Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination

Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination As far as historical records show, no society or nation has been immune to discrimination, either as victim or victimizer. Contemporary forms of discrimination date back to when European colonizers penetrated and transformed previously isolated societies and peoples. The more extreme forms of discriminatory practices include genocide, slavery, legislated discrimination (such as Apartheid), discriminatory immigration laws, and disenfranchisement. Less extreme forms of prejudice and discrimination, but nevertheless pervasive and oppressive, include social exclusion at the institutional level (such as in schools and hospitals), and the more subtle forms practised by the media. Some groups appear to suffer from more persistent forms of discrimination, such as Jews (as in anti-Semitism) and the Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies), regardless of time and place. The keywords that need to be looked into before delving the topic in question are discrimination and disturbing. According to the Oxford Dictionary, disturbing means causing distress or worry or anxiety, upsetting, an unpleasant mental state by such effects as irritation, unfairness and distraction. Discrimination, brings the meaning unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice and partiality. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. In humans, it is a mild or serious form of suffering, often with anger about this, in particular, if applicable, anger at the person or persons who caused it. This essay examines the cause and effects of discrimination in its various forms, on an individual, society or nation. Our world has always been faced with the problem of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of discrimination that affects different groups of people. The definition of discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that may be differentiated by things such as their religion, color of skin, or gender. Discrimination can be confused with other terms such as prejudice and stereotype. The world we live in has been struggling with this sensitive subject for as long as we have recorded. Stereotypes are images held in our minds in regards to certain racial or cultural groups, without consideration of whether the images held are true or false. Stemming from stereotypes is prejudice. The prejudicial attitude occurs when we prejudge a person, good or bad, on the basis that the stereotypes associated with the person or group being prejudged are tru e. Discrimination is the combination of the terms mentioned above, but involves actually acting out with unfair treatment, directing the action towards the person or group. Prejudice and discrimination do not just occur racially, but it is found among gender, religion, culture, and geographical background. Remember that prejudice is a result of attitude and discrimination is a result of action. Many people believe discrimination has made big steps forward, but has it really? If it has, why do people still get turned down, receive hate mail, or get ridiculed simply because they differ from each other. I guess these are questions we must ask ourselves. I guess you could also ask yourself if you have ever called anybody a name, looked at them different or judged them when you did not even know them or understand them. You may be thinking That is not discrimination, but, in fact, it is. CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION There are many forms of discrimination, besides the more familiar forms like race and gender, based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age , disability or handicap, and sexual harassment. The mentioned characterization refers to a situation of the direct discrimination, in which a person is treated adversely directly on the basis of a prohibited ground. Indirect discrimination, refers to a situation in which an apparently neutral provision or practice is discriminatory in its effects. Besides direct and indirect discrimination, we may use the term institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination refers to the practices or procedures in a company or an institution, or even the society as a whole, which are structured in a way that tends to produce discriminatory effects, for example in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. As to the root cause, discrimination appears to be no clear acceptance of any theory of causation but that discrimination often causes a chain reaction of disadvantages. For instance, it should be noted that there is a connection also between discrimination and social distance, given that it is usually psychologically easier to discriminate against people that one is not familiar with. Although there is no wide agreement as to the cause of discrimination, there is a consensus that they constitute a learned behavior. The internalization of discrimination starts with parents and, later, teachersthe groups primary in the formation of attitudes within children. The media and social institutions solidify discriminatory attitudes, giving them social legitimacy, since discrimination is learned. At best, one can reduce discrimination. Society looks most often to education and legislation to alleviate discriminationfor reasons still not clearly known, intergroup contact alone is not enough to reduce discrimination. On one hand, multicultural education, whether direct or indirect, constitute the mainstay of educational efforts to eliminate discrimination. On the other hand, the emphasis on civil rights, enlightened immigration policies, and mandates for quota hiring are the cornerstone of legal approaches to alleviating the effects of discrimination. The most overlooked area in resolving the problems of discrimination lies in the web of close relationships where genuine feelings of love can be fostered and strengthened. Discrimination produces immense effects in the psychological, social, political, and economic domains. Whether intended or not, the effects are compounded by the loss of self-worth, a sense of alienation from the wider society, political disempowerment, and economic inequalities. Prejudice and ethnic hostilities constitute a major danger to peace both within a nation and among nations. As a consequence, the emergence of a new global moral order increasingly provides a leverage point to counter the effects of prejudice and discrimination. While many agree that the various international instruments to protect people against prejudice and discrimination are still not universally followed or even implemented, it is clear that a new international consciousness is indeed emerging and is, in fact, intensifying. The effects of discrimination in society are reflecting on race, religion, and disable discrimination. One of the main reasons cause violence is race discrimination. It is easy to find evidence from Hollywood movies. The black people always fight with white people because they were discriminated. Now in Australia, the aborigines are discriminated. Many people do not understand their culture, so the Australian looks down on these people. In addition religion discrimination can endanger the world peace. Different religion has different god and the numbers of believers are huge. Once the conflict between different religions break out, which can easily cause a world war. Discrimination is about exclusion an d subordination and it effectively conveys an explicit message of differentness and inferiority of the victim Humiliation. Studies carried out in the field of racial discrimination provide also direct proof of this humiliating nature of discrimination, as it has been found that experiences of racism and racial discrimination have a direct bearing to the psychological well-being of persons w ho have suffered ethnic discrimination: such experiences were found to increase