Pros And Cons Of Organizational Change Management Essay

Pros And Cons Of Organizational Change Management Essay The crux of this report is a discussion on organization change and whether the changes are good or it does damages that are not reparable. Firstly, organisational change is an essential part of todays globalised work life. In moderns economy, teams and organisations face rapid change like never before. Globalisation has not only boost the markets and opportunities for more development and profit, it also provides opportunities for organisational members to process, however, in general, change processes make demands on both employees and management, regardless of the content of the change process. Facing of the tide of globalisation, one of the dominant disputes that human resource professionals face is what method to improve organisational competitive advantage in the hastily changing environment. Organisational change come about multiple reasons, it is undertaken to ameliorate the accomplishment of that particular organization or a portion of the organization, for instance, a proces s or team. For organisations to be able to prosper, it is essential for them to go through a important alteration at different sections during their growth. Significant organisational change occurs when the overall strategy of an organization changes, for instance, in order to achieve appropriate consequences, accumulation or take away a big portion or usual procedure, and/or desire to alter the nature on how it works. Changes always lead to employees Pros of Organizational Change Change can assist a business to keep up with industry trends, making it more appealing to promising consumers as well as maintaining present consumers. For instance, one way to make sure that a business does not fall behind when an opponent established and markets a successful new product is by establishing and advertising a related product of its own. In the process of organization change, employees will be able to acquire new skills, seek new opportunities and exercise their creativity in ways that eventually favors the organization through extra ideas and increased commitment. Knowledge transfer takes place during the process when people have idiosyncratic information that is valuable to other people, and thus learning takes place during the change. In addition, the capability to clasp change can assist employees in a business by developing new opportunities. For instance, a worker who actively applies herself to learning the new office technology can also train others who are more uncertain. This leadership role has caused the employee to position herself as a person who has the ability to guide others and is capable of assuming extra responsibilities, making her a credible candidate for approaching promotion. Furthermore, businesses that are capable at handling or even embracing change can promote an environment that stimulates innovation. Employees will be more willing to think in a more creative manner if their ideas are acknowledge by a manager or business owner. By stimulating employees to think in a more creative manner enable a business grow. Either a good product or a marketing idea will enables a small business to achieve it success. Finally, an erudite or personnel change in an organization can result in employee attitudes and morale being positive. When there is a change in human resources philosophy, it enables a much relaxed work ambience, for instance, dress down day on Friday; this kind of idea will definitely make the employees overjoyed. When an inflexible manager is substitute with one who always listens to employees ideas and feedbacks, employees will feel that their efforts are acknowledged and that they will give in their best regarding their job functions. Cons of Organizational Change When major change takes place, the impact of transformation of an organization can be effective and may frequently create complicated challenges. Change can present a risk and certain level of danger. The end results can be very costly and sometimes beyond recovery in terms of time, money, human resources, or equipments. It is known that human nature oppose change, especially if it is perceived to influence ones lives adversely. When an organization is undergoing organizational change, such as: re-structuring, or merging, it will result in employees going through the feelings of tension, stress, and uncertainty, which results in the impact on employees productivity output, achievement, and engagements toward the organization (Ashford, et. al., 1989). In other words, the aftermath can be out of discipline. The norm prefers foreseeable future but change disrupts it, which cause confusion and potentially an erosion of assurance. When one lose confident and ideas are not supported and acknowledge by the higher management may increase the stress of the employees and this might lead to staff not performing well in their daily work routine. Secondly, during organisational change, staff members might experience loss of attachment. Most of the time, change requires working with new members, such as a new leader, or a new team. Gradually, employees will feel attached and develop a sense of faithfulness to their colleagues. Having to break up this faithfulness, can often be pressurize and make people anxious. Employees feel that the environment is doubtful, low tolerance of ambiguity, less freedom and ideal time for work, thus they will are unwilling to take risk, and thus becoming less motivated and committed to making contributions. Thirdly, organisational changes might lead to staffs having low morale. When staffs disagree a change that is taking place in the workplace, they become less confident and felt hopeless about their professional future with the organisation. This is specifically when there is a deficiency of communication within the organisation regarding the change. Lowered morale can disperse throughout the whole company, which will result in issues with both recruiting and retention. Lastly, organisation change may result in less efficiency in employees. This is due to the employees spending much time focusing on withstanding the changes taking place in the organsation, which results them becoming less attentive in their daily work routine which is affiliate with their jobs. Being less attentive in their work will reduce the level of adeptness and achievement among staff; this can influence the organisations fundamental. In reality, a decreased level of adeptness is the main reason why there is an organisation change, as changes are frequently build to reform a more cogent and productive company. Conclusion Change within an organisation will enable some type of improvement within an organisation. Even though the main intention is to bring out positive effects, but these changes frequently brought about some affection and sensation to those who are affected indirectly and directly. Although change may be a certain portion of handling profession, it is often not welcomed by employees, leaders or owners of the business. Employees are afraid to leave their comfort zone or they are afraid that they are not able to adapt to a different situation. Changes can affect a business success in long run and have a positive impact on it, while on the other hand a change that is short term can be agonizing. In addition, change cannot be avoided. Some types of changes that will tend to affect employees are reducing bonus, reducing monthly salary or even take away their benefits. All this changes might result in employees being devastated, especially those who are the sole breadwinner. It is a challenge for organisations to make adeptness and betterment within its anatomy, while at the same time managing employees self-esteem and support for the organization and its responsibility. If changes are made, especially large-scale reorganisations, it is essential to communicate and associate all of the employees to the extent in which it can ensure a successful development.

