Prejudice is a learnt trait Essay Example for Free

Prejudice is a learnt trait Essay Prejudice is the quality or condition of judging someone or a group of people before you meet them, usually by using stereotypes. People are not born to be prejudice; they are taught and influenced by their parents, friends and surroundings. Furthermore, prejudicial attitudes stem from ignorance and this leads to an unbreakable chain. People are not born with the mentality of hating someone because of their race, culture or sex. â€Å"If your lens are prejudice, you are wearing the wrong prescription. † It is against nature to hate your own species. So how do people develop prejudice? It can be assumed that children are not as prejudice as their parents since they are generally happy to get along with anybody that’s nice to them because they have not been exposed to the stereotypes in society. As they grow up and become exposed to more ethnic groups and people, they are taught to stay away from certain individuals to protect them. Parents and teachers constantly remind children of â€Å"stranger danger† and this creates a template of who is dangerous which then carries onto their views later on in their lives. The template created by adults teaches children to have prejudicial attitudes towards certain types of people. If your parents taught you to trust women rather than men, as a child, wouldn’t you believe them? Children choose to believe their parents’ points of views because they haven’t had the opportunity to create their own opinions. As adults, parents would already have multiple experiences with different people and cultures, which they pass onto their children. As well as passing on their own knowledge, parents also hand down their prejudicial attitudes to their children. Consequently, children who develop these prejudicial attitudes pass them onto their own children as well. E. B. White once said, â€Å"Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. † People choose to believe stereotypes because they’re easier to understand but also because they’re afraid of challenging them. Additionally, these fears of challenging stereotypes are associated with ignorance (lack of knowledge or information). When people lack the knowledge or information about a person or group of people, it results in prejudice. In the film, Gran Torino, the main protagonist, Walk Kowalski has limited experiences and also lacked knowledge of the Hmong, which ensued his prejudicial attitudes towards them. As his neighbor, Sue, teaches Walt more about the Hmong culture, he discovers that they have the same values as him and ultimately becomes close friends with them and even stands as a fatherly figure for Sue’s younger brother, Thao. It can be said that many people choose not to go through the effort of learning more about different people merely because it’s easier and less time consuming than building relationships with more people. Although, even if a person were to try and learn more about a different culture, they’d already have their own opinions based from stereotypes, which holds them back and hinders their ability to look past their prejudicial thoughts and feelings. Prejudice is the chain forged by ignorance to keep men apart, which is exactly why it is so unnatural. It goes against human nature to want to be apart from other people yet society is convinced that prejudice is normal and therefore acceptable to pass onto future generations. This belief is what causes the chain of prejudice to be unbreakable. People are prisoners of their own experiences. â€Å"No one can escape prejudice- only recognise them. † People recognise prejudicial attitudes and even berate others for being prejudiced when in reality, they’re doing the same thing. The reason why prejudice cannot be overcome is because society chooses not to. It’s never to late to give up our prejudices but instead of overcoming these preconceived ideas, people make the choice to continue to pass on their prejudicial attitudes to their children or even their friends and family. We pick up new prejudices as we go through life at school, work and also at home. You may hear people saying things about someone and because you don’t know anything about that person you instantly choose the side of the person talking because they are the source of the information you use to base your prejudice from. All it takes is one person to start the chain of prejudice. Children are not born with prejudice. No one is. The people surrounding you as well as your own experiences and surroundings teach you prejudice. It’s like talking or walking. Babies cannot talk or walk but are taught by their parents. Prejudice is the same.

Corporate Strategy Tata Corus Acquisition Marketing Essay

Corporate Strategy Tata Corus Acquisition Marketing Essay Corporate Strategy is about enabling an organization to achieve and sustain superior overall performance and returns. It is a core responsibility of senior executives and encompasses a range of critical activities, from defining and refining corporate vision to strategic performance measurement and management. Organizations are facing exciting and dynamic challenges in the 21st century. In the globalised business, companies require strategic thinking and only by evolving good corporate strategies can they become strategically competitive. A sustained or sustainable competitive advantage occurs when firm implements a value creating strategy of which other companies are unable to duplicate the benefits or find it too costly to initiate. Corporate strategy includes the commitments, decisions and actions required for a firm to achieve strategic competitiveness and earn above average returns. Corporate growth strategies Growth can be achieved by different means. One approach is from within and another is from outside -that is combinations. Different forms of combinations are: Amalgamation/Merger: Merger takes place when there is a combination of two or more organizations. Merger does create a new corporation. Acquisition/takeovers: One Company acquires another companys controlling interest. The acquired company operates as a separate division or subsidiary by offering cash or securities in exchange for majority of shares of another company. Sales of Assets: A company can sell its assets to another and cease to exist. Holding company acquisition: This is a quasi merger. Either the total or majority of a firms stock will be acquired. The purpose is only management and control of other. Mergers can also be classified into the following forms: 1. Horizontal mergers take place when there is a combination of two or more organizations in the same business, or of organizations engaged in certain aspects of the production or marketing process. For instance a company making footwear combines with another retailer in the same business. 2. Vertical mergers take place when there is a combination of two or more organizations not necessarily in the same business, which complement either in terms of supply of materials (inputs) or marketing of goods and services (outputs). For instance a footwear company combines with a leather tannery or with a chain of she retail stores. 3. Concentric mergers take place when there is a combination of two or more organizations related to each other either in terms of customer functions, customer groups, or the alternative technologies used. A footwear company combining with hosiery firm making socks or another specialty footwear company, or with a leather goods company making purses, handbags, and so on. 4. Conglomerate mergers take place when there is a combination of two more organizations unrelated to each other, either in terms of customer functions, customer groups, or alternative technologies used. For Example: A foot wear company combining with a pharmaceuticals firm. In our project report, we explore the various facets of perhaps one of the most important acquisitions ever made by an Indian Company, that of Tata-Corus. History of the two giants TATA Group Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in the Bombay House in Mumbai, India. In terms of market capitalization and revenues, Tata Group is the largest private corporate group in India. It has interests in chemicals, steel, automobiles, information technology, communication, power, beverages, and hospitality. The Tata Group has operations in more than 80 countries across six continents and its companies export products and services to 80 nations. The Tata Group comprises 114 companies and subsidiaries in eight business sectors. Its total revenue is $67.4 billion, profit $1.74 billion and total assets $52.8 billion. The main aim of the TATA group is to improve the quality of life of the community it serves. The group has played a pioneering role in a variety of fields after Indias independence and it is widely respected for the initiatives it has taken in different fields for upliftment of the country. TATA Steel Tata Steel Group is one of Indias largest integrated private sector steel companies. The group manufactures and distributes steel, welded steel tubes, cold rolled strips, bearings, and other related products. Tata Steel Group operates across Asia, Europe, and Australia. Tata Steel Group is headquartered in Mumbai, India and employs about 86,600 people. The