symptoms related to anxiety and depression. There are no reasons to believe that the same would not apply with regard to the other grounds as well. Victims of discrimination cope with these experiences in a variety of ways. As a response to experiences of discrimination, victims often consciously or unconsciously develop a strategy of survival. Some engage themselves in what might be called denial of discrimination. They may explain the incident in terms other than discrimination, or even believe that the discriminatory framework was legitimate, blaming themselves for what happened. One very typical strategy of survival is avoidance, by way of which an individual seeks voluntarily to avoid situations in which the probability to end up discriminated against is particularly high, by way of self-imposed restrictions. From the point of view of the society this is not however a desirable strategy, as lessened social contacts ruin the possibility of integrating vulnerable groups to the general society. Discrimination leads to disunity which results in the dissolving of society, through strife and war. World peace will elude our gras p while discrimination continue to bedevil the collective life of humanity CONCLUSION Discrimination runs against the most fundamental values of a modern society. In fact, it is a threat to democracy, which is predicated on the idea of a society in which arbitrary hierarchies and preferences based on, for example gender, ethnic origin, and wealth have been eliminated with a view to achieving equality. Democracy recognizes worth and equal rights of all whereby, equality prohibits discrimination which is also the cornerstone of human rights. Discrimination not only forms a menace to the society, but also to the individual who is subjected to such an adverse treatment as it is a direct denial of the equal worth of the victim. It is a violation of a persons identity. The consequences of discrimination match the severity of the offence, a causal link to alienation, exclusion, radicalization and decreasing psychological well-being. Therefore, discrimination is wrong because it is selfish. Discrimination throughout the world today occurs to many extremes. From one extreme to another, it is in any way wrong. Discrimination is happening all over the world, today for many reasons. One being because parents have taught their children to believe and think the way they do. The only thing we can do about it is to raise our children to not discriminate against others. It could lead to more tension and fighting within people and groups. To sum up, the discrimination can cause many problems. The government should constitute laws to avoid it, and society should also set up some organizations, programs or communities to help build a better plateau rid of discrimination.

How It Alters the Teen’s Future

Teen pregnancy is a thing that ultimately alters a teens future forever with negative side effects, In the United States, 2. 800 teenagers become pregnant each day. When I graduated in 201 1; out of al the girls I graduated with 10 of those girls have had babies. one of them Just had her second baby this year. think more needs to be done to make girls realize that it affects their future, their children's, the baby's tamer. and other tamily members. I couldn't Imagine having a baby at this age. My cousin became a teen mom at the age of 19 with her long time boyfriend.But, I see the struggle they have to make money to pay the bills. He works two jobs to support her and their child because child care Is so expensive. They don't regret having their son, but they regret dropping out of college. Teen pregnancy Is the leading reason teen girls drop out of school. More than half of teen mothers never graduate. of them earn a college degree by the time their 30. About d quarter of them have d second child within two years of their first. Teenage girls in relationships with older boys are more likely to become pregnant, han a teenage girl In a relationship with a boy her own age.Poverty Is associated with increased rates of teen pregnancy. 80 % of teen mothers have to go on welfare at some point due to less than one third of teen mothers receive no child support. Girls whose mother or older sister gave birth as d teen are more likely to get pregnant themselves. Teenage parents who can rely on family and community support, social services and child care are more likely to continue with their education and get a higher paying job as they progress with their education. In the united States alone 820. 00 teens become pregnant each year.Birth rate in the United States is the highest in the developed world and teen abortion rate Is also higi-n In 2006, the united States teen rate rose for the first time in fourteen years. Canada also trended towards a steady decline for both 15- 17 and older 18 – 19 teens in the period of 1992 – 2002. Majority of teenage mothers are not married to the tatner ot their children. Babies born to teenagers are at risk for neglect and abuse because their young mothers ere uncertain about their roles and may be frustrated by the constant emand of care taking.Children of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely with low birth weight. They're at a higher risk tor intellectual, language, socio – emotional, development disabilities and behavioural issues are increased. Children of teen mothers have a 31 % incidence of depression and a 25% risk of parenthood as a teen. Mothers are less likely to stimulate their infant through affectionate behaviours such as touch, smile, smiling and verbal communication or to be sensltlve and accepting their needs.Teen parents don't have the Intellectual or erformance in children of teenage mother also been noted with many of them being more likely to fail to graduat e high school, be held back a grade level or score low on standardised test. As a son born, to a young woman in her teens is three times more likely to spend time in prison. Only 20% of teen fathers marry the mother of their child, many teen mothers continue to live at home with their parents. Teen fathers may continue a relationship with the babys mother but its common the relationship to end and when it does many fathers don't have much interaction with their children.Teen dads are less likely to earn a high school diploma; the failure to graduate can be due to finical pressure resulting form having a baby to take care of. Despite the stereotype, there is increasing evidence that teen fathers want to be (and are) involved with their children, though this involvement may not always include financial support. Young fathers are more likely to have economic and employment challenges and are more often economically disadvantaged than adult fathers. A large percentage of fathers involve d in teen pregnancies are 20 years or older.Teen pregnancy and motherhood can influence younger siblings. One study found that younger sisters of teen mothers were less likely to emphasise the importance of education and employment. Younger brothers too, were found to be more tolerant of non- martial and early births in addition to being more susceptible to high risk behaviours. Many programs available for teen moms are based on income. If the teen mom's parents earn above the minimum income, the teen may be denied services which leaves the burden of the costs on the parents.Teen pregnancy has a negative affect on their children, the teen mothers, and teen fathers. More needs to be done to prevent teen pregnancy more education and guidance from parents. Also, more needs to be done to help teens who become pregnant and the teen fathers. I don't think theirs enough done for teen dads. With more support groups, financial help, helping with them (teen moms and fathers) graduating and ge tting their diploma. They shouldn't be shamed because they become pregnant at a young age, they should get the opportunity to graduate and have a better life for them and their child.

