History and Role Of Trade Union - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1630 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category History Essay Level High school Did you like this example? Trade unions 1. Brief history on trade union The history of the trade union can be seen to have begun in the Industrial Revolution, where the rise of factories and the deskilling of labour led to workers seeking security through collective bargaining agreements. However, these early efforts at unionisation were generally deemed to be illegal, and punished by imprisonment or transportation to the colonies, such as in the case of the Tolpuddle Martyrs (Webb and Webb, 1976, p. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "History and Role Of Trade Union" essay for you Create order 23). However, in the nineteenth century many of the laws that prevented the formation of unions were repealed. As a result, trade unions grew rapidly, supported by the passage of further laws such as the 1906 Trade Disputes Act, which protected employees from being sued for going on strike, provided their strike was carried out by a trade union and met certain rules (Beckett, 2001, p. 22). Indeed, as of the present day, trade unions are the only accepted vehicle through which industrial action can occur. Role of trade union in the UK In spite of their important role in industrial action, this is not actually only an aspect of the trade unions major role, which is to engage in collective bargaining on behalf of its member. This is important in unskilled and semi skilled working environments, where individual employees might be unaware of market rates of pay, and thus not be able to bargain effectively. Ultimately, this has led to a degree of institutional separation between day to day working practices and the negotiation of wages (Employee Relations, 1990, p. 15). However it is important to also realise that another role of the trade union is to negotiate these working practices, including the length of shifts, holidays, sick pay and other practices. Finally, the trade union also plays a role in supporting its members if they feel they have been unfairly dismissed, or discriminated against. Here, the union employs legal experts who have knowledge of employment laws, and thus can ensure that employees are treated fairly, such as in the case of Roberts v West Coast Trains Ltd [2004] (BAILII, 2010). Practical (action relationship) The main practical actions that trade unions can take fall into two categories. The first is large scale practical actions by all members, including strikes and other coordinated industrial action. It should be noted that these actions are only triggered by a properly conducted ballot of union members, and hence can occur when the union members disagree with any action taken by management. For example, in 2009 the trade union Unite launched industrial action to prevent Total Oil Company using mainly overseas contractor at its Lindsey Oil Refinery, in spite of the Acas tribunal ruling that this use of contractors was not illegal (Gill, 2009, p. 29). As such, it can be argued that trade unions not only act when the written contract between managers and employees has been broken, but also when the psychological contract has been broken. The other main practical actions that trade unions take are for individual employees, including the legal assistance mentioned above, but also t he provision of services such as unemployment benefits, sick pay and even additional pension provision. Rights reference of trade union Trade unions give employees several important rights that they would not otherwise possess as individuals. First and foremost amongst these is the effective right to strike. Whilst no individual or trade union has the right to strike in the UK, striking is also not a criminal offence, it is a civil one (Goswami, 2007, p. 8). As such, if an individual chooses to strike, they would become liable for the losses sustained by their employer due to their strike action. However, if a trade union holds a properly conducted ballot, then their members are protected from liability for these actions, effectively giving them the right to strike. The other main right trade unions have is the right to collectively bargain on behalf of their members, thus negotiating a pay settlement for all members that can then be agreed on in a vote of the members. Trade unions may also have the right to legally represent their members in any dispute with the employer, although this will often depend on t he structure and laws of the union. Example of industrial disputes One recent dispute that is of interest is the case of British Airways and the trade union Unite. In this case, Unite called for strike action in response to the cost cutting program instituted by British Airways. This case is of interest due to its relation to the psychological contract. The psychological contract holds that employees will help the company make a profit, and in return managers will respect the employees and provide good working conditions (Gill, 2009, p. 29). However, in the case of BA, the company was making massive losses. This indicates that Unite was not interested in the companys financial problems, and was instead more focused on maintaining its relevance, and the social contract it can be seen to hold with its members. Specifically, the social contract implies that employees will support the union when it calls for strike action, in exchange for receiving the support of the union in other areas (Peyrat-Guillard, 2008, p. 479). A similar example can be seen in the recent dispute between the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and London Underground. In this case, the union called for a strike claiming that cuts would compromise passenger safety, even though they would not result in any salary cuts or compulsory redundancies (BBC News, 2010). Relevance and importance of trade union The relevance and importance of trade unions depends strongly on which analytical perspective is employed. A labour process theory perspective indicates that trade unions play a vital role in defending workers rights in the face of the relentless growth of global capitalism and neo liberalist economics (Braverman, 1974, p. 8). This argument holds that as the owners of capital and their agents, the managers, obtain more control over the working process through mechanisation, so workers will be more vulnerable to exploitation. As such, trade unions need to ensure that their efforts to defend their workers match the efforts of managers looking to undermine them. According to this viewpoint, the RMTs actions in the recent Underground strike were fully justified, as if they failed to act the managers would succeed in removing 800 employees, thus increasing managements ability to exploit the remaining workers. In contrast, a post structuralist view of the issue indicates that the s trike is more likely to be a product of the union attempting to maintain its own power, partly by opposing anything that might allow power to shift towards managers in the future, and partly by maintaining its relevance in the eyes of employees (Foucault, 2003, p. 6). The post structuralist view thus holds that unions are not particularly relevant or important in a modern capitalist society, and are in fact acting more to maintain their own power than to actually perform their role in society. Size and components (hierarchy) of the trade union Trade unions range in size from smaller specialist unions such as the British Orthoptic Society Trade Union, with a membership of just over a thousand (TUC, 2010), to the massive International Trade Union Confederation, which is a federation of 301 affiliated trade unions, with a total membership of 176 million workers (ITUC, 2010). There are also smaller unions each representing individual workplaces. In general, the structure of most unions will be set up to allow them to operate as an artificial legal entity. This helps them to carry out negotiations on behalf of its members, as well as ensuring that it can represent its members in the event of any individual disputes. Unions are also mandated by local laws to have a democratic structure and elected leadership in order to ensure that any strike action they take is legal. This is an important aspect of a trade union, as workers themselves do not have an implicit right to strike, they only have protection from legal action i f a strike is organised by a union in a properly conducted ballot of members (Goswami, 2007, p. 8). Conclusion In conclusion, trade unions still tend to play an important role in protecting workers and helping them enforce their legal rights, particularly in cases when these rights may be uncertain or under debate. Unions will also be able to support employees when they feel that the psychological contract between workers and managers is being breached, and can help workers to renegotiate this contract if necessary. Unfortunately, a post structuralist view of the trade unions indicates that the unions tend to be more responsive to their own social contract with the workers, than to the actual needs and demands of the workplace itself. This can lead to unions behaving in overly militant ways, particularly when they feel their own power and relevance is being threatened. References 1. BAILII (2010) British and Irish Legal Information Institute. https://www.bailii.org/ Accessed 9th September 2010. 2. BBC News (2010) London Underground strike causes severe disruption. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11209522 Accessed 9th September 2010. 3. Beckett, F. (2001) Bring back the right to strike. New Statesman; Vol. 130, Issue 4528, p. 22. 4. Braverman, H. (1974) Labor and Monopoly Capital. New York, Free Press 5. Employee Relations (1990) Institutional Separation. Employee Relations; Vol. 12, Issue 5, p. 15-17. 6. Foucault, M. (2003) Society Must be Defended. New York: Picador. 7. Gill, C. (2009) How Unions Impact on the State of the Psychological Contract to Facilitate the adoption of New Work Practices (NWP). New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations; Vol. 34, Issue 2, p. 29-43. 8. Goswami, N. (2007) UK Govt declares in ECJ that strike actions be curtailed. Lawyer; Vol. 21, Issue 2, p. 8. 9. Peyrat-Guillard, D. (2008) Union Discourse and Percei ved Violation of Contract: A Social Contract-Based Approach. Industrial Relations; Vol. 63, Issue 3, p. 479-501 10. TUC (2010) Britains unions. Trades Union Congress. https://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/unions_main.cfm Accessed 9th September 2010. 11. Webb, S. and Webb, B. (1976) History of Trade Unionism. New York: AMS Press.