group recorded revenues of INR 1,473,292.6 million (approximately $32,147.2 million) in the financial year ended March 2009 (FY2009), an increase of 12% over FY2008. The operating profit of the group was INR141,279.5 million (approximately $3,082.7 million) in FY2009, compared with an operating profit of INR 141,213.4 million (approximately $3,081.3 million) in FY2008. The net profit was INR49,509 million(approximately $1,080.3 million) in FY2009, a decrease of 59.9% compared with FY2008.It is the worlds sixth largest steel company with capacity of 31 million tones per annum (tpa).The group is the worlds second most geographically diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and commercial presence in more than 50 countries. Tata Steel Groups strong market position gives it advantage of scale and increases its bargaining power. The story of Tata Steel is a century old. And so is the story of steel in India. Etched with the visions and hardships of a single man, the story has flowed through ages to re-define steel in every way. The saga, which started in 1907, completed a century of trust in 2007 and carries on. Over the years this one company has discovered different avenues of effective steel utilisation and its story defines and re-defines conventional wisdom in more ways than one.The Steel Company obtained its first colliery in 1910, adding six more in course of time. Several mines were spread over the states of Bihar, Orissa and Karnataka. The Tatas soon became the first to own a fully mechanised iron ore mine in India at Noamundi. The Coal Beneficiation Plant at West Bokaro undertook beneficiation of low-grade coal, thus helping in the conservation of the fast dwindling resources of high quality coal. The collieries, the mines and the quarries together furnish the bulk of the raw material requirements of the plant. When the entire world was reeling in the Great Depression, the Tatas survived and supplied nearly three-fourth of the countrys steel requirements. By the Second World War, Tatas production capacities had expanded enough to make their prices lower than those of steel produced in England, raising them to an authoritarian position. Post-Independence the Tatas decided to set on the Herculean task of nation building. The much-required steel for the newly devised Five-year Plans came from the Tata factories. The Company undertook the Howrah Bridge in Calcutta, the Bhakra-Nangal Project and the Damodar Valley Corporation, the port at Kandla, the city of Chandigarh and many more important projects. The last decade of the twentieth century happened to be a very hectic period of self-renewal and growth for Tata Steel. An extensive technological overhaul, several improvement projects, cost control measures, optimising IT support and a strong customer-centric approach were all instrumental in finding the right direction for changing outlooks. At the turn of the millennium, Tata Steel had earned the complete trust of the whole wide world and emerged as a strong entity in the global steel industry.The last decade has been marked by Tata Steels prominent role in the overall development of the country, even during phases of economic turbulence and its decisive foray into more and more global territory. Intense strategic thinking about future expansions, plans for organic growth and initiation of new projects are a few highlights in Tata Steels expanding and more penetrative roles in the larger perspective. The acquisition of NatSteel in 2004 was Tata Steels first overseas acquisition a nd the series of joint ventures and mergers that followed found a peak when the acquisition of Corus, happened in April 2007. But in every positive step that the Company has taken towards growth and expansion, involving diverse cultures and geographies, Tata Steel has never lost sight of its great heritage of social and community responsibility. The long journey of Tata Steel has seen the Company re-define its performance parameters in a number of ways to become the global steel industry benchmark for value creation and corporate citizenship. It ensures a total commitment to its ethical business practices and a people oriented vision. SWOT Analysis Of Tata Steel Strengths Strong market position Integrated steel operations in India Strong research and development (RD) capabilities Weakness Dependence on third party suppliers for raw material in Europe Dependence on Europe Opportunities Expansion in India Joint ventures to develop mining activities Anticipated demand for steel in India Threats Consolidation in the global steel industry Environmental regulations Corus Group Corus Group plc was formed on 6th October 1999, through the merger of two companies, British Steel and Koninklijke Hoogovens, following the privatization of many steelworks companies by the U.K. government. The company consists of four divisions which include: Strip Products, Long Products, Aluminum and Distribution and Building Systems. With headquarters in London, Corus operates as an international company, satisfying the demand of many steel customers worldwide. Its core business comprises of manufacturing, development and allocation of steel and aluminum products and services.The company has a wide variety of products and services which comprise of the manufacturing of electrical steel, narrow strip, plates, packaging steel, plated steel strip, semi finished steel, tube products, wire rod and rail products and services. However, the company is also engaged in providing a variety of services including design, technology and consultancy services. Corus products and services are acq uired by customers from diverse fields such as commercial and military aerospace ventures, the automotive, construction, engineering, defense and security, as well as the rail and shipbuilding industry. In terms of performance, the company is regarded as the largest steel producer in the UK. It is headquartered in London, the UK and employs 21,300 people. The group recorded revenues of  £9,733 million during the fiscal year ended December 2006, an increase of 6.3% over 2005. The operating profit of the company  £457 million a decline of 28.9% over 2005. The net profit was  £229 million in fiscal year 2006, a decline of 49.2% over 2005. SWOT Analysis Of Corus Group Strengths Diversified product portfolio Strong technology Diversified geographic presence Weakness Rising expenses Lack of scale Weak returns Opportunities Positive outlook for the aircraft industry Growing US construction industry Growing Chinese steel market Threats Economic slowdown in the US and Eurozone Consolidation in the global steel industry Increase in energy and fuel costs The Deal The deal (between Tata Corus) was officially announced on April 2nd, 2007 at a price of 608 pence per ordinary share in cash. This deal was a 100% acquisition and the new entity was be run by one of Tatas steel subsidiaries. As stated by Tata, the initial motive behind the completion of the deal was not Corus revenue size, but rather its market value. Even though Corus is larger in size compared to Tata, the company was valued less than Tata (at approximately $6 billion) at the time when the deal negotiations started. But from Corus point of view, as the management has stated that the basic reason for supporting this deal were the expected synergies between the two entities. Corus has supported the Tata acquisition due to different motives. However, with the Tata acquisition Corus has gained a great and profitable opportunity to make an exit as the company has been looking out for a potential buyer for quite some time. The total value of this acquisition amounted to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤6.2 billion (US$12 billion). Tata Steel the winner of the auction for Corus declared a bid of 608 pence per share surpassing the final bid from Brazilian Steel maker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) of 603 pence per share. Prior to the beginning of the deal negotiations, both Tata Steel and Corus were interested in entering into an MA deal due to several reasons. The official press release issued by both the company states that the combined entity will have a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tones in 2007, with 84,000 employees across four continents and a joint presence in 45 countries, which makes it a serious rival to other steel giants. The official declaration of the completed transaction between the two companies was announced to be effective by Court of Justice in England and Wales and consistent with the Scheme of Arrangement of the Tata Steel Scheme on April 2, 2007. According the Scheme regulations, Tata Steel was required to deliver a consideration not later than 2 weeks following the official date of the completion of the transaction. At the time of acquisition, nearly 49% of Corus was owned by British shareholders, 11% by North American shareholders, 10% by Dutch shareholders and another 30% by shareholders in Germany, France, Belgium and other countries. At first, it had appeared that Tata would get Corus unopposed as the bid had received favourable initial response from the Corusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ Board. The Corus board had unanimously accepted Tata Steels takeover proposal and had even recommended it for