Debeers Case Study/Pov

C. Lo April 11, 2013 DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd. 1st POV Situation: DeBeers Consolidated Mines Limited (DBCM) occupies a major presence in the diamond industry. Discoveries of diamonds in the late 1800s were pioneered in South Africa, in which DeBeers held a heavy monopoly over. Since then, they have cultivated an impressive track record and leadership position. The Central Selling Organization (CSO) controls and regulates the flow and sale of rough diamonds, and was acquired by DeBeers in the 1930s. Due to a stable economy both locally and internationally, DBCM was the world’s largest producer and distributor of diamonds in late 1998.However, just before the turn of the century, globalization and developments in international markets had affected all industries of business. This enlarged economy attracted and enabled emerging and junior companies to increase mining competition. Demand for this area of commerce became subject to volatility due to market expansion, in addit ion to the fact that continued existence of such a market was solely linked to disposable consumer income. Problem: The problem at hand concerns the degree of control over rough diamonds and the industry.With increasing market placeholder and pressures from emerging competitors and the attention brought to regulating environmental impact of diamond mines, DeBeers needed to secure their place in the industry and do it without losing significant margins of profit or resources. By 1999, DeBeers Consolidated had a notorious name and major domination of the rough diamond market, with over half of the world’s rough diamonds mined by DBCM, several joint ventures with non-competitors, unparalleled knowledge and assets, and control of over 70 percent of all diamond sales worldwide.DeBeers needed to differentiate themselves from new entrants as well as establish a secure route of long-term control over their precious commodity. Cause: As previously mentioned, the turn of the century ex perienced increasing globalization of the marketplace for not only diamonds, but also all other commodities. This had both positive and negative effects on business. Centralizing focus on the aspects that raised concern were the unfamiliar position of vulnerability in a market DeBeers had dominated for years, as well as the demolition of barriers to entry that existed prior to the market expansion.Remarkably, the aging diamond industry actually produced increases in the prices and value associated with diamonds. Clever promotional and marketing campaigns were the major source of both domestic (U. S. ) and international success in the sincerity and symbolism of what a diamond represented – love. Though DeBeers essentially pioneered the entire culture and reputation of the diamond, the legwork was already done for emerging and junior companies trying to get in on the train of success and profit that DeBeers had trekked alone on for nearly a century.Uncertainty of demand with su ch an increase in possible demand location made for rising concern over the control DeBeers had been used to. Alternative Solutions: 1. The first solution is to continue with what they are doing presently. Without suffering significant losses and without any real singular threats in the realm of competition, DeBeers could exist and continue to be the dominating presence in the diamond industry with their extensive track record and what one asset that no company or amount of time could take away from them – their name.The brand of DeBeers has been generated over years through being in business as the industry leader, through upholding the position of premier diamond resourcer both in domestic and international markets, and for coining the creation and reputation of what the diamond represents is infallible. Continuing on this road with their secured allies, assets and realm of control is more than enough to keep their company a household name. 2. The second solution is to simp ly repeat history.In the past, when presented with a threat like that of the discovery of mines in Siberia, DBCM dipped into their comfortable cushion of finances and bought up all inventory from Russia. This way, DeBeers kept relatively complete control over the diamonds, and swiftly eliminated any possibility of an environmental industry threat toward their future profits, resources or market share. To be straightforward, DBCM decided to follow a motto of â€Å"rather than compete, make sure to make threats obsolete. † Along the same lines, DeBeers also has a history of making alliances for their monopolistic enefit. In the event of mining resources in Botswana, Africa, government 15 percent share was made in DeBeers in 1969. The government licenses that DBCM had compiled over time gave them necessary access and authority to set mining firms in a country where mining availability was plentiful, but availability of entry and control like that of what DeBeers had generated, w as not. 3. The third solution is to liquidate those assets or areas of the company where industry benefit was incomparable to the kind of revenue that the retail and raw diamond sectors brought in.For example, we will turn to what the present economies of countries where DeBeers has a hand in the market, and what the future of those economies looks to be. Asia, China specifically, has a stable economy with the potential for continuous growth, and a future of prosperity where the DeBeers marketing campaigns could be highly successful. With a consumer-base that is likely to have the disposable income to spend on commodities like diamonds, it may be wiser to concentrate efforts in Asia.On the other hand, both the present and future state of the euro is volatile. With such a great deal of uncertainty, it may be conducive in the long run to pull out of the European market, or at least in areas of the market where the future of currency is vulnerable to a decline in value. Decision: The b est alternative solution would be the third, to move away from markets where the economic state is either currently or heading towards instability, and to move toward those markets where the state of the economy is growing with promise for future stability.In comparison to the other alternatives, the third is more practical. Because uncertainty and volatility are the very aspects causing concern over the best course of action to be taken, the third solution actually takes action and implements both the opportunity for high risk and high reward. Pulling out of a market is not a move that DeBeers is used to, however, finding themselves in a sinking economy where losses could be more detrimental the longer they try to hold on could cause a major financial upset.Similarly, acquiring inventory or means of control over resources or markets does not necessarily mean the facilitation of revenue. Though giving up market control in one country would mean freeing up space for competitors to ga in control and so forth, profit, DeBeers can focus their energy on generating revenue in growing economies, and making their presence in those financially-stable countries that much stronger.Action Plan: Stakeholders, specifically shareholders who may have been originally attracted to