Current Issues Paper and Class Handout Essay

As one of the most popular religions in the entire world, Buddism is believed to be originated by Siddhattha Gotama, also referred to as Siddhartha Gautama, 2500 years ago in Northern India (â€Å"Religious Tolerance†, 2015). More than 75% of its followers are from the Far East. Burma, Korea, Japan, China and Sri Lanka are places where Buddhism is commonly practiced (Molloy, 2010). Common Characteristics Although Buddhism is a major, strong religion on its own, it does share some similarities with other religions of the world. Hinduism is the one religion Buddhism probably shares the most similarities with. They share commonality on issues of reincarnation, enlightenment, salvation, suffering and yoga practices (Molloy, 2010). Reincarnation: the way you live presently will determine the worth of your reincarnated life. So if you live an honorable life now, you’ll be rewarded in reincarnation, vice versa. Enlightenment: both religion philosophies agree there’s no one path to achieve enlightenment. The paths are vast and can be attained through the mastering of one’s six senses. Salvation: can only be achieved individually and taking full responsibility of your own fate and the actions you take in your life. Suffering: is caused by materialism or becoming attached to things in and of the world we live in excessively. Yoga: both religions believe concentration and meditation promotes liberation and the path to enlightenment. Buddhism also shares a few similarities with Jainism. For example, each religion believes Nirvana is a state of becoming nothing, by freeing yourself from the world and rebirth. However, in state of non-being is referred to as ‘sunya’ in Buddhism and ‘moksha’ in Jainism. Modern World Challenges At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, new opportunities, as well as challenges, needed to be addressed by Buddhism as a religion. Cultural and religious patterns were being affected and across regions at the expense of the pre-modern Buddhist world (â€Å"Encyclopedia Britannica â€Å", 2014). Westernization began to settle in a lot of Buddhist countries due to conquests. Economic, political, cultural and religious influence from the west was becoming heavy. All across Asia the everyday life and thoughts of Buddhist communities became infused with notions of socialism and liberal democracy, modern rationalistic and scientific thinking and modern capitalistic economies. Also, Buddhism, as a religion started to reappear in communities it previously flourished many years ago. Buddhism rapidly moved into the west and prospered with new developments, which energized the Buddhism religion back in Asia (â€Å"Encyclopedia Britannica â€Å", 2014). Women In Buddhism Women have fully been permitted to participate in a religious community since the early days of Buddhism. But they were bound by restrictions, since they’ve typically been look upon as being inferior to men (â€Å"Buddhist Studies†, 2008). Discrimination within their religion is an obstacle women have consistently been faced with. In some cases nuns actually have to bow to a monk. Originally, Buddha felt allowing women to be part of the religious institutions, as ordained nuns, decreases the importance of his teachings, as well as how long his teachings would remain relevant (Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera, n.d.). Buddha restricted all ordained nuns to be subordinate to monks once he allowed them  to become nuns. In Buddhism, women continually referred to as the reason for man’s sins and the sins of the world. Often depicted as a temptress and the blame for man’s misfortunes, in Buddhism men are warned about women. Some feel being reincarnated as a man it pr obably the only way a woman will get salvation. Buddha’s radical decision to allow women into the Holy Order allowed women to show they to reach or attain enlightenment, the highest place in the religion, just as a man can (Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera, n.d.). In Buddhist communities, today women are forcibly establishing their roles. Both internationally and within the U.S., a more formal role of women within the Buddhist culture is becoming more of a reality, thanks to the nuns and teachers in Buddhism of today (â€Å"The Pluralism Project†, 2006). Social activism for Buddhist women is an important tool or creative instrument in promoting their connection with other human beings and the earth. Scholarly women are getting their messages and thoughts heard inside and outside of the classroom to inspire other women and young people of Buddhism. Women who are discovering new and innovative ways to communicate and inspire people of the Buddhism community will shape the future of Buddhism around the world. (â€Å"The Pluralism Project†, 2006). References Buddhist Studies. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/position.htm ncyclopedia Britannica . (2014). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/83184/Buddhism/68769/Buddhism-in-the-contemporary-world Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera, Venerable K. (n.d.). What Buddhists Believe. Retrieved from http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/227.htm The Pluralism Project. (2006). Retrieved from http://pluralism.org/reports/view/46 Religious Tolerance. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism5.htm Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions. 5th ed. NY: McGraw, 2010. Print.

A Critical Exploration Of The Increasing Fragmentation Of Policing

But this trend should not come as a surprise considering that publicly funded agencies that grew during the 19th century did not really eradicate the involvement of the private sectors in policing (Ericson Kevin 1997). With the shift to private policing, investors in the security industries have seen their earnings steadily increase. This trend has stimulated a growing interest in contemporary international politics and has become the focus of widespread journalistic coverage. Some view the increasing fragmentation of policing as government’s failure to providing the most basic needs, security. As pointed out by Garland (2001), the pervasiveness of private firms is an indication of the impotence of governments in addressing the most basic demands. The increasing trend of outsourcing security tasks marks the state’s retreat towards a more coordinating role rather than a providing role As Button states: the increasing privatization of policing has eroded one of the founding myths of modern societies: ‘the myth that the sovereign state is capable of providing security, law and order, and crime control within its territorial boundaries’ (Button 2012, p.22). Whereas privatization of policing may indicated states’ failure in providing fundamental security services to its citizens, this is not necessarily true.. It does not necessarily mean that the state is dying but rather diversifying and developing. Several key questions arise when debating on this topic. Why the increase in fragmentation of policingwhat are the implications of such trends in terms of democratic legitimacy, effectiveness and equityIn the midst of the far-reaching transformation, how best can the multiplicity of institutional reforms involved in policing be governed? This paper addresses these questions with evidence drawn from various perspectivesfrom various perspectives. it The paper provides an adequate account for the shifting structures of security, providing an explanation for the increasing fragmentation and debating the extent to which it privatization of policing has occurred. In order to understand the trend towards private policing and the reasons for the increasing fragmentation, it is important to first explore the historical development. Since it is beyond the scope of this paper to examine the 1st world war and the 2nd world war more in depth, the paper will briefly touch on some of the important transformations. depth the post-conflict proliferation of the 1st and 2nd World Wars, it will briefly touch on some important developments that led to the rise of private security industry. Historical context The involvement of thee private secto in crime control and prevention can be traced back to the cold war. During the cold war, the private military sector provided services ranging from logistics to direct combat (Cusumano 2010). A prime example is the US firm Vinnel which was contracted to train Saudi Arabian National Guard in 1977. Other private security actors military sectors involved in military assistance during the cold war period include the British Watchguard, Gurkha Security Guards, KMS, Saladin and DSL(Cusumano 2010). Whilst the growing trend towards privatization of policing is not a new phenomenonIt is clear that th involvement in security tasks is not a new phenomenon and has been there since the cold war period. However the transformations that followed after the cold war triggered the tectonic change and lead to the increasing in fragmentation of policing. First, there was massive downsizing with most of the armies which created a market for military assistance (Lock 199). With the demise of the cold war, the losing parties saw their military personnel transfer to other theartres. Having lost in both wars, Germany became the major source of private proliferation. The transformation that took place with most of the armies increased the demand for external contractors. Th, Second, the strain on human resources and the increase in emphasis on specialization led to outsourcing of functions other than direct combat, such as foreign military training. This is evident with the planned gradual privatization of activities other than combat by the US Department of Defense in 2001 (Cusumano 2012). Neoliberal reforms Apart from transformations that took place during othe post-cold war period, this trend was further reinforced by the rise of neoliberals. The emergence of neo-liberal ideas that emphasized on the importance of fragmentation of power has played a key role in this trend. This perspective is in line with Focault’s concept of dispersion of power. Neoliberal ideas such as outsourcing, privatization and public private partnerships that were aimed at streamlining bereacracies played a key role towards this trend. The rise of neoliberalism during the late 1970s led to the Outsourcing, privatization and public private partnerships that were formed during the late 1970s to streamline bureaucracies resulted in the shift from the state-centered hierarchical structures towards the more diverse horizontal structures (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Neoliberal reforms aimed at limiting the power of the state by finding means of rendering them accountable (Button2012). These new arrangements empowered private actors to increase their involvement in security provision. In this regard, he rein of power can be said to have been taken over by the private sector appears to have been taken over by private corporations. As emphasis was placed on conflict settlement that goes beyond the state, this led to the widening of police infrastructure to include private bodies. In many states, public policing underwent major neoliberal reforms. Hybrid public-private structures were developed across many countries driven by the neoliberal ideology. However, the idea of diminishing power of the state As the upsurge of private security companies has led to the expansion of the state rather than the ‘rolling back of the state’.The impact of this upsurge in private security has been the expansion of the state rather than ‘rolling back of the state’. The increase in fragmentation and privatization has extended the state apparatus of criminal justice and strengthened the institutional architecture of crime control rather than diminishing or reducing the powers of the state (Steden Sarre 2007). Privatization revolution The increasing fragmentation can also be said to have been driven by the ideological shift brought about by the ‘privatization revolution’. This is related to the emergence of ‘ mass private property’ where workplaces, leisure facilities, shopping malls and many other places are manned by private security guards. Whereas these places may be open to the public, in reality, they are private spaces. This seem to have has contributed to the growth of private security to the extent that private firms have mimicked nation states, a form of ( Button 2012). ‘Marketization’ or ‘commodification of policing The trend has further been reinforced by‘commodification’ of security which has resulted due to increased public demands that the police have not been able to satisfy. the involvement of the private sector in security provision has been seen as private is an appropriate means for dealing with the growing lawlessness and crimes. Rising cases of impunity across the globe have increased the demands for private security. Sierra leone is a prime example. Despite its small size, it is known globally a paradigm case of security privatization. The highly publicized activities of private security firms such as Sandline International and