How Does Groupthink Affect Decision Making in an Organasation Essay

Colman(2001) in a dictionary of psychology defines groupthink as â€Å" a collective pattern of defensive avoidance , characteristic of a group decision making in organisations in which group members develop rationalisations in supporting illusions of their own infallibility and invulnerability within the organisation . †p. 318. It entails that there is more of concurrence than critical thinking when making decisions in an organisation. This article will discuss how groupthink can affect decision making in an organisation such as school, political party and airtel (Business Company). Groupthink can cause poor performance or even failure to achieve the organisations objectives. Its tendency of seeking concurrence can for example make a wrong decision triumph (Shepherd, 1964). For instance, a cafeteria committee can change the supplier of food stuffs. If the group does not objectively consider the decision may end up selecting poor food stuffs that may be unhealthy to the students. Coon and Mitterer (2007) state that the urge to make such decisions may arise from the need to maintain others approval even at the cost of critical thinking. In apolitical party groupthink results in poor allocation of resources. For example, parties spend a great deal of resources of University Party Wings at the expense of the grassroots electorate. It a phenomenon that protectors of their group do not scrutinise critically but merely sustains the tradition due to failure to see other alternatives that could be available. Groupthink creates failed systems in organisations (Harvard business School, Online). Institutions are likely to repeat or continue of ineffective projects. Members of a group converge their opinions without objective analysis (Brown, 1965). This results in no consultations as outer groups are seen as enemies. They also feel to be infallible. A failed system is thus likely to emerge due to groupthink. For instance, airtel introduced some irrelevant airtime bundles which they had to reverse after some time because they discovered that they made two identical bundles. In a school as an institution, a possible example of how groupthink can affect decision making is that some students in class may yield to groupthink. Teachers have to note the enormous ability of students to influence others in decisions. Through groupthink learners might agree on a wrong decision or force others to agree (Gage, 1995). Learners may thus fail to grasp the intended learning outcomes. Groupthink also affects decision making in organisations in the way that solutions that are initially presented by most members are never re-examined to seek out less obvious shortfalls and strengths. They even fail examine those original points that were supported by the majority. This leads to decisions that result in costly mistakes. For example, there could be an element of groupthink in primary schools who force learners to pay money to access the free primary education. The teachers claim that the money is for the salary for watchmen among other claims, yet it is clear that that is the duty of government. The results in such primary schools has been increased abscondment let alone drop outs. Similarly, some primary school committees have decided to compel learners to be fetching firewood for the as School Feeding Programme. This costs students time and the rationality of the decision is questionable. The other way in which groupthink affects decision making in organisation is that decisions are centre around the control of one person usually a leader who protects the group from adverse information that might undermine the existing complacency. Direct pressure is also mounted on any member who might hold dissenting views on consensus opinion (Colman, 2001; Weiten, 2007). This automatically rules out comfortable participation from members there by compromising the credibility of an rganisation’s decisions. This in turn blocks communication flow which is vital in any organisation. For example, in Political Parties such tendencies lead to divisions manifested in emergency of mutinies such as that of United Democrat Front earlier this year when others went on with the Convention while other shunned it. In conclusion, groups are supposedly thought to have high likelihood of making brilliant decisions yet this is not always the case (Cartwright and Zander, 1968 cited in Levine and Moreland, 1995). It has been found that groupthink can affect the decision making in organisations that lead to poor decisions. Costy mistakes are made, objectives are not effectively achieved and groups fail to change a failing policy. Whyte (1989) points out that the wish for unanimity overrides members motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Thus, it can be argued generally that the effect of groupthink in organisation decision making is that it declines the quality of decisions tha t compromise the ambitions, efficiency and productivity of an organisation.

Edgar Allen Poe Alcohol’

Sam Doueiri Edgar Allan Poe and substance abuse The Bottled Curse Edgar Allan Poe was one of America’s most celebrated poet and story teller. His life started early with misfortune. Both of his parents were already dead, when Edgar was 3 years old. His father died of tuberculosis and his mother died of tuberculosis and pneumonia. He was adopted and attended school until he was 17 years old. He started the abuse of alcohol with 17 and he started gambling.As his adopting father figured out, he stopped all financial supports of his adopted son. Edgar had to leave the University and he enlisted in the U. S. military, and later obtained a military school. Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from the military school after one year attending. During his time in this school he published his first poetry book. Over the years Poe established a reputation as a writer. Drinking remained a lifelong problem. Edgar adopted a lifestyle which included a constant abuse of alcohol.Although writing brou ght him fame, he had to struggle through his whole life with financial issues. Because of the leaking copyright protection to his time, he never was financially rewarded for his excellent masterpieces of poetry and literature. Therefore he struggled through his whole life with money issues. Throughout most of his writings Edgar Allan Poe mentions the abuse of alcohol â€Å"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these fits of absolute unconsciousness I drank †¦ God only knows how often or how much.As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink rather than the drink to the insanity. † Courtney JF: â€Å"Addiction and Edgar Ellen Poe† Med Times 1972; 100:162-163. He started in a young age with the excessive abuse of alcohol, as a classmate recalled: â€Å"He would always seize the tempting glass, generally unmixed with sugar or water- in fact, perfectly straight- and without the least apparent pleasure, swallow the cont ents, never pausing until the last drop had passed his lips. Bonaparte M: â€Å"The Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe†, Imago Pub, London 1949:31-32 Alcohol appears frequently in Poe’s stories, usually connected to some following violent act or event: † One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fiber of my frame.I took from my waistcoat-pocket a penknife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket†¦. When reason returned with the morning- when I had slept off the fumes of the night’s debauchery-I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched. I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed. † Poe’s â€Å"The Black Cat† www. heliterature network. com pages 2-5. In conclusion, Alcohol abuse became a part of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, it affected his writings his perception and his creativity. He went into almost a â€Å"Dark Side† in his life and gave little windows of his mind through his literature. It seems almost as if the Alcohol took overhand and had finally a body of mind, from which on the Alcohol himself and parts of Poe’s personality were writing in between two different worlds, the â€Å"Dark side† and the â€Å"pure and innocent side† of life.His way of writing very â€Å" Dark† finds an interesting base of making the reader being curious what will happen next. It is† miserable† itself what makes the reader keep reading. Courtney JF: â€Å"Addiction and Edgar Ellen Poe† Med Times 1972; 100:162-163. Bonaparte M: â€Å"The Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe†, Imago Pub, London 1949:31-32 Poe’s â€Å"The Black Cat† www. theliterature network. com pages 2-5.

MPH503 - Infertility and Public Health Module 3 - SLP Essay

MPH503 - Infertility and Public Health Module 3 - SLP - Essay Example elated agencies and other private or public organizations, are working hand in hand to provide appropriate infertility treatment services to those who are identified as suitable recipients to respond to the increasing demand and need of such services; of course, putting emphasis on the existing state policies. Texas is one of the states which mandate the provision of infertility insurance and services for the identified recipients. The existing policies regarding infertility and the provision of treatment services are covered by the Health Coverage of the Health Insurance and Other Health Coverages section of the Texas Insurance Code. According to Section 1366.001, these services are identified and must be provided by (1) an insurer, (2) a group hospital service corporation which provides nonprofit hospital services plan, (3) health maintenance organizations or HMOs, and (4) an employer, multiple employers, union, association, trustee, or other self-funded or self-insured welfare or benefit plan, program, or arrangement (â€Å"Insurance Code,† n.d.). The state insurance commissioner, furthermore, dictates the application of the enacted laws contained in the specific legislative statutes. These particular statutes necessitate the organizations mentioned above as well as the state commissioner to offer coverage of in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, one of the assisted reproductive technologies (ART), to those under the group health benefit plan who are considered infertile, whether it be the employee who owns the plan or his/her spouse. In case the offer is rejected by the supposed recipients, the issuer of the services must ensure to put the refusal into writing. The institutions who are affiliated with any religious denomination are also not forced to offer such services especially if conflicting principles exist. Despite the use of these services in several states such as California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York among others, the issue regarding

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

History - Essay Example nce and Technology were taking place, there were a lot many uncertainties pertaining to the stability and political administration of various kingdoms across Europe. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that progress and prosperity came to a halt, if not a decline, during this period primarily due to rampant warfare, theological uncertainty and natural calamities. The Great Famine of the early fourteenth century and the subsequent Black Death (the mysterious epidemic breakout) nearly reduced the European population by one thirds. Given the backdrop of this catastrophe, one can understand the stagnation of fine arts; as at this time basic survival proved a challenging proposition in itself. Other contributors to a general social unrest during this era included collective rebellion of the peasants, witnessed especially in France and England. The other conflict on a larger scale was the notorious Hundred Years’ War. But the most destabilizing event during the period was the decline in authority of the Catholic Church, due primarily to internal disagreements between different denominations. Hence, the Late Middle Ages were a period of chaos, confusion and listless in many aspects. Yet, much of Europe had endured these tough times and had managed to keep the uniqueness of its civilization intact, till the advent of Renaissance, wherein the dormancy of European culture gave way to a new blooming. What prevented Europe from sinking into the abyss of the Dark Ages that was suffered by kingdoms in the Mediterranean, was the continued progress seen within the faculties of arts and sciences, albeit at a less vigorous pace. The most critical element of the artistic preservation and improvement during this era came in the form of a revival in ancient historical texts, especially the ones left behind by the Great Roman Empire. In effect, the founding principles of the Renaissance are to be found within this historical framework. While resources were being made