invest in DeBeers due to their massive scope of control over the diamond industry, may not be welcoming to the idea of forfeiting control in some markets, however if they choose to stay on board, a year or two of focused campaigning and profit-generating in countries with growing economies can give them peace of mind. One way of keeping those control-driven shareholders on board with the idea is to share financial forecasts.Breaking the plan down into parts where stakeholders can visually see where costs will be cut, where assets will be allocated, and where revenues will be made could facilitate trust and loyalty to the go with this third alternative solution. Assembling a team to do just this would b e the first step in assuring stakeholders that it would be in their best interest to keep with DeBeers. This team would also be responsible for detailing DBCM’s annual 10K so as to keep financial stakeholders in the know of capital-related progress.Success would be determined by not only profit margins, but visualization of presence in these growing markets. If DeBeers has the ability to build more locations that generate community recognition and acceptance, it will show that planned focus in concentrated areas can be beneficial. References: http://www. businessinsider. com/history-of-de-beers-2011-12? op=1 http://www. bloomberg. com/quote/DBR:SJ http://hbr. org/product/de-beers-and-the-global-diamond-industry/an/905M40-PDF-ENG http://www. studymode. com/subjects/de-beers-consolidated-mines-page1. html http://www. slideshare. net/packetsdontlie/analysis-of-debeers

Analysing the performance of Vedanta Resources - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 18 Words: 5273 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? Vedanta resources is the first Indian company to be listed in the London stock exchange in December 2003. It is an FTSE 100 metals and mining company with its headquarters located in London, UK and is Indias largest non ferrous company based on their revenues. The company is principally situated in India, although they have possessions and operations in other locations such as Zambia and Australia. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Analysing the performance of Vedanta Resources" essay for you Create order Vedanta Resources is mainly invested in copper, zinc, Aluminium businesses, however the company is now adding to their portfolio by diversifying into a commercial power generation business. The group has experienced a significant growth in recent years on grounds of various expansions in projects owing to a world class resource base containing copper, zinc and Aluminium, the result of this being the acquisition of Sesa Goa in April 2007, which enabled them to penetrate into the iron ore market. Therefore the organization is actively participating in the iron ore, zinc, Aluminium and copper businesses. Vedanta has a precise vision and mission statement, vision being to be clear and committed so that they might become the market leaders in the non- ferrous market segment and their mission is to be a low cost, million-ton per annum producer, the ultimate goal however is to make the company a success, needless to say that such a mission will certainly put India on a global competi tive platform, in the metals and mining segment. The company has continuously demonstrated that they are able to bring in projects that are of high significance thereby contributing unmatched growth at minimum pricing while ensuring high returns to all their shareholders. Also, the organization makes certain that they meet the high conservative standards that are set, so that unjustifiable numbers are not shown in their balance sheets. Vedanta Resources deals with a diverse portfolio of mining and metals business as they make available eminent proceeds to their shareholders even as they make sure that they are socially and environmentally accountable, as the management keeps track of their employees health and safety, community issues and of their surroundings. Several of Vedanta Resources operations are authorized by International Management Systems Standard ISO 14001, proof of it being the many awards won by the company such as Recognition of Commitment Award from the In stitute of Internal Auditors, USA in 2005, Vedanta Resources being the only manufacturing company out of a total of four Indian companies to have ever received this award, not to mention the numerous safety and environment awards. To quote the chairman of Vedanta Resources, Mr.Anil Agrawal India is a fast-emerging and attractive resource destination, and we believe our strategy and business objectives will harness Indias high-quality wealth of mineral resources at low costs of development, positioning it as a leader on the global metals and mining map. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Vedanta is an emerging multinational conglomerate with many overseas operations. Its organizational structure is a complex one with many subsidiaries, governing board and a management committee. The governing board consists of executive and non executive directors. The executive board of directors consists of Mr. Anil Agarwal, Mr. Navin Agarwal and Mr. M S Metha. Mr. Anil Agarwal founded the company and is leading the company as the executive chairman. Mr. Navin Agarwal is the deputy executive chairman of Vedanta and looks after the corporate business strategy and responsible for overall performance and growth. He also heads the executive committee. Mr. M. S. Metha is the chief executive officer of Vedanta. He joined the conglomerate in the year 2000 and previously was working at Lloyds Steel Industries. The non executive board consists of Mr. Naresh Chandra, Mr. Aman Metha and Mr.Euan Macdonald. Mr. Naresh Chandra was a Padma Vibhushan award winner from the Government of India and he is an Indian Administrative Service officer. He joined the group in 2004 after holding many prestigious positions in India. Aman Metha also joined the group in 2004. Before that he was the CEO of HSBC. Euan Macdonald was the chairman of SBC Warburg India and specializes in emerging market finance. The management committee is lead by Mr. Navin Agarwal and consists of: COMMITTEE DESIGNATION TARUN JAIN PRESIDENT GROUP HUMAN RESOURCES DD JALAN WHOLE TIME DIRECTOR CEO ALUMINIUM BUSINESS MS METHA WHOLE TIME DIRECTOR BALCO P K MUKHERJEE DIRECTOR OPERATIONS KCM DILIP GOLANI COO HZL RAJAGOPAL K. KUMAR CEO COPPER ZINC BUSINESS AKHILESH JOSHI HEAD MANGT ASSURANCE FUNCTION J. JANAKARAJ CEO VEDANTA RESOURCES PRAMOD SURI CEO IRON ORE BUSINESS M SIDDIQI CFO VEDANTA RESOURCED A THIRUNAVUKKARASU DOF STERLITE Vedanta Resources plc. is the parent company with many subsidiaries operating in different sectors in differe nt names. Vedanta has interests in five main businesses. Each business is operated by one of its subsidiary. Below is the Vedanta resources plcs group tree. Copper Business: Copper business are run and operated by Sterlite Industries (India) Limited, Konkola Copper Mines Plc and Copper Mines of Tasmania, however, Vedanta holds 53.9%, 79.4% and 100% stakes respectively and management control in the above companies. The total copper business has an annual production of 678,412 tons and