shareholders approval. However, things changed soon after CSN entered the fray, making a more competitive offer than Tata. The bidding process continued for three months with CSN countering each successive move by Tata with a higher bid for the equity of Corus. For example, when Tata raised their bid to $9.2 billion for Corusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ equity in early December 2006, CSN countered it with $9.6 billion within hours of the Tataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s offer. When months of takeover battle could not determine the winner, UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Takeover Panel announced that it would hold an auction with a maximum of nine rounds to decide the winner. The auction took place on 30th January 2007. On the auction eve, Ratan Tata along with Tata Steel managing director B Muthuraman were monitoring the Corus auction taking place thousands of miles away in London. The Tata Sons director Arun Gandhi, their investment bankers and advisers were in London representing Tata Steel. The entire deal timeline is detailed below: Deal Timeline September 20, 2006 : Corus Steel has decided to acquire a strategic partnership with a company that is a low cost producer October 5, 2006 : The Indian steel giant, Tata Steel wants to fulfill its ambition toExpand its business further. October 6, 2006 : The initial offer from Tata Steel is considered to be too low both by Corus and analysts. October 17, 2006 : Tata Steel has kept its offer to 455p per share. October 18, 2006 : Tata still doesnt react to Corus and its bid price remains the same. October 20, 2006 : Corus accepts terms of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 4.3 billion takeover bid from Tata Steel October 23, 2006 : The Brazilian Steel Group CSN recruits a leading investment bank to offer advice on possible counter-offer to Tata Steels bid. October 27, 2006 :Corus is criticized by the chairman of JCB, Sir Anthony Bamford, for its decision to accept an offer from Tata. November 3, 2006 : The Russian steel giant Severstal announces officially that it will not make a bid for Corus November 18, 2006 : The battle over Corus intensifies when Brazilian group CSN approached the board of the company with a bid of 475p pershare November 27, 2006 : The board of Corus decides that it is in the best interest of its will shareholders to give more time to CSN to satisfy the preconditions and decide whether it issue forward a formal offer December 18, 2006 : Within hours of Tata Steel increasing its original bid for Corus to 500 pence per share, Brazils CSN made its formal counter bid for Corus at 515 pence per share in cash, 3% more than Tata Steels Offer. January 31, 2007 : Britains Takeover Panel announces in an e-mailed statement that after an auction Tata Steel had agreed to offer Corus investors 608 pence per share in cash April 2, 2007 : Tata Steel manages to win the acquisition to CSN and has the full voting support form Corus Valuation Due Diligence Tataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s original bid for Corus had been at 455 pence a share in mid-October 2006, valuing Corusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s equity at $8 billion. But as a result of the bitter fight with CSN of Brazil, Tata finally paid a price of $12.9 billion in an all-cash deal, raising doubts that the acquisition would likely turn out to be a winnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s curse. Within weeks of the acquisition announcement, Tata Steel had lost over $1 billion in market capitalization, as the market reacted negatively to the high price paid. The wealth-accretion advantages of the deal, if any, would accrue in the long term. Immediately, it meant raising huge amounts of debt and equity to finance the deal. Both Moodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Investors Service and Standard Poorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s said they might lower Tataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s debt rating which meant that debt financing would likely neither be easy nor cheap. To finance the Corus buy, Tata Steel embarked upon what was perhaps the biggest fund-raising exercise by an Indian company. It raised funds through a number of sources. These included a rights issue of equity shares, rights issue of convertible preference shares and long-term debt including foreign currency structured issues. Tata Steel and its fully owned subsidiaries Tata Steel UK and Tata Steel Asia Singapore were involved in the unprecedented fund raising exercise by an Indian company. Tata Steel UK was also the SPV for the Corus takeover. The whopping about $13 billion was planned to have been raised as shown in the table below Company Source Amount ($ Mil) Tata Steel Internal generation 700 Tata Steel External commercial borrowings 500 Tata Steel Preferential issue of equity shares to Tata Sons 640 Tata Steel Rights issue of equity shares to its shareholders 862 Tata Steel Rights issue of convertible preference shares 1,000 Tata Steel ADR/GDR EQUITY ISSUE 500 Tata Steel UK Non-recourse debt raised from a consortium of banks 6,140 Tata Steel Asia Singapore Bridge finance 2,660 Total 13,002 By early April 2007, Tata Steel had completed the $12.9 billion (Rs 52,700 crore) acquisition of Corus Group plc at a price of 608 pence per ordinary share in cash. The enlarged company would have a crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007 and would be the worlds fifth largest steel producer with 84,000 employees across four continents. Need for the Deal Introduction The Tata Iron and Steel Company (name later changed to Tata Steel) was established by Sir Jamsetji Tata in 1907. By 2006 it was Indias largest integrated private sector steel company. With its recent acquisitions and mergers, the company has become a multinational with operations in various countries. It was recognized as the worlds best quality steel producer in 2005. Though domestically the company had seen significant growth in the 100 years, it ranked a poor number 56 globally in terms of steel output. In order to enhance its market share in the global market Tata steel made several smaller foreign acquisitions, including Singapores NatSteel and Thailands Millennium Steel. But these small incremental deals would not enable Tata Steel to capture the sudden opportunity that had arisen in the steel market. We believe that Tata Steel had to act in response to the changing environment, the industry structure and to exploit its competencies and resources at its disposal, which led to its decision of acquiring Corus, a steel firm much bigger in size compared to Tata Steel. We propose to explain the need for the related linked diversification, logic and reasoning behind the deal through the Resource-Based Model of Above Average Returns and the I/O Model of Above Average Returns. Resource-Based Model of Above Average Returns Deriving Synergies There were a lot of apparent synergies between Tata Steel which was a low cost steel producer in fast developing region of the world and Corus which was a high value product manufacturer in the region of the world demanding value products. Synergies also existed in terms of sharing and manufacturing practices, shared services and purchasing. Also there were other synergies between the two companies; Corus was a large player in value-added services while Tata Steel was one of the lowest cost producers of steel in the world. According to Tata Steel Annual Report of 2007-08 the expected synergies and efficiencies had already started flowing in and would bring in annual benefits of USD 450 million per annum by year 2010. Raw Material Tata Steel also has a relative cost advantage because it owns iron-ore mines which Corus did not. Corus was fighting to keep its productions costs under control and was on the lookout for sources of iron ore. (Tata Steel owns enormous volumes of high-quality iron ore and other minerals needed for steel-making. Captive raw materials linkages have given the modernizing and expanding Jamshedpur mill a competitive edge. Tata Steel is set to build greenfield mills in iron ore-rich states of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh). The joint entity will have a self sufficiency in raw material. Cultural There was a strong culture fit between the two organizations both of which highly emphasized on continuous improvement and ethics. Tata steels Continuous Improvement Program Aspire with the core values: trusteeship, integrity, respect for individual, credibility and excellence. Coruss Continuous Improvement Program The Corus Way with the core values: code of ethics, integrity, creating value in steel, customer focus, selective growth and respect for our people. Importantly, the rest of cultural differences between the two companies had been taken care of and the two merged entities were working under their joint management. Tata Steels earnings per share had improved after the merger. Sharing Competencies According to Ratan Tata, post-merger the immediate focus would be on extracting synergies from Corus. He felt that there was scope to make Corus a competitive steel company by inculcating the creativity and cost-consciousness in Corus as had been generated in Tata