Thesis on Hiv - 5798 Words

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Building Effective Teams Managers and leaders Free Essays

Whether we like it or not, there are always poor performers in any type of team or organization. These are employees or team members who do not meet the standards set by the organization. Commonly, poor performing employees are those who belong to Quartile Four when employees are force-ranked. We will write a custom essay sample on Building Effective Teams Managers and leaders or any similar topic only for you Order Now Most managers and leaders agree that it’s not easy dealing with poor performers. As Levinson (2003) said, â€Å"it’s a wrenching task, but you have to face up to the need to confront poor performers, and either fix their shortcomings or fire them.  Ã¢â‚¬  Poor performers, no matter how small in number they may be, still have a big impact in the performance of the whole team or organization. As the HR Manager of the company, I would advise each member of the team to help one another in their tasks and job responsibilities. If the team members notice that there are poor performers among them, they should take immediate action by working with these people and talking to them. Having a good peer-to-peer conversation may reveal the issues that the employee is facing, thus, affecting his/her performance at work. This can help getting to the root cause of the problem and help the member solve it. Team members who are not performing well tend to share their problems and open up more easily with their peers than with their supervisor or manager. Poor performers can also be identified through feedback from peers and, if applicable, customers. The customers are the people who can see the outputs of the employee or member’s work. If it is unsatisfactory to the customer, then the employee must not be performing well. Peers are good sources of feedback when it comes to how the employee or team member really works when the boss is not around. The employee’s co-workers are the people s/he gets to work with day in and day out. They are the ones who can immediately see where the employee is good at and where he is not. Thus, these people can better provide the data and the tools to determine the poor performers in the team or organization. Though co-workers may contribute to the improvement of a poor performer, still, the best person who could talk to the person and give relevant advices is the immediate superior. The member’s immediate superior would know the areas where s/he needs more improvement. Thus, the superior can give better advice pertaining to these areas and how to better improve on them. The immediate superior can also give suggestions on some actions the member needs to do in order to improve on the areas identified. Coaching and mentoring are the key techniques in handling poor performers. Constant monitoring of the employee’s performance and regular coaching would do a lot of help in the improvement of the employee. People think that coaching is a negative thing when it is actually the opposite. Coaching provides a venue for both the employee and supervisor to talk about each other’s performance (Yes, employees get to speak to! ). However, if several coaching have already been done and all other mentoring techniques and help are also tried but the performance of the employee remains the same, it will be best for both parties for the employee to just say goodbye. The job may just not really be for him/her. References Levinson, M. (2003, November 1). How to Find, Fix or Fire Your Poor Performers. CIO Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2006 from http://www. cio. com/archive/110103/poor. html Time to Stop Tolerating Poor Performers. (2006, February 26). The Sunday Times. Retrieved August 1, 2006 from http://www. timesonline. co. uk/article/0,,8543-2057887_1,00. html How to cite Building Effective Teams Managers and leaders, Papers