Executive Outcomes have made this small sized country globally recognized as the target of transnational security firms. Of course, this resulted due to the intense conflict in the country and presence of numerous rebel armies and civil defense militias. has conflict and the numerous rebel armies and civil defense militias in the country. The increasing demand for security across the globe has no doubt led to this momentous growth. Unrest and violence across various parts of the world including Syria, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan have further strengthened the need to have these transnational security companies. Some of the well-known examples of these transnational firms are the Securitas Group and Group 4 securicor which have developed their operations in more than 100 countries (Musa Kayode 2000). Group 4 Securicor officers are currently providing protection to US troops in Kosovo. Minimize public costs Perhaps a most crucial factor that has played a central role towards this trend is the need to cut public costs. Given the rising cost of training and maintaining standing armies, many states have sought more cost effective ways of policing such as outsourcing security tasks to private sectors. (Krahmann 2002). Expertise of the private sector A more convincing argument for the proliferation of private security firms is related to expertise. The expansion can be attributed to the increasing emphasis on specialization of personnel. That is, the states have felt it necessary to outsource other security functions other than combat such as military training. It is a fact that success in military operations today is dependent on the state of the art technology. But most of the public military personnel do not have the necessary training for use of sophisticated technology. For example, the US relies on private military firms in using and maintaining sophisticated techology such as the Global Hawk unmanned aircrafts and the Predator (Tzifakis 2012). Private firms have an advantage in terms of their expertise especially given their practice of hiring regional expertise. ontrary to the above view, private security companies have come under immense criticism for their low standards of professionalism. Despite their high profile in forensic accountancy and expertise in several areas such as manning of aircrafts, the most dominant view has been that of an industry filled with corrupt, amoral, and incompetent employees (Steden Sarre 2007). This is evident with most of the studies conducted in North America which portray private security guards as poorly educated, marginally paid and hastily trained figures with dubious characters (Prenzer 2004, and livingstone Hart 2003) Risk-based thinking and global assemblages The increasing fragmentation of policing can also be said to have resulted due to risk based thinking and global assemblageswhere global security actors are integrated in the provision of security. Paradigm cases of global security assemblage can be seen in Nigeria and Siera leone. In Sierra Leone, private security firms have used their material resources including technical expertise to wield significant influences within global security assemblages. For example, in the case of Diamond minning by Koidu Holdings, PSCs especially Securicor Gray have used their capabilities and material resources to exert their influence onwield significant impact on the choice of security strategies (Abrahamsen Williams 2006). Similarly, global assemblages and risk based thinking appear to have contributed to the rise of private policing in Nigeria which is estimated to have between 1500 and 2000 private security companies (Keku Akingbade 2003). A good example of the global security assemblage in Nigeria is the contract between Group4Securicor and Chevron Nigeria Ltd (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Through this contract, Group4Securicor replaced most of the local security companies that provided manned guarding together with the police. Whilst this private company was mandated to guard the CNL headquarters, the operational base in Escravos and the two logistical bases in Warri and Port Harcourt; it has used its material resources and legitimacy to expand its mandate beyond guarding these areas. Geographical fragmentation A further probable reason for the increasing fragmentation of policing is the geographical fragmentation. This has led to the shift from government to governance within the transatlantic community (Krahman 2002, p. 23). Two developments are linked to this geographical transformation: progressive replacement of nation state and shift towards regional and global governance; and a shift towards private security actors. The shift towards regional and global governance can be seen with the geographical expansion of the EU and the NATO (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). While the sideway shift to privatization of security functions can be seen with the proliferation of various private security firms. Growing awareness of importance of private sector in global governance Finally, the trend has been reinforced by the growing awareness of importance of the private sector in global governance. In fact, a with Global Compact Initiative has been established to create partnership between the UN and private sector on human rights issues. , Kofi-Annan, the former secretary to the UN, once contemplated the possibility of the using private security firms in peacekeeping missions both in the provision of logistics and military combat (Abrahamsen Willliams 2007). Today, we have many private agencies providing military assistance to the UN, Nato and even African Union peacekeeping missions. Whilst th idea of a private police established to achieve accountability of public police may sound realistic, there is little persuasive evidence regarding the effectiveness of the private institutions in performing this role. In fact, it is case that the private sector is largely unaccountable. In theory, it is stated that both the public and private police are accountable through the criminal law of their actions. However, there is no persuasive proof to support this claim in practice. Notorious examples can be seen with the recent events which Some of the recent infamous events that unfolded in California. This indicates indicatinghow how difficult it is to convict public police offenders (Stenning 1994). Fragmentation and privatization of policing a global phenomenon The trend towards private policing is clearly evident across the globe. For example, in Russia, there has been an explosive growth in private security personnel since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Whilst statistics indicate that Russia had almost 200,000 licensed private personnel in 1999, the the actual number is has been estimated to exceed 850,000 (Steden Sarre 2007). Similarly, A similar trend can be seen in Bulgaria which currently has about 130,000 personnel employed in private security sector in sharp contrast to 28,000 state police officers (Steden Sarre 2007). A similar trend can be seen with emerginerging economies of Asia. India has also echo the trend with over 5 million private security personnel, a figure that i exceeds the police, army, air force and the navy put together. In China, private guards are forecast to grow from the current 3 million to 5 million in the coming years. Not only is this trend evident in the Middle East and growing economies of Asia, but also across the US and the UK and in most Latin American countries. The US employs approximately 1.5 and 2 million private security personnel, outnumbering the public police by almost three to one (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Similarly, the private security personnel in the UK outnumber the state police by a ratio of two to one. This growth is also reflected in the Latin American countries, African countries and even across Central and Eastern Europe. The resurgence is clearly evident across the world as countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic continue to witness growth of private policing witnessing growth in this sector. Almost all countries now have their private security personnel exceeding the police number. A further trend that has been observed and has perhaps been under-theorized or under-evaluated is the increasing emergence of transnational policing. Besides privatization of policing, there has been an expansion in cooperation between member states in areas of policing (Button 2012). Traditional forms of cooperation based on distribution of information through bodies such as the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) have now been transcended by organizations such as the European Criminal Police Office (Europol) (Button 2012, p. 25). In addition, there has been an increase in information sharing and the exportation of ideas among private security firms. For example, corporations such as Corrections of America and Wakenhut exportation have exported their ideas to the UK and Australia (Steden Sarre 2007). However, in some countries, private policing is still at its infancy. For example,In n Greece, the ratio between the private and public security personnel remains relatively small. This can be attributed to the security market that barely existed in Greece until the late 1990s when legislation that mandated some of the key requirements for a licensed security firm was passed (Steden Sarre 2007). Other countries with a relatively low private security to police ratio include Italy, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Spain. Most of these countries still make more use of the police officers than private security guards. Nonetheless, the momentous growth of private policing is inevitable and is occurring across the globe. Concerns/controversies over private policing Traditionally, the state has been seen as a monopoly in crime prevention and control (Button 2012). However, evidence has emerged that have raised questions regarding the state’s monopoly in policing. Evidence have pointed to the increasing ‘pluralization’ or ‘fragmentation’ of policing as seen with the increasing involvement of the private sector and voluntary organizations in crime prevention and control. This raises key questions such as: does the state still have a monopoly in policing given the increasing fragmentationOr rather it can be questioned: did it ever have a monopoly given that the fragmentation in policing is not a new phenomenonThe only thing that is new is the increasing fragmentation and the expansion of private security. Whilst the pervasiveness of these private firms may signal the state’s failure in addressing the most basic demands for security, it should not be viewed as weakening of the state’s role. It does not necessarily mean that the state is dying but rather diversifying and developing. Encouraging private personnel to become more involved in crime control is to support the state’s activities by allowing these individuals to become auxiliaries of the state as opposed to becoming rivals (Sarre 2002). Of course, there are concerns with this trend of privatization of policing with the greatest dangers being the subversion of public interests into profit maximization. Another concern relates to the fact that privatization results in more unequal access to protection and security with differential treatment in the provision of security services to the rich and the poor (Stenning 1994). A further danger is that private policing may lead to the erosion of the cherished notions of liberty, human dignity and privacy which may eventually results in an intolerably controlled and regulated society It is clear that the state’s role is changing. The increasing fragmentation of policing is evidence of a new social world where governance is no longer monopolized by the states, but rather one in which the rein of power is taken over by the private sector. there is a dispersion of power more to the private sector. The hope of many is for governance to be controlled by the local communities. However, the reality is the emergence of a pervasive and intrusive corporate governance where in capital interests become the priority and are more pursued than that the interests of the local communities (Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2007). Further, there is the it is the possibility that the state might slowly wither away and that the proliferation of private security firms may pose threat to the state’s sovereignty. Other problems relate to issues such as the lack of transparency and accountability and political control over the operations of these private firms. The fundamental goal of outsourcing such service is obviously to protect the citizens from harm and against human rights violations. Whereas the outsourcing of security services to private firms is justifiable, it may be subject to violent manipulations. One variant to this manipulation can arise through coercion towards prospective clients by the private security firms with the aim manipulating them to buy into their services. Another maipulation can arise where these