Coriolanus is a man of action who is finally defeated by words Essay

‘Coriolanus is a man of action who is finally defeated by words.’ To what extent do you agree? There is no question that Coriolanus has, like any other tragic hero, a large flaw in his soldier personality, a weakness that could inevitably lead to his downfall. His inability with words against his ability as a warrior is a fatal combination, and this begs the question as to whether it was this one weakness or his military strengths that were ultimately the cause of his defeat. Coriolanus demonstrates right from the beginning of the play that his tactless way with words leads him to become his own worst enemy. In Act 1, Scene 1, Menenius cleverly uses the Parable of the Belly to highlight to the plebeians how fundamental Coriolanus is to their society, that he is ‘the storehouse and the shop of the whole body’ and they couldn’t get by without him. Yet immediately after the citizens have calmed down and accepted Menenius’ speech as ‘an answer’, Coriolanus enters and undoes all that Menenius has said by saying that the ‘dissentious rogues’ are ‘curs†¦hares†¦geese’ who ‘like nor peace nor war’, belittling them first through his use of animal imagery and again by implying their weak and fickle nature. His pride gives him the ability to completely disregard the impact his words will have on others and, eventually, himself, which indeed gives the impression that words, partic ularly his own, will be the destroyers of his position. However, this tendency that Coriolanus has to speak his mind without hesitation reflects his nature as a soldier and the way that it is essential to act instantly on the battlefield, as even the slightest hesitation could be disastrous. As Menenius says, ‘his heart’s his mouth’ and that his mother has ‘bred [him] i’th’wars / Since ‘a could draw a sword, and is ill-schooled / In bolted language’, which clearly shows that the reason he lacks the skill to speak like a true politician is because he has been brought up as a soldier, and soldiers need only to think of their actions and how swiftly they execute them. Communication is unimportant; what proves a fighter’s worth is his wounds not his word, whereas a statesman is the complete opposite. It is therefore apparent that whilst Coriolanus speaks irrationally and with haste in a way that is damaging towards his reputation, it is only because he is adopting his combatant natur e, the only attitude he knows. It is not only his own words, but also the words of others that exacerbate his downfall. The Tribunes in Act 3, Scene 3 manage to persuade the mob that Coriolanus is ‘a traitor to the people’ and that they should withdraw their votes and ‘banish him [their] city’. Shakespeare uses Sicinius provoking Coriolanus into a fuming rage twice to show how strongly and negatively words affect him, as Brutus and Sicinius deliberately ‘suggest the people in what hatred he still hath held them’. In Act 3, Scene 1 the Tribune uses the word ‘shall’, a very forceful word implying necessity, which angers Coriolanus and causes him to make an insulting and vicious speech in an attempt to indicate his power over them. In Act 3, Scene 3, a similar event takes place, where again Sicinius provokes Coriolanus into a furious rage by calling him a ‘traitor’. All Coriolanus’ rant manages to do is make the citizens turn against him even more and convince them to indeed ‘banish him’. This banishment does eventually lead to his death, so in this particular instance the use of words is a key factor in his defeat. Although throughout the majority of the play the tragic hero is seen as a poor public speaker, there are a few examples of words turning from being his enemy to being his friend. Act 1, Scene 4 sees Coriolanus giving a speech to ready his army for battle. Shakespeare cleverly changes his speech into verse for the first time, to highlight the change in the quality of his words and also to emphasise his persuasiveness. He also describes his soldiers as having ‘hearts more proof than shields’, a powerful metaphor designed to inspire them to fight. He treats the men as his ‘fellows’ rather than animals, as well as threatening to kill them if they don’t fight. This authoritative and influential speech made by Coriolanus emphasises the fact that he is able to use words effectively when he needs to. Act 1, Scene 6 also includes a powerful use of rhetoric by Coriolanus when he asks ‘make you a sword of me?’ which incorporates the extended metaphor of the body politic and of all the men working together, a very significant element as it is the first time this play sees the men working as one with the protagonist. These words certainly do not lead to Coriolanus’ downfall, but rather allow him to gain a prestigious title after winning a spectacular battle, demonstrating the true warrior that he is. The reason that things do start to go wrong for Coriolanus, however, is because he is not well suited to be a statesman, as well as the fact that he has to ‘stand for his place’ as consul and is forced to ask the plebeians for their votes, which in the end he does not succeed in getting. Politics are about words and battles are about actions, and Coriolanus is definitely more suited for one than he is for the other. His mother’s aspirations for him to become consul are highly ambitious, yet she ‘doubt[s] not but our Rome will cast upon thee’, whereas he ‘had rather be their servant in [his] way / Than sway with them in theirs’. This makes it apparent that Coriolanus would rather fight than speak as he does not want to be a politician, and it is the first sign of conflict between him and his mother, as well as the first sign of where things begin to take a turn for the worse. Words are evidently not only his enemy but also something that he himself is scared of, reflected in his modest behaviour, and he also says that ‘when blows have made [him] stay [he] fled from words’. He knows that he is not a good speaker and would therefore rather stay a soldier. It is strongly ironic that his greatest enemy isn’t on the battlefield but in fact much closer to home. This certainly shows that Coriolanus is a man of action, and that he is trying to avoid being defeated by words, although he does not succeed. Volumnia did not just have high ambitions for her son after winning his battle; she had been forming him through her words since he was a child to become the person that she could not be, due to the restrictions of Roman society. She ‘rejoiced in [his] absence’ when he was fighting and was ‘pleased to let him seek danger where he was like to find fame’. Honour was what mattered most to her, and her guidance had managed to lead Coriolanus astray, as she steered herself and her son through her delusional plans to make him a great leader. She counts his wounds and ‘thank[s] the gods for’t’, which is a very unaffectionate thing to do. This lack of a true maternal presence in his life is what some believe to be the leading factor that made him abandon Rome to fight alongside Aufidius after he was accused of being a traitor and ultimately what led to his death. This is then another possible example of the use of words against him as his own mother shaped him into the man he became through her words. Although Coriolanus is capable of speaking effectively and using words to his advantage when under pressure, he has essentially been brought up to be a soldier and is therefore not only a victim of the harmful words of others but also incapable of defending himself through his own speeches, which is the fatal flaw in his character that leads him to be defeated. Shakespeare clearly shows that, apart from a few exceptions, Coriolanus is certainly a man of action defeated by words. Bibliography Shakespeare, W. Coriolanus. (L. Bliss, Ed.) The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Coriolanus: Godalming College Study Guide, 2011. Godalming College.