Blink

Thin Slicing is a term used by psychologist and philosophers, but what does it mean? According to Malcolm Gladwell, â€Å"It’s the tendency that we have as human beings to reach very rapid, very profound and sophisticated conclusions based on very thin slices of experiences. † Blink is a book by Malcolm Gladwell explaining this theory of thin-slicing. In the book Gladwell tells us many different stories that have to do with thin-slicing. The book has examples of successful thin-slicing, examples showing how it works and what it accomplishes.It also has stories teaching us, the reader of thin-slicing and how it isn’t all that great and completely accurate as well. Some stories that can teach us lessons, which we can learn from not to make the same mistakes over and over. This book is about the unconscious mind and how we don’t know it but it affects us at every moment whether we notice or not. How the unconscious mind picks up patterns from small amount of information or experiences and we make snap judgments based on those patterns.Which most of the time we don’t notice, unless of course you have trained your mind to recognize these patterns, which there’s an example of in the book. All this thin-slicing has its pros and cons I believe Gladwell’s theory is correct; all his examples are backed up by his theory of thin-slicing. He gives evidence to how it works both positively and negatively. The theory of thin-slicing is that we have the ability as human beings to instantly identify specific patterns from within small amounts of experience or information, and we make instant or snap judgments based upon those patterns.What does this mean; it means that our unconscious holds on to information from previous events. From that information our unconscious recognizes certain patterns from the past and catches similarities in current experiences or events and reacts. This reaction although it may sound a bit complicated happens in mere seconds. We don’t recognize what is going on, it happens without us being able to explain it. The book defines it as, â€Å"the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience. Its rapid cognition, the unconscious reacts from recognition to previous patterns in mere seconds; this is what makes it so amazing. At the same time snap judgments from thin-slicing can be very problematic, as we learn from the book in its examples. The first story in the book being a positive one teaches us how thin-slicing works instantly, without being able to explain it. The book starts off at the Getty Museum on its early days, when it was starting off. It wanted to gain some kind of recognition so it made its first big art purchase.It was a 10 million dollar purchase, so the museum took caution. They hired lawyers to check all the paperwork and records of the statue. This statue of a kouros was said to be thousands of years old. There was even a geologist who took samples of the statue and ran it through many different tests and machines. They all concluded that the statue was the real deal and made the purchase in the fall of 1986. This kouros was going to be a great occasion, with stories on the New York Times, and other magazines. A few weeks after the kouros was put on display was when the truth came out.One by one different art experts doubted the statue. They couldn’t explain why at the time, but their immediate reaction to the kouros was just a hunch that something wasn’t right. Why though? What did these experts see what all the other people missed when looking at the statue? They were all intuitively repulsed by this kouros at first sight of it. Eventually all the paperwork and records didn’t fit, they all came to the conclusion that the kouros was a fake. The art experts were taking part of thin-slicing.They knew something wasn’t right the first time they saw it, their hunch was that something wasn’t right, but they couldn’t explain what it was. This example of the Getty museum showed successful thin slicing. The â€Å"love lab† is John Gottman’s successful way of determining if a couple is going to be together 15 years from now. He does this by videotaping each person he just has them sit in a room; he measures their heart rate, movements, and has them have a conversation. He then analyzes these videos second by second, looking at every emotion.His method of determining such an important conclusion is based on SPAFF; it’s a coding system that has many categories corresponding to all emotions. His success rate is incredibly accurate, by analyzing a couple for an hour his prediction has 95% accuracy if the couple will be married 15 years later. If he watches them for 15 minutes his percentage is about 90%, and with only three minutes of analyzing the accuracy of his predictions are still very impres sive. The â€Å"love lab,† is an example of how thin-slicing works correctly.Our unconscious is Gottman analyzing those videos, second by second looking at every emotion in the couples. The only difference is that our thin-slicing is done unconsciously, automatically, and in mere seconds. Our unconscious finds patterns in very minute amounts of events or information. Just like with the â€Å"love lab† our thin-slicing has a high rate of accuracy. This process makes it possible to gather information to make an important decision in such a short amount of time, it’s almost instantaneously. Thin-slicing can also be wrong, which we’ll see in the following examples.The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an example of the dark side of thin-slicing. This test was made by psychologists. This test brought forth a profound observation, which was that we make connections much more quickly between pairs of ideas that are already related in our minds than we do betwee n pairs of ideas that are unfamiliar to us. The book gives us an example of the IAT tests, the gender and race ones. These tests use mental associations which we are used to and then flips it around, an example is the gender test, first it shows names of both sexes and you have to choose whether the name is a female or male.That part is easy enough and done pretty fast, it then gives you two more choices career or male and female or home then words which are associated to either list. Then the last part where it gets tricky is when it switches home and career, so the choices are male or home and female and career. This part of the test takes people a little longer to choose. This test also has a race version in which the choices are European American or bad and African American and good, then switches the good and bad. The results of the race IAT are that more than 80% have pro-white associations.Why is this so, and what does it mean? The book explains that our attitudes towards rac e and gender operate on two levels. First our conscious attitude which is what we choose to believe. What the IAT measures though is something else, it’s our second level of attitude on an unconscious level. On this level are our immediate, automatic association that just come out, we don’t even notice these. These unconscious attitudes weren’t chosen by us, we may not even be aware of these. This is data our unconscious crunches from past experiences or information we’ve seen on TV, book, movies, etc.From all this data we unconsciously form opinions of race and gender, which is what the IAT measures. This teaches us that thin-slicing can also have negative conclusions, and may not always be right. The IAT also discovered that the results mean we tend to act differently with certain races, its little things we don’t notice we do because they are done in an unconscious level. This is bad because it makes us discriminate, on an unconscious level, wit hout us even knowing so. Another example of thin-slicing reactions we don’t notice. The Millennium Challenge was a war game exercise by the U. S. n 2002 which cost 250 million dollars. This war was made up of blue