Peak Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Peak Oil - Essay Example This essay declares that peak oil is a state in which the maximum oil production is recorded. After peak oil, the production may start to decline which is not a good sign for either the oil producers or the users. Global economy is heavily dependent on oil prices. Automobiles are essential for the transportation of goods to keep a balance between the supply and demand. Supply and demand determines the economic growth of the global community. Substitutes for oil must be researched and developed without any time delay. At the same time new technologies must be developed in order to utilize the distant offshore oil resources economically, which are expensive at present because of lack of feasible technologies to utilize it. Oil is the blood of global economy. As our body or life cannot survive without blood, the global economy also cannot survive without oil or alternative energy sources. This paper makes a conclusion that peak oil is not a good scenario either of the oil producing countries or others. Though peak oil may bring temporary benefits to the oil producing countries, their economy will be suffered in the long run. For example, most of the Gulf countries are depending oil revenue for their economic growth. These countries don’t have much other resources and the oil resource exhausting may not be a good sign for them. Even though, most of the global community are anxious about the future of the world because of the exhausting oil resources, environmentalists consider the peak oil situation as a blessing to the human population.

Talent Attraction And Retention In Employee Branding Management Essay

Talent Attraction And Retention In Employee Branding Management Essay Employer branding is one of the most significant developments in recent times. Organisations are increasingly recognising that most brand promises are delivered by people not products. Many studies have shown the gap between an average and a top performer has widened than ever before, and in a downturn, productivity and results matter even more. Having motivated and talented employees can make the difference between business success and failure. Simon Borrow is acknowledged as the creator of the term employer brand as early as 1990 (Thorne K., 2004). According to Ulrich D., 1997, employer branding focuses on how the company is seen by current and potential employees with the aim of winning the war on talent. Moreover, Employer Branding helps in recruitment, retention and in becoming an employer of choice. It sets up the uniqueness of the firm as an employer. It labels the firms principles, systems, strategies and behaviors towards the objectives of attracting, and retaining the firms existing and potential talent employees. Additionally, in a labor market where applicants, more than ever before, are smart consumers constantly assessing the value and rewards of their employment experience, its becoming critical for organisations to communicate and market their strengths and image as an employer of choice for a competitive advantage. 3.1 Talent attraction and retention Figure 1: Talent attraction and retention model Attraction material is often the first point of contact with candidates and so it must resonate immediately with the target audience. Uday Chawla, Managing Partner, Transearch, It is an entire process wherein attracting happens first, which should ideally be followed by retention. If we are able to attract talent but fail to retain them, then the entire process of attracting goes to a waste. Attracting and retaining are inter-dependant. Failure in one area affects the other. One cannot exist without the other. 3.1.1 Talent management. According to SHRM India (2008), in an article titled Corporate Indian companies: Forging New Talent Pipelines and creative career Pathways, in the banking and financial services industry, talent is considered to be premium. Talent management has been high on the agenda of HR professionals in the UK over the past few years. TM is a multi-faced concept that has been championed by HR practitioners, fueled by the war for talent and built on the foundation of strategic HRM. . Since 1997, TM has become increasingly popular when the consultancy firm Mckinsey exposed the war for talent as a critical driver of corporate performance, (Chambers, 1998). The starting point of TM is people, namely talents as mentioned in the article Is talent management just old wines in new bottles? A case of multinational companies in Beijing by Xin Chuai et al (2008). Talent is defined as individuals who have the capability to make a significant difference to the current and future performance of the company Morton (2004, p.6). CIPD defines talent management as the systematic attraction, identification, development, engagement/retention and deployment of those individuals with high potential who are of particular value to an organisation. On the other hand, Duttagupta (2005) asserts that TM assures that a supply of talent is available to align the right people with the right jobs at the right time, based on strategic business objectives. Besides, Stainton (2005) supports this argument by claiming that TM is concerned with having the right roles in the right environment with the right manager to enable maximum performance. For example, The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is currently making the move from succession planning to what it describes as action-oriented talent management. They see this as a more fluid and holistic concept when it comes to getting the right person, in the right place, at the right time. Talent management can also be used to enhance an organisations image and supports employer branding in the labour market as well as providing a means of enhancing employee engagement to improve retention. 