generates revenue of $4,012 million. The end products are the Continuous Cast Rods and Copper Cathodes. Copper from the copper mines are smelted using ISA process, one of the worlds leading technology in copper smelting. They have the latest version of CS 3000 Distributed Control System of Yokogawa from Japan to control the entire copper smelter. Aluminium Business: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) and Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) are responsible for Aluminium business. Aluminium business has a total production capacity of 500,000 tons per annum. Vedanta has the controlling stakes of 70.5% in VAL and Sterlite, the subsidiary of Vedanta owns a stake of 51% and exercises management control. Currently the Aluminium business is under vigorous expansion and by 2012 it would become top five Aluminium producers in the world. The company produces metallurgical grade alumina and Aluminium ingots, billets and bars used for making buses. The Aluminium smelter used the advanced technical specifications of British Standard Institute (BSI). The company has bagged OHSAS 18001 certification for good health and protection standards. VAL unit has obtained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates for quality production and management practices. These Aluminium complexes also have integrated power plants in them. Zinc business: Zinc business is wholly owned and operated by Hindustan Zinc limited (HZL). Vedanta own 64.9% of share capital in HZL. It has an annual production of 9,64,000 tons of zinc that generates revenue of $1,782 million. HZL is the worlds integrated second largest producer of Zinc and Lead. Apart from Zinc and Lead the plant also produces Silver, Cadmium and generates power. Silver and Cadmium are obtained as a byproduct of Lead and Zinc metal respectively. The equity shares of HZL are traded at the Indian stock exchange. The metals are refined and sold according to their quality. Iron ore business: The whole iron ore business is operated by its subsidiary Sesa Goa limited. Vedanta has a controlling stake of 57.1%. The company makes iron ore, pig iron and metallurgical coke. The company has a production capacity of 21.4 million tons of iron ore fines and lumps which generates revenue of $1221.7 million. Apart from these they also sell the in-house technology for coke making. They found new technology using vibro compaction to stabilize coal before using in the furnace for firing. Sesa Goas mines have ISO status for good management standards and safety. Commercial Power Generation business: This is a new business venture for Vedanta group and is run by its subsidiaries Sterlite Energy Limited (SEL) and Madras Aluminium Company Limited (MALCO). SEL is a 100% subsidiary of Sterlite Industries Ltd. As of now the excess power from its various plants are sold. Specialized commercial power generation plants are being set up in India. By the end of 2011 the power plants would become fully operational. Two plants are being set up with a combined generation of 4380MW per year. OPERATIONS OF VEDANTA RESOURCES PLC: CORPORATE STRATEGY Since its incorporation in 1976, Vedanta has been very successful in its operations. The current turnover of company is $ 7931 million. The success can be owed to the corporate strategy of Vedanta which can be explained as follows: Organic Development: This includes developing organizations own capabilities. It is done by making using of latest technology for manufacturing processes; spreading investments over a time, venturing the scope of entry in new markets, analyzing the ability of the company to enter them and then enter into such markets. Latest Technology for Mining Smelting Operations: Vedanta has been doing it by using highly advanced technology for manufacturing and designing. This helps in reducing the production costs and thereby gaining advantage to compete in the market. For e.g. The Sesa Goas team did a detailed experimentation involving studies on the temperature profile of the oven and redesigning the refractories. Followed by the systematic plant trials, it developed energy recovery coke making, an environment-friendly technology that is characterized low capital and operating cost, high energy recovery and capable of producing high quality metallurgical coke. Implementing cost reduction techniques: Veda nta has signed long-term contracts with suppliers of raw materials. This not only reduces production costs but also accounts for the continuous availability of resources without getting affected by market fluctuations. Launching Brownfield and Greenfield Projects: These form a very important consideration for a mining industry. Brownfield projects are abandoned sites that are available for industrial or commercial reuse. The development or expansions of such land is more difficult owing to contamination by earlier use. Greenfield projects are the ones which lack any constraints imposed by prior work. There is no need to demolish or remodel the structure. Vedanta has been investing in Brownfield and Greenfield projects for expansions. A 1.4 mtpa aluminium refinery project at Lanjigarh and an aluminium smelter of capacity 500,000 tpa both in state of Orissa, India are few of the Greenfield projects launched by the company. Entry in New Market: Also the company has now ventured i nto Commercial Power Generation. It recognised the tremendous scope in the industry for commercial power generation, in India. It has therefore started commercial power generation plants in Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Also these plants are locates at strategic positions, mainly in the coal rich zones of India, thereby facilitating transport and easy availability of coal. Consolidation of Group Structure: As shown above, Vedanta has many subsidiaries like KCM, Sterlite Industries India Ltd, Sesa Goa Ltd etc. Although it has the Holding Stocks and management control over all these, some of the stakes are owned by private investors. Vedanta is constantly trying to buyback it stock and purchase shares of all its subsidiaries. This would help in a consolidated group structure. The main advantage of it is ease in the management decisions. Mergers and Acquisitions: Since 2004, the Vedanta Resources had only one acquisition till date by acquiring the Madras Aluminium Co Ltd. While taking stake into consideration the Vedanta resources taken over 5 companies till finalization of balance sheet for 2010. Acquisitions include Konkola Copper Mines Plc. in 2004 and part in 2009 with a total of 79.4% stake, next Sterlite Gold Ltd and Finsider International Co Ltd both in the year 2007. Moreover, the company acquired approximately 25.8% by the outstanding common shares of Sterlite Gold on a fully-diluted basis. Also the company acquired Finsider International Co Ltd. Fully from a Japanese company called Mitsui Co at around USD 981 million. In the year 2009 the company acquired 51% of Sesa Goa Ltd, Indias largest producer-exporter of Iron-Ore in the private sector at INR 4070 Crore. Now, the Vedanta Resources are planning to acquire 60% stake in Crain India Company. The Cairn India is a leading player in Oil and Gas industry in India. Moreover, Crai n India is one the biggest