team which was the U. S. and red team which was the enemy run by Paul Van Riper a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General. This war game was used by the pentagon to test new ideas about military organization and experiments. Blue team had greater intellectual resources they had an advantage over red team. In the end the winner was the red team. How did this happen, Van Riper didn’t have any advantage over blue team and their resources. He did however have his past experiences to help him. Blue team had all these resources, they had too many resources.All these resources which were supposed to be an advantage ended up being their demise, they were over thinking every move they made. On the other hand Van Riper acted instantly and won. The mistake blue team mad e was that they forced their commanders to stop and talk things over figure out what was going on. The war games didn’t demand for logic, it demanded for action. This is an example of the unconscious finding patterns in chaos and just reacting, thin-slicing in action. Thin-slicing might sound good for the most part, but there is also much wrong with thin-slicing.Not everything can be thin-sliced, and work out, an example of this in the book is a rock musician known as Kenna. He had a new sound and it was unlike anything ever heard before. People in the music business loved him, and recommended him he got a record deal and so on. The only thing left for Kenna was to have his music on the radio, sounds easy enough if musicians, producers, and people in the business liked his stuff. Kenna’s single was put through a test to see how people were going to react and if he would be successful. His song was tested with people, and ended up being a failure, no one liked him.This is thin-slicing gone wrong, where our first impression isn’t the right one. Kenna’s song was tested with people who only heard a clip of the song, not the whole song. Just a clip of something they had never heard before something completely new, it was something unrecognizable, and no one liked it. All the music pro’s on the other hand loved it; they were experts in music and knew that Kenna was something different. Just that thin-slicing never let Kenna be the star he could have been. Another lesson we can learn from thin-slicing comes from the shooting f Amadou Diallo. This man was shot down 41 times by 4 police officers. This took place in the Bronx after midnight, the event in the book is said to have only taken 7 seconds to happen. This is when snap judgments went wrong; these four officers reacted and killed an innocent man. These four officers were driving around patrolling as part of the Street Crime Unit. The thing is that they were driving around in an unmarked car in plainclothes. They saw Diallo standing outside his building and thought he looked suspicious so two got off and went to go talk to him.They went up to Diallo and he tried to go inside his building. They kept telling him to freeze and pointed their guns at him; he then reached into his pocket and pulled out something that one of the officers saw as a gun, which ended up being a wallet. So much went wrong here, these cops didn’t bother to see Diallo or as the book says read his emotions. This is something we, under normal circumstances, have the ability to read other people’s emotions through facial expressions. However we lose this ability under too much stress, pressure, or fear.Gladwell’s theory about thin-slicing indicates that it is not enough to make certain conscious changes in attitudes or values, but must also acknowledge the subtle influence that can alter our subconscious, thereby undermining our conscious attitudes. He argues that by t aking control of the environment in which thin-slicing happens, one can also control thin-slicing and prevent/lessen the mistakes made. He makes a good point of this throughout his book; he gives us many examples of how thin-slicing can work positively and negatively. He shows how it’s not always right, but how we can work on it to correct it.The aeron chair is an example of this, thin-slicing made people look at the chair and hate it. It was something new; they had never seen anything like it so they rejected it. Once they got to try the chair though they experienced it and found out that they actually really liked the chair. The same with Kenna’s music, thin-slicing made people dislike his music. Thin-slicing, snap judgments, all of this has its good and bad. Gladwell’s book shows how the theory of thin-slicing works, good and bad examples of it, and shows us how things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. How our unconscious affects us at all times whether we realize it or not.How we can notice when our snap judgments are wrong, and makes us realize we need to pay more attention to how we act. Our unconscious works in amazing ways and the process of thin-slicing only makes it a much more amazing thing. It can however be a bad thing as well. This book shows us how this is so, and how we unconsciously act a certain way, are attracted to certain things, and so on. Blinking like thin-slicing is done unconsciously but blinking unlike thin-slicing is noticed by us, but after this book I will try to notice my thin-slicing and try to notice when I unconsciously act.

Environmental degradation

IntroductionSince the 1970 ‘s, environmental debasement has brought grave concerns to the bow with respect to the Amazon Rainforest ( Amazonia ) . The international community – peculiarly the United States – has stanchly advocated for planetary direction of Amazonia as a agency of efficaciously continuing this critical resource. The cardinal belief impeling this place is the sentiment that Amazonian states are steadily eliminating portion of the universe ‘s last leftover tropical wood through deforestation and hapless forestry direction policies. In visible radiation of the turning importance attached to environmental issues on the international phase, the Brazilian Federal Government ‘s chase of development has been deemed uncompromisingly aggressive. The international community contends that this is adversely impacting world. Brazil, nevertheless, is non pleased with this stance. Through its security and foreign policy, the Federal Republic of Brazil under the helm of President Luiz Inacio Lula district attorney Silva has endeavoured to asseverate sovereignty over the Amazon Rainforest located within its boundary lines in response to the possible ‘internationalisation of Amazonia. ‘ This essay will analyze the nature of internationalization, see other cases where the construct has been deliberated upon or applied and analyse the argument environing the internationalization of Amazonia. In bend, this essay will detail how the menace of internationalization has affected policy-making of President Lula, with specific focal point on security, development and environmental policies.Internationalization Of AmazoniaImportance Of AmazoniaAmazonia is the term used to depict the belt of the Amazon Rainforest located in South America. At present, it is situated within the districts of 9 states and Brazil has about 60 % of the Amazon within its boundary lines. This country is known as the Legal Amazon. Over the old ages, the part has assumed tremendous international and regional importance. In footings of biodiversity, Amazonia constitutes the largest aggregation of vegetations and zoologies in the universe. Cultivation of the land is non merely cardinal to the supports of the locals, but the Amazon Rainforest is a huge modesty of natural resources that includes familial stuff, stuffs that are cardinal ingredients for pharmaceuticals and lumber. It besides plays a critical function in modulating planetary clime forms, gaining the rubric of the â€Å"lungs of the earth† due to its map of cut downing planetary heating. Deforestation in Amazonia has been a pressing concern in