Steel. Product Mix Geographical and product mix possibilities. The combined entity will emerge as the second most geographically diversified steel company. It will have access to high valued- added product mix and strong market positions in automotive, construction and packaging. Reputation The Corus acquisition allowed Tata Steel to enhance its reputation and acquire a Global name. This has the potential to open up other markets for steel for Tata Steel, improve its bargaining power with respect to suppliers and customers. Sharing Complimentary Strengths Corus has a strong Research and Development (the number one position in the entire world) and product development for value added products in auto, construction and packaging which compliment what Tata Steel is doing in the fast growing Asian markets. A merger would complement their respective strengths. Low Cost Slabs Tata Steel has large supply of iron ore slabs from its green fields established in India in places like Orissa, Jharkhand, etc. Tata Steel can supply this slabs to Corus once these green fields in India are complete. In addition, there will be other ways to create value, linked to the projects of Tata Steel in India today. Patents and Technological know-how Corus has eighty-one patents that have been filed and assigned to the Corus by the United States Patent Trademark Office. Tatas completion of the acquisition meant it ended up becoming the owner of these patents. There would be technology transfer and cross-fertilization of RD capabilities between the two companies that specialized in different areas of the value chain. Distribution Network Tata has a strong retail and distribution network in India and SE Asia. This would give the European manufacturer a in-road into the emerging Asian markets. Tata was a major supplier to the Indian auto industry and the demand for value added steel products was growing in this market. Hence there would be a powerful combination of high quality developed and low cost high growth markets. With Tata Steel the cheapest manufacture of steel in the world the new company will become highly profitable. Strategic and Integration Committee A Strategic and Integration Committee was formulated to develop and execute the integration and further growth plans. Appropriate cross functional teams were formed under this committee to look into specific issues. There were some concerns over the lower return of capital employed and EBIDTA margins in 2007-08 which seemed to have declined. As debt would be repaid over the years, the EBIDTA margin as well as return of capital employed were likely to improve, but would need to be carefully watched. I/O Model of Above Average Returns Scanning At around eight per cent of GDP growth, India is seen well poised for a burst in development, a high increase in production output and a surge in demand for various goods from the common people of India. Industry experts are buoyant and bullish on the economic, demographic (in terms of young workforce, increase in incomes and hence an increase in consumption), and the helpful political environment (in terms of tax reliefs to industries, a commitment from the government to implement and introduce policies which further the interests of commerce). The Tatas were able to identify the early signals of potential changes in the environment and detect the changes that were underway. They were able to connect the dots and realize that as a result of the above changes in the environment the steel industry would look more and more attractive. There would be more need of steel due to the growth of car and aviation industries. Monitoring It was clear that in a fragmented steel industry to get the cost advantages and a competitive edge to exploit the emerging opportunities consolidation was needed in the steel segment. This logic was the basis for a spree of mergers and acquisitions pursued by Tata Steel. The rapid progress of the Indian automobile, engineering and construction industries means that the country will need more and more high-quality steel and it is seen that the global steel prices are on an incline. Access to Corus technology will, in course of time, allow Tata Steel to move up in the value chain. The acrimonious but successful Mittal-Arcelor deal also gave Tatas sufficient signal on consolidation being the emerging trend in the steel industry. Forecasting Although, Tata Steel was Indias largest integrated private sector steel company but globally ranked number 56 in terms of steel output. The Tatas realized that the Corus buy would instantly catapult Tata Steel to the position of 5th largest steel producer in the world, and provide access to the latest technology and strategic European markets as Corus had plants in Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. It was also expected that Tata Steel would benefit from reduced production costs due to large volume, combined RD operations and broader product range. Corus acquisition would also dovetail with Tata Steels efforts to move up the value chain, as the former had built a reputation as an established supplier to the aviation and auto industries. Assessing Brazilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s CSN and other players were also trying hard to acquire Corus which meant that a quick acquisition was the only alternative. Tatas had and assessed the situation realized the need to act quickly and swiftly. It was clear that a small window for a big opportunity had opened up for Tata steel. This was a risky consolidation, considering that the future of Tata Steel is dependent mostly on Corus performance but it is well known that entrepreneurial decisions involve risk. We can understand that it may be one of the entrepreneurial decisions that Tata Steel had to make for the future success of the company. Aftermath of the deal Post merger integration is the biggest challenge in any acquisition. But before we look at the challenges, let us first look at the immediate synergies that TATA Steel aimed at before going for the deal and how it obtained them after the deal. Synergies Advantages After the acquisition, TATA-Corus combine became the 5th largest steel producer in the world with an output around a quarter that of the largest, Arcelor Mittal. Before the deal, TATA Steel was not ranked among the top 50 global steel producers in 2005/06, producing just 5.3mn tonnes. Corus, by contrast was the 9th largest producer with an output of 18.2mn tonnes. Economies of scale have a very significant impact on any steel firm. This deal came at a time when consolidation in the steel industry was a necessity with increase in demand from China A growing presence in Asia and the developed European economies would surely leverage the economies of scale from Europe and harness growth from Asia The two corporations made a formidable presence a presence in 42 countries, a combined capacity of 25mn tonnes and a collective sales turnover of Rs 1 lac cr (March 2008 estimates at the time of the deal) The deal came at a perfect time for TATA Steel after its successful acquisitions of Singapores NatSteel in 2004 and Thailands Millennium Steel in 2005. Acquisition of Corus, a steel giant in the Western markets, gave TATA access to the vast distribution network as well as the opportunity to become a global player. TATA is a low cost producer of steel and Corus is famous for its value additions and technology especially in manufacturing of steel used in high rise buildings. The acquisition paved the way for TATA to access the RD facilities of Corus as well as to introduce its low cost production techniques in the Western markets. This can be considered as one of the most important synergies in the entire deal. The deal helped the TATAs in getting 20mn tonnes of steel capacity at virtually half the price as such a capacity would have required nothing less than $20bn $25bn as per 2006/07 estimates. The synergie

Cell Culture and Proliferations | Experiment

