension escalates. The two outstanding examples of the use of timing in this scene are Hales entrance, when suddenly as though by air, a figure appears by the doorway. The audience will inevitably wonder he has been standing there, as will John and Elizabeth. The other is the sudden arrival of Cheever to arrest Elizabeth: Enter Ezekiel Cheever. A shocked silence. The timing of Cheevers entrance is a turning point as up to this point, all disputes have been discussed in a civil way. But, at the same time, a lot of tension and anxiety must be going through Proctors head, so when Cheever and Herrick enter the conversation, it begins to get heated, as Proctor begins to lose his nerve, shout and get very angry with anything said about Elizabeth. There are a few moments of significant impact in this scene. Firstly, Hale has been told about why all the people have confessed to witchcraft, and this proves a quite major turning point as, Hale now begins to understand the peoples point of view. The reader would see that deep down, Hale knows that these people are most probably innocent: It is his own suspicion, but, he doesnt want to go against the court, so he has to put up an argument. Later, John makes Hale realise what is happening when he inquires about why Abigail is considered to be innocent: Is the accuser always holy now? The significance of this scene to the play as a whole is, that within this scene, people like Giles and Francis now want to go to Salem, to try to get the charges against their wives dropped. However, John Proctor at the beginning of the scene was very hesitant about going to Salem, but, now he willing to go to almost any lengths to free his wife. As a result, the details of his adultery get out. The Crucible Essay Example The Crucible Essay The Crucible Essay Essay Topic: The Crucible Arthur Miller wrote ‘The Crucible’ in 1953, during the McCarthy era, when there was an insane drive against supposedly ‘pro-communist’ people3. This was called The Red Scare, or McCarthyism3.   Many of Millers’ friends were blacklisted, and accused of harboring communist beliefs, and being a threat to the national security. In fact, Miller himself was charged guilty by the ‘House of Un-American Activities Committee3.’ The verdict was later reversed in 19573. Many, fearing the rage of the US Congress and courts gave in names to the Committee in order to save themselves from public humiliation. The play was first acted out on Broadway, at the Martin Beck4. It received great reviews, and became an immediate box-office success. Miller wrote the play in response to the then political scenario and ‘The Red Scare;’ political ire was obvious.‘The Crucible,’ based on a true event is set in the late 17th century village of Salem, Massachusetts, when after accusations by a few young girls; there was a widespread hunt for witches – who obviously, did not exist. Many innocent villagers were hanged on charges of witchcraft, because of baseless allegations made by a few girls. Even though it is based on true events, there are some changes which Miller made. The play was adapted on screen many times, mostly on TV and documentaries. There have been two movie adaptations. One in 1956, called â€Å"Les Sorcià ¨res de Salem,† and one in 1996, called â€Å"The Crucible3.† The main character of the crucible, John Proctor is an honest, upright, simple villager, except, that he has sinned. He has an affair with a minister’s niece, Abigail. Abigail is the girl who begins convicting others of witchcraft. Proctor, not knowing what to do, decides to stay out of the matters of the court, fearing that Abigail would ruin his good name, by telling of their affair if he exposed her3.Soon Abig ail holds his wife guilty of being a witch. This is when Proctor decides to stand for his beliefs. Being brought up in a staunch Puritanical society, we see how difficult it is for John to convince the court of the innocence of the ‘purported’ witches. Proctor, in order to save his wife, discloses his secret affair and is himself condemned as â€Å"The Devil’s man.† The Salem witch trials continue, until one of the girls, Mary Warren (servant of the proctors, and one of the girls accusing others) begins to see her evil doings, and decides to confess, and acknowledges that the group is lying. Proctor is eventually hanged, but leaves an indelible mark in the small town of Salem. He stood for honesty, integrity, and truth. Many parallels can be drawn between 1692, when this incident actually happened, and the 1950’s. Both represent different eras of American History, with different political satires. At that time, in Salem, most people held on to relig ion silently without raising controversial questions. The general society was quiet, religious and superstitious, which is how the girls were easily able to convince the court and the judges that there were witches in the village.The judges too believed the allegations, without further inquiry. In the 1950’s, the McCarthy and his collaborators held many innocent people responsible for being communists, with inadequate evidence. Both were very different times, in terms of religion, technological advancement, education and human rights, yet the underlying foundation of the events of the two periods of American history is the same false allegations. In both times, people were accusing each other to save their own skin. The two times also show how destructive rigid philosophical views can be. The movie adaptation though, did not impress all critics. Some believe that the movie was not powerful enough. â€Å"What was no doubt a powerful and emotive effort in the 1950s, when it w as written as a scathing critique of Senator McCarthys crusade against supposed communist sympathizers, falls flat in the 90s1.