recent times, as wood glade has meant there is less flora to absorb C emanations. Therefore, the protection of the Amazon Rainforest has been determined as an pressing concern on an international degree.Two Sides Of The ArgumentThe current contention over Amazonia bends on two points: the struggle between development and to what degree the ‘internationalisation of Amazonia ‘ would interfere with Brazil ‘s right to sovereignty. Both the international community and Brazil have strong statements doing the issue a complicated one to decide.The Case For International ManagementIntense development of the Legal Amazon has resulted in damaging environmental effects such as the decreasing quality of fresh H2O and air and rapid glade of flor a. Subsequently, this has had societal reverberations such as nutrient insecurity. The international community – comprised of States and NGOs – argues that to disregard such important alterations would be negligent and hence the universe has an involvement in continuing the Amazon Rainforest. As of late, States have exerted force per unit area on the World Bank to decline payment to Brazil if it fails to assent to international preservation norms. Furthermore, the international community contends that as the Amazon Rainforest is shared by 9 States, it becomes more than a mere domestic presence. Coordination of preservation and sustainable development attempts would be cumbrous if Amazonia were viewed as fragments dealt with strictly by internal policy. Rather, it should be viewed as a whole for the intents of direction and hence an international organic structure may be better suited to this function. Ecological jobs, it has been alleged, surpass traditional constructs of State sovereignty.AntarcticaACEHThe Case Against The ‘Internationalisation Of Amazonia ‘The Brazilian authorities has regarded the chance of international direction of The Legal Amazon as illicit intervention into Brazil ‘s national procedure. The chorus of â€Å"Amazonia is ours† is a common in Brazilian circles. Brazil has besides deemed the surcease of fiscal assistance from the World Bank as conscienceless, as it coerces the development of Brazil to be shaped by external histrions. Brazil claims that industrialized states are furthering a dual criterion, by obliging developing states to continue their staying natural resources even though environmental concerns were non a factor of their ain growing. An interesting statement raised by Brazil is the fact that other ecosystems under Brazilian control – such as the Atlantic Rainforest – are mostly being ignored by the international community, despite the fact that they have been about wholly destroyed. Oppositions of internationalization have proposed that this may be because such countries do non hold the same degree of natural wealth. This alludes to the impression that Brazil is besides profoundly leery that the preservation dimension is merely a camouflage for other states to work the Amazon Rainforest ‘s enormous resources and utilize it for their ain involvements. There has been controversy over the function of NGOs in the part as it has been continually suggested that NGOs were simply cloaked instruments of states of Northern Hemisphere trying to besiege the sovereignty of Brazil â€Å"without damaging international rights.†DarfurPolicy-Making In The Lula AdministrationEqually far as the portion of the Amazon Rainforest that is located within Brazil ‘s boundary lines is concerned, Brazil asserts that the international community is non justified in their stance that an international organic structure will better pull off the Amazon Rainforest. Brazil has perceived this planetary preservation attempt as an indirect effort to besiege its sovereignty over Amazonia. Consequently, the alleged menace of the ‘internationalisation of Amazonia ‘ coupled with international force per unit area has shaped Brazilian security and foreign policy.Security PolicyLula received a considerable sum of resistance from the military sector and conservative cabals of Brazilian society whilst runing for election. In malice of this, Lula has acknowledged that military presence in the Legal Amazon is a seminal facet of Brazil ‘s defense mechanism and security. He has displaced the outlook that he would scale down military plans and alternatively, has harnessed the armed forces ‘s support of development to foster his overall scheme of economic, societal and regional growing. International appraisal of the Amazon Rainforest has influenced the coevals of Brazilian security policy. Lula, like old presidents, has endorsed the ‘militarisation of the Amazonian frontier. ‘ The armed forces ‘s aim in the Legal Amazon is to protect the part from illegal logging, deforestation and drug trafficking. However, another accessory motivation for the armed forces is to reaffirm Brazil ‘s territorial unity over Amazonia.Military ‘s Historical Role In AmazoniaHistorically, the armed forces ‘s function in Amazonia has been important and consecutive Brazilian authoritiess have utilised the military to react to external intervention. In 1964, the so military government felt it was imperative to protect the Legal Amazon from external conquering by states who were presumed to ‘covet the part and its putative wealths ‘ The principle behind this was that though Brazil had acquired sovereignty over a great trade of the Amazon basin t hrough diplomatic negotiations, the country could ne'er be ‘Brazilian ‘ unless wholly secured. The Sarney disposal devised the Calha Norte ( Northern Trough Project ) which entailed increased military presence in the Legal Amazon, spawned out of fright of a possible invasion. Likewise, the Cardoso government constructed the National Defense Policy in 1996 which stipulated that the Legal Amazon was of strategic precedency to Brazil. It is besides interesting to observe that during the Forest Fire Crisis in Roraima – a province of the Legal Amazon – Brazilian governments rebuffed foreign aid. This reaction is declarative that aid may hold been regarded â€Å"as external forces trying to claim international control over Amazonia.† In his term, Lula has reinstated Calha Norte and besides embraced Cardoso ‘s National Defense Policy by edict in 2005. To supplement this, in 2008 he adopted the Strategic Defense Plan which ensured that the sum of military forces in the Legal Amazon would lift from 17,000 to 30,000 over the following decennary. This undertaking is a agency of modernizing the military to reflect Brazil ‘s emerging function in the international domain. Lula ‘s current Amazonian scheme is twofold: protecting the vulnerable Legal Amazon by garrisoning the frontier with military colonies and using the Amazon Vigilence System better known as SIVAM. Lula is a ferocious advocate of SIVAM which became operational during his first term. The $ 1.4 billion radio detection and ranging and surveillance system commandeered by the Brazilian air force, complemented with SIPAM ( the Amazon Protection System ) allows for strategic responses to menaces and leery activity without physical military presence. Even through the lens of democracy, Lula has demonstrated that the armed forces still has a cardinal function to play in asseverating Brazil ‘s sovereignty over Amazonia. This stance is implicative of Brazil ‘s position that the Legal Amazon should non be managed by an international organic structure.Human SecurityOf class, impressions of security do non simply encompass traditional military constructs. The construct of human security besides suggests that the range of security should be widened to include developmental and environmental security, with peculiar focal point on the public assistance of the person as opposed to the province. Therefore, viewed from this vantage point, Brazil ‘s development and environmental policies have besides been shaped by the internationalization argument.Development PolicyEconomic