Apocalypse Now vs Heart of Darkness Essay -- essays research papers

Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now lacks the impact of its inspiration, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. While the basic elements of imperialism and human nature remain intact, the characters of the film bare little resemblance to their literary counterparts. The film serves as a re-interpretation of Conrad’s novella, updated from 19th-century British imperialism in the Congo to a critique of 20th-century U.S. imperialism in Southeast Asia. Coppola’s changes in setting and plot structure, however, force the film to sacrifice the character development so crucial in the literary work. This detracts from the overall effectiveness of the film. The most important difference between novella and film is the development of their main characters, Marlow and Willard, respectively. In Heart of Darkness, the reader is introduced to Marlow through his various philosophical ruminations about imperialism, morality, and human nature. He learns of the mysterious Kurtz through first-hand accounts of his accomplishments and his bizarre behaviour. As Marlow spends more and more time in the jungle, his pre-occupation with Kurtz becomes an important refuge from the brutality of the Belgians for whom he works. Although critical of the Belgian bureaucracy, it is unclear whether his displeasure stems from their immoral practices or their incompetence and inefficiency. Conrad never reveals Marlow’s true feelings, forcing the reader to confront the issues of racism and human nature themselves. Willard, on the other hand, is a psychological mess from the beginning of the film. The opening scenes depict him confessing his own mental imbalances as a result of prolonged service in the Vietnam War. While Conrad’s Marlow borders on complacency, Coppola’s Willard behaves erratically and without reason. His fascination with Kurtz is also less profound than in Heart of Darkness. According to literary scholar and cinema aficionado Mark A. Rivera, â€Å"In Conrad, Marlow is in awe of Kurtz, comes to identify with him in some dark recess of his own psyche; Willard, on the other hand, is more impressed with Kurtz's credentials than moved by his force of mind and will.† Despite the fact that the film is told through Willard’s eyes, his skewed perception does not affect the film’s clear moral intentions. Copp... ...e horror!'") and Kurtz's memory for the rest of his life. By turning himself into an enigma, Kurtz has done the ultimate: he has ensured his own immortality.† Kurtz’s status as an enigma serves to propagate an endless number of interpretations. Could his words be a declaration of the horrific dark side of man that lives within us all? Could they be a reaction to his first glimpse of the afterlife? Could they be a regretful look back on a life of sin? Kurtz’s last words leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about their meaning. Conrad does not tell us what to think, he makes us think. That is the sign of great art. Those very same words, however, when spoken by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, hold far less meaning. The fact that Willard makes the decision to kill Kurtz convinces the audience of Kurtz’s insanity, and his words can be most literally interpreted as a reaction to his own murder. These words, meant to hold the most impact of all dialogue in either work, serve as an accurate metaphor for the works as a whole. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness forces its reader into meaningful introspection, while Apocalypse Now fails to capture the depth of Conrad’s vision.