†Generally though, it received great acclaim and appreciation. The Crucible can also be compared to another movie called â€Å"Guilty by Suspicion.5† Made in 1991, this film deals with the rising tide of McCarthyism in the early 1950’s5. It is about a director, who returns to America to find it a changed place. He is not allowed to direct, unless he shows his colleagues to be Communists5.Arthur Miller’s play has made its place in Literature and History, and continues to be read widely. Many characters in â€Å"The Crucible,† like John and Elizabeth Proctor, Judge Danforth, and Abigail Williams did actually exist, and were a part of the Salem Witch trials, but were different from their counterparts depicted in the play, and the movie3. For example, in the play, John Proctor is a farmer in his thirties or forties, and Abigail is seventeen, and two have an affair3. Many events are triggered by this affair. The real Proctor though, was quite old, while Abigail was only eleven, and there is no evidence of any relationship between them3. Miller took great liberties in plotting the story in a most captivating manner, and so, many of the characters are works of fiction.As Miller said, The play is not reportage of any kind†¦what I was doing was writing a fictional story about an important theme3. After 9/11, America is again in the grip of fear. Critics have opinions from both sides. But it is indeed a fact, that many who are being convicted are innocent, and should not be held guilty without substantial proof. History has taught us priceless lessons, of due justice and equality, but mostly, we see they are conveniently ignored. From the two aforementioned eras of American History, we have learned not to point fingers at others, and become more tolerant and accepting. But much as we may want to ignore it, there does exist a silent â€Å"Salem,† in America even in the 21st century.

Effects on Saudi Arabia due to the events of the winter of 2010-2011 Research Paper

Effects on Saudi Arabia due to the events of the winter of 2010-2011 - Research Paper Example Saudi allies have fallen out of power in recent months, including former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia responded quickly by distributing about $36 billion in state funds to youth throughout the country, hoping that money would satisfy any lurking desire to follow the examples of other Arab populations. The result, however, of the Arab uprisings has affected the population of Saudi Arabia, as demands for reform are being offered to the government while protests are emerging for different causes but with small turnouts. The list of demands includes lower taxes, better support for those unable to work, a solution to unemployment rates, higher minimum wages, and a cancellation of some restrictions on women (Bar’el). However, this is hardly radical, as this list calls for only a brief number of economic changes and very little social reform, even concerning women. What it lacks is any demand for governmental reform, regime change, civil liberties, or religious freedom. When compared to the revolutions of other Arab states, the issues in Saudi Arabia are of an entirely different nature. These demonstrations, however, have already been met with a violent response, urging them into the same categories of neighboring movements. Human Rights Watch claims that over 160 dissidents have been locked up since February. Protests were not limited to the usual Sunni Muslim citizens of Saudi Arabia, but also consisted of separate movements by Shia members of society who were speaking out against religious intolerance and the imprisonment of peaceful activists. As if reaffirming what the Shia Muslims were protesting, Saudi police made arrests in April that included a prominent intellectual leader of the Shia sect, Al-Saeed al-Majid. (HRW) The Saudi government has been forced into a position of vigilance, as it intends to swift put down any attempt to destabilize the country. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, a top Muslim authority with close ties to the Saudi royal family, decried the uprisings as â€Å"chaotic acts† that â€Å"have come from the enemies of Islam and those who serve them†. (Saudi) This statement may refer to Western powers, although Saudi Arabia usually depends on the American military for security on its borders and throughout the region—especially in the Gulf. The Gulf itself is in many ways entirely separate from the greater Arab world in that it tends to look inward rather than out. While Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt all have been concerned with their own neighbors as well as what is happening within their borders, Saudi Arabia looks across the Gulf to Iran, a rising Persian Shia power that is the antithesis of the Arab Sunni monarchy in the Arabian Peninsula. The Grand Mufti’s quote may indeed be referring to Iran and the Shia sect as the enemies of Islam, thus supporting Saudi crackdown on Shia protests. Saudi Arabia has taken specific action outside its borders, and has arguably put more focus into its foreign policy over its domestic policy in reaction to the regional uprisings. Saudi Arabia’s neighbor, Bahrain, is a Sunni monarchy as well, but rules over a Shia Muslim majority. In Bahrain, the government faced a grave threat as its citizens sought to uproot the monarchy, and the Saudi