Indias Look East Policy

India's Look East Policy India’s Look East Policy India’s Look East Policy is an effort being made by the Indian government to cultivate and strengthen economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to solidify its standing as a  regional power.  This aspect of India’s foreign policy also serves to position India as a counterweight to the strategic influence of the Peoples Republic of China in the region. Initiated in 1991, it marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister  P.V. Narasimha Rao  and has continued to enjoy energetic support from the successive administrations of  Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi, each of whom represents a different political party in India. India’s Pre-1991 Foreign Policy Before the fall of the Soviet Union, India made scant efforts to foster close relationships with the governments of Southeast Asia. There are several reasons for this. First, due to its colonial history, India’s ruling elite in the post-1947 era had an overwhelmingly pro-Western orientation. Western countries also made for better trade partners as they were significantly more developed than India’s neighbors. Second, India’s physical access to Southeast Asia was barred by Myanmar’s isolationist policies as well as Bangladesh’s refusal to provide transit facilities through its territory. Third, India and the Southeast Asian countries were on opposing sides of the Cold War divide.   India’s lack of interest in and access to Southeast Asia between its independence and the fall of the Soviet Union left much of Southeast Asia open to China’s influence. This came first in the form of China’s territorial expansionist policies. Following Deng Xiaoping’s ascent to leadership in China in 1979, China replaced its policy of expansionism with campaigns to foster extensive trade and economic relations with other Asian nations. During this period, China became the closest partner and supporter of the  military junta  of Burma, which had been ostracized from the international community following the violent suppression of pro-democracy activities  in 1988. According to former Indian Ambassador Rajiv Sikri, India missed a crucial opportunity during this period to leverage India’s shared colonial experience, cultural affinities and lack of historical baggage to build strong economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asia. Implementation of the Policy In 1991, India experienced an economic crisis that coincided with the fall of the Soviet Union, which had previously been one of India’s most valued economic and strategic partners. This prompted Indian leaders to reevaluate their economic and foreign policy, which led to at least two major shifts in India’s position toward its neighbors. First, India replaced its protectionist economic policy with a more liberal one, opening up to higher levels of trade and striving to expand regional markets. Second, under the leadership of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, India ceased to view South Asia and Southeast Asia as separate strategic theaters.   Much of India’s Look East Policy involves Myanmar, which is the only Southeast Asian country that shares a border with India and is seen as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia. In 1993, India reversed its policy of support for Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement and began courting the friendship of the ruling military junta. Since then, the Indian government and, to a lesser extent, private Indian corporations, have sought and secured lucrative contracts for industrial and infrastructure projects, including the construction of highways, pipelines and ports. Before the implementation of the Look East Policy, China enjoyed a monopoly over Myanmar’s vast oil and natural gas reserves. Today, competition between India and China over these energy resources remains high.   Furthermore, while China remains Myanmar’s biggest weapons supplier, India has boosted its military cooperation with Myanmar. India has offered to train elements of the Myanmar Armed Forces and share intelligence with Myanmar in an effort to increase coordination between the two countries in combating insurgents in India’s Northeastern States. Several insurgent groups maintain bases in Myanmar territory. Since 2003, India has also embarked on a campaign to forge free trade agreements with countries and regional blocs throughout Asia. The South Asia Free Trade Agreement, which created a  free trade area  of 1.6 billion people in  Bangladesh,  Bhutan,  India,  Maldives,  Nepal,  Pakistan and  Sri Lanka, came into effect in 2006. The  ASEAN–India Free Trade Area  (AIFTA), a  free trade area  among the ten member states of the  Association of Southeast Asian Nations  (ASEAN) and  India, came into effect in 2010. India also has separate free trade agreements with Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. India has also boosted its cooperation with Asian regional groupings such as ASEAN, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). High-level diplomatic visits between India and the countries associated with these groupings have become increasingly common the last decade.   During his state visit to Myanmar in 2012, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced many new bilateral initiatives and signed around a dozen MOUs, in addition to extending a line of credit for $500 million. Since then, Indian companies have made significant economic and trade agreements in infrastructure and other areas. Some of the major projects taken up by India include the resurfacing and upgrading of the 160-kilometer Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo road and the Kaladan project that will connect Kolkata Port with Sittwe Port in Myanmar (which is still in progress). A bus service from Imphal, India, to Mandalay, Myanmar, is expected to launch in October 2014. Once these infrastructure projects are completed, the next step will be connecting the India-Myanmar highway network to the existing portions of the Asian Highway Network, which will connect India to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.