Compare the domestic reform goals of Kennedy and Johnson Essay

Compare the domestic reform goals of Kennedy and Johnson - Essay Example For this reason, much of the new frontier promises that included urban renewal, federal aid to education, and government-funded health care, could not be realized during his time in office. Nevertheless, JFK managed to raise the minimum wage and establish a domestic program that sent volunteer professionals to Third World countries (Spiller 284). In addition, JFK threw his influence behind an environmental campaign that precipitated the passage of regulatory acts regarding clean air and water. The campaigned encouraged the federal government investment in environmental issues for the sake of continuity and preservation. With limited success of reforms at the home front, the JFK administration assumed an active and aggressive approach to handle the ever-expanding communism. This justifies the government’s establishment of the Peace Corps to limit communist involvement in Third World countries. Moreover, Kennedy hoped to revive diplomatic relations under such initiatives while s upporting the expansion of the military capacity and presence in US interest areas. During his time in office, Kennedy was faced with major failures in his stand against communist expansion, which are highlighted by the Bay of Pigs invasion (Cuba), construction of the Berlin Wall, and involvement in Vietnam. All the while, the civil rights movement that was established in the late 1950s mostly in the southern states heightened the call for social reforms. The movement was characterized by non-violent means of conflict resolution, where protestors fought for their course through peaceful means. To address their plight, the civil rights commission presents undisputable facts that indicated substantial disparities at the time, which favored individuals by their race and gender. This particularly applied to African-Americans whose life expectancy was placed 7 years less than that of white Americans, due their value of life. Infant mortality among African-American was twice as greater th at of whites and their living conditions were poor due to pre-existing inequalities. African-Americans were considered inferior in a way and were not treated as equals to the rest of society. The president took it to himself to express his concern on this issues and the need to address them, but was assassinated before he could actualize the passing of the civil rights bill. Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy’s vice president, took over office facing enormous pressure for reforms domestically and on foreign policies. Although the two had similar visions for the country, President Johnson held the capacity to implement reforms based on the new frontier proposal. This is attributed to his belief in active use of power and the effective sail of the national trauma following the death of President Kennedy. Johnson’s background is indicated as his motivation for social and economic reforms, which provided a unique opportunity to establish reforms labeled the Great Society. Even though he had previously objected to a similar bill, Johnson saw the need to push the 1964 civil rights act, in a bid to improve the living standards of the African-Americans within the United States society. In addition, the legislation guaranteed equal protection to all citizens in accordance to the law by ending racial segregation in schools, workplaces, and public places. Public accommodation facilities such as motels, hotels

Ryanair Airline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ryanair Airline - Essay Example Ultimately; when employees are happy, they tend to work better and produce good results increasing the productivity of the firm and making it more valuable for stakeholders (Nishii, Lepak & Schneider, 2008). The effectiveness of the staff is however not something that happens automatically and management must be sure to provide the right mix of elements and conditions so that their staff can be both motivated to work efficiently and feel valued and appreciated. To this end, the firm needs must put in place a variety of factors such as social corporate responsibility, reward schemes as well as treating them in an ethical and protecting from them from exploitation. In the Airline industry, CRS is very important in the airline industry since it is one of the main ways they make name for themselves in in the eyes of both the general population and their clients (Coles, Dinan & Fenclova, 2009). The subject of this paper is Rynair airline which will be examined in the context of its intera ction with the staff with attention to the nature of the relationship and making recommendations on how the situation can be improved. However before endeavouring to make the changes it is important that their effect on the overall productivity of the firm is always taken to account to avoid compromising the interests of the customers. To be successful a firm must be treat its customers well, which as aforementioned makes them the most important stakeholder, when customers are dissatisfied with the quality of service, they will in most cases leave for the competition. Unfortunately, this does not necessarily apply to employees sometimes a firm can treat them badly with the intention of improving the firms bottom line and actually succeed. This is because employees cannot leave as easily as customers given that jobs are not very easy to come by and some will sacrifice their happiness and in some cases even dignity for the sake of the job. It is

Engineering Design Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering Design Process - Essay Example Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing, and evaluation". (Engineering Design, 2006) problem, an existing condition in need of change, a challenge to look ahead for problematic conditions of the future, of design and construction. Because it is important for the engineers to be sure that they understand the problem thoroughly, the first step in the design process is for each group to state the problem. (Garmire, 2002) To recognise the problem requires the ability to think laterally, to anticipate the unexpected and to appreciate the aesthetics of problem solving as well as the material aspect. The aspects within which the problem is being addressed must be understood. (Eng, 2006) Because statements of problems exist within a context, they usually involve bias and often imply solutions. Effective engineers learn to observe the context and eliminate bias. They must clarify the problem statement by looking at each word or phrase and redefine it to make the statement more precise. What is the real problem (Garmire, 2002) Usually brainstorming is done in this stage and is effective enough to reach to a reasonable conclusion. option to confirm its feasibility before being formulated a... They must clarify the problem statement by looking at each word or phrase and redefine it to make the statement more precise. What is the real problem (Garmire, 2002) Usually brainstorming is done in this stage and is effective enough to reach to a reasonable conclusion. 3. Develop possible alternative solutions: Choosing the right design requires a creative team effort to identify several possible solutions, and evaluate development of the preferred option to confirm its feasibility before being formulated and made. (Eng, 2006) This enables engineers to study and analyse in detail each and every alternative solution with respect to its opportunities and drawbacks. Performance, cost control and complexity objectives must be considered and balanced during design evaluation. Example: Financial concerns might make an engineering company choose rental over equipment purchase. Specific performance objectives, that the new system must perform online data processing may result in a complex network design for which control procedures must be established. Evaluating and selecting the best design involves a balance of system objectives that will best support organisational goals. 4. Select the best solution: Out of several possible alternates, only one is chosen in the light of its effectiveness and accuracy. After choosing the final solution, the design specifications are said to be frozen, as this formal step avoid cost overruns and missed user expectations. 5. Prototype development: Prototyping acts as an iterative approach to the engineering design process. During each iteration, requirements and alternative solutions to the problems are identified and analysed, new solutions are designed, and a

Management Style in Gate Gourmet Research Paper

Management Style in Gate Gourmet - Research Paper Example This number came to 45 and questionnaires were distributed to 45 employees of GG while they were coming out after completing their shifts. This was considered necessary to achieve the objectives of the study outlined above. The first question related to the overall working conditions prevailing in GG since the settlement of the dispute in 2005. Out of the 23 male employees surveyed 8 of them agreed that the working conditions are satisfying. While 10 of them took a neutral stand 5 of the employees mostly disagreed with the statement that the conditions are satisfactory. A graphical representation of the replies is appended below: The same question was answered by 22 female employees. Of he female employees surveyed 2 of them were appeared to be satisfied with the working conditions at GG. 12 of them took a neutral stand whereas 8 of them mostly disagreed with the statement. For the satisfaction about the overall working conditions, out of the total sample of 45 employees, none of them agreed that they were satisfied with the working conditions. Out of the balance, 10 of them mostly agreed and 22 of the employees neither agreed nor disagreed that the working conditions were satisfactory. While 10 of them mostly disagreed 3 of them totally were not satisfied with the prevailing working conditions. The graphical representation is as below: Here the employ... For the satisfaction about the overall working conditions, out of the total sample of 45 employees, none of them agreed that they were satisfied with the working conditions. Out of the balance, 10 of them mostly agreed and 22 of the employees neither agreed nor disagreed that the working conditions were satisfactory. While 10 of them mostly disagreed 3 of them totally were not satisfied with the prevailing working conditions. The graphical representation is as below: Question 2: Organisational Value: Here the employees were asked to comment whether working with GG makes them feel that they are valued and respected. For this question, out of the sample of 45 people, none of them agreed that there is any value; 5 of the employees mostly agreed; 19 of them took a neutral approach; 19 of them mostly disagreed and 2 of them totally disagreed that they had any value or respect. The pictorial representation: Question 3: Prospects for Employee Growth: Under this question the selected employees were asked to present whether in their opinion there was any opportunity for the employees to apply for getting appointed to senior positions in GG. The answer was 'YES' by none, mostly agreed by 5, neither agree nor disagree by 24, mostly disagree by 15 and totally 'NO' by 1 employee. The graph is as shown below: Question 4: Existence of Downward Communication: The employees were asked to answer the question that whether there was any downward communication between managers and the staff in the form of regular meetings. None of the employees replied affirmatively. While 3 of them mostly agreed that there were meetings, 22 of them remained non-committal. 10 of the employees mostly disagreed to the opinion that

Dog Training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dog Training - Essay Example Other dogs elsewhere in the world were lovingly inherited by their own masters. Even Oprah Winfrey had written a will endowing $30 million to her 5 dog pets ensuring that they will be pampered throughout their lives even if she has already passed away, Woman's Day reported (Woman's Day, Sept. 10, 2007). Ordinary people care for their dogs as if they're caring for their own children, sleeping, eating and even traveling with them. This hardly can be considered a phenomenon because dogs among all creatures in the universe evince qualities and traits that are even difficult to find in humans and these are purity of heart, unconditional love and devotion, the absence of malice and hidden motives or sincerity, unfathomed fidelity and loyalty and the adherence to his master in all adversity and through all vicissitudes. When one loves his or her dog 50% in intensity, his or her dog returns it 100%. The dog's love is consistent and unfailing. While spouses show affection only in the early years of the marriage, dogs show affection day in and day out, year in and year out. The dog's warmth, devotion and obedience know no barrier nor limits. We often hear of stories of dogs pining for their master's presence even after the latter's death. In Edinburgh, Scotland a Skye Terrier named Greyfriars Bobby spent 14 years guarding his master's grave until his own demise. His saga was immortalised in the Disney movies Greyfriars Bobby (1961) and The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2006) (Atkins 2005, pp.52-256). War stories such as those from World War I are even more replete with stories of dogs refusing to leave their masters' corpses even if they were already in a state of decomposition. Then there was the story of Heidi, the Russell Terrier who sought out her Scottish master, Graham Snell who fell in a cliff and died. Finding him, she traversed down the 500 foot ravine and stayed with Snell until they were reached by a rescue team (dogsinthenews.com). All of these stories are endless, all earning for the dog the sobriquet, 'man's best friend'. Dogs' Natural Instincts Researchers have always claimed that dogs trace their lineage from gray wolves (canis lupus) some tens of thousands of years ago. As a priori evidence, many have adduced as evidence the similarity of structures and the period of gestation between the two species (Richardson 1857, p,18). They were ostensibly domesticated when wolves' pups were taken 3 and bred and tamed by early men and successfully socialized. By the process of intentional cross-breeding, the tamed domestic dog (canis lupus familiaris) emerged (Scott & Fuller 1974, p.140). Since then they had been