How Does Golding Show Conflict in Lord of the Flies? Essay

In lord of the flies, Golding presents a strong sense of conflict, between the boys, the boys and nature and the boy’s personal lives. The theme of conflict is an important one within the novel, as it helps to represent the disagreement and fighting of World War II which was happening during the time that Lord of the flies was written and that Golding experienced first-hand. Golding’s main message in Lord of the flies was how cruel men could be to one another and conflict is an obvious link to this idea. We begin to see conflict very early in the novel, even before the story begins, as Golding tries to introduce the key themes at the start of the novel. The boys are actually brought to the island itself by the conflicts of World War II. While conflict and violence is happening in the macrocosm that is the world, it starts to arise on the island, a microcosm of the world. We also see conflict and tension between Ralph and Piggy for a number of reasons. Ralph straightaway thinks of himself as superior to Piggy because he is physically more attractive and athletic then Piggy. While Jack is described as a ‘fair boy’ a stereotypical sign of goodness and pureness who ‘might make a boxer as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went’ and with ‘size and attractive appearance’ that ‘marked him out’. Piggy on the other hand is ‘plump,’ ‘shorter than the fair boy and very fat’. Ralph also mocks piggy by calling him by the nickname he dislikes. This is a deliberate act of cruelty as Piggy says confidently: ‘I don’t care what they call me..as long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school†¦They used to call me â€Å"Piggy†.’ But Ralph ignores this and mocks Piggy, he ‘shrieked with laughter †¦Jumped up..†Piggy!†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. He is also rude to him by disregarding his health problem, saying, ‘sucks to your ass-mar!’. This immediate superiority Ralph feels over Piggy and his cruelty towards him could be a representation of how people in society generally act and think, and the behaviour towards thinkers or people with disabilities, that appearance and physical attractiveness is important and superior and that health impairments such as very poor eyesight and asthma marks so meone out as being different and therefore strange. It is also important that Golding has shown that Ralph has the capability to be cruel. Although we later find out that he is a representation of democracy, Ralph as a person can’t be holey good but he can’t be holey evil either. This links to Golding’s main message of Lord of the flies, which was inspired by seeing the awful things men could do to one another: that man, no matter how good, democratic or orderly can be holey good and are capable of being cruel, mostly for no valid reason and often as a result of discrimination and hunger for power. We also see a feature of emotional conflict between the boys. Ralph’s father is in the navy, another person who contributes to the conflict within the world and the island. As well as this, he is not only in the navy but a commander in the navy and taught Ralph how to swim. When Ralph asks Piggy about his father, piggy ‘flushes suddenly’ and replies: ‘‘My dad’s dead’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I used to live with my auntie†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. His words give us the indication that his father is dead, his mother has left him and that his auntie used to look after him but no longer w ants him. His upbringing, especially in comparison to Ralph’s, makes him feel insignificant and upset and evokes pathos in the reader. From this, and his cockney accent (‘all them other kids’, ‘we was attacked’) we can conclude that Piggy represents the underclass in the 1950s. However, out of all the boys, the majority of which attended private school or were educated in grammar school, piggy is the best one, even though he has had to live in care and has been neglected through his childhood, all things which Golding uses to make the reader feel empathy and sympathy towards him. As a character, Piggy is the cleverest among the boys: ‘what intelligence had been shown was traceable to piggy’ but he is really a weak boy with good ideas. Golding could be making a point that your background does not necessarily determine how intelligent you are and that a lower class child can be very intelligent. We experience more tension between Ralph and Piggy due to Ralph’s attitude that he is superior, through linguistic conflict. Piggy continuously asks Ralph questions, such as ‘what’s your name?’, ‘you haven’t seen the others have you?’ and making comments and telling Ralph about himself: ‘My auntie told me not to run†¦on account of my asthma’ and ‘I expect we’ll want to know all there names’. He is enthusiastic and keen to talk to Ralph, possibly due to the usual lack of attention he receives back home. However Ralph ‘tried to be offhand and not too obviously uninterested’ and replied to Piggy’s comments with just a shake of his head or not even acknowledging him at all. As well as this, when Piggy asked Ralph his name he ‘waited to be asked his name in turn but this proffer of acquaintance was not made’. This yet again shows how Ralph thinks of himself as superior to Piggy and doesn’t feel he needs to treat or show piggy the same respect and interest that he gave to Ralph. Piggy also partly creates a gap between himself and Ralph by following Ralph and showing so much interest in him. Piggy ‘hung steadily at his shoulder’ and ‘stood by him, breathing hard’. This could show that Ralph has a natural sense of leadership about him which makes Piggy feel as though he should look up to him. However, it is mainly due to the fact that Piggy is neglected, of love and also friendship, which makes him feel he needs to attach himself to someone like Ralph. As well as this, Piggy is frightened by the prospect of ‘no grown-ups’ and needs a sense of authority, like Ralph, to latch onto. We can see how nervous and lacking in confidence Piggy can be, due to neglect as he ‘took off his glasses†¦then started to wipe them’, an action he seems to be doing all the time. This fidgeting behaviour is especially seen when Piggy is feeling particularly insignificant and upset talking about his upbringing: ‘†My dad’s dead,’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦. He took of his glasses and looked vainly for something with which to clean them on’. Another important conflict within the book can be seen between two of the main leaders, Ralph and Jack. Before the boys even interact with each other we can foresee that there will be tension between the two characters. Jack’s choir is describes a ‘creature’. This description could indicate that the choir (le d by Jack) cloud later become more savage, like a ‘creature’. As well as this, the colour black that Jack and the choir’s uniforms are made from is symbolic, with black being symbolising evil and bad things. The description of Ralph is set in antithesis of Jack – Jack is described as ‘black’ and ‘ugly’ and Ralph as ‘golden’. Later in the book we see that the two boys makes choices and live in ways that would be expected by their description, Jack as savage and cruel and Ralph as democratic and reasonable. Golding could be implying that one can make valid judgements from appearance. He also writes that Jack was ‘underneath the floating cloak†¦tall, thin and bony. His face was crumpled and freckled and ugly with silliness’. This description once again draws up an image of Jack being a ‘bad’ character because of his ugliness. However, by using the modifier ‘without t silliness’, Golding modifies the statement on Jack’s appearance, that although he is ugly, the children would not be able to laugh at him. This could represent Jack’s power and intimidation towards the other children through sheer appearance and manner. Jack also speaks in imperative sentences (e.g. ‘choir, stand still! ) and the boys ‘huddled together’ in fear of him and stand with ‘wearily obedience’. This shows us they are used to taking orders from Jack. We can also see that Jakc thinks of himself as having superiority, as he wants to be called by his surname ‘Merridew’. Jack is obviously from a posh background and will have been to private school. Having characters like Jack and Ralph as leaders, boys who attended public school, could be Golding’s representation of society, how many leading roles and responsibilities are taken by upper-class privately educated people, while many lower-class people, some who may be intelligent like piggy, are left behind, as they have not been in an environment where being confident and superior is normal and expected. When it comes to actually voting for a chief, ‘the most obvious leader was Jack’, described by Golding as ‘this was the voice of one who knew his own mind’. This shows us that Jack already asserts himself as a leader in opposition to that of Ralph who doesn’t. However it is Ralph who is chosen by the boys to be chief. It is not only ‘his size and attractive appearance’, but there was also ‘a stillness about Ralph†¦that marked him out’ and ‘most powerfully there was the conch†¦the being that had blown that†¦was set apart’. The conch links to democracy, order and civilised society and there is a link between Ralph, ‘the being that had blown that’, that the boys also see. Golding would have been making the point that the boys chose, even when they didn’t know him, Ralph, the link to democracy, order and civilised society, to be their chief because a democratic leader is the right leader to have and the boys can see this and therefore choose Ralph even without knowing him. When Jack did not get voted as chief, ‘the freckles disappeared on jack’s face under a blush of mortification’. This shows us how embarrassed, angry and upset Jack was for not being chosen as Chief. This could be a point of conflict between Ralph and Jack within the book, however Ralph tries to keep peace with jack and ‘looked at him, eager to offer something’. This demonstrates Ralph’s eagerness to be a good and fair leader. However, another point at which Ralph tries to avoid conflict between Jack and himself is when laughs at Jack’s name calling at piggy and says, ‘he’s not fatty†¦his real name’s Piggy!’. This brings Ralph and Jack closer and creates common ground between them but yet again demonstrates the fact that Ralph can be capable of cruelty. We also see Ralph’s attempts to avoid conflict with Jack over the role of leader by allowing jack that ‘the choir belongs to you obviously.’ This action gives Jack some leadership and makes him feel more powerful as well as foreshadowing Ralph’s later attempts to break the conflict between him and Jack and bring the two together again. Nearing the end of the chapter, we experience the boy’s conflict with nature. This is represented by Golding, when the boys go to push a rock down from its original place on the mountain top. During their attempt, ‘the great rock loitered, poised on one toe’. This behaviour, and other actions, is typical of the way humans have often treated the planet, destroying natural objects or areas from their original state for human need and want. Golding was aware that humankind is stupid enough to destroy the very land that gives it food and life and we see this idea explored further in the novel, when the boyâ₠¬â„¢s destroy a lot of food and firewood, elements that keep them alive, in a n uncontrollable fire. This, and the rolling of the rock, demonstrates that even if the boys are intelligent or strong humans, they will never really overpower nature and that it will always be in conflict with them. As well as this, the rolling of the rock down the mountain side is proleptic of Piggy’s death. We later also see that Jack experiences self-conflict. During Simon, Ralph and Jack’s expedition of the island they come across a pig which Jack tries to kill, but isn’t able to. He felt he couldn’t, as he understood ‘what an enormity the downward stroke would be’. The boys also ‘knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife: descending and cutting into living flesh: because of the unbearable blood.’ This shows us that Jack is not yet be far enough removed from civilised society to be able to kill a pig. However, he ‘snatched his knife’ and ‘slammed it into a tree trunk’, saying, ‘Next time!’ and ‘he looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict’. This shows that his natural, evil, menacing and savage instincts are in him that only now on the island are recently coming across. Notice how Golding uses the verb ‘flesh’, a word which is not clearly specific to a pig and could easily be confused with the ‘flesh’ of a human. This shows us that when jack does ‘next time’ kill, his knife could be coming down into the flesh of a pig, or the flesh of a human. It is important that Golding has introduced the variety of conflicts in the first chapter, so that the key themes are established early on and can develop throughout the book and as to foreshadow events that will happen later on in the novel.