Cell Culture and Proliferations | Experiment To study the cell proliferation of Mouse Y1 adrenocotical cells by using MTT (3-(4, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and crystal violet staining methods. INTRODUCTION In general, Cell proliferation means multiplication/Reproduction of cells for increasing cell population in a very short span of time. The assay of cell proliferation is to measure the number of cells which are present in the dividing culture medium. Cell proliferation is controlled by using growth factor (Fetal calf serum), Which normally bind to the surface receptors present on the cell membrane generally regulate the cell signaling molecules, which pass the message to nucleus by help of receptor generally where the transcription factor gets bind to the DNA, makes turn off turn on the protein synthesis mechanism, responsible for cell division. Cell proliferation method is very important for studying various biological factors like bioassay, carcinogenic analysis and other toxicological tests. Generally two metods are used for studying cell proliferation i.e. crystal violet staining method and MTT (3-(4, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method, here these methods are used to study ce ll growth in mouse Y1 adrenocotical cells. In crystal violet staining method, the DNA of cells is going to stained by crystal violet which produces a colour intensity that is proportional to the cultured cells(including newly proliferated cells). In this method, the principle involved to calculate the cell proliferation is based on the absorbance taken up by the viable cells in culture at different concentrations after the cells are stained with crystal violet. In MTT (3-(4, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method, the assay depends on the amount of MTT taken up by the cells, tetrazolium salt is water soluble which produces yellow colour. The tetrazolium MTT is metabolically reduced by active cells, in presence of dehydrogenase enzymes, producing NADH and NADPH which are reducing equivalents. This results in the formation of purple formazan intracellularly, which is measured by spectrophotometer. MATERIALS METHODS Cell culture: In DMEM (Dulbeccos modification of eagles medium),mouse Y1 adrenocotical cells which were grown on monolayer was removed by using mixture of trypsin and EDTA (0.05% and 0.02% ).The cells are incubated by 5minutes by adding Trypsin/EDTA(7ml).After incubation the flask was removed and tapped gently to separate undetached cells. The contents of the cell are transferred to a universal container for centrifugation at 1000rpm/ 5mins.Supernatant was discarded and medium is added for resuspending the cell pellet. The cell number was estimated by using Haemocytometer counter for 15ml the cell suspension dilution was prepared containing density 1.25X105 cells/ml of suspension. In 96 well plate, 60 wells were filled with 100Â µl cell suspension, in this the remaining outer wells are filled with Phosphate Buffer Solution (PBS) of 200Â µl.Allowed the plate overnight in a gas incubator to settle down the cells. Those cells were treated with Fetal Calf Serum (FCS) of different concentrations vary ing from 0% to20% in universal tubes.12 wells of plate were filled with 200Â µl of different concentrations. These plates were incubated for a period of 24hours. Cells were washed with Phosphate Buffered Solution (PBS) for three times using multichannel micropipette; later media containing various serum concentrations were added. These two 96 well plates were used for crystal violet staining and MTT (3-(4, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay after 72 hours of incubation. Crystal Violet Staining Method: The cells were removed from central 60 wells of 96 well plates and filled with 200Â µl of methanol in a fume cupboard. After 15minutes methanol was removed from the plate and was left to dry in the fume cupboard. Once the plates were dried the cells were stained with 200Â µl of crystal violet. Once the staining is complete after 20minutes the plates were washed with Distilled water for atleast three (3) times and then solubilized the cell layer by using 50Â µl of 10% glacial acetic acid. The plates were then kept for incubation in a gas incubator for thirty minutes after incubation Absorbance of wells was measured at 540nm. MTT STAINING METHOD: The cells present in the central 60 wells of 96 well plate were treated with 20Â µl of MTT (5mg/ml solution in PBS) and was left for 4hours in gas incubator at 370c.After incubation by using multichannel pipette medium was removed and 100Â µl of acid-isopropanol was added in order to dissolve the blue formazan crystals from the cell layer and then it was incubated for 30minutes at room temperature after solubilizing formazan crystals Absorbance was measured at 570nm using plate reader. Calculation: Total No. of cells in 5 square = 21 Average cells present in one square = 4.2 Calculation of cell number: The volume of each square is= 4 X 10-3 The total cell number for 5 square gives the cell = 0.02Â µl No. of cells in 1 ml = 105X104 Number of cells required = 395X104 Volume of suspension required = concentration required/ concentration got = 395X104/105X104 = 3.7619 ml cell suspension to be taken Medium to be taken =30,000Â µl-3.7619Â µl = 29996.23Â µl medium to be taken. DISCUSSION: Here the increase in the absorbance with corresponding to the fetal serum concentrations shows the sign for the cell growth. Ammonium cations bind to negatively charged DNA which in turn gave blue color to the mixture. By using the color intensity, viable cells were estimated by means of haemocytometer. No experiment will produce 100% results. So here also errors occurred due to practical errors. Occurrence of errors might be due to: Washout condition of stained culture cells Improper solubilisation of 10% glacial acetic acid. In MTT method the degradation of MTT gives color to the mixture. This degradation was due to the dehaydrogenases of viable cells. The color intensity is directly proportional to the cell growth. Here also the errors might be occurred due to improper solubilisation of formazan crystals (Butler. 1996), (Javoise. 1998). DIFFERENTIATION OF K562 CELLS TO PLATELETS IN PRESENCE OF PMA: Differentiation of K562 cells to megakaryoctes/platelets Phorbol Myristate Acetate treated and untreated cells were spun down in a bench centrifuge and after resuspended in 1ml PBS (having 1 % Bovine serum albumin). Then by using haemocytometer the cell number was calculated, after diluting the suspension. cytospin was added to 1 ml cell volume which was adjusted to density of 106 cells per ml. In assembled cytospin 200 Â µl at 1000 rpm/3min. After fixing the slide in acetone /methanol(50:50), slide was washed with 0.15 M tris buffered saline .In humid temperature Human cd61 cells were incubated for 2 hrs using TBS slide was washed.with rabbit anti- mouse Ig-G anti body cells incubated for for 30 mins at room temperature and washed with TBS, after washing, cells were incubated with Alkaline phosphate anti-alkaline phosphate complex, this was repeated with Ram and APAP for amplification. They were washed under running tap water after staining with red TR substrate and counter was stained with haemotoxylin. Finally the slide was viewed und er microscope after washing with TBS.PMA is a diester of phorbol and a tumor promoting agent (proc.Natl.Acad.sci.USA Vol.82, pp, 3859-3862, june 1985Medical sciences). PMA initiates the signal transduction by protein kinase C (PKC) enzyme which allows promoting the differentiation of K562 cells.By using CD 61 marker the K562 cells were treated .These CD61gets attached to cell network to work as primary antibodies. In addition with cells performs a seconndary antibobodies whenever exposed to Ram along with APAP and forms pink color by attaching to FC region of anti-human CD 61 antibodies. This phenomenon gives the cells under going differentiation when incubated with PMA (MSc Pharmacology Biotechnology, cell biology laboratory manual/ January 2010) RESULT: The slide treated with Phorbol Myristate acetate (PMA) is in pink colour, whereas the slide which is untreated with Phorbol Myristate acetate (PMA) is in blue colour after staining. The cells when treated with PMA differentiate into Platelets/Megakaryocytes. In PMA the diseter bond promotes the tumor, which in turn activates the signal transduction of protein kinase C enzyme(PKC) inn K562 cells causes the CD61 expression. The RAM IgG gets attached to the CD61 antibodies, these K562 cells when incubated with APAAP form a complex. Later fast red dye was added to the mixture which gets attached to the APAAP, the cells turn pink by taking the stain. The cells containing PMA expressed the CD61. It generates the (signal transduction protein kinase C) PKC enzyme and on of K562 cells causes the expression of CD61. The rabbit antimouse IgG antibodies attach to the antibodies of CD61 when incubated in the presence of APAAP (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatise) on of K562 cells complex. Then we add the fast red dye to the mixture which was attached to APAAP (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatise) and stains the cells pink. CD61 was expressed by only those cells which had PMA (Shelly, 2000)

Evelyn Glennie :: essays research papers

Evelyn Glennie Evelyn Glennie is a true musician. There are a lot of people out there that want to do what she did, and what she’s still doing, but frankly not many people are willing to put that much effort and time into achieving what she has. Not to mention that almost everyone lacks the talent. Evelyn hopes that the audience will be stimulated by what she has to say (through the language of music) and will therefore leave the concert hall feeling entertained. That is true musicianship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now is the time that I should start spouting off all of her amazing achievements, but if I attempted that not only would I get bored writing a list that long, but also you would get bored trying to read one. Plus I would most likely go far over the 750 required words for this essay. But I suppose it is necessary to mention a few of her many antecedents. For the first ten years of her career essentially every performance Evelyn gave was in some way a first. The first time an orchestra had performed with a percussion soloist, the first solo percussion performance at a venue or festival or the world premiere of a new percussion concerto. Evelyn has performed in approximately 42 countries. Evelyn was the first full time solo percussionist in the world. Evelyn has recorded 18 albums and is still working on more. At the age of 19 Evelyn graduated from the Royal Academy of Music. In 1991 Evelyn's autobiography 'Good Vibrations' was published and reprinted in 1995. In 1993 'Good Vibrations' was published in Japanese. Yes Evelyn has lived an extraordinary life. She was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. And she went to school at Ellon Academy, Scotland. Her Conservatoire is The Royal Academy of Music, London. But I am making her sound she has always been this percussionist goddess whose whole life has been dedicated to her career. In some ways, though, she is just like you or me. As a child, Evelyn played the mouth organ and the clarinet. When she was a teenager, Evelyn wanted to be a hairdresser. But now she is very much a percussionist goddess who personally owns over 1800 instruments and in a live performance can use up to approximately 60 instruments. One of the most amazing things about Evelyn is that she is legally deaf. It’s never been a big deal for Evelyn though; to her it’s like the fact that she has brown hair or brown eyes.