The Improved Elevator Invention of Alexander Miles

The Improved Elevator Invention of Alexander Miles Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota patented an electric elevator on October 11, 1887. His innovation in the mechanism to open and close elevator doors greatly improved elevator safety.  Miles is notable for being a  black inventor  and successful business person in 19th Century America.   Elevator Patent for Automatic Closing Doors The problem with elevators at that time was that the doors of the elevator and the shaft had to be opened and closed manually. This could be done either by those riding in the elevator, or a dedicated elevator operator.  People would forget to close the shaft door. As a result,  there were accidents with people falling down the elevator shaft. Miles was concerned when he saw a shaft door left open when he was riding an elevator with his daughter. Miles  improved the method of the opening and closing of elevator  doors and the shaft door when an elevator was not on that floor.  He created an automatic mechanism that closed access to the shaft by the action of the cage moving. His design attached a flexible belt to the elevator cage. When it went over drums positioned at the appropriate spots above and below a floor, it automated opening and closing the doors with levers and rollers. Miles was granted a patent on this mechanism and it is still influential in elevator design today. He was not the only person to get a patent on automated elevator door systems, as John W. Meaker was granted a patent 13 years earlier. Early Life of Inventor Alexander Miles Miles was born in 1838 in Ohio to Michael Miles and Mary Pompy and is not recorded as having been a slave. He moved to Wisconsin and worked as a barber. He later moved to Minnesota where his draft registration showed he was living in Winona in 1863. He showed his talents for invention by creating and marketing hair care products. He met Candace Dunlap, a white woman who was a widow with two children. They married and moved to Duluth, Minnesota by 1875, where he lived for more than two decades. They had a daughter, Grace, in 1876. In Duluth, the couple invested in real estate, and Miles operated the barbershop at the upscale St. Louis Hotel. He was the first black member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. Later Life of Alexander Miles Miles and his family lived in comfort and prosperity in Duluth. He was active in politics and fraternal organizations. In 1899 he sold real estate investments in Duluth and moved to Chicago. He founded The United Brotherhood as a life insurance company that would ensure black people, who were often denied coverage at that time. Recessions took a toll on his investments, and he and his family resettled in Seattle, Washington. At one time it was believed he was the wealthiest black person in the Pacific Northwest, but that did not last. In the last decades of his life, he was again working as a barber. He died in 1918 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

Financial Research Report of Hewlett Packard Co Essay

Financial Research Report of Hewlett Packard Co - Essay Example Hewlett Packard Co. (HP) was formed in 1939 and it is today one of the largest IT companies with its revenue touching $118.4 billion during the financial year 2008.HP is in the industry of Diversified Computer Systems, and is one of 2008 Fortune 500 companies and is placed at no. 14 in the list. HP is a leading provider of e- technologies and products, software, solutions, and services for meeting the business and educational needs of the world. The company caters individuals, small and medium enterprises, as well as large enterprises in different fields of business and social strata. The basic objective of HP is to focus on three technological shifts. The first is to provide for next- generation data center. The second is to attain ‘always on always connected mobile computing, and third to provide for ubiquitous printing and imaging. HP intends to grow into an economic, social, and technological asset to each nation and community where HP carries on its business. HP is committed to three priority areas of raising social and environmental standards in the supply chain; improving energy efficiency in its operations, and to promote product reuse and recycling. HP’s business is divided into three business groups, namely, the Personal System Group, the Imaging and Printing Group, and the Technology Solution Group. The Personal System Group is in the manufacturing of business and consumer PCs, mobile computing devices, and workstations. The Imaging and Printing Group is in business of inkjet, laser jet, and commercial printing, printing supplies, digital photography, and entertainment. The Technology Solution Group deals in business products like storage and servers, EDS, managed services and software. The aims of the company are to make professional marketing services affordable for small businesses, to remain innovative and