private exploration and Production Company currently operating in India. Edinburgh based Crain Energy is holding a total of 62.37 percent stake in Crain India. According to the deal the Crain Energy will sell its stake to Vedanta Resources Plc for the deal amount of USD 9.6 billion at 405 INR per share. Successful acquisition of KCM, MALCO, Sterlite Gold Ltd and Sesa Goa has added substantial growth to the Vedanta as a whole. They are continue looking for a new growth and acquisition opportunities in the metal and mining sector and related opportunities in India and elsewhere. They are taking all these steps by keeping government privatization programmed in mind. Year Acquisition Stakes Divestitures 2010 0 0 0 2009 1 1 0 2008 0 1 0 2007 0 2 0 2006 0 0 0 2005 0 0 0 2004 0 1 0 TOTAL 1 5 0 PESTEL ANALYSIS Political Legal: As minerals are a nations wealth, the mining industry operates under the huge cloud of political and legal pressure. Mainly they are state owned or nationalized and involves a large and complicated process for licensing. The industry is very much regulated by governmental law that mainly focuses on labour and environmental factors. In the recent days, the increasing concern for environmental issues has made the government to pressurize the mining policies. Upon this the media focus is still more an added pressure for the mining industry. Even though the governments policies are mainly aimed to protect the resources but they also encourage exports by giving subsidies and encourage new technology developments. Economic: Mining is an industry that requires very high capital investment. Thus, interest rates make a major impact. Not all countries are rich in deposits of minerals; hence mining generally involves import and export of products. The exchange rates fluctuations are a dominant concern. The import taxes and international trade cycle are also important economic factors for the mining industry. Social: Being an industry that impacts the surrounding environment in areas of its operation, the support of the local community is of the most important and underlying factors for mining. Mining, though, a resource based industry, cannot be carried out in areas of high population because of the concerns that it may affect the public health. Mining has also been under the scanner of various activist groups over the recent years. The industry thus has also been attracting continuous media attention. Vedanta has been attracting a lot of media attention recently over ESG issues. Technology: The process involved in the mining industry right from the raw material transportation still export involves risky process. In those conditions the laws prevent the use of human resources that make the mining industry heavily dependent on technology. Recently the mines are using computerized machines that operates according to its program and automated conveyor belts to reach its specified destination i.e. harbor or warehouse. But still the underground mining relies mainly on human resource due to its complicated nature of mining. Environmental: Mining is an industry that affects and makes a negative impact on the environment during and after the process. Thus any mining activity has to go through a number of clearances and regulations concerning the environment. Almost all countries demand an investigation of its impact on the environment before any activity can start. PORTERS 5 FORCES ANALYSIS The following diagram gives the 5 Forces Analysis for Vedanta Resources: Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants to Vedanta is very low. This is mainly because of high capital investments required. The limited resources in mining and the costs of exploration, the various government laws, the equipment required, additional costs incurred in rehabilitation of people living at mining sites etc all make it difficult for new entrants to venture in this industry. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes also is low. This is mainly because metals are required basically for all types of manufacturing industries as an input. Even if substitution is considered, it has limited scope. Also the price/performance ratios of iron, aluminium etc is low, making the threat of substitutes even less. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The suppliers include the suppliers of raw materials required, that of equipment etc. There are very few suppliers and therefore their bargaining power is high. Also the cost of switching suppliers is high making it difficult to do so. Vedanta has entered into long term contracts with their suppliers, thus reducing the costs. It also ensures that Vedanta get supply of goods without being affected by market fluctuations. Bargaining Power of Buyers: This is low as the demand of the metals and metal products is very high. Also switching costs are high as the costumers normally have contracts with the company. Competitive Rivalry: Some of the competitors of Vedanta Group are Rio-Tinto, BHP Billiton Ltd, Grupo-Mexico, Hindalco etc. The competition is intense as every player is trying for their market share as the resources are becoming restricted and limited. SWOT ANALYSIS: A complete SWOT analysis of Vedanta Resources plc would provide a clear and unbiased strategic analysis of the companys strengths and weakness and potential opportunities and threats, this sort of analysis helps the business in understanding its partners, customers and competitors better. STRENGTHS: The strength can be determined by the fact that the company has assets that are global with respect to both scale and size; their low cost of production which makes the group competitive among its peers and the skill and experience that are incorporated in the nature of their assets is of high quality. Their recent growth in volume and the many measures that the group have taken in reducing costs has increased their cash flow considerably; The Company understands the fact that it is important to maintain a low leverage by enabling adequate liquidity and meeting all their financial obligations, possessing a strong vision, making strategic acquisitions and having an ability to think ah ead. They also understand the value of their employees which is a competitive advantage as its not easily reproducible like technology and the fact that they strive for excellence has only increased their strength. WEAKNESSES: Poor brand management, not giving importance to marketing of the company, keeping silent while a swarm of people accusing the company has increased trouble for the company. Therefore, the company must make all efforts in order to correct the problem before they run out of business and need to curtail their operations. OPPORTUNITIES: The opportunities for the group are many, success in the group will allow the company to compete globally. Several efforts are made by the company with respect to expansion of the company and growth and this can be clearly seen in the group on having acquired Sesa Goa, which makes it possible for the company to penetrate through the iron ore market and by making strategic decisions, will guarantee that Vedanta Resources trium phs. THREATS: The potential threats as reported by The Independent news paper is the fact