3.1.2 Talent management framework In order for Commercial banks to gain competitive advantage they need to develop a strategic approach to talent management that suits their business and gets the best from their people. Talent management can also contribute to other strategic objectives, including: firstly building a high performance workplace, secondly encouraging a learning organisation and lastly adding value to the employer of choice and branding agenda. In an article titled A framework for talent management in real estate. Deborah R. Phillips et al (2009), proposed a talent management framework for industry practitioners. The framework consists of five key elements: attracting, selecting, engaging, developing and retaining employees. Firstly, an organisation have to be creative when developing a recruitment strategy and should adopt modern methods of recruiting such as interactive networking sites, open house events, referral programs, internships, and online job boards. Secondly, it is becoming more common to include an objective measure of performance, such as psychological assessment, in combination with other recruitment tools in order to improve a companys chances of matching the right person to the job. Thirdly, engaged employees are not difficult to spot in an organisation. They are willing to go the extra mile to help the customer (Gostick and Elton, 2007). When HR managers measure their own organisations engagement, they immediately want to find ways to improve engagement among all ranks. On their side, Gostick and Elton (2007) report that employees will stay where there is: a quality relationship with his or her manager; opportunities for personal growth and professional development; work-life balance, a feeling of making a difference; meaningful work and adequate training. Additionally, employee retention is closely linked to an organisations performance management system. Performance management systems should also address how the different generations in the workplace view feedback and the drivers of employee retention. Therefore, the five strategies recommended in the proposed talent management framework measure performance on all sides. It is very easy to recognise the problem and apply the framework but the toughest part lies in the execution. 3.2 Employer of choice As the market for well-qualified and experienced job applicants becomes more competitive and with more people likely to change jobs than they ever have been, employers are becoming increasing aware of the need to manage the image of their organisations that applicants receive. The phrase employer of choice is becoming increasingly common among employers trying to attract new people, and retain key staff. Another point is that the image the organisation creates as an employer and potential employer seems to be recognised as a competitive differentiator in the same way as customer perception has also been held to be. For example, Baver and Aimen-Smith (1996) found that graduates were more likely to apply to organisations that strongly articulate their environmental policies in their recruitment literature, regardless of whether they consider themselves particularly pro-environmental. Moreover, it is important to recognise, as shown in research by Gatewood et al (1993), that the image of an organisation or company will be perceived differently by different people. This suggests that it is particularly important to present a clear, consistent and credible image of organisation to potential applicants. Finally, Employer of choice in recognising the importance of talent as a source of competitive advantage, are looking to win talent by tailoring employment policy to capture the dynamism of the modern era (Ashton et al, 2002). Typical measures might include package of initiatives such as offering career development opportunities, providing challenging, inspiring, enjoyable and flexible work, providing progressive benefits, paying attention to healthy workplace practices, improving incentives and encouraging participation and open communication (CLC,2000; Hewitt Associates, 2000;lowe 2001a) Based on a fact sheet from the Australian Bankers association Inc, the Australian banking industry aims to be an employer of choice and individual banks have adopted people management frameworks aimed at ensuring that: employees maintain a healthy balance between work/life balance, supported by specific policies such as working partly from home; the make-up of the workforce is aligned over time with the broader Australian community and reflects  diversity, including self-identified disability and ethnicity. 3.2.1 Employer of choice strategies The global vice president of recruitment for Philips, Jo Pieters, says it is important to include and measure both internal and external elements of an employer branding exercise and also Each and every employee should act as an ambassador of your brand and that requires a strong and recognised internal and external employee value proposition, One of the most familiar tools of employer branding is employer advertising where organisations use advertising to promote the unique employment proposition they offer potential recruits (Ewing et al., 2002). While advertising is a well accepted tool of employer branding, the employment brand itself encompasses the organisations values, systems, policies and behaviours toward the objectives of attracting, motivating, aligning and retaining the organisations current and potential employees (Gunasekara, 2002). 