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management Assignment

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management - Assignment Example However its importance becomes multi fold in global scenario due to the variable and dynamic nature of market. Success in IHRMs is akin to success of overall operational activity undertaken. Introduction: Organizations are a collection of different individuals and different processes that are grouped together into one unit in form of larger entity. Each of these has a clear role defined and responsibility assigned to them. Without the clear definition of the roles, the processes cannot excel. A special domain is in place that ensures that all these personnel are adjusted according to the requirement, and according to their skill and abilities. This is covered in the domain of Human Resource management. Assigning the right kind of role to the right kind of person in the right manner. The scope of HRM is quite a broad one and it entails almost all the activities of the personnel involved (Ristow, et al. 2009). No organization can survive without the presence of apt Human resource manag ement. Human resource management may exist in various forms. It can be of local level and/ or international level. The International human resource management is applicable in cases when the organization performs its activities and provides its services off shore and across the border. Like the domestic human resource management, IHRM is subject to the compliance of structures like performance management and strategic management. While each society has its own characteristic ways and patterns, and as a result of this, the individuals go about different functions in a different manner, it becomes imperative to adjust and accommodate these individuals and these functions according to their inspirations and in result yield the best deal out of the scenario and situation. They dynamic nature of I-HRM: Human resource management in the international context is the most dynamic concept since these trends vary from society to society, and country to country. While the basic concepts of huma n resource management remain the same, which are based on the basic principles of ensuring that the right kind of person is employed and inducted in the right place, yet in global context, the culture, the overall aptitude, the global patterns, the governmental factors and considerations also must be taken into account (Haris, et al. 2003). In the global scenario, the IHRM aims at creating a correlation between the nature of work and nature of people. Since a totally different culture and society is involved thereby variations are bound and adjustments ought to be made in accordance. The need: The need for human resource management in international scenario becomes more important than ever because different aptitudes, difference surroundings, and different variables are involved. In domestic domains, the natures and aptitudes can be easily comprehended, but in international scenario, the trends and patterns are totally different based on different set of values, cultural norms, folk ways, in such cases, understanding the human resource functions is an indispensible concept and it serves as the backbone towards the organizational success. Mishandling and it could lead to the overall failure of the organizational venture undertaken on international shores (MacCourt 2003). Literature Review: The early 19th century and middle 20th century has seen massive change in the manner in which businesses were being conducted earlier (Shuman & Twombly 2001 19). The global trends have prevailed since then with every individual and every organization in touch with