Free Essays - Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a poem written by a poet (name unknown) approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300's in the medieval times. This story was originally written in medieval literature with a real unique rhyme scheme, but was translated later in time to regular English for high school students and researchers to study and read. The story begins during the New Year's feast in King Arthur's court. Then a green knight enters asking all of the knights in the court if they would like to play a game. The game is he will allow which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with a battle ax to try and chop off his head, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel. The brave knight Sir Gawain accepts to the challenge of the green knight. Sir Gawain takes one swing and chops off the head of the green knight. Right after the green knight's head is chopped off he gets up immediately, picks up his head and leaves. Once a year passes, Gawain sets off on a journey to find the Green Chapel. He arrives at a castle in which a lord welcomes him to stay for several days (Gawain only needs to stay there for three). The next morning the lord makes an agreement to share everything he gets during these three days with Gawain, but Gawain must agree to do the same. During days one and two the lord's wife tries hitting on Gawain, but he only allows her to give him a few kisses. At these days Gawain shares what he got to the lord for what he has hunted those days. On the third day, Gawain finally accepts to take a magic girdle from the lord's wife, but he didn't share it with the lord. This magic girdle helped Gawain survive the three fatal swing's of the green giant's ax, only leaving him with a little nick. After Gawain survives these 3 swings at his neck, the green knight then reveals his identity and explains that he is Bercilak, the lord of the castle. He also said that the three blows were taken at him in regards to the three days of their agreement.

Chapter 37 The Beginning

When he looked back, even a month later, Harry found he had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though he had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections he did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggory's that took place the following morning. They did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears. â€Å"He suffered very little then,† she said, when Harry had told her how Cedric had died. â€Å"And after all, Amos†¦he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy.† When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and said, â€Å"You look after yourself, now.† Harry seized the sack of gold on the bedside table. â€Å"You take this,† he muttered to her. â€Å"It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -â€Å" But she backed away from him. â€Å"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't†¦you keep it.† Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, he noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as he passed. He guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous he was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. He found he didn't care very much. He liked it best when he was with Ron and Hermione and they were talking about other things, or else letting him sit in silence while they played chess. He felt as though all three of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwa rts – and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until they knew anything for certain. The only time they touched upon the subject was when Ron told Harry about a meeting Mrs. Weasley had had with Dumbledore before going home. â€Å"She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer,† he said. â€Å"But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry. â€Å"She said Dumbledore's got his reasons,† said Ron, shaking his head darkly. â€Å"I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?† The only person apart from Ron and Hermione that Harry felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly. â€Å"Who's that?† called Hagrid, coming to the door. â€Å"Harry!† He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair, and said, â€Å"Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh.† They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin. â€Å"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe,† Hagrid said. â€Å"She's jus' left.† â€Å"Who?† said Ron curiously. â€Å"Madame Maxime, o' course!† said Hagrid. â€Å"You two made up, have you?† said Ron. â€Å"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about,† said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes. â€Å"You all righ'?† he said gruffly â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"No, yeh're not,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Course yeh're not. But yeh will be.† Harry said nothing. â€Å"Knew he was goin' ter come back,† said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. â€Å"Known it fer years. Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledores plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. ‘S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.† Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces. â€Å"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it,† he said. â€Å"What's comin' will come, an we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did. Harry.† Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry. â€Å"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that.† Harry smiled back at him. It was the first time he'd smiled in days. â€Å"What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?† he asked. â€Å"He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him – that night.† â€Å"Got a little job fer me over the summer,† said Hagrid. â€Å"Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe – Madame Maxime ter you – might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded.† â€Å"Is it to do with Voldemort?† Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name. â€Å"Migh' be,† he said evasively. â€Å"Now†¦who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin' – jokin'!† he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces. It was with a heavy heart that Harry packed his trunk up in the dormitory on the night before his return to Privet Drive. He was dreading the Leaving Feast, which was usually a cause for celebration, when the winner of the Inter-House Championship would be announced. He had avoided being in the Great Hall when it was full ever since he had left the hospital wing, preferring to eat when it was nearly empty to avoid the stares of his fellow students. When he, Ron, and Hermione entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colors for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. Harry knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric. The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him. Harry couldn't blame him; Moody's fear of attack was bound to have been increased by his ten-month imprisonment in his own trunk. Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty. Harry wondered, as he sat down with the other Gryffindors, where Karkaroff was now, and whether Voldemort had caught up with him. Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment as Harry looked at him. His expression was difficult to read. He looked as sour and unpleasant as ever. Harry continued to watch him, long after Snape had looked away. What was it that Snape had done on Dumbledores orders, the night that Voldemort had returned? And why†¦why†¦was Dumbledore so convinced that Snape was truly on their side? He had been their spy, Dumbledore had said so in the Pensieve. Snape had turned spy against Voldemort, â€Å"at great personal risk.† Was that the job he had taken up again? Had he made contact with the Death Eaters, perhaps? Pretended that he had never really gone over to Dumbledore, that he had been, like Voldemort himself, biding his time? Harry's musings were ended by Professor Dumbledore, who stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet. â€Å"The end,† said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, â€Å"of another year.