3.3 Branding concepts Branding has always been an important part of every companys marketing and advertising campaigns. Branding is an ongoing process where all the tangible and intangible elements that constitute a companys image and reputation are organised and communicated. A brand is a symbol that encapsulates that many associations that are made with a name (Gardner and Levy, 1995) and many things can be branded (Levitt, 1980) including the company itself. However, Swystun (2007) argues that a brand is a mixture of attributes, tangible and intangible, symbolised in a trademark, which if managed properly, creates value and influence (p.14). Employer branding may be the least known type of branding yet it is becoming more important to organisation. According to the conference Board report on employer branding (Conference Board, 2001) organisations have found that effective employer branding leads to competitive advantage, help employees internalise company values and assists in employee retention. 3.3.1 Corporate branding The corporate brand provides a source of competitive advantage by bringing together the company vision, culture and values, with organisational systems and networks, to form a unique organisational value proposition for customers (Knox et al., 2000; Hatch and Schultz, 2003). Moroko and Uncles (2008) contend that consumer, corporate and employer branding share similar characteristics; that is, a brand has to be noticeable, relevant and resonant, and unique. Notwithstanding, similarities between corporate branding and employer branding can be observed. According to Ambler and Barrow (1996, p. 187), an employer brand is the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment, and identified with the employing company. In addition, Park et al (1986) categorise brands based on how they fulfill the functional, symbolic and experiential needs. 3.3 2Employer branding Employment branding is the process of placing an image of being a great place to work in the mind of targeted candidate pool. Employer branding is similar to the concepts of employer of choice (Fox, 2003). The link between employer branding and employer of choice has been stated by Harrison Kim (2005) Successful employer branding is built on the employers ability to deliver on its promise and when this happens the organisation becomes an employer of choice. According to Martin et al, (2005) the concept was first discussed by marketing academics and after some delay, by a lagging interest from HR academics. In todays knowledge driven company, all departments play a strategic role in bringing the right kind of people into the organisation. Employer branding is defined as a targeted, long-term strategy to manage the awareness and perceptions of employees and related stakeholders with regards to a particular firm (Sullivan, 2004). Furthermore, it conveys your value proposition the totality of your culture, systems, attitudes, and employee relationship along with encouraging your people to embrace and share goals for success, productivity, and satisfaction both on personal and professional levels

media :: essays research papers

Malik Pokks Speech 245, 711 May 8, 2005 Professor Greener PAPER 2 Media Effects on governing the mass media has played a major role in American politics since the formation of our country. So much so that it has been called by many, "the fourth branch of government." Originally, media power was only vested in the papers, but today radio and television are the more prominent forms of news. Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have used the media to spread their views to their constituents. FDR brought us the fireside chats in one of which he requested the American people to put their money back into the banks and get our economy moving again. The media informed the nation of Richard Nixon's less then honorable means of governing and the media brought the Vietnam War to our living rooms every evening. There are even those who believe that the media chooses our presidents by deciding whether to air the good or bad things they dig up on the presidential candidates. There are two major ways the mass media affects t he public. These are agenda setting and priming. Agenda setting is the way the media dictates the salience of contemporary issues. An experiment performed by Iyengar et al in 1980 showed that media does effect how important an issue is to the public. In this experiment, Iyengar showed three different groups news clippings weighted on the side of specific issues, then showed a fourth control group undoctored news. He tested these subjects before and after the showings and found that in all but one issue, the subjects had moved in the hypothesized direction. This last issue was inflation and he concluded that people just could not think this issue was more important then they already did. Agenda setting effect is important to the government, especially the president, because it leads to priming. Priming is the use of salient issues by the public to evaluate a public figure. This technique became very useful in the Ford admistration, when secretary of defense Donald Rumfield, prior to this admistration, critized the American media for the outcome the Vietnam War. He felt that the media new too much about the government operation, some TV station were even reporting bombing targets before the army executed. When is comes to voting on a president, priming is second only to partisanship in importance.