The Ritz Hotel Essay Example for Free

The Ritz Hotel Essay Despite the fact that rooms at the Ritz Hotel do not cost 2,000 Euros, employees of the Ritz are authorized to compensate guests up to 2,000 Euros for any problems they may have experienced.   Why does the Ritz have this policy?   There are primarily three factors that should be explored: one, the reputation of the Ritz, two, the costs beside room rate, and three, and the hidden costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, the Ritz is known the world-over for high class service.   It is the place to have your social event.    The name has carried great weight for many years now, and the reputation of the Ritz is not something the hotel owners would like to have tarnished.   Established in 1906, this year marks the 100 year celebration of this world-class hotel.   As part of the celebration, and as an example of the level of service the Ritz offers its clients, the Centennial Celebration includes pick-up from the Airport in the new Rolls Royce, accommodations for two nights, a bottle of champagne, Theater Tickets, Dinner, Salon Treatments, and complimentary membership to the Ritz Club for the length of the stay. The Ritz is â€Å"puttin’ on the Ritz’ for its 100 year celebration.   The reputation of the Ritz creates its value in the marketplace.   As a place for high society, elegance, and comfort, it has a name and reputation to live up to.   One of the primary ways reputations are maintained is through word-of-mouth.   Considering the fact that if a guest has a negative experience, they are ten times more likely to talk about it, it is therefore in the Ritz’s best interests to maintain a positive word-of-mouth cycle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, additional costs which guests incur aside from the room rate can cause management to raise the level of compensation higher than the rate of the room.     For example, there may be phone charges, room service charges, movie charges, wet bar charges, laundry or dry-cleaning, and the list goes on.   These are only the costs the guest may incur inside the hotel.   Additionally, there is the cost of travel and transportation.  Ã‚   As a world-class hotel, the Ritz recognizes these as valid reimbursable expenses.   If the Ritz is at fault for some inconvenience to the customer, the customer will also incur additional expenses remedying the problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the hidden costs to the Ritz.   The first has already been mentioned – the word-of-mouth advertising.   It is essential to the Ritz to maintain positive word-of-mouth advertising.  Ã‚   After a customer leaves the Ritz, it is impossible to communicate with them further, or to make amends.   One of the worst things that can happen for the Ritz is an unhappy customer leaving.   Therefore, the service staff at the Ritz has the permission to compensate the guests up to 2,000 Euros. The Ritz must review this policy and the history of compensations to make sure the policy is not being abused.   Abuse of the policy is a hidden cost to the Ritz itself.   However, with proper oversight, this cost can be minimal.   One more factor to take into consideration is the costs of damage to a customer’s personal belongings.   If a designer suit is taken in for dry-cleaning and is destroyed in the process, it is possible that the value of the suit could actually exceed the 2,000 Euros authorized for compensation.   Based on the level of the guests, it is quite likely that their personal items may be of high value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the management of the Ritz must weigh its risks.   How likely is it that compensation up to 2,000 Euros would be provided for a guest?   Based on the high level of service provided at the Ritz, including the level of training received b each employee, it is highly unlikely that a guest would have such a negative experience that only 2,000 Euros would satisfy them.  Ã‚   Therefore, the Ritz has even created a buffer zone for its employees. Not only are they authorized to meet the guests expectations, despite problems, they can even exceed the guests expectations.   If the guest found a mouse in the bathroom, rather than simply refunding the room rental rate, the employee can also give the customer 500 Euro for emotional duress.   Ultimately, it is in the Ritz’s best interests to satisfy their guests to the best of their ability.   If monetary compensation can help them achieve this goal, they should use this tool as long as it works for them.

The Censorship Debate Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The Censorship Debate      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do words such as nigger, bitch, or ass offend you?   The answer may seem clear cut, but our nation has been struggling with the issue of censorship almost since its conception.   To many, the aforementioned words are a part of their everyday vocabulary; to others, they are vulgar and unacceptable.   The issue of censorship is much more than just words.   There have been huge controversies over the negative ideas and graphic nature of literature, music, and television.   What is too violent, too negative, too obscene, or too graphic?   And who decides what these standards are?   These are questions that are still debated by many.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature has the greatest history of censorship debates.   For years, there have been arguments over what is acceptable for which age group in which environment.   A prime example of this is Robert Cormier's young adult novel, I Am The Cheese.   Over the past few years in Florida, there has been great debate over whether or not his book is acceptable for use in a junior high or high school classroom.   The novel, which portrays a preteen boy who has been part of the witness protection program, and sees his parents killed when the program fails, has been labeled inappropriate for use in a classroom.   Many teachers argue that the book has substantial educational value, citing the many awards that it has won, but the faction for censorship won this battle, and the book is no longer taught.   Many other literary works, some which are considered classics, have also been deemed inappropriate.   Some titles include: Hamlet, The Red... ...eedom of speech.   Our country was founded on one of these ideas, but our morals and values may be dependent on the other.   As a nation, we must decide which is more important.   I do not feel that there can be any halfway in this decision.   We cannot ban some things and leave others, it has to be all or nothing.   If we are going to censor, we must accept the fact that everything will be affected.   Then we must deal with the issue of who decides the standards, a problem which may be as monumental as deciding whether or not to censor in the first place.   If we decide against censorship, then we must be prepared to deal with whatever is created, no matter how graphic, obscene, or violent any individual may feel that it is.   It is likely that we will never reach an accord, and will be debating this until the end of time.