Women, Health, and the Environment Essay Example for Free

Women, Health, and the Environment Essay -These three words together speak to a web of issues and concerns that challenges us to think outside the proverbial box and silos that keep us narrowly focused and divided. We must think and act from a holistic perspective if we are ever to reverse the environmental degradation and social inequalities on the planet and create environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially equitable gender-sensitive societies. A discussion of women’s health and the environment must also include issues of poverty, hunger, food, security, racism, water, sanitation, agriculture, trade, energy, species extinction, biodiversity and climate change. Our agenda for women’s health and environment must also address access and right to live with dignity, sustainable livelihoods, shelter, education for girls, political power and decision making, sexuality, and freedom from violence, conflict and war. Today many feminists believe we are in a third wave of feminism, one that challenges the idea if dualism itself while recognizing diversity, particularity, and embodiment. By theorizing from the notion of embodiment, recent iterations of feminism are beginning to reweave the specific duality between culture and nature, an especially important endeavor in these environmentally disturbing times. These feminisms, rather than working from established and usually abstract foundational theories, begin from the situated perspectives of different women. Beyond this general congruence, however, there are several different foci in the feminisms seen as third wave today. One of the most intractable problems facing environmentalists is how to address global environmental issues given the very different, often conflicting, ways that nature is valued within and across cultures. In many parts of the world, nature is valued as an exploitable resource that when used efficiently can raise standards of living, improve the quality of life, or increase the wealth of a select few. In other places, people believe that economic development efforts must be sustainable; promoting natural balance and improving living standards are values that can be achieved simultaneously. For many people, the value of global justice suggests that rich nations must do more to protect the global environment in order to allow for the legitimate improvement of the quality of life of the poor. To make things more complicated, there are additional values beyond the value of nature, and the value of justice. Ecofeminism, in the United States, originated during the second wave of feminism as women in the peace movement began to perceive the interrelationships of militarism, sexism, racism, classism and environmental damage. The theorizing of how this environmental damage was related to women’s oppression and the oppression of other people, together with theorizing form the perspectives of the women involved, including women in the so-called developing world, became evident during the time period seen as the emergence of third-wave feminism. Consider basic issue-women’s everyday living environments and women’s access to water and sanitation. Millions of poor women in urban and rural areas around the world do not have access to safe and affordable water or toilets. Unsafe water causes health problems such as diarrhea, schistosomiasis, trachoma, hepatitis, malaria and poisoning. The care of sick family members is usually the responsibility of women and takes time away from their income generating initiatives. To ill health, add the loss and suffering from the death of an estimated three million children a year from contaminated water-related diseases. In the rural area of Garla Mare, Romania, the majority of the water sources-the wells are contaminated with nitrates, chemicals, heavy metals and bacteria. Amongst other things, high nitrate levels in drinking water are linked to â€Å"blue baby disease† or acute infantile methaemoglobinaemia. Women in Romania along with Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) are working together to document sources of contaminated water, develop strategies to â€Å"clean† water with local authorities and run educational campaigns demonstrating the links between polluted water and ill-health (Merchant, 1980. Due to deforestration, the loss of vegetation, and the lack of toilets, rural women have to rise earlier and walk further to attend to their daily needs. In urban areas, slums often lack hygienic and secure toilets for women. Women and girls in many countries have been sexually and physically assaulted in the night when attempting to use the â€Å"outside,† or toilets that are too far from their homes. Women in the US are also organizing to question poor water quality as water supplies in many US cities and towns are contaminated with industrial and agricultural chemicals. Access to safe and affordable sanitation services is critical for women’s and girl’s dignity, health, and safety. Human-made chemicals and metals that are persistent, biomagnifying and endocrine disrupting such as atrazine, 2, 4-D, and lindane, have been used extensively in agriculture, industry, and the home and garden. Some of these chemicals are also called POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants). They are the subjected of the United Nations Stockholm Convention for the protection of human health and the environment. These same chemicals are readily found in household sprays and cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and in our food. Chemicals enter into natural systems and are having devastating impacts on wildlife. For example, there is evidence that some alligators, Western gulls, and Rainbow trout are developing rudimentary sexual organs, Western and Herring gulls are exhibiting mating behavior of both genders, frogs are being born with missing limbs and eyes, and Beluga whales are dying from immune suppression and cancer. Human beings are at the top of the food chain and health impacts similar to those on wildlife are being documented around the world. Widely documented are the health impacts on agricultural and horticultural workers, many of whom are poor women and children with limited options for other livelihoods. Lead, dioxins, DDT and PCB’s are found in women’s breast milk, from indigenous women in the Aral Sea region of Central Asia. Human exposure to these chemicals is linked to endocrine disruption, learning impairment and hyperactivity in children, as well as cleft lip and palate, spina bifida and limb anomalies. Environmental contamination has resulted in women in the North and in greater numbers in the South facing increased risks of fertility problems, spontaneous abortion and miscarriage, reproductive system abnormalities, immune system disorders and cancer. Breast cancer has become major women’s disease, transcending class, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and geographical location. The complexity of women’s sexual and reproductive health issues and illnesses underlines the need for women’s right to decision making and control of their sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, and their right to relevant services through the public health care system. While women are often dismissed from discussions on energy, it is a central issue concerning women’s quality of life. Poor women who use wood fuel and charcoal to cook indoors are exposed to poor air quality and an increased risk of severe respiratory problems. While nuclear proponents advertise nuclear energy as â€Å"clean† energy, they deliberately ignore the impacts of radiation and nuclear waste and the work of many women who have researched and critiqued the dangers of nuclear energy and weapons. Seventeen years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, medical research shows that 70% of pregnant women in the Ukraine have extra-genital and obstetrics disorders including anemia, late toxicosis, cardiovascular disorders and urogenital diseases (Merchant, 1980). Increases in the frequency and severity of floods and drought have been linked to changing global climate regimes. A recent study on the impact of floods on women and girls in Cambodia highlights a number of issues. These include an increase in food insecurity and loss of crops; fear of losing children to the floods; risk of drowning because women and girls are not taught to swim; disaster-related debt and the corresponding increase in workloads of women as men migrate to cities; and the resulting stress and fear of HIV and sexually transmitted infections brought back from men engaging with other partners in the cities. While the study did not document an increase in wife assault during the disaster period or after, it did identify that the fear of assault is a constant factor enmeshed in women’s daily life and an ever present threat that colours women’s actions and involvement in decision making. The lack of political will and commitment from many national governments and major international bodies, like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have degraded natural environments and subjected women citizens to increasing poverty by a loss of livelihoods and a reduction in accessibility to health, education, and other basic services. Extensive research and documentation has demonstrated the negative economic and social impacts of programs like the structural adjustment programmes o the IMF on African women. Another approach advocated by feminists such as Shulamith Firestone is the liberation of women through reproductive technology. This approach includes a spectrum of possibilities that would give women the right to choose when and if they wish to bear and raise children: male and female contraceptive devices, voluntary vasectomies and tubal ligations, amniocentesis and genetic counseling an, ultimately, test-tube reproduction and cloning. Science and technology are here viewed as potentially liberating and progressive, yet these approaches also raise a host of difficult ethical questions about the nature of control over life itself. For example, amniocentesis allows the woman to know the sex of her unborn child and thus to decide whether or not to abort the fetus. If through contraceptive and genetic technology families decide to have one or two children and to make the first child a male, then an increase in the proportion of males in society could result. If the psychological approach to the woman-nature question is valid, and if trust children tend to be more highly motivated, aggressive, and domineering than second children, then the outcome could be an increase in dominating males, with negative implications for women and nature. For many women who have become aware of environmental hazards and nuclear technologies through environmentalism and have become conscious of sexism through feminism, the appropriate technology movement presents an appealing alternative. Here the hands on skills necessary for personal survival and control over one’s own life are revered, and low-environmental-impact technologies are the movement’s hallmarks. Women involved in the appropriate technology movement, however, find great satisfaction in building bridges, solar collectors, greenhouses, and doing home repairs themselves, without resorting to high-cost contractors. Carpentry and plumbing skills taught to groups of women by other women rather than male â€Å"experts† are popular forms of education. The social economic analysis of the woman-nature question accepts many of the insights of the foregoing feminists but is critical of the idea of universal sex oppression and of the dichotomies â€Å"public-private† and â€Å"self-other† as explanatory categories. Rather than postulating a separate sex/gender system as the framework of analysis, this approach examines the historical context of male and female gender roles in different systems of economic production. The simultaneous emergence of the womens and environmental movements over the past two decades raises additional questions about the relationships between feminism and ecology. The structures and functions of the natural world and of human society interact through a language common to both. Ethics in the form of description, symbol, religion, and myth help to mediate between humans and their world. Choices are implied in the words used to describe nature: choices of ways in which to view the world and ethical choices that influence human behavior toward it. Ecology and feminism have interacting languages that imply certain common policy goals. These linkages might be described as follows: 1. All parts of a system have equal value. Ecology assigns equal importance to all organic and inorganic components in the structure of an ecosystem. Healthy air, water, and soil-the abiotic components of the system-are essential as the entire diverse range of biotic parts-plants, animals, and bacteria and fungi. Without each element in the structure, the system as a whole cannot function properly. Remove an element, reduce the number of individuals or species, and erratic oscillations may appear in the larger system. Similarly, feminism asserts the equality of men and women. Intellectual differences are human differences rather than gender-or race-specific. The lower position of women stems from culture rather than nature. Thus policy goals should be directed toward achieving educational, economic, and political equity for all. Ecologists and feminists alike will therefore assign value to all parts of the human-nature system and take care to examine the long and short range consequences of decisions affecting an individual, group, or species. In cases of ethical conflict, each case must be discussed from the perspective of the interconnectedness of all parts and the good of the whole. 2. The earth is a home. The Earth is a habitat for living organisms; houses are habitats for groups of humans. Each ecological niche is a position in a community, a hole in the energy continuum through which materials and energy enters and leaves. Ecology is the study of the Earths household. Human houses whether sod houses, igloos, or bungalows, are structures in an environment. Most are places wherein life is sustained-shelters where food is prepared, clothes are repaired, and human beings cared for. For ecologists and feminists the Earths house and the human house are habitats to be cherished. Energy flows in and out; molecules and atoms enter and leave. Some chemicals and forms of energy are life-sustaining; others are life-defeating. Those that lead to sickness on the planet or in the home cannot be tolerated. Radioactive wastes or potential radioactive hazards are present in some peoples environments. Hazardous chemicals permeate some backyards and basements. Microwaves, nitrite preservatives, and cleaning chemicals have invaded the kitchen. The home, where in fact women and children spend much of their time, is no longer a haven. The soil; over which the house is built or the rocks used in its construction may emit radon, potentially a source of lung cancer. The walls, furniture, floor coverings, and insulation may contain urea formaldehyde, a nasal, throat, and eye irritant. Leaky gas stoves and furnaces can produce nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, resulting in nausea, headaches, and respiratory illnesses. An underground garage in an apartment building can be an additional source of indoor carbon monoxide. The homes faucets may be piping in carcinogenic drinking water, formed by the action of chlorine on organic compounds in reservoir supplies. Disinfectants sprayed where people eat or children play may contain phenols, aerosols, or ammonium chlorides that can produce toxic effects on the lungs, liver, and kidneys, or act as nervous system depressants. Over cleaners may contain caustic alkalis. The bathroom and bedroom any feature cosmetics and shampoos that can produce headaches, eye-make up contaminated by bacteria and fungi, deodorants laced with hexachlorophene and hair dyes containing aromatic amines that have been linked to cancer. The kitchen may have microwave oven and the living room a color television emitting low-level radiation when in use. The refrigerator may be stocked with food containing nitrite preservatives, food dyes, and saccharin-filled ‘low-cal’ drinks suspected as potential carcinogens. In the cupboards pewter pitchers or dishes containing lead glazes can slowly contribute to lead poisoning, especially when in contact with acidic foods. The indoor atmosphere may be filled with cigarette, cigar, or tobacco smoke, containing particles that remain in the air and accumulate even in the lungs of non-smokers. For ecologists and feminists alike, the goal must be the reversal of these life-defeating intrusions and the restoration of healthy indoor and outdoor environments. 