Discriminatory Practice Essay

Infringement of rights: not respecting an individual’s rights and not letting them practice their culture. This can lead to individuals feeling devalued and very sad, which will affect their health. An example of this say for instance in a care home it was Eid and they was not allowed to celebrate it however all the other occasions were allowed, this would make an individual feel devalued and as if their needs or wants aren’t important, like their culture isn’t important this could lead to health problems as what they enjoy in their culture has been excluded and taken away from them. Covert use of power: hidden use of power to discriminate. This can lead health and social care professionals to treat someone differently from someone else. This means that a person may not get that same level of treatment, which may jeopardise their health and well-being. One example would be when people apply for job. Although one person may have the same experience and qualificati on as the other applicants they may not be shortlisted because of their skin colour, or sexuality etc. it’s harder to prove that covert discrimination is occurring but cases are regularly reported and is still happens. In a health and social care professional setting a health care worker may not give somebody the right medication at the right time, maybe due to the colour of their skin colour or their sexuality which they strongly feel opposed to. Overt use of power: openly using power to discriminate. This will have similar outcomes to covert abuse of power. However, if a person being treated notices that they are being discriminated against, it will have a negative impact on their recovery, their mental health issue to depression and it could make a negative impact on their recovery as they may worry about what they have even done in the first place to be getting this treatment. An example of over abuse of power could be if a health care worker tells a person they are too fat to live their 50s. Another example when a colleague is paid more than you, because of their gender, even though you are doing the same job with the same qualifications. It can also be found in the different treatment one person receives compared with another when there should be no difference at all. Prejudice: is prejudgment, or forming an opinion before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case. The word is often used to refer to preconceived, cynical ideas about another individual, arising from a per son’s negative ideas about that person, usually unfavourable, judgments toward people or a person  because of gender, political opinion, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality or other personal characteristics. For example, more than 700 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in 27 different countries were interviewed as part of International Study of Discrimination and Stigma Outcomes, 72 per cent of those interviewed said they felt the need to conceal their diagnosis. 64 per cent said the anticipation of discrimination stopped them applying for work, training or education programs and 55 per cent said it stopped them looking for a close relationship. In the health and social care sector could be care worker telling another care worker that he or she does not want to work with someone or get them over and done with as they don’t like them due to whatever reason may be. Stereotyping: assumptions made about an individual judged on their group, environment and it may not always be true and sometimes it is based on another persons or groups qualities and life, this is dangerous as it could make the service user feel depressed and mess them up mentally due to the ‘name callingâ⠂¬â„¢. For example, it may be a stereotype that Asian people love to eat rice. So according to this stereotype, if you are Asian, that automatically means that you will unconditionally love to eat rice. This can already show that generalizations made from stereotypes are not the most reliable to base your judgement on. Typically racial and ethnic group stereotypes come from some degree of prejudice thought. In a health and social care area this may occur when a health care worker sees a dark skinned black man and instantly think he is a thug so they chose not to assist them and move them on to someone else. Labelling: Labelling people refers to a form of prejudice and discrimination where a person allocates names to people on the basis of nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, or some other group. Labelling of people represents a way of differentiating and identifying people. This practice is normally conducted on minority groups. For example, if you label someone who is wearing black as a Goth, you will assume them to be a depressing and dark-minded person, when in fact they might not be at all. This can lead to prejudice and discrimination. Labelling is basically a combination of all the other three things you have listed in your question, and is the ultimate form of ignorance and assumption. In the health and social care profession you need to be aware of this tendency to label people. Labelling thoughts may come into your head  and everyone has these types of thoughts but it’s what you do with them that are important. By becoming aware of your labelling thoughts, you can control them and stop them interfering with your work. Another example in the health and social setting is if a care worker was having a conversation with another care worker and referring a service user as the ‘bimbo’ just because of the colour of their hair such as blond this would be labelling and it would distress the user. Bullying: Bullying is a persistent attempt to hurt or humiliate someone, it is a repeated action and deliberately hurtful. The person bullying is more powerful than the person bullied, making it hard for those being bullied to defend them. Bullying can occur in many different forms. It can be physical (hitting, pushing, and damaging others’ property); it can be verbal (name-calling, threats) or social (excluding someone, spreading rumours). Bullying is not only between children and not only in schools; can it happen at home, in organisations, at work or on the Internet. Bullying is often based on perceived differences, such as ethnicity, sex or disability, so young LGBT people evidently have a higher risk of being bullied. In a health care sector a health care worker may tell a service user that they needs to stop eating as they are already too fat. Abuse: Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; crimes, or other types of aggression. Abuse of authority, in the form of political corruption, is the use of legislated or otherwise authorized powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties. Abuse of authority is separated from abu se of power in that the act is originally condoned, but is extended beyond that initially conceived and is in not all cases.