Outline and assess the role of the police in the social construction of crime (50 marks) Essay

Social construction refers to the way in which crime and deviance in society might be created and shaped by society and social institutions. This can occur in a number of different ways. For example, they can influence public perception and definitions of what establishes crime and deviance, deviants or non-deviants. They can also influence the amount of crime in society by amplifying it therefore clamping down on it. They can add pressure for changes in legislation which can then alter definitions of crime and can criminalise activities previously regarded as legal. They can also influence the extent, trends and patterns of recorded crime in how they operate. Interactionism is an action approach which views society in a micro perspective. It argues that the definitions of deviance and normality are social constructions and are relative, meaning it will depend on a range of factors such as the time, place and social context in which the act takes place whether the behaviour is defined as a crime or deviant. Marxism is an example of the conflicting view as they argue that the law and social rules reflect the interests of the rich and powerful groups in society who have managed to impose their ideas and way of thinking on the wider population through coercion and ideological control. Therefore they are able to get their assumptions of crime to stick as opposed to the opinions of an ordinary person on the street. Functionalism however argues the consensus view that law and norms about acceptable behaviour in any society are simply a reflection of the wider collective conscience and these laws and social rules are created and enforced to the benefit of everyone. Therefore deviance is behaviour that breaks these agreements on what is acceptable. Functionalists view this defining process as straightforward and objective. The police are an institution that is assigned the duty to enforce the law and take action to those breaking these rules, in order to achieve order and safety in society. They are therefore considered as having a key role in the social construction of crime. The main way the police display this is through the use of discretion in the enforcement of the law. This refers to when police officers have to apply their own judgement to decide which laws are suited for the given circumstance. The choices individual police officers make would be greatly influenced by their own concerns and interests. Colman and German found evidence in their study which showed that there were individual racist police offers who apply the law more harshly to certain ethnic minorities. Reiner also suggested an explanation on the basis of police discretion which refers to culture. It is noted that the police force are overwhelmingly white males. Officers work long hours in each other’s company, being largely isolated from the public. This therefore results in the development of a very specific occupational culture. This is referred to as ‘canteen culture’. Skolnick suggested three of its components. The first being suspiciousness. This talks about the fact that officers, whilst carrying out their training, are taught to discriminate between ‘decent people’ and ‘potential troublemakers’. According to Reiner, they categorise and stereotype certain people as ‘police property’. For example, they regard young males, particularly youths from ethnic minorities as potential troublemakers. A second component is internal solidarity and social isolation. This causes police officers to rely on one another in terms of support when physically threatened and when denying accusations made by the public. Lastly, conservatism refers to those who join the police in the first place are rarely politically radical. However while the job of policing emphasises a non-political attitude, police officers must uphold the law; it also upholds the traditional values and nature of the state. There is a strong sense of conservative values evident in the police. A final component of masculinity was suggested by Graef. He noted how most police officers are male and drawn from the working class. Their culture therefore ultimately reflects traditional working class values of heavy drinking, physical prowess and heterosexuality. Racial stereotyping is also heavily emphasised and linked with assuming the role of the police officer. Cicourel attempted to discover what deviance is by examining the way in which some acts and individuals become defined or labelled as deviant. Cicourel therefore looked how a young person is defined as delinquent. The first stage is a police officer deciding to stop and interrogate the individual based on meaning held by the policy about what is ‘suspicious’ or ‘unusual’. These can be related to particular geographical areas for example. If the individual portray themselves as the ‘typical delinquent’ in ways they speak and in their demeanour, they are more likely to be arrested. The second stage applies if the young person has been arrested, resulting in being referred to a juvenile (probation) officer. The suspect’s background is then looked at. Coming from a ‘broken home’ and showing bad attitude towards authority are factors that would increase the likeliness of them being charged with an offence. Cicourel identifies how social classes can alter