3. Process is primary. The first law of thermodynamics, which also the first law of ecology, asserts the conservation of energy in an ecosystem as energy is changed and exchanged in its continual flow through the interconnected parts. The total amount of energy entering and leaving the Earth is the same. The science of ecology studies the energy flow through the system of living and non-living parts on the Earth. All components are parts of a steady-state process of growth and development, death, and decay. The world is active and dynamic; its natural processes are cyclical, balanced by cybernetic, stabilizing, feedback mechanisms. The stress on dynamic processes in nature has implications for change and process in human societies. The exchange and flow of information through the human community is the basis for decision making. Open discussion of all alternatives in which ecologists and technologists, lawyers and workers, women and men participate as equals is an appropriate goal for both environmentalists and feminists. Each individual has experience and knowledge that is of value to the human-nature community. 4. There is no free lunch. â€Å"No free lunch† is the essence of the laws of thermodynamics. To produce organized matter, energy in the form of work is needed. But each step up the ladder of organized life, each material object produced, each commodity manufactured increases entropy in its surroundings, and hence increases the reservoir of energy unavailable for work. Although underpaid environmentalists are said to accept free lunches, nature cannot continue to provide free goods and services for profit-hungry humans, because the ultimate costs are too great. Thus, whenever and wherever possible, that which is taken from nature must be given back through the recycling of goods and the sharing of services. For feminists, reciprocity and cooperation rather than free lunches and household services are a desirable goal. Housewives frequently spend much of their waking time struggling t undo the effects of the second law of thermodynamics. Continually trying to create order out of disorder is energy consumptive and spiritually costly. Thus the dualism of separate public and private spheres should be severed and male and female roles in both the household and the workplace merged. Cooperation between men and women in each specific context-childrearing, day-care centers, household work, productive work, sexual relations, etc. -rather than separate gender roles could create emotional rewards. Men and women would engage together in the production of commodities that are costly to nature. Technologies appropriate to the task, technologies having a low impact on the environment, would be chosen whenever possible. Resistance to a feminist-environmental coalition comes form both movements. Environmental coalition comes from both movements. Environmentalists react negatively to the intrusion of feminist’s issues that seem to them to muddy and complicate an already difficult struggle. At anti-nuclear rallies and solar technology conferences, the presence of lesbian feminists challenging male control of technology may seem particularly galling. Increasingly, in countries of the South and North, many governments are failing to defend and enhance women’s hard earned rights to live free of violence from either family members or the State, and to have right and access to health services, as well as specific programmes to address gender concerns as in the case of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For poor rural women, government supported privatization of common property resources such as forests, wetlands, fallow fields, pasturelands, etc. make it nearly impossible to maintain precarious levels of substinence living; thus, further marginalizing those women who rely on common property resources for food, fodder and raw materials. Moreover, many of these groups establish ritual behaviors that maintain steady-state equilibrium between population and resources. Here nature and culture are not separated dichotomies in which nature is devalued and culture elevated. The nonhuman world is alive, sensitive, intelligent, and on a par with the human portion. In some cultures animals are members of separate societies governed by special spirits; particular rocks and trees are sacred; and the Earth is a living nurturing mother. Women and men perform different tasks and have different roles, but each is essential to the survival of the group as a whole and neither is devalued. The society is geared to the production of use values as the material basis for sustaining life. Like postcolonial and generational/youth cultures, feminism’s growing interest in ecofeminism has been evident in the last several years. Some ecofeminists, however, posit that, as a term, â€Å"ecofeminism† informally appeared, here and there, worldwide, in the 1970’s, usually as a response to so-called development activities. The Chipko Movement, the movement that began when village women of Himalayan India organized in the 1970’s to protect their forests, as described by their country woman, Vandana Shiva, and noted above, is most often specifically cited as the beginning of ecofeminism. In the West, an ecofeminist focus in activism emerged during the second wave of the women’s movement and was predicated on seeing the relations between militarism, sexism, racism, classism, and environmental damage. By the middle 190’s, many women, committed to direct action against militarism, started naming themselves ecofeminists to depict the interdependencies of their political concerns. As ecofeminism evolved, it took up additional issues such as toxic waste, deforestation, military and nuclear weapons policies, reproductive rights and technologies, animal liberation, and domestic and international agricultural development, in its efforts to reweave the nature/culture dualism. Ecofeminism is distinct, however, in its insistence that nonhuman nature is a feminist concern. Ecofeminist theory utilizes principles from both ecology and feminism to inform its political organizing and its efforts to create equitable and environmentally sound lifestyles. From ecology, it learns to value the interdependence and diversity of all life forms; from feminism, it against the insights of a social analysis of women’s oppression that intersects with other oppressions such s racism, colonialism, classism, and heterosexism. Ecofeminism, in its use of ecology as a model for human behavior, suggests that we act out of recognition of our interdependency with others, all others: human and nonhuman. Ecofeminist politics embrace heterogenous strategies and solutions. Ecofeminists do share a broad vision of a society beyond militarism, hierarchy, and the destruction of nature, but like feminism itself, they often have different analyses and strategies for achieving them. In many ways, an ecofeminist style of politics the notion of â€Å"local resistance† against power relations. Ecofeminists understand power as â€Å"multiplicity of force relations† that are not centered, but are diverse and are constantly being reproduced. While ecofeminsm emphasizes local activism, it also maintains the importance of a global perspective. In ecofeminism, where everything is seen as interconnected and/or interdependent, there is a serious regard for women whose cultures and geographic locations are being foisted croded as a result of so-called development projects that are being foisted on the third world. Ecofeminists challenge the relationship between economic growth and exploitation of the natural environment, and as noted above, ecofeminist anthologies contain work by and about women resisting ill-conceived development projects in the third world, in addition to those in the West. The relation of ecofeminism theory to political activism is ideally informative and generative, not perspective. The activism that is undertaken is a result of the individuals who are involved reflecting on an actual problematic situation or issue. Because of ecofeminism recognizes that sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, speciesism, and naturalism are mutually reinforcing systems of oppression, the work o end any oppression is valuable. Using ecology as a model for understanding these interdependencies and the value of diversity enables ecofeminists to include many kinds of political action. Ecofeminist theory, in turn is expanded by focusing on the actual activities, as articulated by the embodied voices of the participants. Social justice cannot be achieved apart from the well-being of the Earth. Human life is dependent on the Earth; our fates are intertwined. Ecofemism is spiritual, too, emphasizing that the Earth is sacred unto itself. And a strong recognition of the necessity of sustainability-a need to learn the many ways we can walk the fine line between using the Earth as resource while respecting the Earth’s need. One of the main endeavors of ecofeminism, in its efforts to reweave the nature/culture duality, is to understand the ideology that perpetuates the domination of women, other humans, and nonhuman nature. There are many approaches taken by ecofeminists who are engaged in analyzing how the subjugation of women, other suppressed people and nature are interconnected. Karen Warren (2000), writing 10 years after the Diamond and Orenstein anthology, in her work Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters, discerns 10 directions ecofeminists take to theorize these interconnected subjugations. Warren terms these various approaches: historical and causal, conceptual, empirical, socioeconomic, linguistic, symbolic and literary, spiritual and religious, epistemological, ethical, and political. Feminist who take the historical and causal approach to explain the interconnected subjugations of women, other suppressed people, and nature, suggests that the ubiquitous ness of androcentrism with its accompanying phenomenon, the patriarchal domination of women and nature, is the source of environmental degradation. Riane Eisler and Carolyn Merchant are examples of feminists who present varying accounts of this approach. They explain how and approximately when societies that previously had been living essentially in concord with nature and with each other became subjugated by patriarchal domination. Societies, in these accounts, then become disharmonious in their relationships. A second approach some ecofeminists take to understand the ideology that perpetuates domination is an analysis of conceptual frameworks that have functioned historically to perpetuate and justify the dominations of interconnected subjugations. Conceptual frameworks function as socially constructed lenses through which one perceives reality. These conceptual works can be oppressive because of the part plated by rationalism in the domination of women and nonhuman nature illustrates. Rationalism explains how structures of domination are based â€Å"in hierarchically organized value dualism and an exaggerated focus on reason and rationality divorced form the realm of the body, nature, and the physical† (Warren 2004, p. 24). Warren, she, makes similar conceptual connections. She locates these connections in an oppressive patriarchal conceptual connection. She locates these connections in an oppressive patriarchal conceptual framework, mediated by what she calls â€Å"a logic domination. † This â€Å"logic† provides the moral premise for domination/subordination relationships based on socially constructed dualistic notions of superiority/inferiority. Empirical interconnections are made by ecofeminists who use verifiable evidence to document the tie-in among dominations. Using this kind of data, they are able to illustrate, for example, that subordinate groups suffer disproportionately form industrial environmental pollutants. Coinciding with postcolonial feminism, some ecofeminists using the empirical interconnections approach, furnish data to show how women’s inability to provide adequate sustenance for themselves and their families is caused by first-world development policies such as those destroying subsistence agriculture and/or the productivity of the land. Nature like women’s bodies and labor is colonized by the inter-workings of capitalism and patriarchy in first-world development. Some ecofeminists, who follow the concept formation that is strongly influenced by language, make linguistic interconnections to explain subjugation. They maintain that language is pivotal in maintaining mutually reinforcing sexist, racist, and naturist views of women, people of color, and nonhuman nature. They call our attention to the considerable extent that Euro-American language contains illustrations of sexist-naturist language depicting women, animals, and nonhuman nature as having less value than men. Related to this approach is the ecofeminist animal welfare â€Å"analysis that the oppression of nonhuman animals, is based on a variety of women-animal connections: for example, sexist-naturalist language, images of women and animals as consumable objects, pornographic representations of women as meat, male perpetuated violence against women and nonhuman animals,† (Warren 2000, p. 126). Another method-that of making symbolic and literary interconnections-is seen in a new genre of literary analysis: ecofeminist literary criticism. This genre has emerged as a way to appraise literature according to criteria of ecological and feminist values. Ecofeminists using this approach, maintain that the literary canon needs to be reconsidered to include a de-homocentric approach. Ecofeminist theologians work to make spiritual and religious interconnections to explain subjugation. They discern most ancient religious myths basic to Judeo-Christian and Western traditions as ones justifying a social structure that exalts ruling-class men while denigrating others, including nonhuman nature. What many of these ecofeminist theologians subsequently have to consider is whether these religions can be reformed or if new religions, myths, and spiritual practices are needed. Some Ecofeminist working with spiritual and religious interconnections, see women’s spirituality as political. They believe â€Å"the preservation of the Earth will require profound shift in consciousness, a recovery of a more ancient and traditional view that reveres the profound connection of all beings in the web of life and a rethinking of the relation of both humanity and divinity in nature (Warren 2000, p. 32). The notion of â€Å"the Goddess† is also invoked by many spiritual ecofeminists to express the veneration both nonhuman nature and the human body merit. Warren further notes that knowledge and knowledge creation is studied by ecofeminists who work to make epistemological interconnections. Like postcolonial feminism, they challenge the Western view that knowledge is objective. Warren is also discusses the ethical interconnection approach made by ecofeminist philosophers who hold that a feminist ethical analysis and response is needed to show how subjugation of women, other â€Å"others† and nonhuman nature is interlinked. â€Å"Minimally, the goal of ecofeminist environmental ethics is to develop theories and practices concerning humans and the natural environment that are not male-biased and that provide a guide to action in the prefiminist present,† (Warren 20007, p. 37). Making political interconnections is integral to ecofeminism, which has always been a grassroots political movement, motivated by pressing pragmatic concerns (Warren 2000, p. 35). In addition to women’s activism to sustain their families and communities, the relationship of environmental and women’s health to science and development projects, animal rights, and peace activism are examples of issues that