firms invite others to commit crime in order to increase demand for their protection. There is a possibility that the private security may also end up creating ‘security enclaves’ as their availability in the open market allows the wealthy and ruling elites to buy more of their services than the less-priviledged counterparts hence running counter to the social bonds considered essential to security (Karsent Volker 2000). In fact, the so called ‘security enclaves’ have emerged in the US. This is a clarion call to pay attention to isssues of accountability for attention to paid more on control and accountability especially given the increasing fragmentation and privatization. But, as argued by Les Johnston (1992), some of these concerns are not unique and do not constitute compelling arguments against private policing. For example, the concern over the subversion of public interests into profit maximization is not unique. This concern is also evident with the public police where corruption and political interests have led to public disservice. Criticism of erosion of state’s sovereignty might not necessarily be true as the private security sectors have often acted under the government’s control. For example, Siera Leone is far from entirely private as the government still plays a key role by integrating public forces and setting the legal framework. Future of private security market Nonetheless, there is a clear momentous growth of the private security sector. The massive growth is evidence of expansion of this type of market. In fact, the industry’s global turnover was maintained during the recessionary period indicating the high demand for this type of service across the globe. In 2007, the global security service market was valued at $136 billion and in 2009, it was estimated at $152 billion (Steden Sarre 2007). The future for private security firms seems promising given the increasing demand of security services driven by the rise upsurge in conflicts, war and human right violations across various sectors of the globe. The commercial private security market is currently estimated to be $165 billion and is forecast to grow at a rate of 18% per anum into the foreseeable future. Despite the recent decision made by the US DoD to reduce reliance on support service contractors to pre-9/11 levels, the global market for private security services is anticipated to continue to grow to reach $218.4 billon in 2015 (Tzifakis 2012). However, much of this growth would be mainly concentrated in the emerging economies. What was once a â€Å"quiet revolution† has grown in size and demand to become a global actor in in the provision of security services. Conclusion There is no doubt that the privatization of policing has become a reality. This is evident with the proliferation of private security actors across the globe with activities that range from manned guarding to surveillance and risk analysis to even military combat. The increasing fragmentation has clearly been triggered by several key developments: the emergence of neoliberal ideas; second the increasing commodification of security; third, the global assemblages and risk based thinking; fourth, the transformations that took place during the post-cold war period, and the fourth, emergence of the â€Å"privatization revolution†. lso, the increased emphasis on specialization of personnel, the geographical fragmentation and the increasing recognition of the role of private sector in global governance have no doubt played a significant role towards this trend. All these processes have been central to the growing fragmentation and globalization of private security. However, these changes have fueled controversies. On the one hand, it has helped secure the transition to democracy by providing for a stronger presence of security forces in states under threat of instability. On the other hand, it has had exclusionary effects by increasing the division between the rich and the poor which in the long-run can be detrimental to its legitimacy. Other concerns highlighted include the subversion of public interests into profit maximization; erosion of cherished notions of liberty, human dignity and privacy; and threat to state’s sovereignty. In the midst of these changes, states have a greater role to play. With development of more diverse forms of policing, governments have the central responsibility of coordinating and regulating all policing activities, both in the private and public agencies. Government must serve as a central anchor point ensuring multi-agency networking and efficacy, equity and accountability of all agencies, both private and public. Accountability can perhaps be achieved by bringing all the policing practices under the control of democratic institutions such as citizen boards, commissions and ‘watchdogs’ at the local, national, provincial and regional levels. This would ensure equity, efficacy, legitimacy and accountable of all security actors. Reference Abrahamsen, R. and Williams, M., 2009. Security beyond the state: global security assemblages in international politics. International Political Sociology, vol. 3, pp. 1-17 Abrahamsen, R. and Willliams, M.C., 2007. Securing the city: private security companies and non-state authority in global governance International Relations 21(2): 237–153 Abrahamsen, R and Michael C., 2006. Security Sector Reform: Bringing the Private In. Africa: Whither the African State. In: Private Security in Africa, edited by S. Gumedze. Pretoria:Institute of Security Studies, pp. 17–38 Adams, T.K., 1999. ‘The New Mercenaries and the Privatization of Conflict’, Parameters, Summer, pp.103-116. Ericson, R.V. and Kevin D. H., 1997. Policing the Risk Society. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Foucault, M., 1991. ‘Governmentality’, In: Burchell, G., Gordon., C and Miller, P. (eds) The foucault effect: studies in governmentality. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Garland, D., 2001. The Culture of Control. Oxford: Oxford University Press Golsby, M., 1998. Police and private security working together in a co-operative approach to crime prevention and public safety. SRM Australia Pty Ltd Kamensy, J.M., and Thomas J. B., 2004. Collaboration: Using Networks and Partnerships. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Little?eld. Karsent, R. and Volker, S., (Eds.), 2000. Private Organizations in Global Politics. Keku, P. and Akingbade, T., 2003. Industrial Security in Nigeria. Lagos: Authorhouse. Krahmann, E., 2002. Private firms and the new security governance. USA, Cambridge University Press Livingstone, K. and Hart, J., 2003. The wrong arm of the lawPublic images of private security. Policing and Society, vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 159-170 Lock., P., 1999. Africa, military downsizing and the growth in the security industry., Issues in Science and Technology. London: Routledge. Manning, P.K., 2006. The United States of America. In Plural Policing. A Comparative Perspective,. London: Routledge, pp. 98–125. Musah, A. and Kayode, F., 2000. Mercenaries: An African Security Dilemma. London: Pluto. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S.J., 2007. Weak States and the Growth of the Private Security Sector in Con?ict, Security and Development 6(1): 1–23 Prenzler, T., 2004. The privatization of policing. In Sarre, R and Tomaino, J., (eds) Key issues in criminal justice. Adelaide: Australian Humanities Press, pp.267-296 Sarre, R., 2002. Private police: the future of policing and the broader regulatory framework. University of South Australia Steden, R. and Sarre, R., 2007. The growth of private security: trends in the European Union. Security Journal, vol. 20, pp. 222-235 Stenning, P., 1994. Private policing-some recent myths, developments and trends. {viewed on 14th December 2013} available from http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/proceedings/23/stenning.pdf A Critical Exploration Of The Increasing Fragmentation Of Policing But this trend should not come as a surprise considering that publicly funded agencies that grew during the 19th century did not really eradicate the involvement of the private sectors in policing (Ericson Kevin 1997). With the shift to private policing, investors in the security industries have seen their earnings steadily increase. This trend has stimulated a growing interest in contemporary international politics and has become the focus of widespread journalistic coverage. Some view the increasing fragmentation of policing as government’s failure to providing the most basic needs, security. As pointed out by Garland (2001), the pervasiveness of private firms is an indication of the impotence of governments in addressing the most basic demands. The increasing trend of outsourcing security tasks marks the state’s retreat towards a more coordinating role rather than a providing role As Button states: the increasing privatization of policing has eroded one of the founding myths of modern societies: ‘the myth that the sovereign state is capable of providing security, law and order, and crime control within its territorial boundaries’ (Button 2012, p.22). Whereas privatization of policing may indicated states’ failure in providing fundamental security services to its citizens, this is not necessarily true.. It does not necessarily mean that the state is dying but rather diversifying and developing. Several key questions arise when debating on this topic. Why the increase in fragmentation of policingwhat are the implications of such trends in terms of democratic legitimacy, effectiveness and equityIn the midst of the far-reaching transformation, how best can the multiplicity of institutional reforms involved in policing be governed? This paper addresses these questions with evidence drawn from various perspectivesfrom various perspectives. it The paper provides an adequate account for the shifting structures of security, providing an explanation for the increasing fragmentation and debating the extent to which it privatization of policing has occurred. In order to understand the trend towards private policing and the reasons for the increasing fragmentation, it is important to first explore the historical development. Since it is beyond the scope of this paper to examine the 1st world war and the 2nd world war more in depth, the paper will briefly touch on some of the important transformations. depth the post-conflict proliferation of the 1st and 2nd World Wars, it will briefly touch on some important developments that led to the rise of private security industry. Historical context The involvement of thee private secto in crime control and prevention can be traced back to the cold war. During the cold war, the private military sector provided services ranging from logistics to direct combat (Cusumano 2010). A prime example is the US firm Vinnel which was contracted to train Saudi Arabian National Guard in 1977. Other private security actors military sectors involved in military assistance during the cold war period include the British Watchguard, Gurkha Security Guards, KMS, Saladin and DSL(Cusumano 2010). Whilst the growing trend towards privatization of policing is not a new phenomenonIt is clear that th involvement in security tasks is not a new phenomenon and has been there since the cold war period. However the transformations that followed after the cold war triggered the tectonic change and lead to the increasing in fragmentation of policing. First, there was massive downsizing with most of the armies which created a market for military assistance (Lock 199). With the demise of the cold war, the losing parties saw their military personnel transfer to other theartres. Having lost in both wars, Germany became the major source of private proliferation. The transformation that took place with most of the armies increased the demand for external contractors. Th, Second, the strain on human resources and the increase in emphasis on specialization led to outsourcing of functions other than direct combat, such as foreign military training. This is evident with the planned gradual privatization of activities other than combat by the US Department of Defense in 2001 (Cusumano 2012). Neoliberal reforms Apart from transformations that took place during othe post-cold war period, this trend was further reinforced by the rise of neoliberals. The emergence of neo-liberal ideas that emphasized on the importance of fragmentation of power has played a key role in this trend. This perspective is in line with Focault’s concept of dispersion of power. Neoliberal ideas such as outsourcing, privatization and public private partnerships that were aimed at streamlining bereacracies played a key role towards this trend. The rise of neoliberalism during the late 1970s led to the Outsourcing, privatization and public private partnerships that were formed during the late 1970s to streamline bureaucracies resulted in the shift from the state-centered hierarchical structures towards the more diverse horizontal structures (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Neoliberal reforms aimed at limiting the power of the state