the way the juvenile probation officer would consider their choice of action. When a middle class juvenile is arrested they are less likely to be charged with an offence due to their background not fitting the typical criteria of a delinquent. Moreover, middle class parents are better able to negotiate successfully on their child’s behalf. Due to this, middle class juvenile is often defines as ‘ill’ or accidently straying from the path of righteousness, allowing them the chance to reform. Middle class juvenile are more likely to be released with just a warning. Cicourel concluded that justice is negotiable and his theories reveal the power and control both the police and the juvenile probation officer have over a young individual’s life. This therefore implies that it is these two agents who contribute towards the social construction of crime as they are given the authority to select certain individuals and undergo the process of labelling them as deviant. Taylor, Walton and Young however criticise Cicourel’s conclusion as he fails to explain how subjective meanings held by the police and juvenile probation officers of the ‘typical delinquent’ originate in the first place. Marxists agree with considering the police as a key agent in social construction of crime and deviance but they believe it reflects the ideology of ruling class. Gordon argues that crime is rational and individuals must fend for themselves in order to survive. This is particularly true of the American poor as America has minimal welfare services compared to many other advanced societies. Gordon stated that most crimes in the USA share the similarity of representing rational responses to the competitiveness and inequality of life in capitalist societies. Gordon argues the law enforcers in the USA support the capitalist system in three ways. Firstly they select members of the subject class and punish them as individuals – they are viewed as ‘social failures’ and responsible for their criminal activities. By placing this focus on an individual, it draws away from capitalism which is primarily responsible for their criminal deviance. Secondly the imprisonment of members of the subject class is a way of eliminating those who may have shown opposition to the capitalist society – reducing the opposition of the system. Finally by imprisoning the criminals who are ‘enemies of the state’, they are sweeping away an embarrassing extreme outcome of capitalist society. If something was done to help these people, if their difficult situations were made public then it would throw doubt on the capitalist society – as it produced them initially. This reflects the idea that enforcers of the law serves to maintain ruling-class power and ideology. Therefore suggesting that the police and courts exert their power and control to further strengthen the ruling class and continue to force submission of the subject class. The laws and the ideas of crime and punishment are argued to have been constructed based on the ruling class’ preferences. It is also argued that the police are not a significant factor of the social construction of crime and the informal agent of social control which is media has a greater influence. The media shape wider social definitions of what is criminal and deviant. They can also configure the public’s perceptions and fears in terms of what they choose to report and how they choose to represent this. This therefore implies that what is considered as deviant is linked to the influence that the media has on the public, causing them to react in a certain way. The police can therefore be argued as just victims of the media as it pressures them to act against these negative social groups which have been categorised as public enemies, and if they don’t choose to take action, the reputation of the police could be threatened. ‘Moral panics’ is a concept used to describe the media’s reactions to particular social groups or acts that threaten societal values. Their reaction is often out of proportion to the real threat and puts pressure on authorities to control the problem. Marxists believe that moral panics serve an ideological purpose. Stuart Hall studied the media coverage of black muggers in the 1970s and concluded that it served the purpose of dividing the working class, diverting attention away from the mismanagement of capitalism by the ruling class and justified severely restrictive laws and policing that could be used against other problem groups. Stuart Hall’s theory however is criticised for being too deterministic and ignoring the centre of activity. Functionalists would argue the influence of the role of police in the social construction of crime is wrongly exaggerated. They would describe the police as having a close relationship with the local area being policed. Therefore the role of the police force is being to represent the shared interests of the majority of law abiding people to defend them against the minority of offenders. They would disagree that the enforcements made by the police are revolved around the interests of the ruling class as they argue that police officers are drawn up from the community therefore ultimately reflecting its characteristics. They also believe that individual offenders are caught as a result of complaints made by the community not due to the individual police officer’s view and attitudes affecting the decision.