Analysis of UK Basic Chemicals Company

Analysis of UK Basic Chemicals Company BASIC CHEMICALS IN UK ANALYSIS HEADLINES The market size of basic chemicals in UK has declined to GBP12,422 million recording a decline of 2.6% in 2013 due to lower sales to manufacturers of plastic and synthetic rubber in primary form Reach regulation tightened in 2013 limiting competition of non-EU companies in UK Profit margin declines to a record low of 3% preventing production expansion in UK Shale gas remains an ace for basic chemicals producers in UK UK basic chemicals industry is matured. It is expected to grow at CAGR of 0.7% during 2013-2019 MARKET TRENDS The market size of basic chemicals in UK has declined to GBP12,422 million recording a decline of 2.6% in 2013. Contraction of the industry was driven by falling revenues from plastics in primary forms, household cleaning and personal care, photochemicals and explosive, as well as pharmaceuticals segments. Purchases of basic chemicals by plastic in primary forms and synthetic rubber industry declined by 23% to GBP1,360 million. The plastics industry in UK was having trouble competing with producers abroad as oversupply in the world settled-in. UK producers do not have access to cheap raw materials. Consequently, production of plastics and rubber in primary form declined by 23% in UK during 2013 negatively reflecting on revenues of basic chemical industry. Household cleaning and personal care producers reduced their purchases of basic chemicals by 15% in UK during 2013 as turnover of household cleaning and personal care products at constant prices declined by 5.1%. Declining prices of specialty chemicals caused by increasing competition from China was the main reason of lower sales. Competition from abroad is limited by high infrastructure barriers for certain products. Currently ethylene production is concentrated in Grangemouth, Mossmorran and Wilton, UK and there is a network of 8 pipelines connecting major producers and consumers in UK. It is also proposed to connect ethylene network with Rotterdam. Potentially increasing imports if competition kicks-in. As of June, 2013 the regulation of chemicals in EU territory became stricter based on REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances) regulation. The requirement to register chemicals manufactured or intended to import into EU in quantities greater than 100 tons per year forces companies to register within ECA (European Chemicals Agency). Registration within ECA results in higher costs as extensive research to confirm their safety is needed. Imports were pushed out as local producers were able to win-back their market share. Though market of basic chemicals in UK contracted by just 2.6% during 2013 but imports of basic chemicals declined by 25%. Imports made 63% of the basic chemicals market in 2013 in comparison to 81% in 2012. Local producers were pushing out imports of hydrocarbons, oxygen-function compounds and other organic chemicals as their import declined by 31%. PRODUCTION TRENDS Despite declining markets, production of basic chemicals was booming recording an 11% growth in 2013. The growth was driven by hydrocarbons, oxygen-function compounds and other organic chemicals expansion as the segment was winning back market share from imports. As competition in hydrocarbons, oxygen-function compounds and other organic chemicals got tense world-wide, domestic producers chose to compete in local market cutting down segment exports by 20% and total basic chemicals export by 17%. Cost pressure to the basic chemicals industry declined. Total costs related to basic chemicals increased by 12% in UK during. However, cost per unit of produce declined by 5% as turnover at constant prices increased by 17%. As production of hydrocarbons soared, costs related to refined petroleum products by 17% in 2013. The rise in costs in relation to growth in production at constant prices is related to increased share of basic chemicals manufactured from oil products as PPI of refined petroleum products decreased by 5%. Purchases of gas has increased by 21% due to 9.4% rise in prices for industrial uses. Increase in production of hydrocarbons drove the purchases of gas upwards as well. The gas supply is well diversified with most of the gas coming from domestic supplies and Norway. Electricity costs increased by 20% in production of basic chemicals in UK during 2013. Mostly it was related to increased production in quantity though, electricity price rose by 2.6% for industrial users in UK during 2013. UK’s electricity generating capacities are outdated and plants one by one are turned off. Investments are increasing consequently raising electricity wholesale price. Despite an 11% growth in production, profits declined by 21% to GBP284 million in 2013. Profit margin has declined to a record low of 3% as producers were not able to cut costs at same amount as producer prices decreased by 5.7% in 2013. Low profitability repelled new companies and prevents the industry from expansion in the next couple years. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE Economies of scale is a major drive force in the industry. Though 27 companies with over 250 employees make less than 2% of companies in the industry, they generated 90% of turnover in 2013 as costs. Largest companies in the industry were Ineos Group Ltd, BP Aromatics Ltd, BASF Plc, Air Products Group Ltd and Croda International Plc. Ineos Group Ltd, a UK-based subsidiary of Ineos AG, manufactures petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products as polymers, chlorvinyls, ethanol, esters, ammonia and nitric acids, plastics, melamines, pnenols, oligomers, olefines, oxides and styrenics. The company sold its INEOS ChlorVinyls divission of chlorine business to 2M Group Ltd that operated in UK in August, 2013. Ineos Group also acquired a powerplant from Fortum in Grangemouth, UK in October, 2014 for GBP54 million. BP Aromatics Ltd is a UK-based subsidiary of BP Plc engaged in manufacture of purified terephthalic acid, acetic acid and olefins and derivatives that are derived from crude oil or natural gas. The company opened a brand-new bioethanol plant in Hull, UK in July, 2013 that cost GBP350 million. BASF Plc is a UK-based subsidiary of BASF SE. The company operates under 6 business segments: chemicals, plastics, performance products, functional solutions, agricultural as well as oil and gas. The chemicals segment is further divided into inorganics, petrochemicals and intermediates divisions. in January, 2013 the company completed acquisition of Pronova BioPharma. In 2014, the company sold its styrolution divission to Ineos as well as began building ammonia plant in Texas, US together with Yara. Air Products Group Ltd is a multinational subsidiary of Air Products Chemicals Inc, which divides its busines into 4 divisions: gases, chemicals, equipment and services solutions. Air Products Group Ltd and Oman Oil Co have signed a joint venture that will provide full range of industrial gases in Oman in December, 2013. Croda International Plc is a multinational company engaged in manufacture of natural based speciality chemicals: consumer care which consists of global businesses in personal care, health care and crop care as well as Industrial Specialities which comprises home care, base oleochemicals, additives for polymers, polymers and coatings, lubricants and lubricant additives, and processed vegetable oils. The company has manufacturing facilities throughout the UK and mainland Europe, North and South America, India, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. Croda has invested GBP12 million in April, 2013 in new manufacturing facility in East Yorkshire, UK for processing specialty acrylic-based polymers. The company acquired Sipo to boost its presence in emerging markets in September, 2013. PROSPECTS UK basic chemicals industry is matured. It is expected to grow at CAGR of 0.7% during 2013-2019. The growth will be strongest in bases, gases and other inorganics of 2.5% CAGR