StabilityBrazil ‘s current foreign policy is directed to a great extent towards guaranting that Brazil does non roll from its way as an emerging w orld power on the regional and planetary phase. Brazil ‘s stableness during the recent planetary fiscal recession proves that it is flexing its regional musculus and steadily turning in international importance. Development of the Amazon has been a cardinal characteristic of old Brazilian disposals, stemming from the intense period of enlargement with Operation Amazonia in 1966, wherein roads were built, foreign investing was encouraged and colony of the Legal Amazon with agricultural settlements was promoted. The thought behind this was that if the country was cultivated and occupied, the chance of international intercession would ebb. Development was besides of import in footings of set uping regional connexions: states sharing the Amazon basin became more incorporate through commercialism and grapevines. Lula ‘s association with the Worker ‘s Party has influenced his primary end of societal and economic development. Under Lula ‘s regulation, the Brazilian authorities has been successful in the variegation of the state ‘s already powerful industrial sector. Consequently, his accent on the development of the Legal Amazon arises from a desire to enable Brazil ‘s acclivity in the international domain, as the Amazon Rainforest has an copiousness of natural resources. Therefore, procuring Brazil ‘s claim over the Legal Amazon has greatly coloured development policies.Sustainable DevelopmentThe state ‘s continued economic development requires more growing and in bend, more demand for energy which has raised environmental concerns. Government rhetoric affirms that this is ineluctable in order to gain Brazil ‘s economic system to its full potency. At present, much of the Legal Amazon is still in despairing demand of farther substructure and soci etal development and the Brazilian authorities has stated that if Amazonia is non developed it can non prolong a billowy population and spread out its art in the international market. Further, impressions of preservation do non register on the spectrum of believing for dwellers of the Legal Amazon, as many live in poorness. The internationalization argument, nevertheless, has coerced Brazil to switch from theories of pure neo-liberalism and add thoughts of sustainable development to the ‘Brazilian vocabulary. ‘ During his run for presidential term, Lula promised to highlight environmental and societal issues whilst guaranting the conservative cabal of Brazilian society that he planned to continue with the old authorities ‘s neo-liberal economic policies. He readily supported sustainable development in Amazonia as it encouraged the possibility of length of service in footings of production, lasting economic growing and besides demonstrated that Brazil had administrative capacity over the Legal Amazon. Lula set in gesture the Sustainable Amazon Plan, avering that 70-80 % of the wood could potentially be preserved in concurrence with economic development. The Brazilian Fire Control Program for Amazonia has countenances on combustion during the extremum dry season and IBAMA – the Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency – has the capacity to impose mulcts and enforce tutelary sentences for illegal deforestation and logging and combustion. Deforestation licenses have besides been revoked from landowners who exceed the 20 % deforestation bound on their belongings. However, the effectivity of sustainable development ventures in Brazil has been called into inquiry as there is turning bitterness that the Avanca Brasil ( Brasil Advances ) program shows Lula ‘s prejudice for socialized development, allowing the building of roads and development undertakings which are at odds with preservation undertakings. And though Brazil is a cardinal figure in ACTO ( the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization ) which calls for sustainable development within the Amazonian states but respects the sovereignty of these states, critics argue that the pact has been mostly uneffective in their strategic program. Despite Lula ‘s steadfast place on developing the Legal Amazon, it is clear that the internationalization argument has influenced Brazil to chair its development policies from purely traditional economy-building to promoting the execution of sustainable development, which now occupies a cardinal strategic place in Brazilian foreign policy.Environmental PolicyLula ‘s predecessors have been willing to see the environmental concerns raised by the international community. President Cardoso, for case, hosted the United Nations Conference on the Environment in 1992. The Lula disposal has besides continued to factor the environment as a pillar of policy-making and prides itself on being the â€Å"greenest† Brazilian authorities, with many new policies aimed at sustainability. The internationalization argument has impelled Brazil to measure its internal preservation policies and the function the state has to play on the planetary phase. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Itamaraty, affirms that the environment is a cardinal strategic line of Brazilian foreign policy. The Lula disposal is far more cognizant of Brazil ‘s duties in footings of honoring international environmental criterions with respect to preservation, deforestation and clime alteration. However, these environmental policies have systematically been framed from the point of view of supporting domestic sovereignty over the Legal Amazon.ConservationWhile it is of import for Brazil to develop Amazonia, it still has considerable involvement in conserving the part. This is non merely to guarantee economic and environmental length of service but many loans from international establishments, such as the World Bank, and developed states favour enterprises and undertakings that promote preservation and/or sustainability. Lula ‘s election into office heralded the potency for Brazil to switch from neo-liberalism and impel itself more persistently towards preservation attempts. During his presidential term, Lula has reformed the Forestry Code of 1934 and continued to run the Nossa Natureza ( Our Nature ) plan instituted by President Sarney: a $ 100 million undertaking designed to set about forest protection through an instruction procedure. The Public Forest Management Law besides provides that corporations are entitled to 3 % of the Amazon Rainforest if they engage in sustainable development. The intense examination of the Amazon Rainforest has encouraged the Brazilian authorities to beat up support for preservation undertakings: the Lula disposal has argued that the cost of continuing Amazonia is a load that should be borne by all stakeholders. However, Lula has been speedy to clear up that this protection should non be achieved by the international community administrating the part. Furthermore, at the launch of the Amazon Protection Fund in August 2008 – an aid-based plan premised on accumulating $ 21 billion worth of contributions over a period of 13 old ages – Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Brazil ‘s Minister for Strategic Affairs stated that: â€Å"The fund is a vehicle by which foreign authoritiess can assist back up our enterprises without exercising any influence over our national policy. We are non traveling to merchandise sovereignty for money. † Despite being antiphonal to preservation unfavorable judgments, Lula has been accused of moving in a reactionist, instead than proactive, mode. This stance of following environmental policies tailored in response to mounting international force per unit area over deforestation rates and crises has been deemed a defect of the current disposal. For case, in 2003 Lula ordered the formation of a figure of preservation countries in the Legal Amazon subsequent to the slayings of outstanding conservationists and environmentalists in the part. Although Lula regularly appoints renowned environmental militants to the environmental stations, two have resigned in dramatic manner. Mary Allegretti, the Secretary of Coordination of the Amazonas in Ministry of Environment, resigned after happening that: â€Å"On the deliverance of the Amazon, the authorities is clearly still of two minds.