Building a Data Warehouse Essay

Starbucks is a company that is specialized in offering a range of products including coffee, handcrafted beverages, merchandise, and fresh food. As an enterprise, they require a proper data management to enable them serve their customers efficiently. Data on sales, customer views, customer information, market analytics, products, and production needs a proper storage and retrieval system hence the use of data warehousing. To make informed decisions, the management at all the levels within the company requires data analysis to make those decisions. The Coffee Company has a website for buying their coffee products, as well as gifts, and explores the coffee world by learning more about its origin. The data warehouse stores are built using SQL Server 2000 that stores information about the occurrences on the website. Business Desk reports enable processing of data imported from the website. Several steps are involved in exporting these data. The first step is reporting that is provided through Business Desk. These data includes weblog data, user profile information, campaign information, catalog information and transaction data (Microsoft, 2000). Data cubes are prepared by running the report processing tasks. The Business Desk is secured and can only be accessed by Starbucks Corporate networks and allows only Secure Socket connections. Reports that resides on the data warehouse server can be accessed and viewed through from the business application. To plan the data warehouse at Starbucks, three aspects of the site must be taken into consideration. The storage, processing, and bandwidth requirements are the elements needed to deploy the data warehouse. The storage requirements consider the amount of space required for web log files. The number of servers, web log file sizes per server per day and total log file sizes must be known in advance for the data warehouse planning. After sometime, these accumulated preferably three months, archiving should be done on old data to ensure that the business users will be able to view and run historical data. Since the data is imported from the website, processing time is of great importance to the success of the warehouse. Therefore, time to import web log files and processing time of web log files into analysis cubes is necessary for planning purposes. Lastly, consideration of bandwidth requirements is done before deploying the data warehouse. For example, the data bandwidth used will be f or moving the web log files. Also considered is the bandwidth required for actual running of the reports.The process of creating a data warehouse is procedural. It begins by building a business model followed by definition of the requirements of each model. Identification of data sources is carried out after business modeling. The process of building the data warehouse is done after the selection of data warehouse tools (Vincent, 2007). Data collection through asking the question about the performance of the company will help identify data to appear on the data warehouse. Reports from time reporting system, accounting packages, and customer relationship management application are other important sources. Designers of the data warehouse have to find a way of harmonizing these data with the knowledge of how people process information within the company. In making the decisions, the data within the system are retrieved for analysis. This process is known as extraction. It is defined as the process of retrieving data from a source for use in the data warehouse environment. The extracted data can then be transformed and finally loaded into storage. The primary internal data sources for a data warehouse in Starbucks is the transaction processing application. Data extraction methods are of two types that include full logical and physical extraction method and depend on the business requirements, performance and source system. In logical extraction method, there are two subdivisions, complete extraction, and incremental extraction. Full removal is where the data is completely extracted from the system source files. No additional information is necessary on the site. The second data extraction method is the physical extraction method. Physical extraction is of two types, online and offline extraction. Online mining, extraction is directly from the source files. The process of extraction can directly connect either source tables’ or the intermediate data store. The latter, offline extraction, is where data is sourced outside the source files. Conclusion For a leading international company like Starbucks, planning, building and maintenance of a data warehouse are very critical and requires technical expertise. The building process requires cooperation from IT and business people in order to come up with a successful data warehouse. For implementation purposes, it requires coordination by all stakeholders to highlight all the requirements, needs, and tasks. Breaking down of the data collected enables incorporation of all the requirement to appear on the data warehouse. References BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Microsoft. (2000). Starbucks technical deployment guide. Microsoft. Vincent. (2007). Building a Data Warehouse. Apress. Source document

Cross-Cultural Competency Essay