Immigration and Border Protection

Running Head: Immigration and Border Protection 1 Immigration and Border Protection of Department of Homeland Security Donald Capak Keiser University Immigration and Border Protection 2 Abstract It is my belief that the dissolution of the former U. S. Immigration and Naturalization and Customs Service and the creation of separate agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was sound political decision.It is my belief that it was also a move to show the American people that the government was making attempts to help strengthen our security. In the next few pages of this assignment I will attempt to explain my decision to this question backed by research and information supporting me. I will discuss how the newly formed U. S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement was a step in the right direction to provide U. S. citizens with a sense of safety and security. I will primary focus on these two agencies, their details and what agencies they rep laced. Keywords: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization and Customs Service, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration, Customs Enforcement Immigration and Border Protection 3 Immigration and Border Protection Of Department of Homeland Security Before the events on September 11th all immigration policy and enforcement was handled by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) under the Department of Justice. However once the Department of Homeland Security was created, the INS was absorbed and broken down into seperate offices.Two of these offices include the U. S. Customs and Border Protection and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration and Customs enforcement is responsible for enforcing immigration laws within the United States. Immigration and customs enforcement is similar except they are aimed at enforcing the laws at points of entry into the United States. In the next few pages of this assignment I will give an overview of b oth the U. S. Customs and Border Protection and the Immigration and Customs enforcement, explaining what they do and how their creation was a benefit to the United States.The U. S. Customs and Border Protection’s responsibilities include protecting the nation’s borders and ensuring that people and cargo arrive on U. S. soil both safety and legally. They protect American citizens from weapons of mass destruction, illegal animals and plants and even contraband. Their purpose is to detect threats before they reach the U. S. in attempts to avert disasters (Jane Bullock, George Haddow, Damon Coppola, Sarp Yeletaysi , 2009). Their numbers are upwards of 53,000 both stateside and overseas. (Who We are. Retrieved from http://www. cbp. ov/xp/cgov/careers/customs_careers/we_are_cbp. xml). On March 1st, 2003 the CBP became an official part of the Department of Homeland Security. Immigration and Border Protection 4This move, led by former commission Robert Bonner, combined employe es from the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service. (US Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/U. S. Customs_and_Border_Protection#U. S. _Customs_Service. ). This move was critical to the U. S. defense against foreign attack. Not only did this move reorganize three different organizations into one, but it also established a more unified system. This in turn helped communication and response to threats. With a single organization, instead of two or three, it helped keep the focus on the primary goal; there would be no more varying paths. It was basically unified under one leadership. Another reason that this was done was because the Customs and Border Protection was in need of a serious overhaul.Originally the Immigration and Naturalization Service received its roots after the American Civil war. Many states began passing their own laws regarding immi gration, the federal government saw this as a problem and passed the Immigration Act of 1891, making immigration a federal manner. (2010, Immigration and Naturalization Service. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/U. S. _Customs_and_Border_Protection#U. S. _Customs_Service. ) In the early 1900’s immigration laws started becoming stricter to help protect U. S. citizens and their wages. Laws in 1921 and 1924 began limiting the amount of Immigrants entering the U.S. based on quotas. In 1940, President Roosevelt transferred the INS to the department of Justice where it would remain for the next forty three years. (2010, Immigration and Naturalization Service. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/U. S. _Customs_and_Border_Protection#U. S. _Customs_Service. ). Immigration and Border Protection 5 So as one can see, the INS was a fairly outdated system, primary used to limit Immigration and protect citizens from the problems of that era.Instead of performing an ove rhaul, like in 2003, they added organizations to it in attempts to cope with the changing times. This was ineffective and primitive. It caused for confusion amongst the different divisions leaders and made for very poor communication. Using these facts, it is my belief that the decision to create the U. S. Borders and Customs Protection was a wise and valuable decision in securing U. S. citizens from harm. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the largest investigate arm of the DHS. (Bullock et al. 2010). This division, also known simply as ICE, is responsible for investigating and removing threats to the U.S. Employees of ICE, an estimated 15,000 strong, investigate and enforce over 400 federal statutes within the U. S. and maintain communication with overseas embassies. They also have one the broadest investigative authorities of any federal agency. (2010, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/U. S. _Immigration_and_Customs_Enfor cement. ) Much like the US Borders and Customs Protection, the Immigration and Customs enforcement was created after the event’s of 9/11 and following the creation of the DHS. The creation of ICE was also similar in that it combined