by finding means of rendering them accountable (Button2012). These new arrangements empowered private actors to increase their involvement in security provision. In this regard, he rein of power can be said to have been taken over by the private sector appears to have been taken over by private corporations. As emphasis was placed on conflict settlement that goes beyond the state, this led to the widening of police infrastructure to include private bodies. In many states, public policing underwent major neoliberal reforms. Hybrid public-private structures were developed across many countries driven by the neoliberal ideology. However, the idea of diminishing power of the state As the upsurge of private security companies has led to the expansion of the state rather than the ‘rolling back of the state’.The impact of this upsurge in private security has been the expansion of the state rather than ‘rolling back of the state’. The increase in fragmentation and privatization has extended the state apparatus of criminal justice and strengthened the institutional architecture of crime control rather than diminishing or reducing the powers of the state (Steden Sarre 2007). Privatization revolution The increasing fragmentation can also be said to have been driven by the ideological shift brought about by the ‘privatization revolution’. This is related to the emergence of ‘ mass private property’ where workplaces, leisure facilities, shopping malls and many other places are manned by private security guards. Whereas these places may be open to the public, in reality, they are private spaces. This seem to have has contributed to the growth of private security to the extent that private firms have mimicked nation states, a form of ( Button 2012). ‘Marketization’ or ‘commodification of policing The trend has further been reinforced by‘commodification’ of security which has resulted due to increased public demands that the police have not been able to satisfy. the involvement of the private sector in security provision has been seen as private is an appropriate means for dealing with the growing lawlessness and crimes. Rising cases of impunity across the globe have increased the demands for private security. Sierra leone is a prime example. Despite its small size, it is known globally a paradigm case of security privatization. The highly publicized activities of private security firms such as Sandline International and Executive Outcomes have made this small sized country globally recognized as the target of transnational security firms. Of course, this resulted due to the intense conflict in the country and presence of numerous rebel armies and civil defense militias. has conflict and the numerous rebel armies and civil defense militias in the country. The increasing demand for security across the globe has no doubt led to this momentous growth. Unrest and violence across various parts of the world including Syria, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan have further strengthened the need to have these transnational security companies. Some of the well-known examples of these transnational firms are the Securitas Group and Group 4 securicor which have developed their operations in more than 100 countries (Musa Kayode 2000). Group 4 Securicor officers are currently providing protection to US troops in Kosovo. Minimize public costs Perhaps a most crucial factor that has played a central role towards this trend is the need to cut public costs. Given the rising cost of training and maintaining standing armies, many states have sought more cost effective ways of policing such as outsourcing security tasks to private sectors. (Krahmann 2002). Expertise of the private sector A more convincing argument for the proliferation of private security firms is related to expertise. The expansion can be attributed to the increasing emphasis on specialization of personnel. That is, the states have felt it necessary to outsource other security functions other than combat such as military training. It is a fact that success in military operations today is dependent on the state of the art technology. But most of the public military personnel do not have the necessary training for use of sophisticated technology. For example, the US relies on private military firms in using and maintaining sophisticated techology such as the Global Hawk unmanned aircrafts and the Predator (Tzifakis 2012). Private firms have an advantage in terms of their expertise especially given their practice of hiring regional expertise. ontrary to the above view, private security companies have come under immense criticism for their low standards of professionalism. Despite their high profile in forensic accountancy and expertise in several areas such as manning of aircrafts, the most dominant view has been that of an industry filled with corrupt, amoral, and incompetent employees (Steden Sarre 2007). This is evident with most of the studies conducted in North America which portray private security guards as poorly educated, marginally paid and hastily trained figures with dubious characters (Prenzer 2004, and livingstone Hart 2003) Risk-based thinking and global assemblages The increasing fragmentation of policing can also be said to have resulted due to risk based thinking and global assemblageswhere global security actors are integrated in the provision of security. Paradigm cases of global security assemblage can be seen in Nigeria and Siera leone. In Sierra Leone, private security firms have used their material resources including technical expertise to wield significant influences within global security assemblages. For example, in the case of Diamond minning by Koidu Holdings, PSCs especially Securicor Gray have used their capabilities and material resources to exert their influence onwield significant impact on the choice of security strategies (Abrahamsen Williams 2006). Similarly, global assemblages and risk based thinking appear to have contributed to the rise of private policing in Nigeria which is estimated to have between 1500 and 2000 private security companies (Keku Akingbade 2003). A good example of the global security assemblage in Nigeria is the contract between Group4Securicor and Chevron Nigeria Ltd (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Through this contract, Group4Securicor replaced most of the local security companies that provided manned guarding together with the police. Whilst this private company was mandated to guard the CNL headquarters, the operational base in Escravos and the two logistical bases in Warri and Port Harcourt; it has used its material resources and legitimacy to expand its mandate beyond guarding these areas. Geographical fragmentation A further probable reason for the increasing fragmentation of policing is the geographical fragmentation. This has led to the shift from government to governance within the transatlantic community (Krahman 2002, p. 23). Two developments are linked to this geographical transformation: progressive replacement of nation state and shift towards regional and global governance; and a shift towards private security actors. The shift towards regional and global governance can be seen with the geographical expansion of the EU and the NATO (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). While the sideway shift to privatization of security functions can be seen with the proliferation of various private security firms. Growing awareness of importance of private sector in global governance Finally, the trend has been reinforced by the growing awareness of importance of the private sector in global governance. In fact, a with Global Compact Initiative has been established to create partnership between the UN and private sector on human rights issues. , Kofi-Annan, the former secretary to the UN, once contemplated the possibility of the using private security firms in peacekeeping missions both in the provision of logistics and military combat (Abrahamsen Willliams 2007). Today, we have many private agencies providing military assistance to the UN, Nato and even African Union peacekeeping missions. Whilst th idea of a private police established to achieve accountability of public police may sound realistic, there is little persuasive evidence regarding the effectiveness of the private institutions in performing this role. In fact, it is case that the private sector is largely unaccountable. In theory, it is stated that both the public and private police are accountable through the criminal law of their actions. However, there is no persuasive proof to support this claim in practice. Notorious examples can be seen with the recent events which Some of the recent infamous events that unfolded in California. This indicates indicatinghow how difficult it is to convict public police offenders (Stenning 1994). Fragmentation and privatization of policing a global phenomenon The trend towards private policing is clearly evident across the globe. For example, in Russia, there has been an explosive growth in private security personnel since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Whilst statistics indicate that Russia had almost 200,000 licensed private personnel in 1999, the the actual number is has been estimated to exceed 850,000 (Steden Sarre 2007). Similarly, A similar trend can be seen in Bulgaria which currently has about 130,000 personnel employed in private security sector in sharp contrast to 28,000 state police officers (Steden Sarre 2007). A similar trend can be seen with emerginerging economies of Asia. India has also echo the trend with over 5 million private security personnel, a figure that i exceeds the police, army, air force and the navy put together. In China, private guards are forecast to grow from the current 3 million to 5 million in the coming years. Not only is this trend evident in the Middle East and growing economies of Asia, but also across the US and the UK and in most Latin American countries. The US employs approximately 1.5 and 2 million private security personnel, outnumbering the public police by almost three to one (Abrahamsen Williams 2009). Similarly, the private security personnel in the UK outnumber the state police by a ratio of two to one. This growth is also reflected in the Latin American countries, African countries and even across Central and Eastern Europe. The resurgence is clearly evident across the world as countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic continue to witness growth of private policing witnessing growth in this sector. Almost all countries now have their private security personnel exceeding the police number. A further trend that has been observed and has perhaps been under-theorized or under-evaluated is the increasing emergence of transnational policing. Besides privatization of policing, there has been an expansion in cooperation between member states in areas of policing (Button 2012). Traditional forms of cooperation based on distribution of information through bodies such as the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) have now been transcended by organizations such as the European Criminal Police Office (Europol) (Button 2012, p. 25). In addition, there has been an increase in information sharing and the exportation of ideas among private security firms. For example, corporations such as Corrections of America and Wakenhut exportation have exported their ideas to the UK and Australia (Steden Sarre 2007). However, in some countries, private policing is still at its infancy. For example,In n Greece, the ratio between the private and public security personnel remains relatively small. This can be attributed to the security market that barely existed in Greece until the late 1990s when legislation that mandated some of the key requirements for a licensed security firm was passed (Steden Sarre 2007). Other countries with a relatively low private security to police ratio include Italy, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Spain. Most of these countries still make more use of the police officers than private security guards. Nonetheless, the momentous growth of private policing is inevitable and is occurring across the globe. Concerns/controversies over private policing Traditionally, the state has been seen as a monopoly in crime prevention and control (Button 2012). However, evidence has emerged that have raised questions regarding the state’s monopoly in policing. Evidence have pointed to the increasing ‘pluralization’ or ‘fragmentation’ of policing as seen with the increasing involvement of the private sector and voluntary organizations in crime prevention and control. This raises key questions such as: does the state still have a monopoly in policing given the increasing fragmentationOr rather it can be questioned: did it ever have a monopoly given that the fragmentation in policing is not a new phenomenonThe only thing that is new is the increasing fragmentation and the expansion of private security. Whilst the pervasiveness of these private firms may signal the state’s failure in addressing the most basic demands for security, it should not