You have no choice about which culture programs you from birth. So don’t judge others because of their cultural differences from you. All complex societies (such as our own) contain subcultures that share the larger cultural outlook, but have significant differences. The culturally savvy Soldier will take an active interest in any culture he or she works in. ReALLIT: read, ask, look, listen, investigate, and think. Look for styles of interaction/proper behavior, greeting rituals, local dress, daily routines and movements, transportation, eating habits, treatment of children, major or common ceremonies and rituals, and frequencies of young men visible on the street. Soldiers who are not culturally savvy compromise the mission by alienating the locals, or even by creating major crises. All cultures impart huge amounts of information to their members—but often it is information of a different type than we focus on in our culture. Cultures vary greatly around the world. Any generalizations about culture have exceptions. Knowledge of the specific culture is necessary. Individual characteristics and personalities vary greatly within one culture. To attribute one characteristic to everybody in a culture is called stereotyping. Cultural relativism is critical for understanding the locals among whom you work, but some cultural differences, particularly regarding ethics, cannot be brushed aside. Things we hold to be fundamentally wrong—abrogation of human rights, for example—may require us to impose our outsiders’ ethical standards on locals’ behavior. Read materials from the TRADOC Culture Center (like Smartbooks and online trainings), published ethnographies, and popular media of the area; Ask locals already available to you on the FOB, such as interpreters, or culture experts around you, as well as people you meet on patrols; Look at the behavior of locals in markets, on the roads, in meetings on post; Listen to the conversa tions you have access to, as well as local media; Investigate in more depth any questions that come up; and Think about what you know and what you don’t yet know, and how you can find out what you don’t know. Often in non-Western society’s beliefs are not â€Å"beliefs† in the way we think of them and as such are more or less open to modification. Things that we would call beliefs are often thought of by other cultures as just the way things are – matters of fact, not opinion.  Religious belief systems in particular and other aspects of locals’ world view can be driving motivators for conflict; economics is not the only reason people fight. Power Systems In most cultures, any visible formal power structure will lie over a more fundamental, less formal, structure of influence. This underlying power system will often be based on patron-client relations, in which patrons become influential by acquiring clients who owe them favors. Often, this takes a pyramid form as more powerful patrons acquire clients who have clients of their own. Interacting directly with this patron-client power system can be more effective than trying to deal with people in overt formal positions of power. Kinship Kinship is usually much more of a cohesive social force in non-Western societies. Kin group members internalize a corporate identity – the family is viewed as an extension of the self. Often large, pyramid-shaped kin groups – usually descendants of one man (or, rarely, woman) and their dependents – serve to organize political, military, economic, and religious activities. City vs Country People in the city generally have much different ways of living and worldviews than people in the country. Adherence to rural customs may begin to slacken, groups of acquaintances and awareness of the outside world broaden, and people may become more tolerant of others’ beliefs. In the countryside, no matter how remote the region, there will probably be considerable awareness of the outside world, often from men travelling outside to work. Do not underestimate the importance of language in establishing good relations with locals. Taking the time to learn even basic greetings can make a huge difference in establishing rapport. Usually, you are starting at a disadvantage, seen as a stranger with a gun. Using greetings in their own tongue shows locals that you have enough respect for them to make an effort to speak in their language. Failure to communicate is often interpreted as hostility or at least a lack of interest. Learn some of the local language and avoid that misimpressi on. Knowing some of the local’s language can be invaluable in helping you determine if your interpreter is  doing his or her job well. Knowing the language can also give you insights into locals’ conversations, which they may presume you cannot understand. The language barrier is often used as a disguise of local intentions and a tool to maintain separation from outsiders—a sort of built-in everyday code. Switching languages in the course of conversation is known as code switching. In many regions of the world, most people can speak two or even three languages. Use of a second language in the context of a conversation often helps locals maintain ethnic or otherwise specialized identities during social interaction. Generally, use of a particular language in these code-switching contexts shows insider knowledge and positive sentiment toward the culture of the language used. If you use local