during same period. The growth will be hold back by increasing overproduction in world market. Prices of most basic chemicals will continue to be on decline in 2014. It is expected that the price of inorganic and organic chemicals will continue to decline in UK by up to 10% due to sluggish demand in EU and increasing oversupply globally in 2014. Meanwhile, organic chemicals prices should decline by up to 4% in France in 2014 as production continues to increase in N. America with further rapid decline in 2015 as oil and gas prices collapse. Shale gas revolution in US is causing a major headache for UK basic chemicals producers as UK manufacturers have to pay up to 3 times more for gas than US producers. Consequently, producers in N. America are increasing production capacity and might further pressure prices of hydrocarbon-based chemicals down. UK shale gas reserves are estimated between 2.8 and 39.9 trillion cubic metres. Though it remains unclear how much of it is technical extractable. Exploration of shale gas and its extraction is a slow-going process in UK but if successful it could give a boost to basic chemicals market Electricity price most likely will continue to rise as demand of investment increases. Currently, the generation capacities and grid is outdated and a third of power plants are projected to be shut down by 2015. Consequently, investments and price of wholesale electricity should increase deteriorating UK industry’s competitiveness. Recent events in Ukraine and Russia pose little threat to supply of gases in UK as 73% of it is supplied by domestic production and Norway. Qatar supplies another 12% and only 15% of gas that is supplied by Belgium and Netherlands might be redirected from Russia. Though price issue remains if supply struggles in continental Europe, prices of gas might increase. However, supply issues in continental Europe could boost basic chemicals export from UK as producers in other countries might have to cut production. Tightening REACH regulation creates barriers of imports of mostly specialty chemicals as extensive and costly research is required before chemicals are approved by ECA for trade and use in EU. As EU companies tend to have higher market share they gain competitive advantage in distributing their overhead costs in comparison to non-EU producers.

Robert E. Lees Life :: biographies bio biography

A LONG TIME AGO ON THE DAY OF JANUARY 19,1807 TO BE EXACT IN STARATFORD,VIRGINIA THEIR WAS A MIRACLE THAT WAS BORN.THE MIRACLE BABY THAT WAS BORN WAS NAMED ROBERT E. LEE. THE MIRACLE BABY WAS GIVEN BIRTH BY HIS MOTHER ANN HILL CARTER AND HIS FATHER NAMED HERNY LEE AND MOST PEOPLE KNOW HIM AS â€Å"LIGHT-HORSE HARRY†. HIS MOTHER ANN HAD BEEN RAISED FROM A FAMILY THAT HAD BEEN REPECTFUL AND THAT THEY HAD WORKED FOR THE VIRGINIA’S GOVERNMENT SOCIETY THAT HELD PROMINENT POTIONS. STILL LEE’S FAMILY HAD EXTENED IN THE UPPER CLASSES. DURING SOME OF THE SIGINIFICANT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED WAS THE LOTS OF SLAVERY THAT HAD WENT ON THROUGH HIS CHILDHOOD. IN 1818 ROBERT’S FATHER HERNY HAD PAST AWAY. WHEN THE FIRST GROWING ISSUE OVER SLAVERY IN THE UNTIED STATES HAD SOON INVOLVED ROBERT. ROBERT E. LEE WAS A GREAT GENERAL WHO COMMANDED THE CONFEDERTE ARMY IN THE AMERICAN CIVILWAR. IN 1831 ROBERT HAD MARRIED A WOMEN BY THE NAME OF MARY CUSTIS, WHO WAS THE DAUGHTER OF WASHINGTON PARKE CUSTIS. WHILE MARY AND ROBERT WHERE TOGETHER THEY HAD SEVEN CHILDERN AND THEIR NAMES WERE G.WCUSTIS,MARY,W.H.FITZHUGH,ANNIE,AGNES,ROBE-RT AND MILDERD. HE HAD MASTERFULLY FOUGHT MR.CLELLANTO A STAND STILL AT ANTIETAM AND TWO DAYS LATER HE HAD RECROSSED THE POTOMAC. FOLLOWING A STINTIN THE BALTIMORE HABOR HE BECAME SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MILTARY ACADAMY IN 1852. IN THE CHARGE OF VIRGINIA’S FLEDGLING MILTARY MIGHT, HE WAS MAINLY INVOLVED IN ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS. IN THE FIRST SUMMER OF THE WAR HE WAS GIVEN HIS FIRST FIELD COMMAND IN WESTERN VIRGINIA. GENERAL LEE WAS A SUCCESS OF THE ENTIRE ITALIN CAMPAINGN TURNED UPON THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF THE BRIDGE OF LODI.THEY STRAGGERD UNDER THE WITHERING FIRE AND RETREATED BUT THE FAILURE WAS RUIN AND THE PAST MUST BE WON. BEFORE THE MEXICAN WAR ROBERT HAD SERVED ON ENGINEERING SOME PROJECTS IN GEORGIA, VIRGINIA, AND NEW YORK. ROBERT HAD GRADULLY BECAME â€Å"UNCLE ROBERT† AND â€Å"MARSE ROBERT†. ON APRIL 18 , 1861 RO BERT WAS OFFERED FIELD COMMAND OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

Mozart Essay -- essays research papers

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart This paper discusses Mozart's life, his compositions and his importance to the world and the world of music. It explains how Mozart's music is still some of the most popular classical music played today and his life is still studied because his music is so well known and liked. An Austrian composer and performer who showed astonishing precocity as a child and was an adult virtuoso, musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. Leopold Mozart was a successful composer and violinist and served as assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Mozart and his older sister Maria Anna "Nannerl" were the couple's only surviving children and their musical education began at a very young age. The archbishop of the Salzburg court, Sigismund von Schrattenbach was very supportive of the Mozart children's remarkable activities. By the time Mozart was five years old, he began composing minuets. The next year, he and his sister were taken to Munich and Vienna to play a series of concert tours. Both children played the harpsichord, but Mozart had also mastered the violin. In 1763, when Mozart was seven years old, his father took leave of his position at the Salzburg court to take the family on an extended concert tour of western Europe. Mozart and his sister performed in the major musical centers, including Stuttgart, Mannheim, Mainz, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. They did not return to Salzburg until 1766. During this time, Mozart continued to compose, completing his first symphony at age nine and publishing his first sonatas the same year. Leopold soon realized that he could make a substantial income by showcasing his son as a Wunderkind in the courts of Europe. Maria Anna was a talented pianist, and Mozart wrote a number of piano pieces, in particular duets and pieces for two pianos, to play with her. On one occasion when Mozart became ill, Leopold expressed more concern over the loss of income than over Mozart himself. The cold weather and constant travel may have contributed to his later illness. After spending less than a year in Salzburg, the family again departed for Vienna, where Mozart completed his first opera La finta semplice in 1768. Much to Leopold's frustration, the opera was not per... ... concertos, 23 string quartets, 35 violin sonatas, and more than 50 symphonies. Major composers since Mozart's time have worshipped or been in awe of Mozart. Beethoven told his pupil Ries that he (Beethoven) would never be able to think of a melody as great as that of the first movement of Mozart's 24th piano concerto, and did Mozart homage by writing variations on his themes (such as the two sets of Variations for Cello and Piano on themes from Mozart's Magic Flute) and cadenzas to several of the piano concerti, most notably the Concerto No. 20 (K. 466). (After their only meeting, Mozart noted that Beethoven would "give the world something to talk about.") Tchaikovsky wrote his Mozartiana in praise of him; and Mahler died with "Mozart" the last word on his lips. The music critic James Svejda, when filling out a job application that asked for his religion, entered "Mozart". Summary: His Christian name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. His progress as a composer was amazing; by the age of 13 he had written concertos, sonatas, symphonies, a German operetta, Bastien und Bastienne, and an Italian opera buffa, La finta semplice