that the human rights protestors that stood outside the companys building in their avatar costumes, outshone the companys accomplishments which is a major threat to the companys image. The backing out of the Church of England; only six months after researching into the company or Aviva who is one of their backers, who voted against them in three resolutions in board meeting which they attended. Vedanta however, denies the rumors concerning the pollution of Lanjugarh, or any breach in human rights, the encroachment of land in Nyamgiri Hills in Orissa and any other accusations that have been made against the company and they continue to contest any allegations made against the group. Although the rumors are overtaking their defensive stand and is causing a serious dent to the Vedanta Groups image. (The Independent, 2010) VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS: Established mines Modern machinery Ware houses in harbors n/a Corporate offices Low cost training Limited labor Management control In house Performance bonus Conveyor belts Integrated system n/a MARGIN n/a Own mines n/a Outsourced Private Low cost Quality Training, Own Raw material Technologically updated machinery, Fully automated, Computer controlled Direct contracts No promotion, supply led Low cost, High productivity COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: In terms of the competitive advantages for Vedanta resources Plc, Firstly, they have a mining site located where the availability of natural resources is high. Their production is done on the basis of the accessibility of the raw material. As the natural resources are highly available, the supply of the raw material and the cost of production can be low, and the cost of capital can be divided to sustain it in the current market. The raw material in the industry is nothing but the resources held by the group and as they located where there is a rich source of natural resources, not to mention the availability of cheap labour at their mining site which results in Vedanta having a low cost of production per unit leading the company to win an award for the low cost of production in year 2007. Culture of the society where there are located, is also well known by them so the adjustment to the market environment would not be an issue placing the company is a very advantageous position The company has also started their operations in power production unit. They had produced the power sufficient enough for their production and the excess production was sold out and this resulted to the investment in a power generation plant. Now they have obtained blocks for 112.2 million tons with the ministry of coal. They have signed a contract with Chhattisgarh government for the interested thermal and coal power generation plant for 1200 MW power capacity. India is fifth largest in the world for the bauxite with the reserve about of 2,600 million tones and for the coal reserves and for iron ore it is sixth. The most of the mining and smelting site for Vedanta resources are in India. This is advantageous for potential growth in the further prospective for the company. The following chart gives a view on where Vedanta stands in their contribution to the world: Name of the company Country % of Total output Vale Brazil 5.6% Anglo American United Ki ngdom 3.9% Newmont Mining United States 1.0% Vedanta Resources United Kingdom 0.7% Goldcorp Canada 0.5% Source: World Bank CORE COMPETENCE For Vedanta the core competence of their business strategy is developing low cost, with inexpensive skilled and educated labour. (Business Standard, 2008) In the mining industry, the high costs are to do with the investment in acquiring a mining site and costs need for production. However, Vedanta has reduced its cost of production owing to their location, which is rich in natural resources. The current production for the Aluminium is 1.4 mtpa which is planned to be increased by 6,00,000 tpa to reach is total production of 2 mtpa. The company aims at investing $ 9.8 Billion by which they will be the fifth mining company for Aluminium metal. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY In the present-day business scenario, Corporate Social responsibility (C.S.R.) and sustainability have become a very high-profile agenda in many countries and industries. Thus, due to the nature of its business, Corporate Social Responsibility is a pretty confound and complicated issue for Vedanta Resources Plc. The company has quite a mixed record on the social responsibility front. Nonetheless, the company has made certain valiant efforts to conduct their business in a socially responsible manner. Vedantas current C.S.R. agenda acknowledges the responsible management of the Environmental, Community, Health and Safety and Employee issues with respect to all of their operations. The companys Health, Safety and Environment (H.S.E) management framework administers the healthy and sound management of its operations. According to its current agenda, the company aims to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment. Efficient consumption of energy and water and use of recycl ed materials is one of its main motives. It has taken initiatives through its subsidiaries to fulfill its motives. Being a mining company, the health and safety of its employees and the community is a core concern for Vedanta. The company has a Health and Safety management framework and policies in place, which aim to ensure a risk-free environment for its employees. Vedanta has also taken efforts to support and enhance the local community in the areas of their operations. Sterlite Foundation is financially supported by the group, which provides free computer training to the young under-privileged people. The company has also made several contributions and donations to the community. For example being the donation of US$1.1 million to the Rajasthan drought relief fund, through its subsidiary H.Z.L. Despite making certain efforts to conduct its business in a socially responsible manner, Vedanta has been engulfed in a web of allegations concerning this issue over the last few year s. The company has been under immense criticism for having a poor human rights and environmental record by various activist groups and authorities. A human rights group called Amnesty International, has criticized and raised the issue of ill treatment of the local tribal people by Vedanta in the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa, India. Various other activist groups have also accused Vedanta and its subsidiaries of threatening the livelihood of the community residing in and around the areas of its mines. This also led to recent public demonstrations and protest against the company worldwide. However, the company has maintained a stance that, it would act in a responsible manner and that the proposed project will only enhance the community as a whole in the particular area. Vedantas Alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Orissa, India, has also been critiqued by the State Pollution Control board in India for air and water pollution. Amnesty International has accused Vedanta of failing to curb t he impact created by its refinery of air pollution on the local community. The