phrases in your communication, it can send a signal that you value local culture and want to become an insider. Demonstrating that you want to speak the local language will be much more important than your degree of expertise. Impression Management World views can make you or the locals misinterpret behavior Enemy information operations (IO) tactics will strive to take advantage of this fact You need to be very clear and vocal as to why you undertake any action Seek feedback from those impacted by the action (stakeholders) Seek out local’s concepts about Army motivations Hostile IO efforts will seek to spread negative stereotypes of the Army. They may assert that we’re all greedy and looking for material gain, we are ignorant and hostile to all the locals, we are dirty, we are sexually promiscuous, we are excessively violence prone, we don’t really care about the locals, and so on. The best way to combat such stereotypes is to consistently show, by your actions, that they are inaccurate. Most important is the development of trust. Never promise something you are not sure you can deliver. Do everything you say you are going to do and follow up with the locals to be sure they know you did it. In a chaotic environment, be the element of consistency, truthfulness, and reliability. In short order, deception erodes relations with locals. Be aware of and help inform Army IO campaigns in your AO. Have talking points ready if locals argue with you, particularly when there is an audience. Redirect the conversation to local  cultural practices or, if necessary, break off contact once you have made your points, or if a local adversary gets the best of you. Be willing to admit to yourself when this is happening. Though you want to be as conversational as possible with the locals-be transparent enough that they can read for themselves your genuine good intentions-do not continue an argument about military or political issues if it gets too heated, or if you are clearly losing. â€Å"Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.† It is much easier for your enemy to malign what you said than to malign what you did not say. Remember, from the point of view of the locals, you are the Army. Mission success often depends on your behavior presenting the Army in the best light. Locals in your area may be receiving propaganda broadcasts and leaflets in foreign languages you do not understand. Usually enemy propaganda campaigns will be carried out in the locals’ language, but often they will be in a language that is secondary but known to the locals. If you notice foreign language broadcasts or print media in your area, make sure the G2 is aware of it. Local insurgents may use clandestine means of communicating with and intimidating locals, such as the infamous â€Å"night letters† left by insurgents in local mosques in Afghanistan. Look for such means of communication if you notice a sudden about-face in the locals regarding U.S. Army initiatives or agreements. Just being attuned to subtleties and complexities of local social situations usually gives the locals the upper hand in assessing the overall situation in the area. Acknowledge this and try to get the locals to share their understanding with you. There are many non-threatening ways to elicit explanations that may substantially change your perception of what is going on in your area. Asking about such non-sensitive subjects such as proper behavior; greeting rituals; local dress; daily routines and movements; transportation; eating habits; treatment of children; and major or common ceremonies, and rituals can help give you a general picture of social life in the area and a backdrop against which to gauge your situational awareness Probe all the methods used by people in your area to make sense of what is going on around them. They may use completely unexpected means of assessing their environment. In Afghanistan, for example, most people can tell what region any given person comes from based solely on facial and bodily features. Help your Soldiers maintain their cool and reserve judgment An uncertain and probably harsh future adds a huge psychological burden In situations of extreme poverty, the power of money increases dramatically. For example, insurgents may be able to influence locals to take what might seem like insane risks for paltry material gains. If we maintain a proper perspective on the impacts of poverty, we can use this fact to our own advantage, winning the cooperation of locals and demonstrating our good will with economic development programs of relatively small scale that will provide tangible benefits quickly. The Practical Implications of Poverty (continued) The perception of poverty can be powerful Relative poverty can have significant psychological and social impacts People who are unable to afford symbols of material success may suffer feelings of personal inferiority People who have relatively low incomes may choose to invest in highly visible items Additional Reading: Perceived disparity in wealth can fuel problems between social groups, particularly when the material differences are not in line with hereditary markers of social status. If a particular racial or ethnic group, for example, suddenly hits on a way to make money that elevates them â€Å"beyond their station† in the traditional hierarchy, the traditionally higher-status folks may become angry and take steps to keep the upstarts â€Å"in their place.