Outsourced

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Public argument - Essay Example As a result, there has been an increase in the size of the deserts in the world. Initially people would rely on rain-fed agriculture (Bredahl 26). However, this is not possible anymore. The seasons have become more unpredictable. In addition, some adverse weather conditions have been experienced in various parts of the world. These conditions have affected the ability of the current resources to sustain the increasing population†. †Genetically modified crops produce high yields. The crops have been genetically engineered in order to produce more produce that other crops. As a result, the crops can be used to fight the increasing levels of food insecurity in the world. The statistics indicate one person dies each day as a result of hunger. Therefore, the genetically modified foods can close this gap by ensuring that the world has adequate food to feed the current generation. As a community we need to be in the forefront in fighting hunger in the world. However, we cannot achieve this noble idea with the current production practices†. â€Å"The increased use of pesticides by farmers has created strains of pests that are resistant to the pesticides. This aspect is affecting the level of production by the farmers across the world. In addition, some pest causes some crop diseases which affect the productivity of the crops. Nevertheless, genetically modified crops have the ability to resist the pests, an aspect that plays a significant role in increasing the yields†. â€Å"According to Bredahl (31) genetically modified foods have high nutrient contents. Currently, the world is struggling with the increasing number of people suffering from heart diseases, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases that are associated with obesity. This results from consuming foods with unbalanced nutrients value. Genetically modified foods close this gap by ensuring that the foods have the correct nutrient content.

Business Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business Data Analysis - Essay Example The distribution of sales from each customer is analyzed to identify the most important customers. The call times for various calls are analyzed to identify the number of employees that need to be kept. Based on the analysis done, it is evident that company needs to analyze its performance with respect to quarter as well as profit center. The company needs to have 5 employees making sales calls. At the same time, the company was able to identify the most profitable customers on whom it needs to focus on. Introduction Laurel McRae has recently joined Handy Hydraulics for data analysis and strategic planning. In order to analyze the performance of the sales of the organization, Laurel collected the data for the sales for third and fourth quarter of 1990 and first and second quarter of 1991. She also collected the data regarding the machines and the days when they are working and various alternatives to replace the existing system. Number of calls received per hour was collected to anal yze the sales call being made and number of employees that shall be entrusted with the responsibility of handling calls. She also collected data regarding sales from each customer. This data enables Laurel find the company’s most profitable and least profitable customers. ... answers: Answer 1 a.) Histograms and relative frequency distributions of the company’s daily average order size for quarters 1 and 2 In the simplest of terms, histogram can be defined as a series of contiguous bars or rectangles representing frequency of the data in given intervals (Black, 2009). Histogram is a very useful tool to analyze the frequencies of different class interval. The daily average order size can be calculated as dividing the total sales by total orders. The table below shows the frequency table for the organization’s daily average order size for Q1 and Q2: Range Frequency Q1 Frequency Q2 220 0 0 Table 1: The frequency distribution table for daily average order size for Q1 and Q2 As can be seen from the table, majority of the frequency is concentrated towards the middle. The frequencies for Q1 as well as Q2 are 0 for all the intervals till the average order size of 59. While there is no daily average order size above 220 for Q1, there is no daily aver age order size above 200 for Q2. The best way to analyze this frequency distribution table is to analyze the histogram. The graph below shows the histogram for the company’s daily average order size for Q1 and Q2: Figure 1: Histogram of company’s daily average order size for Q1 and Q2 As can be seen from the graph, the frequency for both the seasons can be thought of following a normal curve. For Q2, the highest frequency is in the range of 100-119, while for Q1, the highest frequency is in the range of 120-139. b.) Quarterly charts for the company’s total number of orders per day The table below shows the frequency distribution for the total number of orders

The Role of Older Australians in Family Life Assignment

The Role of Older Australians in Family Life - Assignment Example Contrary to other countries which are giving little importance or no importance at all to older people, Australia recognizes the essential role that older people assume in the society. They specifically believe that older Australians play an active and significant role in family life. This recognition serves as a proof that Australians are indeed family-oriented. As such, for the purpose of this essay, the older Australian’s family life, living arrangements and inter-generational role shall be discussed. Also, the change of their roles and activities beyond eighty years of age shall be analyzed. Generally, when one reaches the old age, he or she is somehow considered as irrelevant to the economic growth of a community. One may base this argument on the fact that old people often retire from work and are eventually left at home. This consequence is viewed by some as disadvantageous to one’s family as well as to the government. The reason of which primarily revolves around the idea of â€Å"financial cost.† On the part of the family concerned, the presence of old people at home means â€Å"additional dependents.† With regard to the government’s side, an increase of the aging population which is higher than the rate of those newly born means lesser workforce and more funding for services like healthcare and medicine. In connection, Australia is observed to have been experiencing a problem with â€Å"aging population† (De Vaus, Gray & Stanton, 2003). For older Australians (aging sixty-five years and older), family life consists of two important matters, living arrangement, and inter-generational role.  