† He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall. â€Å"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here,† he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, â€Å"enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory.† They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, â€Å"Cedric Diggory.† Harry caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. He looked down at the table as they all sat down again. â€Å"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house,† Dumbledore continued. â€Å"He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about.† Harry raised his head and stared at Dumbledore. â€Å"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.† A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence. â€Å"The Ministry of Magic,† Dumbledore continued, â€Å"does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory.† Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now†¦or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table. Harry saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and Goyle. Harry felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in his stomach. He forced himself to look back at Dumbledore. â€Å"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death,† Dumbledore went on. â€Å"I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter.† A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. â€Å"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him.† Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures. Harry saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, â€Å"The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened – of Lord Voldemort's return – such ties are more important than ever before.† Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Harry saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh. â€Å"Every guest in this Hall,† said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, â€Å"will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again – in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. â€Å"It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. â€Å"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.† Harry's trunk was packed; Hedwig was back in her cage on top of it. He, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day. He supposed that Privet Drive would be hot and leafy, its flower beds a riot of color, when he arrived there that evening. The thought gave him no pleasure at all. â€Å"‘Arry!† He looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds. Harry could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime to back two of the giant horses into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off. â€Å"We will see each uzzer again, I ‘ope,† said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. â€Å"I am ‘oping to get a job ‘ere, to improve my Eenglish.† â€Å"It's very good already,† said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled. â€Å"Good-bye, ‘Arry,† said Fleur, turning to go. â€Å"It ‘az been a pleasure meeting you!† Harry's spirits couldn't help but lift slightly as he watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight. Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back,† said Ron. â€Å"D' you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?† â€Å"Karkaroff did not steer,† said a gruff voice. â€Å"He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork.† Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. â€Å"Could I have a vord?† he asked her. â€Å"Oh†¦yes†¦all right,† said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight. â€Å"You'd better hurry up!† Ron called loudly after her. â€Å"The carriages'll be here in a minute!† He let Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to. They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive. â€Å"I liked Diggory,† said Krum abruptly to Harry. â€Å"He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang – with Karkaroff,† he added, scowling. â€Å"Have you got a new headmaster yet?† said Harry Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, â€Å"Can I have your autograph?† Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive, as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron. The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing, and Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. Harry felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked him, somehow. It was less painful to discuss what had happened now. They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived. When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. Harry looked at it, unsure whether he really wanted to know what it might say, but Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, â€Å"There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me. Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet.† â€Å"He'll never keep Rita quiet,† said Harry. â€Å"Not on a story like this.† â€Å"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task,† said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. â€Å"As a matter of fact,† she added, her voice now trembling slightly, â€Å"Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† said Ron. â€Å"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds,† said Hermione in a rush. Harry had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened. â€Å"How was she doing it?† said Harry at once. â€Å"How did you find out?† said Ron, staring at her. â€Å"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea. Harry,† she said. â€Å"Did I?† said Harry, perplexed. â€Å"How?† â€Å"Bugging,† said Hermione happily. â€Å"But you said they didn't work -â€Å" â€Å"Oh not electronic bugs,† said Hermione. â€Å"No, you see†¦Rita Skeeter† – Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph – â€Å"is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -â€Å" Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out other bag. â€Å"- into a beetle.† â€Å"You're kidding,† said Ron. â€Å"You haven't†¦she's not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yes she is,† said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them. Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle. â€Å"That's never – you're kidding -† Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Hermione, beaming. â€Å"I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears.† Harry looked and saw that she was quite right. He also remembered something. â€Å"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!† â€Å"Exactly,† said Hermione. â€Å"And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year.† â€Å"When we saw Malfoy under that tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Ron slowly. â€Å"He was talking to her, in his hand,† said Hermione. â€Å"He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid.† Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass. â€Å"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people.† Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag. The door of the compartment slid open. â€Å"Very clever. Granger,† said Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than Harry had ever seen them. â€Å"So,† said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. â€Å"You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal.† His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered. â€Å"Trying not to think about it, are we?† said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. â€Å"Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?† â€Å"Get out,† said Harry. He had not been this close to Malfoy since he had watched him muttering to Crabbe and Goyle during Dumbledores speech about Cedric. He could feel a kind of ringing in his ears. His hand gripped his wand under his robes. â€Å"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!† He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well – second – Diggory was the f-â€Å" It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. He, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so. â€Å"Thought we'd see what those three were up to,† said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside. â€Å"Interesting effect,† said George, looking down at Crabbe. â€Å"Who used the Furnunculus Curse?† â€Å"Me,† said Harry. â€Å"Odd,† said George lightly. â€Å"I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor.† Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle – each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit – out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. â€Å"Exploding Snap, anyone?† said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards. They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them. â€Å"You going to tell us, then?† he said to George. â€Å"Who you were blackmailing?† â€Å"Oh,† said George darkly. â€Å"That.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway.† â€Å"We've given up,† said George, shrugging. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking, and finally, Fred said, â€Å"All right, all right, if you really want to know†¦it was Ludo Bagman.† â€Å"Bagman?† said Harry sharply. â€Å"Are you saying he was involved in -â€Å" â€Å"Nah,† said George gloomily. â€Å"Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains.† â€Å"Well, what, then?