The Development of Marriage :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Development of Marriage Marriage has gone through many changes throughout its history. It's earliest forms date back to the story of creation. It has developed a great deal since then. It is a simple fact that men and women can not survive without each other. Marriage is part of the created natural order, we were meant to be together. God intended for us to be united with the opposite sex since the beginning of time. The book of Genesis tells us: "God created man in his image, He created him in the image of God, man and woman, He created them. God saw what he had done and said, "This is good, it is not good that man should be alone."(McLachlan 5). Marriage is inherently good and pleasing to God. It was part of God's original plan for mankind. It is also shown that Jesus held marriage in great esteem, for it was at a wedding where he performed his first public miracle. Furthermore, it is Jesus who raises Marriage to a Sacrament of the New Law. Our Lord is also the one who told us that divorce was wrong. He says, "What God has joined together, no human being must separate."(Matrimony 1). Although what we were told by God, in many primitive civilizations marriage was primarily industrial. During early times husband and wife were not much together; they did not even eat together very often.(The Marriage Institution 1). Their marriages were always planned by their parents and in some cases brides were bought. Polygamy was also frequent in the early history of marriage. Although, as civilization progressed monogamy became the idealistic goal of human sex evolution.(The Marriage Institution 6). In addition, as civilization advanced, marriage became more seriously regarded and the wedding ceremony became recurrent. The marriage ceremony grew out of the fact that marriage was originally a community affair and also primitive man had no records, so the marriage had to be witnessed by many people. The Catholic marriage is set apart from all other relationships because Catholic marriages are a sacramental path to sanctity. Paul wrote that marriage is a true sacrament and the sign of the conjugal union of Christ and his Bride, the Church.(Matrimony 2). At Lateran Council II in 1139, it was first defined as infallibly true that matrimony is as true a sacrament as Eucharist and baptism and at The Council of Lyons II in 1274, it was included among the list of seven sacraments.

Actions to Reduce Fixed Costs Essay

   †¢Increase volume such that the fixed costs become a smaller proportion of the cost base. †¢Derive value from sweating the assets by working them as much as is safely and practically possible. For example, airlines plan their schedules to maximize night-time flying between 11pm and 6am when there are often legal restrictions on landings and take-offs. †¢Outsource on a unit cost basis, thus making the cost variable rather than fixed. For example, buying in a component at a cost per unit rather than paying for a machine and staff to make them yourself. †¢Use standard platforms (such as one type of asset), thus minimizing the amounts of spares that need to be held. For example, logistics companies generally have only one manufacturer of trucks, and airlines select either Boeing or Airbus. †¢Use temporary staff to manage peaks in demand and thus avoid carrying the cost of staff throughout the year when demand is lower. For example, hotels often call in temporary banqueting staff for large functions. †¢Use an element of profit-related pay rather than a fixed salary, thus aligning the employment cost to the performance of the business. Similarly, sales commission not only provides a sales incentive but also makes the cost variable. †¢Assess the full life-cycle cost of an asset. A cheaper asset may over its useful life involve higher maintenance and ultimately faster replacement than a more expensive version. For example, a cheap printer may do the job, but soon its quality deteriorates and within a short while a new one is required. †¢Develop products that can use the waste from manufacturing the primary product. For example, Marmite, a yeast extract spread, is made from the residue from brewing beer, thus making the brewing waste a revenue earner rather than a disposal cost. †¢Employ staff with accountable hour’s contracts rather than standard hours and overtime. The process is that the staff works the hours they are required, but only 1,600 hours in a year. Operationally, this requires one-twelfth of the staff to have their accountable hours year ending each month. This makes sure that all the staffs do not run out of hours at the same time. †¢Simplify the product or service. Cut out a stage in the process that reduces costs but does not result in customers perceiving any loss in quality. For example, Kit Kat, a chocolate bar, used to be wrapped in foil with a paper sleeve. The packaging now is just a single outer wrapper. Some organizations describe this action as â€Å"squeeze†, which is the process of reducing the unit cost of production with no discernible loss in quality.

Script Footnote to Youth

TITLE: Pneumonia Most Common Infection After Heart Surgery DATE: Nov. 30 , 2011 SOURCE: http://www. sciencedaily. com/news/ The study also revealed that most infections occur about two weeks after surgery, not one week as physicians previously thought. â€Å"It's not what we expected to find,† said Michael A. Acker, M. D. , the study's lead researcher and professor and chief of cardiovascular surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa. In abstract 12247, researchers analyzed more than 5,100 patients in a heart surgery registry. Patients, average age 64, were treated at nine U. S. academic medical centers and one Canadian center. The median time to major infection was 14 days after heart surgeries. Forty-three percent of all major infections occurred after hospital discharge. â€Å"Half of these patients had no evidence of infection before they were discharged from the hospital,† Acker said. â€Å"Then they had to return because of the new infection. One implication is that patients must be followed more closely after discharge. In this study, which excluded patients who were infected before surgery, researchers found 761 infections: 300 were classified as major infections (occurring in 6 percent of patients) and 461 were minor (in 8. 1 percent of patients). Of the major infections: * Pneumonia, infection of the lungs, occurred in 2. 4 percent of all patients. * C. difficile colitis, an intestinal infection, occurred in 1. 0 percent. * Bloodstream infections occurred in 1. 1 percent. * Deep-incision surgical site infections occurred in 0. percent. Minor infections included urinary tract and superficial incision site infections. The most commonly performed procedures were isolated coronary artery bypass graft and aortic and mitral valve surgeries. Seventy-four percent were elective surgeries and 26 percent were non-elective or emergency surgeries. Several risk factors appeared to increase the risk of developing infection, including congestive heart failure, hypertension, chronic lung disease, corticosteroid use prior to surgery, and length of cardiopulmonary bypass time. In the next level of analysis, the focus will be on differences in care, from the types of dressings, the types of antibiotics, and the types of surgical preparations, to show what processes of care are associated with decreased incidence of infections,† Acker said. â€Å"The registry will allow us to modify our best practices to manage post-operative infections. † The National Heart, Lung, and Bloo d Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the study. Skin preparation reduces cardiac implantable device infections In another study (abstract 10041), special skin preparations for 3,700 patients significantly reduced infections from cardiac implantable electronic devices. Researchers at a Milwaukee hospital washed patients' skin with a special antibacterial solution the night before and morning of the procedure. They also included a strict three-minute drying time for the surgical skin preparation. These steps decreased implant infection rates from 1 percent to 0. 24 percent at a year following the implant placement. More staphylococcal bacterial infections are occurring after implantation procedures, said Renee Koeberl, R. N. , M. S. N. , lead author of the study. Co-authors are Mohamed S. Rahman, M. D. ; Rachel Pedersen, B. A. ; Jasbir Sra, M. D. ; Masood Akhtar, M. D. and M. Eyman Mortada, M. D REACTION: — Pneumonia — not a deep incision surgical site infection — is the most common serious infection after heart surgery, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011. So we need to be aware and curious to everything around us, to secure our good health.

Friction and Shoe Slide

|Name: Brennan Gedney |Date: November 16, 2011 | Graded Assignment Lab Report Answer the questions, using complete sentences. When you have finished, submit this assignment to your teacher by the due date for full credit. (9 points) |Score | | | 1. In Part 1, did the force of friction on the shoe depend on the weight of the shoe? If the two are related, why are they? What does the slope of the line on the graph of force of friction vs. eight represent? Explain using your data. Answer: The frictional force did depend on the weight of the shoe. The more mass a shoe had, the large frictional force was required. The more weight a shoe has, the more gravity pulls on the shoe. This means that there is a larger normal force, which multiplied by the same coefficient of friction gives a larger frictional force. The slope of the line of friction vs. weight represents the rate at which the frictional force increases due to weight. (8 points) |Score | | | 2. Does an athletic shoe work better on a basketball court than a dress or dance shoe? Why or why not? Explain using data from Parts 1 and 2. Answer: An athletic shoe does not work better than a dress shoe on a basketball court. Athletic shoes have more grip than dress shoes, and thus require more force to move. Based on my data, the dress shoe requires less applied force to move than an athletic shoe. (8 points) |Score | | | 3. If you wanted the athletic shoe to slide faster on a surface, what might you do to the shoe? Provide at least two ways to make the shoe slide faster, and explain in terms of the force of friction and the coefficient of friction. Answer: To make a shoe slide faster, you might decrease the weight of the shoe. This would decrease the normal force, and thus the force of friction, allowing the shoe to slide faster. Another way to slide the shoe faster would be to slide it down an inclined plane. This would decrease the coefficient of static friction because the angle used in  µs = tan ? would be smaller. |Your Score |___ of 25 |