The Contribution of Processual and Emergent Perspectives to Strategic Change

Change is ubiquitous. Organisational change has become synonymous with managerial effectiveness since the 1980s (Burnes, 1996; Wilson, 1992). However, north American influence over the quest for commitment, efficiency and improved performance, appears to have fallen back upon largely Tayloristic notions of management, with the result that organisational change is widely perceived to be controllable by modern management, with organisations themselves instrumental in their in their hands (Collins, 1997). However, this ‘scientific' approach appears to have diffused with scant regard to contextual variables that may serve to modify and constrain contemporary managerial rhetoric for change (Hatch, 1997). One perspective that attempts to refocus the debate on wider issues has come to be known as the processual or emergent approach to organisational change (Collins, 1997), and it is this perspective that this paper seeks to evaluate You can read also Waves First, the inevitability of change is briefly considered as the time frame selected for organisational analysis tends to dictate the substance of investigation. This leads into a critique of planned change under the umbrella of strategic choice, with its core assumptions based upon managerial hegemony. This approach is then contrasted with the processual and emergent perspectives that seek to widen management appreciation to include factors beyond the organisation and its immediate environments. The implications of the apparent divergence between theory and practice are briefly outlined before concluding that the subjectivist paradigm of the processual/emergent approach is best seen as a modification to theories of strategic choice, which may add to effective managerial practice in the future. This argument is qualified by the need to support such a modification by a fundamental change in modern managerial education. The Inevitability of Change ‘Change' exudes temporality. While it may be a truism that in any field of activity, all periods may be characterised by change and continuity, the time frame selected will tend to highlight change or continuity (Blyton and Turnbull, 1998). For example, a focus upon organisational change during the last two-decades may reveal a period of rapid change. However, a perspective encompassing the last two hundred years may indicate a basic continuity in the capitalist social mode of production (ibid). Consequently, differentiating between whether organisational change should be analysed from the perspective of a strict chronology of ‘clock' or linear time, with its associated notions of relentless progress, planning and implementation, or whether changed is viewed from the perspective of a processual analysis over tracts of time, has given rise to a vigorous debate on how change should be understood as it applies to complex business organisations (Wilson, 1992). Two paradigms dominate the analysis of organisational change. On the one hand, a positivist view holds that change is objectively measurable, and thus controllable, embracing notions of rationality, temporal linearity and sequence – change is an outcome of deliberate action by change agents (Hatch, 1997; Kepner and Tregoe, 1986). On the other hand, a subjectivist view holds that change is dependent upon the temporal context of the wider social system in which it occurs and is thus a social construction – while organisations define and attempt to manage their change processes, outcomes are not necessarily the result of the top-down cascade advocated by the planned approach (Pettigrew, 1985). Consequently, as a point of departure, planned organisational change shall be discussed before moving on to examine the emergent approach as a challenge to the rational model. The Planned Perspective Contemporary US and UK managerial ideology may be identified as an outcome of, and a contributor to, neo-liberalist voluntarism (Dunlop, 1993). This ideology is mobilised through the agency of management to protect capital's interests above all others. Consequently, management and managers come to be considered a social elite through their exercise of ‘god-like' control over a logical and rational process of adaptation, change and ever-improving performance. The organisation is thus instrumental in the hands of management (Collins, 1997; Daft, 1998; Hatch, 1997; Kepner and Tregow, 1986). Generally referred to as ‘strategic choice', the planned approach, according to Wilson (1992:22) is constructed upon the following theories of organisation: 1 Organisational Development (OD) and Behavioural Modification (BM); 2 Planned incrementalism; 3 The ‘enterprise culture', best practice and ‘gurus' as change agents. These perspectives have all in common the role of human agency, whereby, ‘†¦human decisions make an important difference†¦ a voluntarism in which human courage and determination count' (Gouldner 1980, cited in Wilson, 1992:25). OD and BM (closed system) approaches emanate from the field of psychology, positing that organisational change is implemented by management through changing the behaviour of individuals. OD aims to foster consensus and