† And Marina Silva, former Environmental Minister, left her place in 2008 after Lula made remarks kicking about the backbreaking procedure involved in obtaining environmental licenses for development undertakings: â€Å"Brazil ‘s economic development is being held up for the interest of a few fish.† These fortunes seem to bespeak that while preservation is on the docket for Brazil, at present the end of development is favoured over it.DeforestationThe chase of developing Brazil ‘s economic system has entailed mass deforestation at an dismaying rate. However, Brazil has taken great paces in trying to turn to the environmental effects of deforestation. In 2008, Lula announced a program to cut down the rate of deforestation by 50 % by 2017, although this has been branded as vague, as the mechanisms for enforcement are ill-defined. In March 2010, Brazil and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which both states would work jointly to cut down deforestation in a command to control clime alteration. This move is important, as it demonstrates chumminesss between two states that have historically been at dunces over how to diminish deforestation. Slash-and-burn systems involve uncluttering big countries of wood for agricultural intents and has lay waste toing effects on the dirt of rain forests which basically changes the nature of the rainforest ecosystem. Brazil ‘s National Policy on Forests has been reformed to deter and punish slash-and-burn techniques. The antecedently mentioned SIVAM besides operates on an environmental degree, as its scrutiny of Amazonian topography is informative in measuring which countries are appropriate to be designated for eco-zoning and besides detects illegal logging and deforestation. Many critics, nevertheless, suggest that SIVAM ‘s primary military docket will dominate any other intent unless farther support is given to scientific research. Lula has besides established the National System for Nature Conservation Units, which protects about 37 % of the Legal Amazon and has created the Protected Areas Fund. Lula has managed to demo significant consequences in controling deforestation: from July 2008-August 2009 the Brazilian authorities was able to expose a 45 % bead in the deforestation rate from the old twelvemonth. However, despite this diminution, deforestation in Brazil is now reportedly on the addition. Brazil has Torahs against deforestation but they are hard to implement, peculiarly in rural countries with small to no ministerial presence. Furthermore, much of Amazonia is still freely available under Brazilian jurisprudence, which does non present much inducement for land-users to cultivate the part sustainably. IBAMA – Brazil ‘s Environment Protection Agency – is allegedly full with corruptness, awfully underfunded and does non hold adequate resources at its disposal. Merely 6.5 % of the mulcts imposed for illegal deforestation are really collected and about 80 % of the logging in Amazonia is illegal. It is clear that the internationalization argument has contributed to the execution of forestry ordinance within Brazil. However, it is arguable whether or non the theoretical precautions in topographic point are realised to their full consequence in pattern.Climate ChangeBrazil has been instrumental in clime alteration dialogues in planetary forums, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is a cardinal participant in dialogues as it is responsible for 3 % of planetary emanations due to deforestation. One relevant menace from clime alteration is desertification, which may transform Amazonia from a exuberant part rich with natural resources, to a drought-stricken barren. Brazil is progressively interested in avoiding displacements in the environment that will render the Amazon Basin unsustainable. Brazil has a National Plan on Climate Change which premises sustainable development and a staggered decrease of nursery gas emanations. Furthermore, Brazil ‘s involvement in clime alteration dialogues is to seek an understanding that will non impede its development. So far, Brazil has benefited from the dialogue procedure as it has remained mostly focused on energy emanations, and the bulk of Brazil ‘s emanations are emitted from the forestry sector. The Lula disposal has seen clime alteration dialogues as chance to make partnerships that will affect the transportation of engineerings between developed and developing states. The Brazilian authorities is besides timeserving, in that it uses climate alteration dialogues as a platform to show its way towards economic growing and societal development, leading amongst developing states and its emerging function in the South America part and in the international domain. Indirectly, Lula has used international forums on clime alteration to showcase to the universe that Brazil is steadfastly in control of issues that affect Amazonia.DecisionThe state of affairs in the Legal Amazon has been described as President Lula ‘s concluding great confrontation whilst in office and an scrutiny of his security, development and environmental policies demonstrates that the part has been a important component of his expansive scheme. Although the Brazilian Federal Government has tailored much of its recent security and foreign policy to integrate more preservation and sustainable development schemes, the effectivity of these has frequently been called into inquiry. In order to guarantee long-run advancement and fulfill the international community ‘s environmental scruples, Brazil must endeavor to equilibrate the development of its economic system and affairs of preservation. Faced with the chance of the ‘internationalisation of Amazonia ‘ a sequence of Brazilian governments has exhibited an purpose of protecting against the invasion of Brazilian sovereignty over the Legal Amazon. Even with a displacement in leading later this twelvemonth with the approaching elections, it is extremely likely that this stance will predominate and that Amazonia will busy a cardinal function in geopolitics for Brazil as it is non merely significantly rich in natural resources which is important to development, but besides subsists as a strong symbol of patriotism. Alexander Lopez, ‘Environmental Change, Security and Social Conflicts in the Brazilian Amazon ‘ ( 1999 ) 5 Environmental Change & A ; Security Project Report 26, 27. Naval College article hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7538480.stm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.maryallegretti.blogspot.com/2006/04/como-era-verde-o-meu-vale.html Naval college article Environmental Degradation What Is Environmental Degradation? Environmental degradation is a result of socio-economical, technological and institutional activities. Degradation occurs when Earth's natural resources are depleted. These resources which are affected include: †¢Water †¢Air †¢Soil The degradation also impacts our: †¢Wildlife †¢Plants †¢Animals †¢Micro-organisms How Environmental Degradation Occurs Environmental changes are based on many factors including: †¢Urbanization †¢Population growth †¢Economic growth †¢Intensification of agriculture †¢Increase in energy use †¢Increase in transportationOur land, water and soil are compromised when people exhaust resources or release harmful chemicals into the air. Deforestation, wasting resources, and pollution all add to the demise of an environmentally-sound and safe planet. For example, when trees in forests are cut down in large quantities, so that more homes can be built on the