company is also facing investigations and charges regarding pollution because of its project in Armenia. This is another issue that has been raised by various activist groups. The company has also failed to maintain a clear health and safety record recently. Separate incidents have darned its reputation concerning safety efforts. An under construction chimney at its smelter in Chhattisgarh, India collapsed causing death of more than 40 workers and employees. The company has also been accused of safety negligence as its unsafe mining operations have led to deaths of more than 25 workers and employees and injuries to hundreds of others in 2007. The controversies, poor human rights and environmental allegations have caused a lot of socially responsible investors to divest from the company. After protests by Survival International a human rights group regarding the Orrisa issue, the Church of England s old its stake worth 3.75 million pounds in Vedanta resources on the basis of ethical grounds. The Church stated that we are not satisfied that Vedanta has shown, or is likely in future to show, the level of respect for human rights and local communities that we expect of companies in whom the Church investing bodies hold shares, The Scottish investment firm Martin Carrie Investments also sold its stake worth more than 2 million pounds following protest from activist groups. Other responsible investors like the Swedish Government, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Dutch investment firm PGGM and a few others have joined the bandwagon of disinvesting from the company following its poor recent social record. The BP Pension fund has also reduced its share following similar concerns. The UK and Norwegian governments have also condemned the company. The disinvestment by shareholders has been a major concern for Vedanta as it certainly threatens to affect its growth. On 24th August 2010, the Indian government blocked the companys proposal for a new mine in India alleging Vedanta of having a poor human rights and environmental record. Indias Environment minister stated, There is no emotion, no politics, no prejudice I have taken the decision in a purely legal approach, that these laws are being violated. This has been a major blow for Vedanta as it was planning to invest more than 5 billion pounds in the Niyamgiri project. The company has also been alleged of charges of bribery in Chennai, India for the reopening of a factory that was shut down due to a major accident. Sterlite, a subsidiary of Vedanta was slapped with tax notice of more than 44 million pounds by the India Excise department in 2010 while a few other legal violations have also tarnished the companys image. All the recent allegations and controversies in the recent times resulted in a negative image for the company. Its stock rose tremendously by more than 200% from April 2009 to April 2010 but after the recent allegations and concerns over disinvestment by investors, the stock has been a sharp decline. Thus, the issue of corporate social responsibility has certainly made an impact on its growth recently and could also be a cause of concern if the company does not adopt new strategies to improve its CSR record. Vedanta must revive its CSR agenda to clarify investor concerns. The company has however claimed that it aims resolve all the issues regarding the allegations and aim to enrich and empower the community wherever they operate. Projects Under Scrutiny Lanjigarh Bauxite Mine Lanjigarh Smelter Chhattisgarh Chimney Collapse Chennai Factory Source: CONCLUSION: In conclusion Vedanta Resources is Indias largest non-ferrous metal and mining company based on revenue. This FTSE-100 company has a strong balance sheet with cash and liquid investment of $7.2 billion and has cash in excess of $7.0 billion. Moreover, its the only Indian manufacturing company listed at London Stock Exchange. They are working with workforce of 30,000. The analysis shown above certainly explains the success of Vedanta Resources in mining industry. This success can be hugely owed to its corporate strategy. However there are still some glitches in the strategy. This is evident by the SWOT analysis, so also the effects on its business as an aftermath of its weak corporate social responsibility. Therefore it is evident that their current corporate strategy is not sustainable. Although due consideration has been given in asset optimization, reducing costs and thereby gaining profits; Vedanta has not given due consideration to the threat posed by its competitors. If any of the competitors enter India, for mining then Vedanta would not be able to survive. Moreover their corporate social responsibility has been lacking; this has severely affected their Brand-name, a very important factor in todays market. It has also resulted in decreased market share and withdrawal from many of their investors like Church of England. Therefore certain changes have to be made in their current corporate strategy. First of all, the company should give due consideration to its Social Responsibility, it should provide rehabilitation facilities to people, who have lost their lands due to mining activities. It should provide safety and security measures for their workers. It should also come with policies that are in accordance with the human right and environment. All this would add up with Brand Image of the company. It should try to improve relations with Indian government. It should also try and regain the investors who have backed out and simultaneously try to get new once. As having well established in India, Vedanta should now try to expand its base in Zambia, Australia and rest parts of the world through mergers and acquisitions. (Vedanta Resources, n.d.) Referencing: Improving Vedanta Resources governance of responsible business practices, (2010) Available at: https://www.eiris.org/files/research%20publications/EIRISVedantaReport2010.pdf. (Accessed 12 November 2010). Dawber , A. (2010) Vedanta Resources: the worlds most hated company?, The Independent 29 July[Online]. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/vedanta-resources-the-worlds-most-hated-company-2037977.html (Accessed: 8 January 2011). Flannery, N. (2010) CSR concerns at Vedanta Resources, The Corporate Library Blog, 10 September. Available at: https://blog.thecorporatelibrary.com/blog/2010/09/csr-concerns-at-vedanta-resources.html. (Accessed: 12 January 2010) Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring Corpor ate Strategy, 8th ed, Harlow: Prentice Hall. Vedanta Resources (n.d.) About Us, Available at: https://www.vedantaresources.com/who-we-are.aspx (Accessed: 20 December 2010). Vedanta Resources (n.d.) Investor Relations, Available at: https://www.vedantaresources.com/investor-relations.aspx (Accessed: 22 December 2010). Vedanta Resources (n.d.) Our Operations, Available at: https://www.vedantaresources.com/operations-copper1.aspx (Accessed: 20 December 2010). Vedanta Resources (n.d.) People Employment, Available at: https://www.vedantaresources.com/people-employment.aspx (Accessed: 27 December 2010). Vedanta Resources (n.d.) Sustainable Development, Available at: https://www.vedantaresources.com/sustainability/ (Accessed: 27 December 2010). .