participation on the basis that management attributes resistance to change to poor interpersonal relations (Wilson, 1992). BM is a systematic approach to the conditioning of managerially defined ‘appropriate' behaviour, based upon Skinnerian psychological theories of learning (reward and punishment) and motivation (ibid). Both approaches are based on the assumptions that managers are capable of identifying internal barriers to change, determining appropriate behaviours, and designing and implementing programmes to achieve desired outcomes. Consequently, there is a plethora of ‘frameworks', ‘recipes' and ‘how to' packages aimed at managerial audiences (Collins, 1997) A central feature of many of these packages is Lewin's (1951) ‘force field' framework, which proposes that change is characterised as a state of imbalance between pressures for change and pressures against change. It is suggested that managers are capable of adjusting the equilibrium state of zero-change, by selectively removing or modifying specific forces in the required direction (Senior, 1997). Implicit is the normative nature of planned change: managers should know the various forces as they apply to their own particular situation, and should understand and possess the means to exert influence over them. It follows that, ceteris parebus, without deliberate managerial action, change, at worst is unlikely to occur and, at best, is unlikely to realise desired outcomes without the intervention of chance (Collins, 1997). Planned incrementalism argues that change is constant and evolutionary and should be planned in small steps based on an orderly adjustment to information flowing in from the operating environment (Quinn 1980, cited in Senior, 1997). This approach is related to contingency theory. The argument runs that the most effective way to organise is contingent upon conditions of complexity and change in the environment. Thus, the organisation should achieve congruence with its market environment and managers should support their strategies with appropriate structures and processes to enhance the likelihood of success (ibid). Turning to the final ‘ingredients', Wilson (1992:37) argues that ‘enterprise culture', ‘best practice' and ‘management gurus' are different faces of the same ideology. Enterprise culture denotes best practice and grows from a particular interpretation of management theory. This interpretation shapes the role of external consultants and thus determines who are the gurus; the ideology becomes self-supporting. Thus the ideology of strategic choice is mobilised in support of managerial ideology: to be successful in a free market system (entrepreneurial), firms should be modelled by managers upon best practice (currently, from the US and Japan), should adopt flexible specialisation and decentralised structures, and should seek to create organisational cultures congruent with managers' own. The ‘successful' manager comes to be defined as a ‘change master' (Kanter, 1993; see Peters and Waterman, 1982). The Emergent, Processual Perspective A common critique of the planned perspective is that the ability of management to rationally plan and implement organisational change ignores the influence of wider, more deterministic forces outside the realms of strategic choice (Wilson, 1992). Largely in opposition to this perspective and generally referred to as ‘systemic conflict', the emergent approach, according to Wilson (ibid:22) is constructed upon the following theories of organisation: 1 Contextualism; 2 Population ecology; 3 Life cycles; 4 Power and politics; 5 Social action. While also tending to acknowledge the role of human agency in effecting change, these approaches serve to widen the debate to include the impact of human interaction at micro and macro levels, thus constraining strategic choice (ibid). Contextualism is based upon an open systems (OS) model which views any organisation as being an interdependent component of a much larger whole (Pettigrew, 1985). Serving as a direct intellectual challenge to closed system perspectives, fundamental is the notion that no organisation exists in a vacuum. Emery and Trist (1960, cited in Wilson, 1992) argue that OS reveals the following characteristics: Equifinality – no one best way of achieving the same outcomes; Negative entropy – importing operating environment resources to curtail or reverse natural decay; Steady state – relationship stability between inputs, throughputs, outputs; Cycles and patterns – cash flows, stock-turns and so on. Thus, OS enables the variances between organisations' performances to be explained by external influences, facilitating comparative analysis, the establishment of sectoral norms and the identification of ‘supra-normal' practices (Wilson, 1992). Population ecology (and perhaps institutional theories) is based upon the Darwinian notion of ‘survival of the fittest' (Hatch, 1997). Thus strategic change is aimed at maximising ‘fitness' within the general population of organisations, through the identification of ‘market' niches and strategies of specialisation, differentiation or generalism (Porter, 1980, 1985). Competitive advantage is thus created and sustained through the construction of distinctive and inimitable structures, processes and cultures, eg: erecting high barriers to entry through technological investment, or eliminating threats of product substitution through high R & D investment and thus (desired) innovation (ibid). The life cycle perspective explicitly recognises the temporal nature of organisational change. Though linear in nature (all life cycle theories assume birth, growth, maturity, decline and death