be viewed as weakening of the state’s role. It does not necessarily mean that the state is dying but rather diversifying and developing. Encouraging private personnel to become more involved in crime control is to support the state’s activities by allowing these individuals to become auxiliaries of the state as opposed to becoming rivals (Sarre 2002). Of course, there are concerns with this trend of privatization of policing with the greatest dangers being the subversion of public interests into profit maximization. Another concern relates to the fact that privatization results in more unequal access to protection and security with differential treatment in the provision of security services to the rich and the poor (Stenning 1994). A further danger is that private policing may lead to the erosion of the cherished notions of liberty, human dignity and privacy which may eventually results in an intolerably controlled and regulated society It is clear that the state’s role is changing. The increasing fragmentation of policing is evidence of a new social world where governance is no longer monopolized by the states, but rather one in which the rein of power is taken over by the private sector. there is a dispersion of power more to the private sector. The hope of many is for governance to be controlled by the local communities. However, the reality is the emergence of a pervasive and intrusive corporate governance where in capital interests become the priority and are more pursued than that the interests of the local communities (Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2007). Further, there is the it is the possibility that the state might slowly wither away and that the proliferation of private security firms may pose threat to the state’s sovereignty. Other problems relate to issues such as the lack of transparency and accountability and political control over the operations of these private firms. The fundamental goal of outsourcing such service is obviously to protect the citizens from harm and against human rights violations. Whereas the outsourcing of security services to private firms is justifiable, it may be subject to violent manipulations. One variant to this manipulation can arise through coercion towards prospective clients by the private security firms with the aim manipulating them to buy into their services. Another maipulation can arise where these firms invite others to commit crime in order to increase demand for their protection. There is a possibility that the private security may also end up creating ‘security enclaves’ as their availability in the open market allows the wealthy and ruling elites to buy more of their services than the less-priviledged counterparts hence running counter to the social bonds considered essential to security (Karsent Volker 2000). In fact, the so called ‘security enclaves’ have emerged in the US. This is a clarion call to pay attention to isssues of accountability for attention to paid more on control and accountability especially given the increasing fragmentation and privatization. But, as argued by Les Johnston (1992), some of these concerns are not unique and do not constitute compelling arguments against private policing. For example, the concern over the subversion of public interests into profit maximization is not unique. This concern is also evident with the public police where corruption and political interests have led to public disservice. Criticism of erosion of state’s sovereignty might not necessarily be true as the private security sectors have often acted under the government’s control. For example, Siera Leone is far from entirely private as the government still plays a key role by integrating public forces and setting the legal framework. Future of private security market Nonetheless, there is a clear momentous growth of the private security sector. The massive growth is evidence of expansion of this type of market. In fact, the industry’s global turnover was maintained during the recessionary period indicating the high demand for this type of service across the globe. In 2007, the global security service market was valued at $136 billion and in 2009, it was estimated at $152 billion (Steden Sarre 2007). The future for private security firms seems promising given the increasing demand of security services driven by the rise upsurge in conflicts, war and human right violations across various sectors of the globe. The commercial private security market is currently estimated to be $165 billion and is forecast to grow at a rate of 18% per anum into the foreseeable future. Despite the recent decision made by the US DoD to reduce reliance on support service contractors to pre-9/11 levels, the global market for private security services is anticipated to continue to grow to reach $218.4 billon in 2015 (Tzifakis 2012). However, much of this growth would be mainly concentrated in the emerging economies. What was once a â€Å"quiet revolution† has grown in size and demand to become a global actor in in the provision of security services. Conclusion There is no doubt that the privatization of policing has become a reality. This is evident with the proliferation of private security actors across the globe with activities that range from manned guarding to surveillance and risk analysis to even military combat. The increasing fragmentation has clearly been triggered by several key developments: the emergence of neoliberal ideas; second the increasing commodification of security; third, the global assemblages and risk based thinking; fourth, the transformations that took place during the post-cold war period, and the fourth, emergence of the â€Å"privatization revolution†. lso, the increased emphasis on specialization of personnel, the geographical fragmentation and the increasing recognition of the role of private sector in global governance have no doubt played a significant role towards this trend. All these processes have been central to the growing fragmentation and globalization of private security. However, these changes have fueled controversies. On the one hand, it has helped secure the transition to democracy by providing for a stronger presence of security forces in states under threat of instability. On the other hand, it has had exclusionary effects by increasing the division between the rich and the poor which in the long-run can be detrimental to its legitimacy. Other concerns highlighted include the subversion of public interests into profit maximization; erosion of cherished notions of liberty, human dignity and privacy; and threat to state’s sovereignty. In the midst of these changes, states have a greater role to play. With development of more diverse forms of policing, governments have the central responsibility of coordinating and regulating all policing activities, both in the private and public agencies. Government must serve as a central anchor point ensuring multi-agency networking and efficacy, equity and accountability of all agencies, both private and public. Accountability can perhaps be achieved by bringing all the policing practices under the control of democratic institutions such as citizen boards, commissions and ‘watchdogs’ at the local, national, provincial and regional levels. This would ensure equity, efficacy, legitimacy and accountable of all security actors. Reference Abrahamsen, R. and Williams, M., 2009. Security beyond the state: global security assemblages in international politics. International Political Sociology, vol. 3, pp. 1-17 Abrahamsen, R. and Willliams, M.C., 2007. Securing the city: private security companies and non-state authority in global governance International Relations 21(2): 237–153 Abrahamsen, R and Michael C., 2006. Security Sector Reform: Bringing the Private In. Africa: Whither the African State. In: Private Security in Africa, edited by S. Gumedze. Pretoria:Institute of Security Studies, pp. 17–38 Adams, T.K., 1999. ‘The New Mercenaries and the Privatization of Conflict’, Parameters, Summer, pp.103-116. Ericson, R.V. and Kevin D. H., 1997. Policing the Risk Society. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Foucault, M., 1991. ‘Governmentality’, In: Burchell, G., Gordon., C and Miller, P. (eds) The foucault effect: studies in governmentality. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Garland, D., 2001. The Culture of Control. Oxford: Oxford University Press Golsby, M., 1998. Police and private security working together in a co-operative approach to crime prevention and public safety. SRM Australia Pty Ltd Kamensy, J.M., and Thomas J. B., 2004. Collaboration: Using Networks and Partnerships. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Little?eld. Karsent, R. and Volker, S., (Eds.), 2000. Private Organizations in Global Politics. Keku, P. and Akingbade, T., 2003. Industrial Security in Nigeria. Lagos: Authorhouse. Krahmann, E., 2002. Private firms and the new security governance. USA, Cambridge University Press Livingstone, K. and Hart, J., 2003. The wrong arm of the lawPublic images of private security. Policing and Society, vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 159-170 Lock., P., 1999. Africa, military downsizing and the growth in the security industry., Issues in Science and Technology. London: Routledge. Manning, P.K., 2006. The United States of America. In Plural Policing. A Comparative Perspective,. London: Routledge, pp. 98–125. Musah, A. and Kayode, F., 2000. Mercenaries: An African Security Dilemma. London: Pluto. Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S.J., 2007. Weak States and the Growth of the Private Security Sector in Con?ict, Security and Development 6(1): 1–23 Prenzler, T., 2004. The privatization of policing. In Sarre, R and Tomaino, J., (eds) Key issues in criminal justice. Adelaide: Australian Humanities Press, pp.267-296 Sarre, R., 2002. Private police: the future of policing and the broader regulatory framework. University of South Australia Steden, R. and Sarre, R., 2007. The growth of private security: trends in the European Union. Security Journal, vol. 20, pp. 222-235 Stenning, P., 1994. Private policing-some recent myths, developments and trends. {viewed on 14th December 2013} available from http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/proceedings/23/stenning.pdf

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(CHILDREN'S RIGHT ) My Course is Iin EDUCATION - Essay Example However, different International Conventions and Ugandan government have taken severe steps to prevent the unlawful induction of children in any kind of work either hazardous or un-hazardous that may have its adverse affects on their physical, mental and academic progress. These Conventions have tried their level best to create awareness among the different communities present in Uganda that child labor is a crime and people should refrain sending their children for any sort of economical activity. However, it is expected that with the passage of time and by creating awareness in the minds of Ugandan people, the government and the international agencies will overcome the problem of Child labor in Uganda for their own prosperity and development of the society which is highly important for them. ‘Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.’- Grace Abbott Uganda is faced with severe poverty along with a low literacy rate. Poverty is the main cause of defragmenting the socioeconomic structure of any country. As a result, people in Uganda compel their children to earn and contribute with their families in order to sustain their living standards. Due to this reason, we can clearly observe a high percentage of children working under hazardous conditions to meet their basic needs (http://childvoice.jinja.eu/en/child-labor-in-uganda.). Child labor is an unlawful and immoral induction of young children which deprives them of better living conditions, right of education and the right of being known as the ‘most fragile humans’ in the world. Child can be defined as a human who falls between the ages of birth and youth. In legal terms a child is defined as a minor who is dependent on his caretakers for living and

Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Research Paper

Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Research Paper Example It is important to consider the roles of the females in her life as well as those of the males. She seems to gather her greatest resources from the female society of relatives and friends, and she likewise strengthens her strong female affinities as a result of the negative relationships and experiences she finds in most of the male characters. Knowledge is passed to Maya through the female mother figures in her life; this includes her mother, her grandmothers, and Mrs. Flowers. Her first and foremost female relationship, as depicted in Caged Bird, with her paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, whom Maya and her brother Bailey call Momma. The young siblings are shipped to Momma, in Stamps, Arkansas, by their parents. It is she who raises them during their early childhood years in this rural southern setting of the early 1930's. Momma is known as a good-looking woman, but Maya sees her through different eyes. "I saw only her power and strength. She was taller than any woman in my personal world, and her hands were so large they could span my head from ear to ear" (46). Momma had been married three times. She had two sons, one of whom is Maya's father, Bailey, Sr. Maya accepts Momma as a mother figure and role model. She teaches Maya through her words and through her actions. Maya learns from Momma how racism plays a part in their lives and how to handle and recognize it (47). An important tribute in the book to Momma's strength is how she deals with the "powhitetrash" girls who come up to the store and taunt her. They mock her stance and her facial expressions, and then one girl does a handstand, and in so doing reveals her lack of undergarments. Momma stands her ground in the face of this insult, and though seemingly powerless, she finds her strength within her will. She wills herself to rise above the whole scene. Not unlike her slave ancestors, she sings and hums in the face of adversity (32,33) Momma tells Maya to wash the tears from her face. And as Maya complies she observes, ''Whatever the contest had been out front, I knew Momma had won" (33). Already, the author recognizes the power, strength, and spirit of her grandmother and appreciates her life and teachings. "Her world was bordered on all sides with work, duty, religion and 'her place.' I do n't think she ever knew that a deep-brooding love hung over everything she touched" (57). In her work, "The Grandmother in African and African/American Literature," Mildred Hill-Lubin discusses Grandmother Henderson and others like her. Hill-Lubin calls these women the "sheroes" of the time (p. 266). She talks about how the African family has suffered under the burden of slavery and colonialism. However, she feels that the reason for its perseverance and survival is the grandmother. The grandmother's role, function and importance can be traced to the revered status, position, and responsibilities which elders hold in West African society (Hill-Lubin 258). The grandmother often maintained a household which consisted of her unmarried or married children and of her grandchildren; in this way the resources were pooled. The 1930's was a period of rough times, and there wasn't enough money for individuals to live separately. Consequently, some would strike out on their own, as did Maya's parents, and the childrearing was left to the grandmother. She had to be tough and strong in order to pull things together in so many ways for the entire family' Both of Maya's grandmothers are "strong, independent, skillful women who are able to manage their

Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy Essay Hundreds of philosophers existed thousands of years ago. It was a time when the only leisure you could probably do was think, theorize, analyze and discover things. Obviously, two thousand years can change the habit of people and these days, thinking would take a lot of effort. The discovery of new things never stop as people have that urge to continue improves lives. In history and philosophy classes, great thinkers and philosophers were often studied. It is pretty amazing to read their works and come up with such incredible thoughts at that time. Often, they talk about leadership and politics. It was a time when countries are still developed and lands are yet to be discovered so a great leadership was very important. Although we would still analyze and review the philosophers’ works, more often their teachings cannot be applied to the current times. Sometimes change does not only involve technology and advancement, it can also apply to leadership and certain philosophical views. A great factor would involve the changing times. The lifestyle and the culture of the people are much different thousands of years ago. It was a time that women were limited to do domestic chores. Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, wrote about what they of women during that time. It was probably a time when the role of women in the society is not defined. Of course, women nowadays are powerful and strong. They have created their mark in the society and gender bias in a lot of major industries is non-existent. That is why a lot of rules and laws cannot be applied to the world today. However, there are still some teachings that can be used up to now. These are the teachings that involve a great perspective in life. Sometimes, an illustrious perspective on life makes a person great. Anyway, the brain is the most powerful organ that is why the mind should take control of one’s lives. Teachings about life are very important that is why some philosophers and great thinkers are idolized and people formed a religion to continue preaching their teachings. One of the members of the long list of philosophers is Boethius. Although not as familiar as Aristotle and Plato, Anicius Manlius Severinus is the real name of this Roman philosopher but he was more famously known as Boethius. Boethius was born from a wealthy and educated family and like any other kids during that time; he studied poetry, mathematics and philosophy. Theodoric, the Gothic King ruling from Italy to Rome, appointed him court minister. Soon, his two sons became court ministers as well. He was a bold and brave man, with thoughts envied by a lot of people. His boldness is what brought him down as he became the object of vengeance of those oppressed. Boethius was known to check in the oppressions of some leaders. He was then accused of treason and was stripped of his dignities. In 524, he was executed in Pavia. While in prison, Boethius immersed himself in writing and there he wrote his greatest work. His masterpiece, The Consolation of Philosophy, talks about random thoughts about nature, justice and evil doings. The Consolation of Philosophy is a work mixed of prose and verse. It is a copy of Boethius conversation with Philosophy during the lonely years of the prisoners’ life. The work was theistic overall but it did not indicate whether the writer was Christian or not. In the Consolation of Philosophy, Philosophy showed Boethius how uncertain earthly fortune is and there is nothing more secure than virtue. Boethius was the last great Roman writer who translated Aristotle’s work. His translations were the sole means of studying Greek philosophy for a long time. His manuals on geometry, music, philosophy, arithmetic and astronomy were used in medieval schools. It may seem that Boethius may be having apparitions in his prison, but these visions came with a great message and a deeper insight. Boethius saw the reason behind his imprisonment and his conversations with Philosophy ended his misery and opened his eyes to better things, better perception. There was more to a great fortune and earthly things. It was probably some of the great things that Philosophy advised him that can still be applied up to the modern times. The first part of the book opens with Boethius having some afternoon thinking and writing when all of a sudden a woman appears in front of her. He described the woman as very beautiful and having a very powerful presence. He distinctively described her dress having embroidered the Greek letter Pi at the bottom and on the top hem, Theta. There was a ladder in between the two letters. She was holding books to her right hand and a scepter in the left. She was the Muse of Poetry. Boethius was currently having one of his many melancholy moments. Tears were trickling down Boethius’ eyes when the Muse of Poetry became angry. She was questioning the existence of sluts in Boethius’ place. She says that they only provide him temporary happiness that will not help him in his condition but instead will worsen it. The Muse of Poetry then pushed away the girls and they left in dismay. Boethius was teary-eyed as they left but eventually the Muse will explain why she did such thing (O’Donnell 21). The first part of the book shows how deserted Boethius feelings was in the prison that he tries to enjoy his self from getting temporary happiness. Apparitions or not, the Muse of Poetry shooed away the cause of all these but Boethius couldn’t help but feel terrible of her act he even questioned her authority. This lesson can still be applied to modern times. Often, when people have problems they are pushed to do band-aid solutions that will give them a short term solution to their problem. It is such an emotional thing to do that people do not even think of the long term effect or even the long term solution to their problem. A concrete example would be poverty. It is a sad fact that poor people are often pushed to do the bad thing. When a person is desperate to get food, he often steals. This solution just makes things more complicated as that person ends up ruining his life by spending it in jail. It is one of the many things that emotions take over and the mind stays behind. People often think of short-term solutions to their problems without considering the long-term consequences of these short-term solutions. The next stanza talks about how the Muse of Poetry consoled Boethius grieving soul. It was very well written with descriptions of how miserable Boethius has been. She assured Boethius that everything was going to be okay and that it was a time of healing not grieving. The Muse narrated how he brought up Boethius—being the great man that he is now. And although his situation may seem to be not bright, these too shall pass for the Muse is there to protect him and assure him that his virtues will prevail in this hardship (O’Donnell 24). This stanza was definitely was of the most touching part of the book. Really, this was the consolation of philosophy and one can’t help but feel for Boethius suffering. He was deprived of the life he deserved yet his imprisonment didn’t stop him from writing wonderful works. The second stanza also hints on the probable religion of the Philosopher—Christianity. The Muse somehow reminds me of Mother Mary and how she would protect her son from danger. It also signifies that the philosopher believes in a supernatural being that is more powerful than the earthly soul. Like any other human being, Boethius was going through probably the toughest battle in his life. And every human goes through that. No matter how driven or optimistic we are in our lives, there will always come a point that we want to give up. What the Muse was trying to communicate was that Boethius was born and made greater than his problems. And that does not exempt us. This made be theistic, but God won’t give us a problem that we could not bear. It is just normal that we feel like giving up at times especially when all hope’s lost but all we have to do is to stick to that goal and the universe will conspire to make life better for us. The next stanza talks about how the night ended and the day started with Boethius describing his physician examining him. The physician turned out to be Philosophy and she narrated how she has been with Boethius all along. She narrated how she started with Plato and Socrates and how she has turned out to be what she is now. She explained to Boethius how she has been taking care of him all throughout his life. The next stanza narrates his conversation with Philosophy. She tested him of the things he knew and welcomed him of her questions. The first thing that Philosophy asked him was if believed that life is full of chances. And he bluntly answered that God governs his creations and everything happens for a reason and he will never abandon His creation. The Philosophy then asked him why he was in such grief when he believes that God knows the best for him. By then, the writer was dumbstruck for he did not know the answer. The Philosophy knew something was missing and she was right. Boethius soon confessed that he was overpowered by grief. He knew the answer but he was just miserable to realize that the answer was just right in front of him. Philosophy then declared that the reason of his sickness is his grief and it was he who created all of those (O’Donnell 28). The following lines were so powerful that one cannot help but relate to Boethius’ situation. Pretty sure every one has gone through that pain. It was a feeling of emptiness and pity. It was as if the world has gone against us and everything is so not going our way. At the back of our minds, we know that something great is lurking around. We just have to be patient as good things come to those who wait. It was also just a matter of believing and working for whatever it that we want. It was a matter of realizing that we are in control of our lives—through God’s guidance that is. In general, the teachings of Philosophy can definitely still be applied to modern times. We all go through trials no matter what time or age we may be. It is just a matter of perspective. And although Boethius didn’t have any material thing left for him, it was his virtue that was more important than anything else. And that applies to all of us as well. Work Cited O’Donell, J. Life of Boethius. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Pages, 1996.

