Our Strength Is People

GLOBAL STEEL PRODUCTION 2005 (in million tonnes) 1. Mittal Steel - 49.89 2. Arcelor- 46.65 3. Nippon Steel - 32.91 4. Posco - 31.42 5. JFE Steel - 29.57 6. Shanghai Baosteel - 22.73 7. US Steel - 19.26 8. Nucor - 18.45 9. Corus - 18.18 10. Riva - 17.53 56. Tata - 4.4 Source: Metal Bulletin

London-based Indian, Lakshmi Mittal, purchased the Luxembourg-based Arcelor early this year. I know that means jack-$hit to most of us! Let me try that again, Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus has accepted an $8.1bn takeover offer from Indian rival Tata Steel. The Corus buyout makes Tata Steel the world's fifth largest steelmaker.

Still makes no sense? What if I were to make this ubsurd proclamation that all this consolidation is about cutting costs and staying competitive in an era of soaring Chinese steel production. I suppose these booming south-asian economies are going to need some bad ass quantities of iron and steel. I wonder how many steel workers are worried about their pensions. Are thinking about the jobs they are going to lose with all the low-cost steel thats going to available in the world market now. What can I say it's the sign of the times: ailing high-cost undesirable North American and European industries pegged against ambitious managerial talent from India.

Hey 'Days of our Lives' fans this isnt half as complicated as the plotlines you are used to. Mittal bought Arcelor, when Arcelor was interested in buying Dofasco. Flipping Dofasco to ThyssenKrupp AG in the process. Wow! Now that's what I'd a call an incestuous relationship.

Iron-ore oligopoly stories hardly make a dent in our lives. I blame Tomkat, Bennifer, Nick and Jessica for that!

I'm beginning to get the feeling the steel maharajahs 'Lakshmi Mittal' and 'Ratan Tata' think the tagline "Our Strength Is People" suits India best!

Gillette Occam

If Gillette came up with a new model called 'Ockham'. How many blades would it have?

Byzantine General's are regularly faced with questions pertaining to constructing social contracts and defining the 'greater good' to promote self-interest while maintaining the illusion of assured democratic governance. Their tolerance is based on the commitment to justice spliced with Faustian deals where power tends to invariably shield those to whom the corridors of power are accessible.

The moral ambiguity of the social fabric let's us progress through life without any grounding principles . Shamelessness is the binding contract to which humanity subscribes itself. How does someone refusing to be tied down to an ideological boot camp exercise personal power. How does one exercise personal power when dealing with gross negligence, engineering incompetence, environment issues and sexual aggression. When attrocities are rationalized in the name of truth, justice and freedom how powerful are we. How do we as the human race rationalize statements like "Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values. (Golda Meir, according to Spielberg)" as they exercise their personal power.

A friend of mine has an interesting outlook on this predicament. She tells me,"Just remember the concept "leadership is creating a space for the other to sense their power" and everything else seems to fall into place." She proposes blending authenticity with ethics and moral development, empowerment and possibility.

How do those shrouded in a veil of ignorance practise this craft of empowerment? How do marginalised folk break the shackles? When interests are purely monetary and liberty is a pipe dream refered to in public documents stored away along with the 'notwithstanding clause' which makes it worthless anyway.

When those in the upper echelons of power cook up plans to come up with the highest pay off for the worst outcome, does ethical decision making stick it's head in the ground. (If Gillette came up with a new model called 'Ockham'. How many blades would it have?) When and why do people lose the desire to understand others?

What happens if I am wearing my "V for Vendetta" Glasses and have this 'vengence view' of morality. When the fabric of society has lost the capacity to cultivate in others the capacity to care how does personal power find its place?

And like Grissom said,"A moral compass can only point you in the right direction. It can't make you go there."