as givens), this approach provides insights into the potential internal and external conditions (and constraints) that an organisation is likely to encounter during distinct life cycle phases (Greiner, 1972 cited in Senior, 1997). However, this approach suffers from a similar critique to those levied at models of planned change. ‘Cycles' are not in fact cycles (suggesting reincarnation). Development is linear and progressive and an organisation's location on the ‘cycle' is highly subjective. Perhaps the major contribution of the emergent approach to organisational change, is the highlighting of the role of power and politics in moderating managerial efforts to effect fundamental and sustainable change (Handy, 1986). Essentially, three political models of power reveal that outcomes are incapable of being considered independently of processes and personal stakes. First, overt power is the visible manifestation of localised influence over preferred processes and outcomes (eg: ‘it's the way we've always done things around here'). Second, covert power is less visible and related to the extent of information sharing and participation in change processes afforded by organisational sub-groups (eg: senior management) to others – the phrase ‘inner circle' is a common indicator of covert power relations in operation. Finally, third, contextual power suggests that outcomes are mediated by societal forces and the economic structure of society itself (eg: elites, notions of social justice, and so on) (Burrell and Morgan, 1979). Postmodern analysis reveals the influence of discourse, symbol and myth as interchangeable between organisations and societies in the endorsement of preferred solutions. Thus, contextual power may be utilised to shape the wider justification and acceptability for organisational change( eg: ‘restructuring' for labour stripping; ‘reingeering' for work intensification; ‘partnership' for collective labour coercion; ‘TQM' for zero-tolerance and panoptican managerial control). Moreover, the contextual power perspective also reveals the hegemony of accounting ideology in neo-liberal systems (itself positivist, reductionist and inextricably linked to Taylorism). Thus serving to expose the influence of elite groups, notably silent under the strategic choice framework (Wilson, 1992). Finally, social action theories depict organisational culture (OC) as the structure of social action (ibid). The strategic framework choice would hold that OC is a possession of the organisation and is thus capable of manipulation . In contrast, the systemic conflict framework depicts OC is something an organisation is (a contrasting ontological position) and is therefore largely beyond managerial influence (Legge, 1995). Nevertheless, ‘strong' (integrated) notions of OC are eulogised by the so-called gurus (see Kanter, 1993; Peters and Waterman, 1982), despite receiving severe criticism for their weak methodological foundations (See Guest, 1992). The emergent approach appears to be at odds with the strong culture = high performance proposition at the heart of most change programmes; its causality is unclear. Implications As the above discussion illustrates, the management of change appears to hold sway over the analysis of change (Wilson, 1992). This implies that understanding has been exchanged for expediency. Put differently, managing change is both a learnable and teachable skill. In view of the short-termism inherent in the US and UK economies, with their shareholder emphasis on maximum financial returns and minimal financial risk (itself a contradiction with the notion of ‘entrepreneur'), it is hardly surprising that ‘recipes for success' are so eagerly sought after by under pressure managers and eagerly supplied by management gurus with pound-signs in their eyes. Practice appears to be on a divergent path from theory (Collins, 1997). Collins (ibid) attributes this apparent divergence to managerial education, which itself (as must any educative process) be viewed as a perpetuation of ideology. With respect to organisational change, management education serves to promote the aggrandisement of managers as †Canute-like rulers of the waves'. Epitomised by the MBA (Master of Bugger All?) with its roots in north America, such programmes are themselves reductionist and short-term in nature. Thus, students are precluded by time constraints from exposure to the theoretical foundations of change and, consequently, may be discouraged from challenging received wisdom. This is not to assert that ‘hands on' skills are unimportant, rather to expose that they lose potency in the absence of the appreciation of the wider context which MBA ‘babble', among a wider range of programmes, serves to suffuse. Conclusion – a rejection of Positivism? The investigation of organisational change has not escape the inexorable north American ‘shift' towards hypothetico-deductive perspectives of economics and psychology, with their positivist paradigms focused upon atomisation akin to the natural sciences (Cappelli, 1995). From a temporal perspective, while organisational change is viewed as inevitable in much the same way as in nature, the time frame selected for analysis tends to dictate the scope and degree of change to be investigated. Short-termism, it appears, is a form of temporal reductionism in the search for objective truth, that is a key factor behind the notion that managers can be trained to manage change through sets of skills that imply mastery over the ‘natural' world and therefore, time itself. In this view, planned models of change, rooted in classical theories of management, may be accused of being an ideological