land, the bi rds and wildlife who lived in the forest must find a new place to live. The vegetation that once grew on the land is destroyed. Trees that absorbed carbon dioxide to help the biosphere are now unable to do so.If the wood from the trees is used to make products and those products (such as paper) are later recycled, that is one hopeful aspect for the planet. However, some times trees are just cut down and burned. This is what is known as slash and burn, a practice that only destroys forests and all that live in them. Unfortunate Impacts of Environmental Degradation When factories produce harmful chemicals and toxic waste into bodies of water, humans suffer. Pesticides and fertilizers can also get into a region's water system and pollute it. Drinking water is contaminated.Some residing in third-world countries are highly effected by the degradation of our planet and these unhealthy practices cause the following: †¢Illnesses †¢Death in children †¢Death in adults Poverty I n many countries in Africa, crop harvests are falling as consumption increases. People are finding less nutritious food to eat. One argument held is that while fields in wealthier nations are used to grow crops for biofuel, poorer countries, especially those around the Equator, are vulnerable to weather changes, water shortages, and urbanization. All of these factors are increasing the health and lives of thousands.Some scientists and environmentalists are asking that non-food items and agriculture waste be used as alternative fuel for vehicles instead. Losing Earth's Beauty As humans dump waste products, use chemicals, and over fish in the oceans and seas, areas of beauty such as coral reefs are damaged. At times the destruction is so great that is cannot be reversed. We are killing our planet and the consequences are tremendous. One example of this lies within the coast lands of Thailand. Here marine and coastal resources at risk. Vast areas of mangrove wetlands have been lost.Cor al reefs continue to suffer degradation, and the total fish available for catching is declining. Not only is the degradation causing marine and coastal resources to be lost, but this issue holds large economic problems. When there are not enough fish to catch, fishermen are without income to support themselves and their families. In some coastal towns, the shores are eroding at a rate of one to five meters per year. This results in an annual loss of more than six billion baht ($150 million) in economic terms. How to Stop Degradation There are ways which you can help to decrease degradation in our environment.Some of these include: †¢Purchase recycled products †¢Conserve water †¢Do not litter or toss waste into inappropriate places †¢Conserve energy †¢Join an awareness group †¢Talk with others about the impacts of environmental degradation †¢Be an advocate to save our planet! Conclusion: The impact of environmental disasters can be devastating on th e social, economic, and environmental systems of a country or region as well as the global ecosystem. Environmental disasters do not recognise man-made borders, and threaten the legacy left to future generations of a clean and supportive environment.Because of the interdependency of earth ecosystems international co-operation is paramount to prevent, and when disaster strikes, respond to relieve quickly and effectively the effects of environmental disasters. Thus, Governments, International organizations and communities must work together – at all levels – to lessen the risks associated with environmental degradation and its contributing factors, such as climate change, and ensure that vulnerable people are prepared to survive and adapt. At the same time, companies, organizations and individuals must also ensure that their work is environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Obsession in Frankenstein - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1983 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Frankenstein Essay Did you like this example? The Dangers of Obsession in Frankenstein Frankenstein is the story of Victor Frankenstein, a man whose passions lead to tragic outcomes. Victors intensity and obsessions drive his thirst for knowledge and ultimately, these passions lead him to create a destructive creature. This being that Victor brings to life also develops obsessions that blind the creature from reality, similar to Victor himself. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Obsession in Frankenstein" essay for you Create order As a result, the two characters act irrationally and fail to recognize the consequences of their actions. By illustrating the the dangers of obsessive behavior and poorly thought out decisions, the novel highlights the link between obsession and tragic consequences. Shelleys Frankenstein portrays an array of characters consumed in and, ultimately by, their obsessions; specifically, Victors addiction to creating life and both the creatures and Victors craze for revenge, leading to tragic results. The novel makes it explicit that obsession must be handled cautiously and has distinct limits; ones inability to stay within these limits is what leads to tragedy. This negative portrayal of obsession is a constant theme that runs throughout Frankenstein. For instance, the most tragic parts of the novel â€Å" such as the murder of Victors family, creation of the being, and battles for revenge â€Å" are all events directly caused by some form of obsession. When Walton first meets Victor, although he is unfamiliar with him, he quickly recognizes Victors distorted state as an effect of his obsessive episodes. Walton comments that Victor,appeared to despise himself for being the slave of passion (Shelley 37). Although it may be a common perception that being fixated and passionate beneficially pushes one to their fullest potential, in this novel, having all the passion and obsession in the world is not necessarily a recipe for becoming great (MacPhee, Jack). Rather, the passion Victo r and the creature possess are what results in Frankensteins disastrous end. Victors overly passionate attitude towards knowledge is what commences his tragic downfall. His interest with science and learning is sparked as he witnesses a tree get struck by lightning as a child. As the tree is being destroyed in front of Victors young eyes, he entered on the explanation of a theory which he had formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism (Shelley 47). This specific moment was the start of Victors dangerous obsession and yearning for knowledge. However, this was just the beginning; his studies and passion for understanding reaches its peak when he attends the University of Ingolstadt. There, what started as a harmless interest in science, spirals out of control and puts Victor in jeopardy. As he becomes increasingly indulged in his studies, Victor is unable to recognize the limits of human knowledge that lie within every field (Destructive Consequences of Single Minded Obsessions). As Victor carelessly passes through these limits and attains a profound understanding of science, he is led onto the path to make a terrible mistake: to create life. Victor eventually recognizes the dangers that too much knowledge can lead to at the end of the novel; he says to Walton, Learn from me, if not by my precept, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow (Shelley 56). Although at this point in time, Victors realization is too late to free him of suffering, his advice to Walton shows a sense of remorse for his heedless actions and decisions, an apparent result of his obsession with knowledge. Once Victor has his mind set towards creating life, his determination to complete the task is set, and he cannot be dissuaded. During the beings creation, nothing is more important to Victor than succeeding in this mission â€Å" including his family, health, social life and overall well-being. While