Elements Of Irony In Native Son Essay

Elements of Irony in Native Son Native Son paints a disturbing, harsh picture of life within the â€Å"Black Belt† of Chicago in the 1940s. Wright uses irony; sometimes subtly and at other times obviously to shape the view of the reader and as a foreshadowing mechanism. From our initial scene to Bigger’s death, the technique of irony employed by Wright is effective, and devastating. Our initial symbol which foreshadows the fate of our protagonist is the â€Å"huge black rat† (5). The rat represents the feelings which Wright explores within Bigger. The rat is killed right away, before it really has a chance, yet it is able to attack Bigger before it is destroyed. By attacking instead of fleeing, the rat is caught and destroyed, much like Bigger as the novel progresses. Much like the rat, Bigger teeters between the predatory (the initial response to the rat) and the hunted (the rat as killed by Bigger). The fact that the rat is destroyed by Bigger makes this scene even more ironic. The idea of blindness permeates the novel in several ways. We can see the psychological and emotional blindness of Bigger, the blindness to reality by the hyper-religious Ma, and the blindness to the real role and ideals of the Communist party by both Jan and Mary. Perhaps the best use of irony is the physical blindness of Mrs. Dalton. Mrs. Dalton is the epitome of blind; she has very sensitive senses (she notices the smell of alcohol in Mary’s room, saying: â€Å"You’re dead drunk! You stink with whiskey! † (86)) but she is unable to see Bigger killing her daughter. Her extra sensitive hearing and lack of sight give Bigger the reason and opportunity to smother Mary. Yet, the true irony falls into the situation surrounding Mr. and Mrs. Dalton’s participation with groups such as the NAACP. While they believe that contributions of ping pong tables to inner city youth will help, their insulting charity to Bigger, coupled with Mr. Dalton’s excessive rent charges, ultimately causes the death of their daughter. Bigger is the most ironic element of the entire novel. From his name, we expect this character to make something out of himself, to escape from the ghettoes of Chicago and end up rich, successful and important. Wright does not allow this. The idea that Bigger will be destroyed is planted into his own head and into the readers right away. The naming of this character is a clever device utilized by Wright, though it’s irony is bitter. Bigger is not ironic simply due to his name. His actions also represent a sort of sick irony. Perhaps the saddest, sickest display of this is the rape of Bessie. While we are uncertain, and it would be impossible to prove that Bigger raped Mary prior to killing and decapitating her, by raping and murdering Bessie, a portrait of Bigger as the violent monster is created. This is important because it not only shapes the view of the public within the novel, but also that of the reader. Wright changes the tone stating: â€Å"He had done this. He had brought all this about† (239). Wright seems to do this for a reason, to illustrate how easy it is for the opinion of Bigger to shift, but also to show what a man is capable of when it is expected of him. The irony is that Bigger has, in effect, done himself in by murdering and raping Bessie. He believes that by killing her and tossing her body down the air shaft he shall escape, though just the opposite occurs. Ma represents a religious and foreshadowing irony that follows her character throughout Native Son. When she warns Bigger that â€Å"the gallows is at the end of the road [he] is traveling†, she is foreshadowing the fate of her son by the end of the novel (9). She tells Bigger to acknowledge his manhood by killing (the rat), which manifests into his killing Bessie. Through religion, however, we see the most obvious and devastating irony represented by Ma. She attempts to pray for the soul of her son, and gives him a wooden cross to wear around his neck. This cross, particularly due to its construction, appears identical to the burning cross of the Klu Klux Klan which Bigger sees out his jail cell window. Ma has effectively turned Bigger away from Christianity forever, in spite of her desire to do nothing other than save her son’s soul. Bigger ends up feeling that he â€Å"can die without a cross.. . [that he] ain’t got no soul! † (338) Irony follows Bigger throughout his life, and ultimately in his death. The introduction of Boris A. Max in Native Son represents a change; this is the first time Bigger has been able to explore some of his feelings, and with a white Jewish man! It is important to look at Max as a Communist and a Jew, because this makes him suspect in the eyes of popular opinion. Max is able to ask Bigger questions which are uncomfortable, but which make him think, which finally make him a man. Max states: â€Å"You’re human, Bigger† (424). This is the only time that anyone really says anything of this sort to Bigger. Bigger recognizes this and makes point of it, ironically, as he is about to be put to death. It is a difficult and important change which Wright employs at this point. Bigger Thomas was doomed from the beginning of the novel. We could see this foreshadowed by the rat, we could quickly sense the irony in his name and his very being. The world in which Bigger Thomas lived was cruel, unyielding in its destruction. We learn early that Bigger could not beat his fate, and we can see this in David Buckley. The district attorney is able to defeat Bigger and gain public acceptance by putting him to death. There is an ironic twist, if we look back to the beginning of the novel. We can see Bigger reading a sign with Buckley’s picture and the slogan, â€Å"YOU CAN’T WIN! † (13). Sadly, we find this to be true, with Bigger Thomas’s death by the novel’s end. Work Cited Wright, Richard. Native Son.

Genocide in Rwanda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Genocide in Rwanda - Essay Example Civilized society's insatiable avarice for power under a cloak of satiric sovereignty insists on the rights over another, consequently demeaning equal justice on hapless minorities. Conflicts escalating into full-blown wars allowed warring factions to employ every available resource to destabilize and eliminate its foe. Psychological warfare is nurtured to harden and manipulate warring tribes and minorities to fight the bloody battles against one another. Yet after the sound of the victory cry, the vestiges of war refused to settle and will forever haunt them throughout their lives. Pages of the history books will forever be smeared with the guileless victor without knowledge of his actual use as an ordinary dispensable pawn in the global economic struggle for race and power. The United Nation's dream of world governance as an approach to global bondage is permanently held in check by massive corruption and financial problems that have threaten to erase the organization into oblivion. Major capitalistic nations came out squeaky clean in the effort to portray an innocent face over their greedy interiors. The lowly patriotic nationals of the tribal nations in Africa seemingly submit to the manipulations of the sovereign powers aiding in their cultural battles and commit the vilest crimes of all, genocidal warfare. Men killing innocent women and children; well and sick; young and old Yet as we start to world start cleaning its mess, our fervent cries for equality calls for the investigation of these genocidal governments and prevent them from carrying out whatever future plans in mind. When the world saw the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus carried out by the Hutu militia in a period of 100 days, the Rwandan genocide stands out as historically significant in this modern world. We begin to see the involvement of Western countries which sent us an ambiguous signal that everybody was turning a blind eye on the Rwandans. The so called vigilance reflected the true nature of the violence unfolded where virtually all the first-world countries were quick in declining any offer of intervention that resulted to mass killings at the rate that exceeded the Jewish holocaust. Ample evidence revealed in Des Forges(1999,p.82)1, that the mass killing was well-organized as evidence presented at trials at the International Crime Tribunal for Rwanda supported such claim. According to Prunier(1997,P.3532), some militia members were able to acquire AK-47 assault rifles by completing requisition forms. Further Prunier (p.54) added that the leaders were able to exploit the highly-centralized nature of the Rwandan state. "The genocide happened not because the state was weak, but on the contrary because it was so totalitarian and strong that it had the capacity to make its subjects obey absolutely any order, including one of mass slaughter." Other weapons such as grenades required no paperwork and were widely distributed. According to Melvern (2000), Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda revealed3 that the genocide was openly discussed in cabinet meetings, and that one cabinet minister said she was "personally in favour of getting rid of all Tutsi without the Tutsi a ll of Rwanda's problems would be over." Belgium As

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony Research Paper

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony - Research Paper Example Social media channels did not cause uprising but played a significant role in sharing information. This paper seeks to discuss the primary role performed by social media during the 2011 Egyptian revolution (Attia, Assaf, El, Kaldas, Mo, & El-Shazly, 2011). It will explore the question whether the social media acted as a platform for counter hegemony. Finally, it will analyze theories discussing the linkage between social media and power, and how social media challenged the authority of Mubarak. Discussion Social media acts as the XXI century pamphlet, a way that individuals who are frustrated and unsatisfied with the status quo can plan and organize themselves and stage or coordinate protest. There are various theories that discuss the relationship between social media and power, for example, Antonio Gramsci and Marxism theory. Hegemony is a term that emanated from Karl Marx writing. It was intellectualized by a Marxist social philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, who lived in Italy. Gramsci subscribed to Marxist idea of the historical dialectic. This implies that based on the classic Marxist theories, communities or societies must change over time from oppressive systems of the economy to highly liberating ones till the society finally attains the Utopian communism state (Sowers & Toensing, 2012). Marx asserted that capitalism was a subordinate system of economy because of the unequal wealth and power distribution among the few powerful individuals. Moreover, he argued that ultimately, the capitalism would be overthrown by the masses and shift to the system that is less oppressive. Gramsci employs â€Å"hegemony† to theorize the fundamental condition for effective overthrow of both the powerful (bourgeoisie) by the proletariat (ruled) and its allies (for instance, the peasantry), and the bourgeois power structures in the Western European states during XIX and XX century. Gramsci’s â€Å"hegemony† is the process of intellectual and moral leadership in which subordinate or dominated classes of post 1870 Western European industrial nations consent to their own suppression by the powerful classes, rather than being coerced or forced into accepting inferior ranks. According to Gramsci, hegemony is a form of control practiced by a dominant or powerful group. In the Marxist idea of a group dominating production means; Gramsci uses â€Å"essential group† to represent the â€Å"ruling class† (Terryn, 2011). For him, the Western European nations dominant class represented the bourgeoisie, who according to the Communist Manifesto are â€Å"the class or group of modern Capitalists, wage labour employers and the owners social production means, whereas, the vital subordinate class represented the proletariat, â€Å"the group of modern wage-laborers, without means personal production means, and thus, must sell their labour power to survive. Gramsci’s hegemony use can only be realized in the light of some of the conce pts he established and those of the Civil Society and the state. Gramsci argues that media promotes powerful or dominant powers structures in his broadly used hegemony theory. In media studies, the term hegemony is defined as ways in which media motivates individuals to consent to the status quo structures of power. In the case of the Egyptian revolution, Gramsci and Marxism theory reveals that the authoritarian leadership did their best to block and cut Internet access by the mass. Unfortunately, despite their efforts,