construct of assumed legitimacy and authenticity. On the other hand, a subjectivist systemic tension approach, rejects reductionist ‘tool kits' and lays claim to the inclusion of contextual variables at work throughout an organisation, its operating environment and beyond. In this view, while change is clearly not beyond managerial influence, its management is reliant upon wider understanding of the interplay of these variables, of which power relations may be prominent, in order to be able to predict the likely outcomes of managerial actions. However, for something to exist it must be capable of theoretical explanation. That practitioners have opted for voluntarist models of strategic change is not surprising given the elitist ideology of modern management: to control is to manage; short-termism equates to reduced risk and increased control; the institutions of Western corporate governance and finance thus have their goals met by such an approach. Yet, this is to obfuscate the quintessential qualities of the processual, emergent contribution to organisational change. While not refuting planned change, it perhaps serves to modify it – for any change to be understood, explained and sustained, the duality of voluntarism and determinism must be acknowledged and incorporated into the managerial knowledge base. The emergent approach exposes the potential folly of the extremes of positivism as applied to organisations as social entities, thus throwing open the debate to multi-disciplinary perspectives and enriching the field or organisational change. To be of value, such enrichment must be reflected in managerial education itself.

Employee Discipline related to the Hospitality Industry Research Paper

Employee Discipline related to the Hospitality Industry - Research Paper Example Five common reasons for turnover are mentioned thereafter. The following sub-section deals with the implications for practical management. These are specified in the context of employee turnover. Employee Discipline is the next section. The term is described in fair detail. The section is rounded off with the characteristics of nature. The concluding section talks about the best practices with reference to employee discipline. Five broad practices that are noteworthy are elaborated here. The final conclusion is a summary of the entire report. An organization is known by the employees working for it. The human resource function assumes importance in this context. Each organization tries to select the right employee with care and tries to retain him/her with even greater care. While the employee cannot be neglected, neither can the activity nor business be ignored. It is after all, due to the business that the employee exists. Hence, certain norms need to be followed in the conduct of business. These are applicable to all employees across the board. Similarly, discipline is applicable to all industries and businesses alike. The hospitality industry encompasses businesses like the hotel and tourism industries. In the hospitality field, service is crucial and can make or break a business. Anything that disrupts the smooth functioning of a business can impact the bottom line. This is especially pertinent in an industry which is seasonal in nature. Discipline is also the yardstick by which every employee is evaluated with respect to the organization. While it sets standards for behavior in an organizational setting, it also provides a safeguard against deviations or erratic aspects of the same. Indiscipline affects not only an individual employee but also the next immediate group. It has a visible effect on superior-subordinate relations as well. Ultimately, discipline also sets guidelines for the industry as a

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 200

Assignment Example A significant portion of the consumers in North America are Millennials who are dependent on their electronic gadgets in their daily lives. This trend has a negative impact to Bic because it undermines one of its primary products which are stationery, notebooks and pens. The trend says that the more the millennial market spends on electronics and gadget, the less they will spend to stationeries and pen which are Bic’s products. In addition, the pervasive use of gadgets also provided an alternative to Bic’s other traditional products which are coloring, drawing pencils, crayons and felt pens. They can now also be done in softwares such as photoshop, Corel Draw or other apps and this means reduction in demand and consequently, market share. Other traditional products however such as sticky notes and writing pens (white board) will not be affected by the trend of increased use of gadgets. Their demand could even increase as their use are becoming popular in presentations and group meetings. Another trend that could run counter to Bic’s profitability interest in the long run is its lighter market. At present, 40% of Millennials and 21% of adults may be smoker but this trend is going down. The increasing awareness for health and the ill effects of smoking will have negative impact on the demand for cigarettes and along with it is the decreasing demand for lighters which is Bic’s product. Various interests groups and advertising campaigns are increasingly becoming aggressive in convincing people to quit smoking. At present, many people are already trying to quit smoking or are resorting to e-cigarettes as an alternative. The figures are discouraging because 44% of men and women are already using e-cigarettes which have no use of Bic’s lighters. Either way, this does not spell good for Bic because it undermines its lighter products.