Language and Gender in Adolescence Essay Example for Free

Language and Gender in Adolescence Essay In the reading, I agree with Penelope Eckert that adolescents are leaders of linguistic change. According to the World Wide Web, linguistic change is a phenomenon whereby phonetic, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and other features of language vary over time. Adolescents also known as teenagers or youth play a significant role in deteriorating or accelerating the kind of linguistic system in a particular place or community. If to be analyzed, this can be equated to the strong, active and consistent participation of the youth in voicing out their opinions, getting into social issues and trends, and in creating an environment that is suitable and almost ideal to their generation. In my opinion, there are three reasons which support the claim that adolescents are leaders of linguistic change in today’s age. These are peer pressure, media and the Internet. Peer Pressure A primary concern for teens during adolescence is the issue of ‘fitting in’ and ‘belongingness’. Since adolescence is an adjustment period where children suddenly leap to a stage where he or she would start in creating an image of themselves or a self-concept, there is a tendency for them to be lost and confused to who and what they really should be due to the numerous options in front of them. Often said than not, adolescents are more easily swayed rather than adults. It is easier to teach a youngster that is less matured and still in the process of knowing his or herself than an adult who already has a formed principle and beliefs. For example, if there is a new trend, let’s say in fashion or music, an adolescent would normally be swayed to what is ‘in’ and hit’ to most of the people around him or her so that he or she may be accepted in the circle he or she wanted to belong to. This also goes with his or her choice of words and language. Adolescents tend to speak the way people around them speak. They tend to become the persons their environment and peers dictate them to be in order to be socially accepted and relevant. When it comes to choice of words and language, youth can be easily influenced with what vernacular or words to use since in the stage of puberty serves as their training ground and preparation phase of how and who they’ll be in the future. Moreover, due to peer pressure, adolescents are assigned to groups or pacts which can influence another group of adolescents that make the widening of a certain trend expand faster. For example, in the Philippines there is this particular way or style of speaking called the ‘conyo’. In this manner, the person tends to combine his or her vernacular with American English when speaking in public or to certain persons. Most youth embraced this kind of manner since it is what is ‘in’ and famous among adolescents of their generation. Now, if a group speaks that way then heard by another person or group of persons and then that certain persons adopt the manner of speaking, there is a domino effect of the ‘conyo’ style that changes the linguistic system existing in that certain place or community. Media and the Internet Media and Internet are two powerful tools in linguistic change. This can be viewed in two ways: first, media and internet as tools in changing and influencing the minds and behavior of the people, and second, these tools as used by the people to change and influence their environment. Since most media and internet users are composed of the young population, those of which belong to the teen’s age and young adulthood, it can be concluded that the adolescents compromise this population. Now, how do the media and the Internet serve as tools in influencing their users? The media is changing and along the likes of TV programs that are hit to their viewers, people especially teenagers are going along with the change. Since media is a daily part of one’s life, it can easily influence its viewers on how they should be. For example, most teens mimic their favorite artists with their fashion, choice of stuffs and even with their manner of talking and handling things. Aside from the media, the Internet constitutes a great deal in linguistic change. The trends being delivered by Internet services like instant messaging, blogging and social networking influences the culture of its users when it comes to their linguistic style and system. Instant messaging taught us the short-style of sending messages (i. e. â€Å"Who R U? †, BRB, LOL, and the like). Through media and Internet, adolescents are also exposed to different styles of language. They are exposed to the kind of words they see in web pages, newspapers, magazines and different publications, and hear in TV and radios or in podcasts that sooner or later they’ll adopt. On the other hand, these tools are also used by the people to change and influence their environment and co-individuals. Through these, the youth became more empowered when connecting with their co-youth and when sharing their ideals that affect a great deal of people. They became more heard, powerful and capable of changing the linguistic system they live with. They were able to take control of the system through media, internet, and their characteristics as youth and population. To summarize, I believe that adolescents are the leaders of linguistic change. Primarily, the interconnectedness of peer pressure, media and the internet attributed to the power of the youth to be the catalyst of change in their linguistic system due to their own ways and styles of dealing with their environment and in their process of finding and knowing them

Acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata

Acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata In 2008 Tata Motors, an Indian automaker wanted to expand its product portfolio and diversify its market base. It acquired the two iconic British brands Jaguar and Land Rover from the American automaker Ford Motor Corporation. This acquisition gave the company access to premium cars, a chance to add two iconic luxury brands to its stable and a global footprint. It gave struggling Ford a chance to rid itself of two loss-making vehicle units. JLR SWOT and PESTEL Analysis 2018 > The deal was transformational. It catapulted Tata Motors from a commercial vehicle and small-car manufacturer to a global player with marquee brands in its portfolio. The scale of the acquisition also was large relative to the size of Tata Motors The purchase especially that of Jaguar, by an Indian company was viewed as toppling of the world order and many critics expressed doubts about Tatas ability to retain the quality and standard of Jaguar Land Rover. Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata assured the world that we have enormous respect for the two brands and will endeavour to preserve and build on their heritage and competitiveness, keeping their identities intact. For the 12-month period ended Dec 31, 2010, the auto makers revenue was in excess of 9.2 billion pounds ($15 billion), and net income for that period was $1.5 billion. The Tata Group, led by Mr. Ratan Tata, was determined to make the deal work and put to use the groups management skills, financial resources and credibility. To staunch the haemorrhage at the British unit, Tatas management focused on reducing costs, improving efficiencies and managing cash flow lessons that Tata Motors had learned during the downturn in 2001. Tata also infused $1 billion to fund operations and new product launches. When the market turned, the premier car maker was well poised to reap the benefits and turned profitable during the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, with a net profit of 55 million pounds ($90.6 million). HISTORY OF JAGUAR AND LANDROVER: Jaguar and Land Rover are two iconic British brands that were acquired by Ford Motor Corporation in 1989. Land Rover is a British car manufacturer that specializes in four wheel drive  vehicles. The name started from a single vehicle that was named by the Rover Company as Land Rover in the year 1948. After developments, this became a porch of a variety of four-wheel drive models such as Discovery, Defender, Range Rover and Freelander. In its history this company has had a number of ownership (Holbeche, 2009). In 1967 Leyland Motor Corporation absorbed the Rover Company. Leyland then formed a merger with the British Motor Holdings and formed British Leyland. The new company broke up in the 1980s but in 1988 the Land Rover (Rover Group) was purchased by British Aerospace. The Rover Group was acquired by BMW in the year 1994 but the merger broke down in 2000 where The Rover Group was taken up by Ford Motor Company. It was in the year 2008 that Land Rover was sold to Tata Motors t ogether with Jaguar cars (Johnson Turner, 2009). Jaguar Cars Ltd or Jaguar is a British luxury car manufacturer whose headquarters are located in Coventry UK. In 1922 the company was founded as Swallow Sidecar Company that used to make motorcycle sidecars and later passenger cars. After the Second World War, the SS connotations were unfavourable and then the name changed to Jaguar. The name changed to Leyland and eventually British Leyland in 1984 when it was listed in the London Stock Exchange. THE SALE: In the year 2007, the Ford Motor Company, a widely respected company which also happened to be the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales worldwide, reported the largest annual loss in the history of establishment of the company since 1903.The Company reported a loss of $12.8 billion. It also stated that it would not return to profitability until 2009. Ford stated that weak economy is the primary reason to sell Jaguar and Land Rover. The two brands were however suffering losses often resulting in closure of few manufacturing plants and heavy cut in workforce The strategic Purchase: Tata Motors Limited stood to have both strategic and economic gains form the acquisition of both Jaguar and Land Rover. First and foremost, the deal would assist the company in acquiring a global footprint as well as entering the prestigious segment of the worldwide automobile market. After this deal, Tata Motors owned the cheapest car in the world (The Nano) going at around 2,500 as well as some of the most expensive and luxurious vehicles such as Land Rover and the Jaguar . Though the deal solicited some skeptism based on the fact that Tata was an Indian company that was about to display the luxury brands, ownership should not be a major issue in terms of the sales, service and marketing. Tata Motors will be promoted to become a major player in this industry after the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover both of which have global presence as well as a good repertoire in terms of established brands, (Johnson Turner, 2009). The deal would also assist Tata Motors in reducing the dependence of the company to the Indian market which was at 90% of the companys sales before the acquisition. It is in this view that the company stands to gain a lot from the deal as its market would be spread out to other geographical regions across the globe. The opportunities in terms of the diverse customer segments would also be increased (Holbeche, 2009). There was the possibility of increased in terms of economies of scale which in turn promotes the cost efficiency. In real sense the deal will appear as an amalgamation of three different companies that have already gone into the market and as a result, the new firm that will be formed after the acquisition will have some increased operation scale. This will mean that the output production will rise and as a result the cost per unit production will be greatly reduced (Johnson Turner, 2009).    Tata Motors Limited prospected that the acquisition of the two Brands would enable it to have an all-inclusive line up of products ranging from cheapest to the most expensive automobiles in the market. The company has marked its presence in the local market (India) in the low as well as the mid-class market segments and after the acquisition; the company is likely to experience some of the segmentation of the markets that it has never plunged into. Jaguar cars are prestigious and luxurious and as a result the cars have an established market for most of the celebrities especially in the music world. On the other hand the Land Rover is a heavy duty vehicle and based on the fact that it is a four-wheel drive it is preferred by most of the governments to carry out different tasks in the rural areas where the road network is not developed, the vehicles are also famous among the affluent class of citizens and therefore the deal will enable Tata Motors to plunge into these market segmentati ons in which the company was not famous in (Johnson Turner, 2009). It is also worth to note that the other than the product incorporation, the company was facing tight competition from some of the chief opulence vehicles producers.   