Environmental Injustice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Injustice - Research Paper Example Environmental injustice can be termed as the unequal distribution of hazardous substances in the environment and the inequitable implementation of environmental laws. For decades, minority groups in the United States have always grappled with racially-based environmental injustices. Numerous reports and case studies have pointed out that the United States government is biased in its implementation of environmental laws and policies, particularly in connection with the disposal of toxic wastes. This report seeks to examine the relevance of inappropriate dumping of toxic wastes as an environmental injustice in the United States. Who is most affected by the dumping of toxic wastes in the United States? According to Massey, the government deliberately targets colored people in the construction of waste facilities and sanctioning of poisons and pollutants in areas occupied by people-of-color, such as Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina, among others (5). Industries in the United States pro duce high volumes of hazardous wastes, and due to their hazardous nature, these wastes should be disposed in storage and treatment facilities. However, these materials still have the capacity to affect nearby residents, especially in case of explosions, leaks, and accidents brought about by ineffective management policies by the government. As such, Bullard, Mohai, Saha & Wright state that most residents, particularly those with political, legal, economic, and technical power usually oppose the erection of such facilities in their locale (50). Unfortunately, people-of-color do not have such powers thus it is common to find these facilities in the communities occupied by colored people. It is, thus correct to allude that the tendency to construct waste management facilities in areas inhabited by people-of-color is a racial environment injustice. According to Kibert, the government analyses the risk of putting up waste management facilities in an area, by calculating the number of â⠂¬Å"acceptable† deaths that can be caused by exposure (172). It, therefore, begs the question whether it is more acceptable for colored people in the United States to die of exposure, considering that these facilities are mostly constructed in their locale. Effects of dumping toxic wastes near human populations In analyzing the effects that toxic wastes have on people who are exposed to these wastes, it is important to understand that â€Å"toxicity† is determined by the chronic effect that a substance can have on human health. People living in close proximity to facilities designated for the dumping of toxic wastes suffer from numerous health-related problems, occasioned by exposure to these wastes. For such communities, therefore, exposure to toxic substances leads to decline in health, which then translates to high mortality rates in the said populations. This means that there is a large discrepancy between the mortality rates of white American and colored Americans in as far as deaths related to toxic wastes exposure are concerned. One of the most dangerous effects of toxic waste contamination from Trichloroethylene (TCE), which according to Bullard

Jose Rizals Life Essay Example for Free

Jose Rizals Life Essay 1. Surname-â€Å"Rizal† Jose Rizal and his family got the surname Rizal from his Chinese ancestor Domingo Lameo. Rizal means Ricial or grains, and they started using it 1731. His true surname is Mercado, but to keep his family safe he used the surname Rizal. His brother insisted that he adopt the name Rizal in order to avoid the obvious stigma that the Alonzo y Mercado name had recieved from Pacianos association with Father Burgos, and the familys prominence in the native community. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_Jose_Rizal_get_his_surname_Rizal#ixzz1C3si8ka5 http://www.schillerinstitute.org/educ/hist/rizal.html 2. Jose Rizal’s reason in going out of the country Rizal went out of the country because he wants to discover,explore other places and to learn new things. Rizal went to other countries to study, he also wants to learn different languages, he studied medicine because he wants to give cure of his mother’s eyes. Rizal build up businesses, experiencing life to the fullest while he’s out of the country, he changes his girlfriend whenever he wants. But going out of the country is not about pleasure, Rizal was there to hide, because he’s life was already in danger that he has to hide for awhile. There are many accussations thrown on him during those times. He has to go out of the country with all his love for his family and for all the filipinos; to protect his family and his countrymen. If he choses to expose himself to the opponent, whole filipinos life will be in much danger than it really was. 3. Part of Rizal’s life  2 May 1883 – Visitacià ³n 8 – 3rd floor, No. 4 Yesterday, one year ago I left my home to come to this country. How many illusions one entertained and how many deceptions! Yesterday, all day and night, I kept recalling all that had happened to me since then. I took my diary and read it, which reminded me of faded impressions. Though sick, Ill continue my diary because I see that it is most useful and above all it consoles the soul when nothing more remains of its former treasures. This morning I went to see the celebration of Dos de Mayo (2nd May) [05]. There were many people around the obelisk where I saw a tiny altar with some candles. Everywhere could be heard the cries of newspaper vendors which recalled the 2nd of May. In the afternoon we Zamora, Villanueva, and I went to see the civic procession. Many soldiers and members of the different corporations. The King does not attend this national celebration. I received from the Philippines a letter of L.R. [06] of 26 March. * Rizal went out of the country because of his true love for the country and his family. He wants to protect those people that he really love. During the day that he wrote it, he’s sick, he’s like crying everything to his diary and that is the best that he did, to write, he write everything coz he knows that those writings will be very useful to help and save his country, but what i like about it is that he uses a diary in dealing with his emotions, the diary is like someone who will collect every details of your story. It’s almost a treasure, it holds everything even secrets. During that sad moment, rizal recalls some moments of his life, from the day that he’s in the Philippines up to the day that he has to leave for the sake of everyone. With a diary, everything was just like yesterday. I was really touched will this part of his diary. Even he’s sick he still keeps on writing, i can really realate here, i can imagine him writing while recalling those sad moments of his life, it’s painful and really wanna makes me cry, because Rizal has been a very good man ever since he was born, Rizal was full of love, he’s really humble, and being humble is not an easy thing to learn. It’s not just about doing good things, it’s about doing good things from the heart, and Rizal was always sincere on what he intended to do same with what he really does..even sacrificing his own life, from his heart he sincerely wants to give it up just to save every life of his country men. And that intention will never be easy to do, you will just learn to do it when you’re humble and full of love just like Rizal, his intentions are good and it really reflects him . Life of rizal was not that good at all, he has to sacrifice, he has to suffer, he has to hide even tough all that he want was to write and make the filipinos realize that they’re being cheated and abused by those foreigner, those people who came from other country was very deceitful, they’ve been a dictator and pretentous that the filipinos are not awared of it and they let their fears and stupidity control them. He died beacuse of his love for every filipino and it’s not right to question him being our national hero, after all that he has done, Rizal’s diaries has been very useful, all of his writings are useful, it really tells how he fought for our country in more simple ways. Every writings has a story to tell. I like every part of Rizal’s life when he’s writing, i don’t know all that he write but i like that he is writing. It’s not just about the diary, i mean everytime that he write. Coz i want to write as well as if i’m a writer but i don’t know where to start coz i think you really have to be knowledgeable, it’s not just you’ll write but you have to make sure that it has an appeal and it will effectively influence the readers, so i am really amazed because Rizal was very smart and god has given him that talent to write, he’s full of passion on everything. Before and now, he is a very good author of those well known books. He has influence everyone before to fight with him for the country against those user and abusive people from other country.

Disasters In Tamilnadu Coastal States

Disasters In Tamilnadu Coastal States Natural Disasters like Cyclone, Flood and Tsunami have been affecting the coastal communities for a long time. The prime reason behind this impact is the lack of last mile communications. In a disaster situation, timely warnings allow people to take actions that save lives, reduce damage to property and minimize human suffering. To facilitate an effective warning system, there is a major need for better coordination among the early warning providers as well as those handling logistics and raising awareness about disaster preparedness, security and management. There are many new communication technologies that allow warning providers not only to reach the people at risk but also to personalize their warning message to a particular situation. Opportunities are available right now to significantly reduce loss of life and properties if disaster warning systems can be improved. In this study, the researcher analyzes how various forms of Radio plays an important role in disseminating infor mation among the people during emergencies using survey and interviews. This paper also looks into the effective role of ICT in communicating security planning, preparedness and risk management strategies to coastal communities in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Keywords: natural disasters, communication, technology, radio, village information centres DISASTERS IN TAMILNADU, A COASTAL STATE IN INDIA India is one of the most disaster prone countries of the world. It has had some of the worlds most severe droughts, famines, cyclones, earthquakes, chemical disasters, rail accidents, and road accidents. The developing countries are becoming increasingly exposed to greater numbers of natural and man-made disasters, resulting in larger numbers of people becoming victims. It is estimated that between 1980 and 1984, about 800 disasters affected the lives of about 400 million people in the world. The high density of population in the developing countries, especially in the high risk coastal areas, results in several millions of people getting affected by natural disasters, especially in recurring disasters like floods, cyclones, storm surges, etc. Tamilnadu being one of the 28 states of India lies on the eastern coast of the southern Indian peninsula bordered by Puducherry (Pondicherry), Kerela, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Since Tamilnadu and Puducherry were located in the coastal areas of Bay of Bengal, the natural disasters such as Tsunami, Floods, Cyclone takes away the lives of many people which include damage to the properties. Over 1000 killed as Tsunami hits Eastern and South coastal areas in India. Over a thousand people have been