working on the task of producing life, Victor finds himself lost in his work, failing to take proper care of himself. After months of staying confined in his apartment, working towards the tiresome and perilous goal of creating life, Victor becomes ill. After months of not giving his health the attention it so desperately needed, Victor is left deprived of rest and strength. He stays in this unhealthy condition for the entire two-year span of the monsters creation. During this period, Victor completely secludes himself from his family and his friends. Too focused on finishing his creation, Victor stops writing letters and checking up on his loved ones. This single-minded obsession blows out of proportion and prevents Victor from recognizing the consequences his creation may have, leaving him unable to keep his own invention on track (Destructive Consequences of Single Minded Obsessions). Victors fixation on generating life also robbed him of his sense of balance and self-control. At a later point in the novel, Victor reflects back on his obsession as something that he desired with an ardour that far exceeded moderation (Shelley 60). Without moderation, Victor is unable to realize or comprehend the effects that creating this being may have on him, his loved ones, and society. The issues caused by Victors unquenchable passion for knowledge and determination to produce life were not short-lived; rather, they were enduring tragedies. Resulting from these obsessions was the abandonment of the being by his very own creator. Once Victor completes his long-awaited goal and sees the creatures yellow eyes come to life, he states, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (Shelley 60). At this point of the novel, Victor finally sees the dangers of his creature. Victor is overwhelmed with fear and shock, abandoning the creature who must now fend for himself. With no guide or creator by his side, the creature is unleashed to society with no understanding of the world, no companionship nor aid to help him adjust to life. Without Victors support and presence, the being does not know right from wrong, putting those around him in serious danger. These factors, all a result of Victors obsessions, lead the creature to committing crimes later on in Frankenstein, some caused by feelings of resentment, others by pure hatred for Victor. William, Victors little brother, was the first victim in the novel to feel the creatures wrath. The being strangles the young boy with his bare hands once he realizes that William is related to Victor, the source of all his unhappiness and loneliness. Throughout Frankenstein, the creature continues his rampage by systematically attacking Victors family and loved ones. This catastrophic end highlights how Victor fails to think through what will come of the monster once it is alive, leading to more tragedy as the monster unleashes destruction on Victors family. Victor passes through several obsessive periods throughout Frankenstein, one of them involving revenge â€Å" more specifically, Victor seeking vengeance on his very own creation. Victor is particularly bent on revenge after the death of William and Justine, two of his loved ones (In Frankenstein, how does Shelley show that Victor and and the creature are both obsessed with revenge?). Both were killed as a result of the creatures actions; William was directly murdered by him, and Justine was killed after being set up and falsely accused of Williams murder. Victor immediately begins to detest the monster once he realizes that the creature was responsible for these tragedies. His feelings of abhorrence could not be restrained within him; after the deaths of William and Justine, Victor says,my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation (Shelley 87). As the monster continues to unleash his wrath on Victor and his family, Victor becomes consumed by melancholy and fury, wanting nothing more than to destroy the creature (Brackett, Virginia). From this point on, Victors obsession with revenge continues to grow stronger and more powerful, eventually reaching its peak with the murder of his wife, Elizabeth. With this death, the creature has now taken all of Victors loved ones away from him, forcing Victor to take action and dedicate the rest of his life to capturing the creature he so unwisely brought into this world. Similar to Victor, the creature develops a strong craving for revenge. After showing nothing but affection and kindness to people and receiving violent responses in return, the creature begins to resent the human race. As the creature ponders on his state of isolation, he traces his unhappiness back to Victor, the man who abandoned him and created him to be a hideous outcast among society. After numerous instances in which the creatures unpleasant physical appearance overbears his good nature, he cried out, cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? (Shelley 121). The beings bitterness towards Victor eventually turns into feelings of pure hatred, which can only be satisfied through seeking revenge. A key part of the novel that reflects the creatures desire for revenge takes place when he arranges a bargain with Victor (Mathieu, Mackay). The being agrees to leave Victor and his loved ones alone if, in return, Victor creates a companion for him. Victor agrees to this proposition, in hopes that it will keep the being happy and keep him out of trouble. As Victor is working on producing this new creature, he realizes how this can make matters much worse than what they have already become. In that instant, Victor destroys what was to be the creatures companion, right in front of the beings very eyes. This created a great sense of loss and betrayal in the creature, who says, I shall be with you on your wedding night (Shelley 146); this is equivalent to him swearing ultimate revenge on Victor. Shortly after uttering these words, the creature goes on t o kill Victors best friend and wife. The abiding battle between the creature and Victor, each yearning for revenge on the other, is finally terminated at Frankensteins end. While traveling through the icy cold North Pole in search for the creature, Victor becomes gravely weakened by the weather. Shortly after he is rescued by a ship traveling through the frosty Arctic waters, Victor dies in his ill condition. When the creature learns of Victors death, instead of feeling a sense of satisfaction, the being weeps over his creators lifeless body. With the battle for revenge terminated by Victors death, the creature is able to reflect on his actions with a clear mind and viewpoint; he says, I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin (Shelley 188). Overwhelmed with feelings of remorse, self-hatred, and guilt, the creature runs off, announcing his intentions of killing himself. The journeys for revenge that Victor and the creature embark on not only conclude with the novels end, but also, with the deaths of the two characters. This calamity was a result of two obsessions concerning revenge: Victor with seeking vengeance for the loss of his loved ones, and the creatures wish for obtaining payback for the miserable life Victor set him up to have. The tragedies taking place within Frankenstein are not just consequences of a single action. Rather, they are results of the obsessive tendencies and strong passions both Victor and the creature possess. From the perspective of others, the decisions Victor and the creature choose are poorly thought out and clouded by their passions. However, the tunnel vision outlook of the two characters restrict them from recognizing the risks and dangers their decisions may pose both to themselves and to others. The main cause of tragedy in Frankenstein is the inability of Victor and the creature to suppress their inner-passions and cravings, which causes them to make poor decisions, ultimately leading to the catastrophic end of the novel.