This segment of the market brought a lot of profits to the company it was highly competitive in terms of the global market. It was the prestigious brands that dominated the market based on the fact that they had the support of the big automobile companies. The German Porsche and the American Volkswagen companies backed some of the luxurious brands such as Audi and Porsche. Other brands that had the support of big companies included Mercedes, Lexus, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Fiat. After the deal, Tata Motors Limited would now be able to tackle these brands competitively (Holbeche, 2009). 2- What strengths of Jaguar and Land Rover were the most valuable for Tata? Through Tata Motors acquisition of two of the most respected and iconic British brands that is Land Rover and Jaguar from the Ford Motors based in the United States, Tata motors stands to enjoy some gain on several grounds from that deal. This acquisition came in handy for Tata since it helped the company in acquiring a global foundation hence ushering them into a more extended premier segment in regard to the global market of auto mobile products. Through this acquisition Tata would slide into possession of the cheapest car in the world thus the Nano at $2,500 in addition to recognized and well respected luxurious brands like the Land Rover and the Jaguar. Tata motors acquisition of these two top brands was that the acquisition of JRL would help it reduce its over dependence on India as it formed its capital marker accounting for almost 90 percent of all of its sales. The company was convinced that this acquisition would present the company with a lot of opportunities to venture its business across different segments that marked a lot of potential in customer acquisition (Bhabatosh, 2010). In this regard Tata gained almost a 100 percent stakes in some companies. For instance it gained stakes in three U.K. pants, approximately twenty six sales companies nationwide, two advanced engineering and design centres, IP right, allowances for taxes amounting to approximately $1.1 B in addition to $600 worth of pension. Tatas main motivation in making this acquirement was based on the fact that they would be now able to outsource their products to many countries globally. Other than taking technology from these two brands Tata intended to use their strong markets so that they can introduce their other brands in those areas where these two brands have already penetrated and established in a bit to expand their market a bit more. As highlighted above Tata wanted to build a name outside India and hence make its presence felt in India. Most of it brands had only established a strong market in India and hence not particularly popular in the global market. Tata therefore capitalized on its desire to establish a greatly diversified line up of auto mobiles as this acquisition helped it up grade since it now recognizes as one of the manufactures that owns the cheapest car to some of the worlds most expensive models. Apart from this Tata gained in terms of new technological know-how and all the viable networks that can come as a log with is such a chance hence as earlier stated it will be able to penetrate the global market and hence compete with other manufactures who have already embraced latest technology (Bhabatosh, 2010). On top of this Tata would also be able to upgrade its old products that it has been offering in the blooming local or home market. In addition to using the companies technology Tata will also u se its facilities of production to make desirable improvements in its trucks and cars. Though the acquisition will cost Tata Company an approximate of $1 Billion it would actualize Tatas dream to go international band hence become one of the first brand in India to make global products hence its business will achieve diversity overseas. Major challenges: Despite the benefits that have been identified above Tata also underwent some major challenges as a result of the acquisition of the Jaguar and the Land Rover. One of the major challenges that the Tata Company would face was nurturing these two brands and making them thrive in their own books in the market.   The jaguar and the Land Rover are luxurious and expensive cars and there fore Tata has the uphill task of maintaining it standards and also up grading them so that they will be able to compete with other luxurious brands who are upgrading day in day out in a bid to try and fetch good market by attracting more customers. On the other hand the acquisition also goes to the negative for Tata since it increased Tata volatility in earnings since this happened at a very difficult economic crisis in the JRLs chief markets including the United States and also Europe. Tata motors were liable to incurring huge capital expenditures in its plan to make investments in another U.S $2.3 billion it would spend on the acquisition (Aswathappa, 2008).   Tata motors had also at the same period incurred huge capital expenditures in regard to making developments on one of its cheapest cars the Nano in addition to a joint venture with fiat in order for them to make their manufacturing of some of their vehicles in India. The other problems will be that Tata will encounter difficulties in leveraging Jaguar and Land Rover dealers to sell Tatas products.   This is because Tata has no obvious synergies between them and  JLR and in addition to this Tata has no expertise in kits marketing segments especially at such at a time when some of the markets like the United States and Europe are at a low tide. Tata Motors will also have to contend with stiff competition from other companies that have a good command in selling luxurious car in market segments that have been highly profitable but have been facing intense global competition (Aswathappa, 2008). These segments have other dominant brands which receive a lot of support from big automobile companies. For instanced the Volkswagen which is a car manufacturer of the American decent had been very aggressively backing up their brands like Audi as well as other models like the Mercedes from Daimler and Toyota with it Lexus were putting a lot of pressur e on Tata. The other major challenge that Tata will have in regard to making sales in the Jaguar and the Land Rover will be to sell them in a market that is so competitive and one which is not also growing. If stricter impositions on emission norms are made it would also be a very big challenge for Tata Motors Limited. Apart from these emission and competition norms Tata Motors Limited also face a major challenge in the funding as well as management. To go back to the governments tendency to make increments in markets that are developing to impose emission norms that are stricter the future of Tata Motors would be facing an uphill task. Though ford continues to support Tata Motors with engine supplies and technological support, Tata will eventually have to come up with their own capabilities in regard to building engines that are more advanced, safer and transmission systems in order to be at par with other luxury vehicles manufactures (Aswathappa, 2008). Failure to establish such kinds of capabilities difficulties will arise in distinguishing Tatas brands from those of its competitors. Recommendations: The acquisition was thought to have a host of synergies. For instance, from this deal Tata expected to venture into and premium all terrain vehicles and luxury vehicle segments (Bruner 2004). By combining the resource and the strength of both companies Tata expected to undergo a major improvement in its international market position, something that it ultimately underwent after the successful consummation of the deal.   This gave the company an entry point to the luxury car market a move that was expected to improve their balance sheet and increase their presence in the global market .this is because the luxury car market has a global presence .Tata motors also expected to improve their global marketing by acquiring the brands that were already known all over the globe by exploiting the markets that the acquired company already had ventured into. The company also expected to tap the technical expertise that the Land Rover and Jaguar employees had. Therefore the company expecte d to improve their sales and manufacturing practices this is gaining from the expertise that they had acquired while work for their former company. There were also expectations that the skills that they had acquired while working for the acquired company could be passed on to the Tata company employees through their interactions therefore the company had expectations that their human resource capital would improve as a result of working and interacting with the employees of the acquired brands. Thus their combined technological expertise from the two companies was also expected to give birth to more superior products in future and new better practices that could lead to more market opportunities.   The acquisition was also expected to enhance the sharing of industrys best practices and especially in manufacturing sector and also in the system and process of quality assurance. This is because the two companies had different best practices that made them unique and as a result of their coming together new improved ways of doing things was one of the expected outcomes. In 2007 the acquired company had 75% sales in the UK, USA and European market while Tata was more reliant on the Asian market especially the Indian market therefore Tata motors   expected to   exploit these market that the acquired company had already broken to .in other words if Tata motors had tried to enter these markets with only their own brands the marketing cost would have been extremely higher and therefore increased their cost but with the brands that had already acquired consumer loyalty all over Europe and in the UK and USA market marketing their own brands alongside the acquired ones was ex pected to be gainful and less cost prohibitive. The move was expected to reduce the Tata motors reliance on the Indian market and the company expected to improve their sales and profits through this diversity. It was also through this acquisition that Tata got a broader utility vans and SUV portfolio and therefore improved their range of brands. This improvement in their portfolio would have cost the Tata motors a lot in terms of designing and market entry not to mention the manufacturing cost.   This implies that they acquired the technical skills that already had been applied and would have increased their production costs of the company to develop on their own and to introduce their products into the market before winning the customers. Therefore through this acquisition Tata gained in terms of cost reduction market, portfolio improvement .In the luxury car market Tata would have probably taken years to break into this market and spent a lot of money to design a product that would have become widely acceptable as a luxurious model   and compete with   those already in the market and are widely accepted in this class as the jaguar .Therefore by acquiring jaguar the compan y immediately gained a competitive advantages in the industry and in the luxury car market since the brand was already widely accepted (Carney 2009). In terms of saving time and costs therefore the company immediately gained after acquiring the jaguar brand. This puts Tata in an advantageous position in the luxury car market in that should they choose to increase their portfolio in this sector they can market their new models alongside the jaguar model and therefore exploit the brand loyalty that jaguar commands in the market. The company also gained from the supply chains that the acquired brands already had this also plays a part in their cost reduction strategies. Tata had the advantage of having lower production cost while their acquisition had higher production cost and therefore unprofitable. The acquisition therefore could help the jaguar and land rover models reduce their cost by applying the cost saving measures that made Tata enjoy lower production cost. This would certainly help the two brands return to profitability. Conclusion The acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover was gainful to the Tata motors in that the company immediately gained competitive advantages in the industry since Jaguar and Land Rover in the SUV and luxury car market these brands were already widely accepted. The company also gained cost reduction advantages because in the luxury car market Tata would have probably taken years to break into this market and spent a lot of money to design a product that would have become widely acceptable as a luxurious model .Tata also gained in that they acquired the technical skills that already had been applied .They also lowered their production costs since to develop on their own brands and to introduce their products into the market and win their customers would have increased their costs.