† Commonly, those who feel the most resentment are others of the same traditional social status as their lucky, newly wealthy neighbors-â€Å"They’re no better than us, who do they think they are?† Community Influence Power of Wealth Often the power of wealth is used to obtain other, more formal, types of power. In India, for example, it is not uncommon for politicians to send buses out to their rural constituents to take them all for a large feast in the city. It is understood that in exchange for this largesse, the voters will vote the powerful man into political office, whereby he can exert still more influence Influence One can have influence by holding an important position in various types of groups: kinship groups, religious or healing-related groups, groupings based around occupation or land use, age set groups or groups based around education. For example, the most important person in your AO may derive their status in part from being able to perform divinations. If you are not aware that divinations – making decisions, explaining situations, or telling fortunes based on seemingly random occurrences, such as flipping a coin – are important in your AO, you could fail to recognize the most important person for you to influence City and the Country Forms of community influence will differ markedly between the city and the country. Cities tend to be more oriented toward impersonal, economically based influence or western-style â€Å"democratic† governance. At least in the city these things may be more visible. But don’t underestimate the effects of neighborhood-level influence based on patron/client relations, kinship, religion, healing, or trade guilds in the city. As always, take a cultural ReALLIT check to give you the basic lay of the social situation. The more you know about the locals, the smoother your relations with them will progress. Social Stratification Most societies separate their people into ranks of social worth Commonly, one is born into the group and its status Differences in status are often subtle and difficult for an outsider to detect It is important that you try to discover such differences when you deploy Low-status individuals may be the most eager to engage you and try to enter into agreements with you in order to gain what they can from you and enhance their local status. You should engage them and learn what you can from them, but do not be hasty to enter into agreements until you understand the relative status of the people you are dealing with. In South Asia, for example, to enter into an agreement with a low-caste man could discourage later agreements with more influential high-caste men. Long-standing resentments between high-status and low-status groups can fuel conflict Genocidal conflicts have usually centered on co-residing ethnic, religious, or kin groups The group with the superior social status attempts to inflict genocide on those of lower status On a smaller scale, insurgents may exploit  resentment over status differences to recruit locals or to incite destabilizing violence between locals. Since few, if any, Army missions call for destabilizing an area, you generally want to be careful to take local social stratification into account for all of your operations. Simple awareness can help you avoid worsening existing ill feelings between groups. Levels and Sources of Internal conflict These complex webs of allegiances and grievances can make working with locals a very tricky business. This is especially true since disagreements are usually the last thing anybody wants to talk about to outsiders. Particularly in cultures, which place a high value on saving face or public honor, people may not want to say anything that could be taken as disrespectful of their neighbors, even though they may have big problems with them. For this reason, it is desirable when possible to talk to locals out of earshot of others so they may feel freer to hint at conflicts with their neighbors. Any information you can pick up about who gets along and who has a beef with who could be very helpful in carrying out successful engagements and initiatives with the locals. For example, if you know that members of one subgroup are in collusion with insurgents, you will be more likely to find willing partners among that group’s current detractors in a lower-level conflict. Disagreements and cross-purposes regarding ethnicity, politics, religion, kin groups, or economics are likely to exist in even the most placid-seeming community. Such conflicts can revolve around material concerns such as land, inheritance, water rights, death re-compensation, or bride price. Likewise, they may be centered on purely ideational (non-material) concerns such as religious disagreements, a history of fights between groups in the distant past, or discord over the ways children should be educated. Since people in different cultures have different worldviews than our own, elements which might seem insignificant to us could be worth killing or dying for, to them. So do not discount farfetched-sounding explanations for local conflict until you have learned enough about the culture to judge. In fact, if you can get locals talking about any conflict past or present, you can learn a great deal about their culture in a short time.