† said Ron. Fred hesitated, then said, â€Å"You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry and Ron slowly. â€Å"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So,† said Fred impatiently, â€Å"it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!† â€Å"But – it must've been an accident, mustn't it?† said Hermione. George laughed very bitterly. â€Å"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us.† â€Å"In the end, he turned pretty nasty,† said Fred. â€Å"Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything.† â€Å"So we asked for our money back,† said George glowering. â€Å"He didn't refuse!† gasped Hermione. â€Å"Right in one,† said Fred. â€Å"But that was all your savings!† said Ron. â€Å"Tell me about it,† said George. â€Å"‘Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?† â€Å"How?† said Harry. â€Å"He put a bet on you, mate,† said Fred. â€Å"Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins.† â€Å"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!† said Harry. â€Å"Well – I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!† â€Å"Nope,† said George, shaking his head. â€Å"The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task.† George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again. The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough; Harry wished it could have gone on all summer, in fact, and that he would never arrive at King's Cross†¦but as he had learned the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead, and all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks. Harry, however, stayed put. â€Å"Fred – George – wait a moment.† The twins turned. Harry pulled open his trunk and drew out his Triwizard winnings. â€Å"Take it,† he said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands. â€Å"What?† said Fred, looking flabbergasted. â€Å"Take it,† Harry repeated firmly. â€Å"I don't want it.† â€Å"You're mental,† said George, trying to push it back at Harry. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Harry. â€Å"You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop.† â€Å"He is mental,† Fred said in an almost awed voice. â€Å"Listen,† said Harry firmly. â€Å"If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long.† â€Å"Harry,† said George weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, â€Å"there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, grinning. â€Å"Think how many Canary Creams that is.† The twins stared at him. â€Å"Just don't tell your mum where you got it†¦although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it†¦.† â€Å"Harry,† Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand. â€Å"Look,† he said flatly, â€Å"take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you.† He left the compartment before they could say another word, stepping over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks. Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, â€Å"I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later in the summer. Keep in touch, Harry.† â€Å"See you. Harry,† said Ron, clapping him on the back. â€Å"‘Bye, Harry!† said Hermione, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed him on the cheek. â€Å"Harry – thanks,† George muttered, while Fred nodded fervently at his side. Harry winked at them, turned to Uncle Vernon, and followed him silently from the station. There was no point worrying yet, he told himself, as he got into the back of the Dursleys' car. As Hagrid had said, what would come, would come†¦and he would have to meet it when it did.

An ethnohistory of the utah paiutes

Dr. Ron Holt is a dignified socio-cultural anthropologist specializing in applied fieldwork and tribal politics. He currently resides in northern Utah as a professor (among many other things) at Weber State University where he educates young minds on the world of anthropology. The collection of information in this text covers every important aspect of the life of the American Indian Paiute tribe with a main emphasis on their introduction to the Anglo-Americans.Throughout the text Dr. Holt emphasizes many occurrences regarding the co-existence of American Indians and Anglo Americans and despite a few positive outcomes, nearly every influential aspect of the whites is to be understood as a negative one. Dr. Holt vividly depicts the introduction of the white man and makes a valid point in designating who the instigator of the degradation of the Paiutes was. A main emphasis on his writing of this book is to display the truth behind the Paiute struggles and reveal what they went through a s a people. Before the publishing date of this text in 1992 the life of the Paiutes had been vaguely documented.Through personal field work, material in the LDS archives, the Smithsonian Institute and many other sources such as journals and university archives, Dr. Holt was able to obtain a topical and chronological collection of information regarding the entire known existence of the Utah Paiutes since the year they were first witnessed in 1776. In 1981 while teaching at Southern Utah College (now Southern Utah University) Dr. Holt was asked by a local Paiute tribesman to research a potential reservation plan for the Utah Paiutes, an American Indian band of that area. This being an opportunity for Dr.Holt to produce a dissertation for his schooling he took the offer and ultimately produced a one-of-a-kind collection of American Indian knowledge. Through extensive field work and research, material was gathered and organized into data pertaining to the lives of the Paiutes. From this collection the text BENEATH THESE RED CLIFFS was produced. The beginning of the first chapter in this text introduces the reader to a specific way of life for a specific kind of people. After obtaining a feeling of understanding and curiosity about the Paiutes, the text throws the reader into an eternal downward spiral of bad news and depression.As documented, within a very short one hundred and fifty year span, the proud native people of southern Utah were greatly reduced in numbers and transformed from successful hunter-gatherers into beggars and seasonal or part-time workers. The main cause of their depression is seriously attributed to the settlement of the Mormons in the southern Utah area. The Paiutes were a dark skinned people that had a historical religious meaning to the Mormons known as Lamanites. From this historical belief the Mormons decided the Paiutes needed to be educated and â€Å"saved† from whatever their previous way of life was.Although the church believ ed they were doing good by taking over control of the Paiutes they conveniently turned a blind eye to the side effects of assimilation and paternalism which ultimately led to the downfall of the Paiute Nation. They were forced to beg for much of what they lived on because their foraging lands were being dominated by grazing cattle and incoming settlers. To add to their list of troubles in the 1800’s the Paiutes had to deal with population declination due to New Mexican and Ute slave trafficking.Targeting mainly female children and women, the reproduction rate of the Paiutes was severely crippled. With ratios of nearly two-to-one for men to women, the Paiutes had limited means of procreation. Without women to gather food and mate with the tribe was staring death in the face. After the catastrophic introduction to whites and slavery pre 1900s, a surviving life style for the Paiutes started to become a little more manageable. Ironically during the Great American Depression in th e 1930’s and 1940’s the Paiutes struggled a little less because the rest of the American nation had it so hard.Through manual labor for the Mormons and seasonal foraging for Pine Nuts and other edibles, the Paiutes survived living one day at a time, but this was to be short lived. In the 1950’s the government decided to â€Å"Terminate† all American tribes deemed capable of surviving on their own. Termination was a swift process that was intended to initiate capable American Indians to the stature of a Citizen of The United States of America; the Paiutes were not prepared for the termination bill, but in 1957 it happened anyway.The bill organized a support system for the new way of life that all terminated American Indians would have to assist them with the transformation. The structure of this ingenious plan consisted of three support organizations: The BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) withdrawal office, an educational and vocational training program held by the University of Utah and the BIA relocation program. The Paiutes were now no longer part of a tribe; they were instead â€Å"Citizens of The State,† who were subject to state laws, federal taxes and state taxes. After termination the Paiutes were desperate for a substantial income.Their bands had inhabited over nearly 30 million acres of land in areas including four states: Arizona, California, Utah and Nevada; this was without a doubt their most valuable asset. In 1965, after a long demeaning process, the Paiutes agreed to sell 26. 4 million of these acres for 27. 3 cents per acre. With the sale of tribal lands the Paiutes had their substantial influx of money and were able to become a self sustaining people again. The 1970’s initiated the restoration process which turned the Paiutes back into a recognized American Indian group, but their struggle to recover from termination continues today.