killed in tidal waves in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry was the worst affected with possibly over 800 people killed. At least 350 people have been confirmed dead in Tamil Nadu with over 100 people dead in Chennai alone. As many as 239 people have been killed in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, while in Nagapatnam; the number of dead has been confirmed as 273. INFORMATION NEEDS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT The information needs of disaster management deals with collection of two categories of disaster-related data: â‚ ¬Ã‚  Pre-disaster baseline data about the country and risks; and Post-disaster real-time data about the impact of a disaster and the resources available to combat it. Similarly, the disaster management functioning procedure is dealt with two types of activities: â‚ ¬Ã‚  Pre-disaster activities: analysis and research (to improve the existing knowledge base), risk assessment, prevention, mitigation and preparedness; and Post-disaster activities: response, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The ability of leaders and administrators to make sound disaster management decisions to analyze risks and decide upon appropriate counter-measures can be greatly enhanced by the cross-sectoral integration of information. COMMUNICATION FACILITIES FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT Communication is a major bottleneck in case of any major disaster particularly when the traditional network system already in force brakes down. In order to strengthen communications, it has been decided that police network (POLNET) will also be used for disaster management. For this purpose POLNET communication facility was extended to District Magistrates, Sub Divisional Magistrates as well as the Control Rooms. For emergency communication, mobile satellite based units which can be transported to the site of the disaster are being procured. A group was constituted to draw a comprehensive communication plan for disaster management nd the report has since been received. This provides for a dedicated communication system for disaster management with built in redundancies. Communication and education can play a proactive role in mitigation through awareness about the types of disaster and as to how prevention measures can be taken up. There is also a Satellite based communication system called the Cyclone Warning Dissemination Systems (CWDS) for transmission of warnings. There are 250 cyclone-warning sets installed in the cyclone prone areas of east and west coast. The general public, the coastal residents and fishermen, are also warned through the Government machinery and broadcast of warnings through AIR and Television. The use of satellite, computers, electronics, better communication facilities are make significant difference in disaster management. The data processing and computers are providing a useful tool in decision making in disaster. OBJECTIVES To study the various communication technologies applied for the inter-organizational communication for disaster management in Cuddalore, a coastal state of TamilNadu. To investigate the effectiveness of VHF Radio System based EWS in disseminating early warning to coastal communities in Cuddalore. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT The role of Government in disaster management is to provide a central, coordinated plan of action to address the damage caused by a disaster as well as the needs of the people affected. They also address the degree of risk present within an emergency situation. They repair the hazardous conditions such as polluted water supplies, damaged power lines, and inadequate housing. When needed, civil defense units such as the National Guard is called to maintain order within a disaster situation. Emergency management also involves providing the support necessary to prepare and rebuild a community aftermath a disaster. Government agencies also provide the lines of communication needed to keep responders in touch with government and public officials. Mobile communications systems are also put in place to provide airlifted networks of communication throughout a particular region. A World Wide Scenario A report on Disaster Management Centre, published by Government of Sri Lanka (2005) provides details regarding the functioning of disaster management centre in Sri Lanka. Hazard Mapping and Risk Assessment, information and data collection are the major functions of this centre. The collected information is disseminated to the communities through mobile phones, loudspeakers, television, radio etc. The article also stresses on the difficulties in communication in an emergency situation. Frequent breakdown in telephone systems, jamming of telephones systems, non-availability of telecommunication facilities in remote villages creates major hindrance in communication during an emergency situation. Kerala State Disaster Management Policy, a report published by Government of Kerala (2009) shows the system and procedure of working of Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). The system of EOC is designed in such a way that the information can be promptly assessed and relayed to concerned people. Rapid dissemination contributes to quick response and effective decision making during emergencies. EOC functions round the clock and maintains direct linkage with district control rooms through phone, fax, wireless and internet. Report also mentions the incidence command system. The Incidence Command System is an organized system of government departments and other agencies that are to be worked under a structured pattern for response and recovery. Disaster Management Policy and Communication Systems, a report published by Government of Japan (2007) brings out the functioning procedure of Disaster Management Communication Systems in Japan. Data gathering and message sending to communities are the major functions of this system. The information collected is disseminated to communities through loudspeakers and sirens. Report also shows the organizational communication between various departments like fire and disaster management centre, telecommunication and broadcast ministry, municipality etc. A Nation wide Scenario The article on Disaster Management, published by Government of India (2004) discusses the activities carried out by the central government at the times of a disaster. The basic responsibility of the government is to undertake rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures, and provision of logistical and financial support to state governments during a disaster. The logistical support includes deployment of aircrafts and boasts, specialist teams of Armed Forces, Central Para Military Forces, arrangements for relief materials essential commodities including medical stores, restoration of critical infrastructure facilities including communication network and such other assistance as may be required by the affected stats to meet the situation effectively. An article on Disaster Management in India, published by Government of India (2005), reveals the functioning procedure of National Emergency Management Authority. Reviewing the status of warning system, mitigation measure and disaster preparedness are its major functions. It suggests the state governments to restructure/re-group the officers/staff within the Department of Disaster Management with definite functions to pursuer the holistic approach to disaster management. The four functional groups to be assigned with specific tasks within departments are, hazard mitigation, preparedness and capacity building, relief and response, administration and finance. Development of National Emergency Communication Plan, an article published by Government of India (2006) recommends a nationwide network between the state governments with triple redundancy and full reliability during emergencies to connect the national, state and district Emergency Operation Centres. In Phase I of the report, it is proposed to establish an Emergency Communication System to provide mobile communication linkages through satellite between on-site disaster response teams to be deployed in remote locations and national and state Emergency Operation Centres. In Phase- II, the plan insists the connectivity using lines with various satellite back ups from the existing networks such as BSNL, Police Network, SPACENET to establish an integrated network among all Emergency Operation Centres and mobile Emergency Operation Centres at disaster sites. State Wide Scenario In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry A report Disaster Management in Tamil Nadu, published by Government of Tamil Nadu (2005) describes the activities carried out by the government in all three phases of disaster management. In Phase I (pre-disaster phase), all district collectors would prepare detailed action plans at local body level and at district level. The public and private sectors, voluntary agencies and community would be actively involved in the formulation of such plans. Formulation of appropriate policies and guidelines for disaster management, risk assessment and mapping of disaster vulnerable areas, establishment of communication network, setting up early warning systems would be carried out in pre-disaster phase. In phase II (disaster phase) warning and evacuation, immediate search and rescue operations, providing medical care, adequate health and sanitation care, provision of safe drinking water, mobilizing funds for relief, rehabilitation, relief packages are carried out in disaster phase. In phase III (post-disaster phase) reconstruction of houses, relocation of affected people, disbursement of funds, redressal of grievances, modification and updation of disaster plans are carried out. Disaster Management Action Plan for Floods Cyclones, a report published by Government of Puducherry (2009) describes the details regarding various organizations like revenue department, fire and rescue department, health department etc. involved in disaster management within Puducherry and their functions. Report also mentions the activities carried out by these departments during a disaster, like revenue department disseminates early warnings before a disaster strikes, fire and rescue department helps in search and rescue process while all the medical needs and disturbances are handled by health department. A report on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for disasters, published by Government of Puducherry (2009) describes the steps prepared in concise form as a response to any kind of disaster. It suggests the sequence of actions to be taken by different departments in central/state/district level. The SOP will respond to all disaster calls, mobilizing staff and fire units, effective management of resources by communication and mobilization of additional resources. It will be altered according to the scene of occurrence and a quick spot decision will be made by the operational in charge in consultation with the controlling officers. ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT Functions at National Level J. P. Saulina Arnold (2006) discusses National Disaster Response Mechanism, which reviews the existing arrangements for preparedness and mitigation of natural/man-made disasters, recommend measures for strengthening organizational structures and recommends a comprehensive model plan for management of the disasters at National, State and District level. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been established with personnel from the Para military forces for strengthening the preparedness and emergency response in the country. Eight battalions of the NDRF have been setup and deployed in strategic locations in the country and the NDRF personnel are being trained and equipped with state-of-the-art life saving equipments, search and rescue equipments, inflatable boats, etc. The NDRF personnel are also being trained for preparing and responding to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies. Vinod Chandra Menon (2009) discusses the role of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). NDMA is chaired by the Prime Minister is the apex body for disaster management in country, which sets up State District Management Authorities for the effective coordination among the central and state to minimize the impact of the disaster. The National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM) has been established as the apex training institute for disaster management in India. NIDM coordinates the capacity building efforts of disaster management faculty in State Training Institutes and also offers a few distance education programmes in disaster management in collaboration with the World Bank Institute. The NIDM also hosts the SAARC Centre for Disaster Management. Vinod K. Sharma (2006) describes the role of National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), which gives direction to the Crisis Management Group as deemed necessary. The Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for ensuring that all developments are brought to the notice of the NCMC promptly. The NCMC can give directions to any Ministry/Department/Organization for specific action needed for meeting the crisis situation. The article also describes the role of National Emergency Management Authority at the National level (NEMA). When a disaster strikes, the Authority will coordinate disaster management activities. The Authority will be responsible for:-  · Coordinating/mandating Governments policies for disaster reduction/mitigation.  · Ensuring adequate preparedness at all levels in order to meet disasters.  · Coordinating response to a disaster when it strikes.  · Coordination of post disaster relief and rehabilitation. Functions at State Level The report Disaster Management in Tamil Nadu, published by Government of Tamil Nadu (2006) describes the role of State Emergency Management Planning Committee (SEMPC). State Emergency Management Plan is prepared for each kind of disaster and the details of the organizational structure for emergency management activities are known. Responsibility of concerned agencies for the execution of rescue, relief and recovery operations and Standard Operating Procedure for each is available. A State Emergency Management Planning Committee (SEMPC) should be constituted with all the stakeholders as members. The report also analyzes the role of State Crisis Group (SCG). State Crisis Group (SCG) enables quick decision making, operational direction and coordination of the issue of warning and execution of rescue, relief and recovery operations. The responsibilities of the SCG would include: On spot decision making Control and coordination of response and recovery activities Resource mobilization and replenishment Monitoring of overall response recovery activities. Preparation of reports for submission to State Government State Emergency Control Room (SECR) ensures all warning and communication systems, instruments are in working condition and collect information on a routine basis from the State departments on the vulnerability of areas to disasters. Functions at District Level The report published by Government of Tamil Nadu (2006) reviews the functioning procedure of disaster management organizations at district level. It is the District Collector who is the focal point at the District level for directing, supervising and monitoring relief measures for disaster and for preparation of District level plans. The relief measures are reviewed by the district level relief committee consisting of official and non-official members including the local legislators and the members of parliament. The Collector maintains close coordination with the Central Government authorities in the districts, namely, the Army, Air Force and Navy, Ministry of Water Resources, etc., who supplement the effort of the district administration in the rescue and relief operation. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT Duke H. Jeong (2006) analyzes the Inter-Organizational Information Management and Communication Breakdowns in Initial Disaster Response Mechanism. During disaster relief operations, collaborative critical decisions are often made by decision-makers from many different organizations and from a diversity of professional fields. Communication breakdowns often hamper the effective coordination of a disaster response, particularly when a multiplicity of Federal, state, local and volunteer organizations takes part in the effort. A communication breakdown is defined as the failure to communicate information due to the inability to obtain critical and needed information and the inability to obtain sufficient information quality to support decision-making. Gauruav Vivek Bhatnagar (2009) discusses the New Network for Disaster Management. Terrestrial Trunked Radio (Tetra) Communication would help establish the countrys first exclusive Government Radio Network (GRN) in Delhi. Tetra network seeks to facilitate swift and secure communication among various government agencies like Police, Fire services, hospitals, Public Works Department and Transport Corporation, the system would of be of great help in any disaster management exercise. Johnson and Zawawi (2002) describe the advances in inter-organizational disaster Management. Inter-organizational disaster response requires collaboration among geographically distributed public and private organizations to enable a rapid and effective response to an unexpected event. In order to ensure coherent coordination among the responding organizations, relevant information needs have to be collected from multiple sources, verified for accuracy and shared with appropriate organizations, all within a short time frame. Humphrey (2009) suggests that disaster management should get proactive by using RPM method. RPM stands for Recognize, Prioritize, and Mobilize to anticipate potential disasters. This approach involves recognizing potential threats, prioritizing them according to their seriousness and mobilizing resources to prevent them from occurring or at least minimizing their impact. Most organizations fail to anticipate threats mainly because of following reasons: Lack of recognition: Leaders remain oblivious to approaching threats and pay no head to warning signs. Lack of prioritizations: Leaders detect a threat but do not consider it serious enough and therefore do not give the attention it deserves. Lack of Mobilization: They recognize a danger and are aware of its seriousness but neglect to take proper action in time. Lawal Billa, Mansor Shattri, Ahmad Rodzi Mahmud and Abdul Halim Ghazali (2006) have discussed about the Comprehensive Planning and the Role of Spatial Decision Support System. Through case study, they have analyzed that the strength of Spatial Decision Support System in the collection and processing of information to speed-up communication between the proponents of the disaster management program. Moreover, Spatial Decision Support System plays an important role in decision-making. Louise K. Comfort (2006) describes the Inter-Organizational Design for Disaster Management. Cognition understanding; communication, coordination and control are the main factors to be concentrated between the organizations of disaster management. Marijn Janssen and Nitesh Bharosa (2005) discuss the Advances in Multi-agency Disaster Management. When a disaster strikes, the complex task environment requires multiple organizations to transform from autonomous actors to interdependent decision-making teams. In order to ensure coherent coordination among the responding organizations, relevant information needs to be collected form multiple sources, verified for accuracy and shared with appropriate responding organizations all within a short time frame. Naim Kapucu (2006) describes the Interagency Communication Networks during Emergencies. He focuses on pre-incident and technical aspects of communication. Pre-incident communications deals among key local disaster response organizations such as law enforcement agencies, fire departments, local emergency management agencies and organizations in the health and welfare sectors. The tool used for communication between organizations during a disaster is mobile communication and computer based networking. Technical problems also inhibit the information exchange. Flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes are all capable of toppling antennas and interrupting normal electrical power. Nigel Martin (2007) has reviewed how regional governments in Asia and other national governments around the world collect, manage and share critical geo-technical information. Through case study, it was concluded that early warning information were not handled by the government in an efficient way before the tsunami wave stroke. No proper technological solutions to provide earthquake and tsunami warning information. N. K. Chhibber (2007) describes the Disaster Communication Network in Maharashtra. VSAT network and VHF radio network has been maintained for the dissemination of emergency information within the state. Ryan, Matheson (2009) analyze the Significance of Communication in Emergency Management. The study attempts to quantity the importance of communication activities to emergency management. Through content analysis, it was founded that there is a rapid improved communication between the organizations. Sir car, Scalem (2004) has described about the Networking of Organizations in four zones of working such as normal stage, pre-disaster stage, disaster stage and post-disaster stage. The role of Revenue department in pre-disaster stage is to collect the warning news from higher officials and pass the information to communities through mobile technology or radio technology. The role of Fire and Rescue Department is to provide rescue and rehabilitation procedure. Soundarya Viswanathan (2009) describes the awareness level among the government officials, representatives of local bodies and general public of disaster. Lack of awareness among them, lead to a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or society, causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses. In order to meet the disaster risk posed by forms of disasters, a system of enormous task must be undertaken such as hazard analysis and dissemination to the community, identification of vulnerabilities to various hazards, eliminating or strengthening the vulnerabilities, capacitating the community for readiness and resilent to all types of hazard. S. Suri (2000) analyzes the reasons behind the Orissa disaster which took away many lives of the people due to the failure of Cyclone Warning Dissemination System (CWDS). Due to the system failure, warnings were not given so to create awareness to the people, which has lead to a major destruction. Only television and radio warnings were given, but not of accurate information. Vinod K. Sharma (2002) describes the overall view of the disaster administration mechanism in the country at the central, the state and the district level also highlighting the role played by the secondary institutions. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) in the agriculture ministry is the nodal department for all matters concerning natural disasters relief at the centre. It transmits all emergency information to all concerned state governments for effective disaster management. The report published by Government of Puducherry (2006) describes the implementation of various communication technologies in Puducherry after tsunami. It describes the activation go emergency operation centre and dissemination of early warming through VHF sets. METHODOLOGY For this study the researcher has adopted survey method which is a quantitative type of research. The tool used for data collection is Questionnaire. Cluster sampling technique was used for data collection from coastal communities in Cuddalore. The sample size is 300. The Survey was conducted to find the mostly employed communication technology for security planning during disasters and the effectiveness of VHF based Early Warning Systems among them. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION The following is the graphical presentation of data collected from the questionnaires. When asked whether they are aware about various disasters, the response was the following: Fig. 1 Awareness level about various disasters Coastal communities are majorly aware of following communication technologies: Fig. 2 Knowledge regarding Communication technologies Communication technologies they have in their homes, which are majorly employed in disaster management are: Fig. 3 Communication technologies used in homes. When asked the source of getting disaster news, the response was the following: Fig. 4 Devices used to getting information regarding disasters. When asked, whether they are informed regularly the alterations in weather conditions, the response was the following: Fig. 5 Updation of weather alterations. They get weather information from, Fig. 6 Organizations that provide weather informations. When asked about the usage of mobile phones in disaster management, the response was following: Fig. 7 Usage of Mobile Phones for disseminating disaster news. When asked whether they are aware of VHF Radio based Early Warning System, the response was following: Fig. 8 Awareness level regarding VHF systems. The Efficiency of VHF Radio based Early Warning System before 2009 is: Fig. 9 Efficiency of VHF systems before 2009. The Efficiency of VHF Radio based Early Warning System after 2009 is 76% as shown below: Fig. 9.1 Efficiency of VHF systems after 2009. The Efficiency of Village Information Centres (VIC) Public Address System (PAS) based Early Warning System before 2009 is: Fig. 10 Efficiency of VIC early warning systems before 2009. The Efficiency of Village Information Centres (VIC) Public Address System (PAS) based Early Warning System after 2009 is just 19%: Fig. 10.1 Efficiency of VIC early warning systems after 2009. Type of information they get from VHF system is, Fig. 11 Type of information provided by VHF systems. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 87% of the respondents told that they are aware of various disasters that would bring great disturbance to their livelihood. 13% of the respondents very unable to distinguish the natural disasters from man-made disasters. Majority of the respondents replied that, Mobile Phones and TV are the major communication technologies, which knew that mainly provide information regarding disasters. There are majorly two modes of communication dedicated for disaster management in coastal areas. One is from the government side and the other is from the non-governmental organizations (NGO). The government of Tamil Nadu has set up VHF Radio based early warning system in all the panchayat offices of coastal villages that are present in the High Tide Line (HTL). HTL is defined as the area within 500 mts from the sea level. The warning is given through PAS (Public Address System) present on top of the panchayat office buildings that have a reach of 1 to 2 kms. NGOs have established Village Information Centres (VIC) in most of the coastal areas that are vulnerable to coastal disasters. These VICs also have PAS for disaster information dissemination. 98% of the respondents said that they are aware of VHF Radio based Early Warning System and VICs run by the local NGOs, while 2% of the respondents are unaware of it. Majority of the respondents told that VHF Radio based Early Warning System is effective in disseminating in disaster news to coastal community before 2009. It is to be noted that the Indian Ocean Tsunami striked the Tamil Nadu coast during December 2004 and after that immediately, VIC and VHF based early warning systems were established. It was functioning very well for more than 2 years as said by the respondents. But there is deterioration in the quality and frequency of disaster information being disseminated through both the systems after 2009 especially with respect to the VICs run by NGOs because of their problems with financial sustainability. The figures and percentages are clearly given in the graph above. 64% of the respondents replied that they gain early warning alerts from VHF system, 32.8% respondents receive preparedness aler

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects Societies today, more than ever, are faced with more complex and environmental problems with the proliferation of technological advancement as human populations mounts. It is paramount for large energy companies to balance the needs of stakeholders  [1]  and demonstrate their intent of environment stewardship. In BPs strategy on their corporate website, they state their goals for value creation while producing affordable energy that is secure and doesnt damage the environment  [2]  . In other words, this means progressing forward through the expansion of their energy production while bearing in mind the impact of their activities on the environment. This, in essence, illustrates BPs stance on sustainability and their environmental awareness. Policy of environmental awareness in British Petroleum Environmental awareness is defined as a broad philosophy and social movements with respect to the environmental conservation concerns and improvement in the state of the environment. It ties in with the responsible initiatives that demonstrate a corporations commitment to key environmental and safety issues. Recently, BP has came under the spotlight following the April 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig which killed 11 people and caused one of the worst oil spills in history  [3]  . Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, this catastrophe has brought about a lot of clout over BPs environmental and safety practices. Subsequently, this led to exhaustive investigation that revealed inadequate controls and incompliance with major aspects of offshore drilling safety. As a result, BP announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [4]  . Nevertheless, BP publicizes a sustainability report annually to demonstrate their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. BPs policy follows a fundamental belief that it can make a difference in the world  [5]  . It strives to be the local energy company by the production of energy with minimal impact on the environment. New initiatives have been launched to incorporate benefits to the local community and help in establishing its position as a responsibility energy provider. For example, BP has invested around $1billion  [6]  annually in low-carbon energy in the last 5 years, putting them well positioned in reaching their commitment of $8 billion  [7]  by 2015. In light of climate change, BP showed recognition to the significance of climate change. Its environmental policy embraces legislation changes and aligns the firms sustainability actions to ensure environmental stewardship. This includes stringent protocols imposed to ensure that all projects and operations are designed and conducted in accordance with legal and internal environmental standards  [8]  . For example, BPs major operating sites today are all certified under the international environment management system standard ISO 14001  [9]  , demonstrating the huge strides in minimizing their environmental impact. According to BPs sustainability review report 2009, it demonstrates BPs awareness of their responsibility as a major energy provider to manage the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption. They have led a programme of action that have since brought about reduction of 7.9 million  [10]  tones of greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. BP actively seeks out new environmental technologies and methods to reduce the environmental impact of providing energy  [11]  . For instance, it has developed technologies such as wide azimuth tower streamer (WATS)  [12]  that enables BP to discover reservoirs previously obscured and maximize recovery and efficiency of their exploration activity. Initiatives taken by BP to Sustainability Issues BP operates according to strict internal control systems that extend from board-level policies to operational process to ensure businesses conduct their business responsibly  [13]  . Over the years, they have progressed significantly in their environmental sustainability issues. Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure. At BP, this definition is extended to include the renewal of assets, creation and delivery of better products and services that meet the ever-changing needs of society, attracting successive generation of employees, contribution to a sustainable environment and retain the trust and support of their customers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate  [14]  . Initiatives for Climate Change With greenhouse gases rising at an ever increasing rate, governments are urged by the risk of climate change to introduce new measures to limit emissions. On this front, BP has outlined emissions assessments to enforce the most efficient environmental methods. This is executed through their proprietary framework for both developed and developing countries to commit to identify mitigating action and quantify emission targets  [15]  . In addition to that, the BP website  [16]  offers a myriad of environmental tools to provide transparency and insight into BPs environmental efforts and allow individuals to assess their own carbon footprint and lifestyle  [17]  . ISO 14001 and Environmental Sustainability BP follows the ISO 14001 environmental management standards and publishes a sustainability review to track its environmental sustainability issues. In the fiscal year of 2009, the organization has launched several initiatives in light of environmental sustainability. Notably, one of these initiatives is BPs stance and support on carbon pricing. They firmly believe that the provision of carbon price will make energy conservation a more attractive venture and encourage investments in alternative energy space to cut down the carbon usage in organizations. Moreover, BP has designed a plan of action in their environmental sustainability efforts by optimizing their own operations towards a more energy efficiency model and had led in the creation of new products to lower customers carbon footprint  [18]  . Their drive in the former has saw the inception of projects such as the reducing flaring and venting, process optimization projects and waste heat recovery. This initiative will bring about a total reduction of about 7.9 million tonnes of carbon usage. In the latter, BP has worked in collaboration with Ford to engineer advanced Castrol lubricants  [19]  that sole advantage bring improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, BP has placed emphasis on building its low-carbon energy portfolio with substantial investments in biofuels, wind power and solar photovoltaic systems. Initiatives in the public domain Besides these programmes, BP is active in its participation of policy debate with its push to drive climate change at international and national levels. For example, they have signed the Copenhagen Communiquà © to