Dangerous Climate Change. What Strategies Are Available To Avert The Essay

Dangerous Climate Change. What Strategies Are Available To Avert The Onset Of Dangerous Climate Change - Essay Example Some reports have shown European summers getting hotter, Alaskan streams and other lakes getting warmer, and our polar ice caps allegedly thawing (Schneider and Lane, 2006). More than just the actual warming of the planet, the impact of such warming has certainly captured the world’s attention. These are the major issues which have caused much concern among authorities and the public in general. This issue has managed to affect the environmental, as well as the business community with projected losses in profits accredited to climate change. Environmental experts claim that as our planet continues to grow warmer, more environmentally related disasters would be expected to occur with much stronger hurricanes, storms, and typhoons building up in the warmer oceans (Lemonic, 2008). These experts further emphasize that man has to address the issues which pertain to climate change in order to stem the progression of this phenomenon into dangerous levels. The word ‘dangerousâ⠂¬â„¢ seems to have now been strongly associated with climate change. Its actual meaning in the context of climate change will be discussed in this paper. This paper shall discuss climate change and the different ways by which its implications can actually be quantified to dangerous levels. It will discuss the point where climate change can be considered acceptable and the point where it is considered to be dangerous. This study is being undertaken in order to establish a thorough and comprehensive understanding of climate change as well as its implications to our society and our efforts towards reversing its impact. Discussion Defining ‘dangerous climate change’ ‘Dangerous climate change’ is a term which was introduced legally during the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (McGuire, n.d). Climate researchers have come up with different definitions in order to define the point at which climate change can be considered dangerous. Schneide r and Lane (2006, as cited by Spratt and Sutton, 2008) have suggested different metrics in measuring climate change and such metrics have included: the risks to unique and threatened geophysical or biophysical systems; risks related with extreme weather events; total damages; temperature thresholds to large-scale events; risks to global ecosystems; loss of human cultures; key sustainability metrics of water, energy, agriculture, health, and biodiversity; the number of people put at risk; and the triggering of irreversible chain of events. These are all metrics which can be used in order to determine how dangerous the impact of climate change is. Dawson and Spannagle (2009) discuss that dangerous climate change is the degree of climate change which violates Article 2 of the UNFCCC. Article 2 basically sets forth that the function of the UNFCCC is to manage the emission of greenhouse gases to levels which would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the weather and climate system (Dawson and Spannagle, 2009). In effect, such acceptable levels must be achieved within levels which would: â€Å"allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change; ensure that food production is not threatened; and enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner† (Dawson and Spannagle, 2009, p. 112). Article 2 does not use the exact words ‘dangerous climate change,’ however such words are accepted in terms of dangerous anthropogenic interference; it also refers to the man-made toxic chemical emissions which trigger climate changes beyond their natural patterns. The UNFCCC has not come up with a clear definition