demonstrate their support in the private sector call towards a long term ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change  [20]  . These measures have paved the way in BPs efforts to measure the environmental sustainability issues. Last but not least, BP has been a generous contributor in research programmes in particularly on climate change and low-carbon options. These include several high profile research such as the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University  [21]  , its collaboration with Chinese Academy of Science on the Clean Energy Facing the Future programme  [22]   as well as the Energy Initiatives launched at MIT and Caltech. BP Commitment to Health and safety measures BP is committed to seek out improvements in its safety performance through the implementation of procedures and processes in pursuit of their mission statement of no accidents and no harm to people  [23]  . In light of the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster, BP has came down upon a lot of scrutiny with respect to its safety practices. As a result, the organization announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [24]  . Improvement and Initiatives made In wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP announced its decision for an overhauling reorganization that would give safety a higher priority. This first measure implemented saw the creation of a new safety division  [25]  that would preside over the companys operations. This division will use a systematic approach to seek improvements in safety performance through promoting safe operations and upping their efforts on process safety. BP is also shifting away from the use of contractors in light of the accident which caused 11 deaths of rig workers. Despite outsourcing certain functions to contractors, BP is still the company that is solely responsible for the accidental damages. On top of these changes, BP is currently assessing its executive bonus scheme that puts more weight to financial and operational targets. This new restructured bonus schemes would take into account more on key safety measure to align employees objectives to its safety practices. This will help improve the health and safety practice by perpetuating its safety culture to yield results. For example, BP reviews employee views on various dimension of safety with the Pulse plus survey  [26]   to achieve continued progress in integrating safety into their business. Furthermore, BP has launched an internal safety awards to foster pride in attaining BPs values. This recognition on the importance of safety across all aspects would further elevate BPs profile of safety  [27]  and help rebuild the trust in BP. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and British Petroleum Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis  [28]  . Today, CSR is more relevant than ever, in particularly for a large energy company such as BP that engages in the exploration and production of oil. CSR is often debated as the appropriate actions that companies should take that goes beyond its philanthropic efforts and delves further into the fundamental question of how companies produce their goods and provide their services  [29]  . At BP, CSR is recognized as the primary responsibility to maximize the value of the firm and operation of the company in accordance with the norms and values of its shareholders  [30]  . This broad notion as defined by BP reflects its concern about the operating environment, its license to operate within it, which provides the impetus for BP to undertake a broader role in societal affairs  [31]  . BPs CSR practice and Workforce Welfare BPs CSR involvement goes well beyond than just minimizing its emissions. According to the corporate website, BP is involved in their contribution to policy debate, supporting research and development for newer, cleaner technologies in power and transport  [32]  . Besides that, this also includes the consideration of building business skills of the local people through community based development programmes, supporting education and giving aid to local organization. In the instance of building business skills, BP has ran a range of programmes designed to build the skills and impart knowledge on supply chain management to geographical locations like Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. This programmes helps accomplish a win-win situation for both parties, providing local companies with the expertise and know-how while enabling BP to source goods and services locally. This sharing of technical expertise extends to local governments where BP draws from their expertise and glo bal reach to support local governments in the development of their economic sustainability. For example, BP funded an EU-based think tank, to consult the Azerbaijian Ministry of Economic Development on macroeconomics analysis, economic planning and policy formulation  [33]  . BP is also active on supporting education, investing in resources to build strengths in management education. A case in point is the post-graduate degree in energy law in Angola that BP played a vital role in the development and financing, while working alongside governments, state oil company and academia  [34]  . They have offered educational resources such as books, classrooms, teachers training and management training. BP have delivered immunization exercises for the Tangguh community and educated the local residents on reproductive health and personal hygiene. Their active involvement resulted in a plunge in malaria prevalence from 23% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2009  [35]  . As a result of BP CSR practices, many of these communities and villages have been provided with better facilities such as rainwater harvesting systems and villagers are able to substantial improvement in their workforce welfare. BP Building a sustainable talent pipeline BP has a clear understanding that people are fundamental to the success of business operation. Over the years, they have focused their efforts on building a sustainable talent pipeline  [36]   where they recruit graduates and trained them from the ground up to progress their career into roles that could help maximize their contribution to the business. Cross culture and Diversity Cross culture issues simply refers to the issues that involve dealing of two or more different cultures  [37]  . BPs understanding of cross culture issues can be reflected in their commitment to build a diverse organization, where people of different cultures are embraced to foster an environment that is collegial and respectful. They firmly value a multicultural workplace and embed diversity and inclusion across the organization. BP runs a global diversity council where diversity plans are established and tailored accordingly to each strategic performance unit (SPU). Here, the diversity plans sets specific targets and organizes networking events for affinity groups whereby certain sub-sets of employees can network and exchange experiences. For example, BP currently has the BP Womens International Network; the BP Pride group for homosexuals; BP Global Reach Group; BP Gray Matters and the US-based BP Asian, African-American and Latino networks  [38]  . The availability of such affinity groups demonstrates BPs understanding of cross cultural issues and practice of diversity. Within these affinity groups, members come together to discuss key issues and learn from each other. These groups would provide them with an informal setting to build their network and gather contacts. The BP Womens International Network, for example, is a global network with a sole purpose of connecting women and encourage women to stay with BP to fulfill their career goals  [39]  . This openness of BP with its core focus on diversity and inclusion is certainty a strategy that will enable its success in the 21st century global marketplace  [40]  . It leverages diversity exemplified by gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, sexual orientation and identity, religion, and tribe, among other things-while preparing itself for the future by continuing to diversify its employee base  [41]  . Ultimately, BPs diversity practice will inevitably help spur innovation, creativity and a deepened awareness of diversity and inclusion concepts  [42]  . Comparative analysis with key competitors In this task, I will seek to do a comparison of BPs equal opportunity and diversity practice with its key competitors such as Shell and Conoco Phillips. BP At BP, the equal opportunity and diversity practice consists of three basic tenets which are (i) fair treatment and equal employment opportunity; (ii) respectful, harassment-free workplace; and (iii) privacy and employee confidentiality  [43]  . These tenets strive to draw from BPs diversity as strength to create an environment that fosters mutual trust whereby diversity and inclusion are valued. BP follows a policy that fair treatment, courtesy and respect are entitlement given to every employee and would show no tolerance for offensive and belligerent behavior. The last tenet is a rule that protects the confidentially of their employees personal information. Royal Dutch Shell Similarly, Shells motto is to embed diversity and inclusion (DI). They firmly believe that this would help create a stronger future for Shell and help achieve their aspirations. Shell defines the management of DI to involve addressing the factors of difference and fully capitalizing on the potential contribution of all employees to continue to build their leadership in place. At Shell, DI is seen as a competitive advantage that will enable Shell to cultivate a competitive culture  [44]  . On the equal opportunity front, Shell also emphasizes their position as an equal opportunity employer that strives to recruit based on technical and competencies. ConocoPhillips At ConocoPhillips, a similar stance on diversity is taken where the company strives to represent and reflect the global communities in which we live and work  [45]  . They stand by the creation of an inclusive environment that respects contributions and differences of every individual  [46]  . Here, the same catchphrase of Diversity and Inclusion encompasses the creation of a multicultural work environment, together with an inclusive culture to ensure individuals contributions and differences are respected and valued  [47]  . In terms of equal opportunity aspect, ConocoPhilips wholly supports the principle of equally opportunity in employments and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified individuals  [48]  . Conclusion To conclude, this report examines the many responsibilities that falls on a large organization like British Petroleum (BP). Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, BP has demonstrated their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. Over the years, they have launched several initiatives to tackle their sustainability issues and progressed significantly in their environmental awareness. This includes initiatives for climate change, imposition of ISO 14001 environmental management standards and initiatives in the public domain. In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, a comprehensive overview of their safety practices and social responsibilities initiatives are examine. This details the contribution and improvements made in the improvement of workforce welfare in geographical locations such as Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. Finally, this segues to a discussion on the cross-culture issues at BP and its practice of diversity. The last bit of the report is a comparative analysis of the equal opportunity and diversity practices in BP and across its key competitors.