Disadvanteges of kaizen free essay sample

Even thought Kaizen costing have many advantages, the company will face several problems. The pit falls when apply Kaizen costing is resistance to change. Some companies need to bring about an immense change in their mindset and ways of functioning. This is sometimes very difficult which will create initial problem that lead to bad performance to the company itself. In addition, the company must have open style communication in order to make sure management style practice by the worker. This is because there will be some worker are unwilling to let go their work areas as they feel unsafe and do not have any knowledge as well as experience to apply the Kaizen Costing. Moreover, lack of proper procedure to implement cause the pit fall of this technique. This is because during application of Kaizen costing in the company, they need to step up proper procedure so they can see the flow, achievement of the company and get the results they are looking for. We will write a custom essay sample on Disadvanteges of kaizen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lack of proper procedure will make them believe that the Kaizen costing is not give benefit to them as well as not the best practice. Lastly, too much suggestion may lead to confusion and time wastage. The key component of Kaizen costing is the identification of flaws in the system or areas in which a system can be improved. Kaizen costing is based on frequent small tweaks to cut costs and the managers need to micro-manage process. That will lead a total breakdown communication barrier between the managers and the employees. The managers and employees will have their own opinion regarding the way to improve the system. When there are too much suggestion it may cause of confusion and time wastage. There are few ways regarding to proceed Kaizen costing in a company which is in management, organization and employees. Firstly, the management needs to make an approachment and a mechanism to keep the management system on track and the activation of Kaizen activities. The management of the company must select a worker and train him to be a leader. The selected worker must be attending the seminar or training about the Kaizen costing. So, he will manage to educate the other employees in each of company department regarding of Kaizen costing knowledge. The next step is in the organization itself by continuity of developing the entire Kaizen organization. The organization must give a membership to each of the employees so the rules and regulations can be made. Every employee is need to follow all the rules and regulation made by the organization so there will no excuse made by them to avoid using the Kaizen costing method. Lastly in perfective of employees itself they need to change the way of thinking by understand the meaning of Kaizen and actively participate in Kaizen activities. The company also needs to get the employees opinion so they will know the feedback from the employees after using this technique. In the other way, the company needs to make seminar and training so it will be improve the knowledge of the employees about the Kaizen costing. In conclusion, Kaizen costing is the best practice. This can be refer on the way it indentifying the problem at the source and from there they find solution been taken up. Kaizen costing believe that every single problem is the opportunities to the company to improve. Moreover, it provides immediate results. Kaizen costing focus on the smart and creative investment which it solve large number of small problems. It on going process in making small improvements which improve process and reduce waste in areas such as transportation, employee skills, over production and others. By this way it improves the use of capital, production capacity and product quality. On the other hand, based on the employee’s satisfaction, they feel very happy due Kaizen make their work becomes easier to complete and faster compare than before. There also higher the moral and job satisfaction of employee because Kaizen is easy to apply. And cause lower turn-over between the employees due to working experience that they received.

Week 12 Poetry Terms John Cougar, John Deere, John 316 Essay Example

Week 12 Poetry Terms John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 Paper Assonance Repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables refrain A phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza. Theme A main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. Tone A writers attitude toward his or her subject matter Slant Rhyme rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words stress and kiss); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme Internal Rhyme Rhyme found within a line of poetry, not on the end of the line Exact Rhyme occurs when the ends of the words are identicalexactly the same Personification A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes End Rhyme A word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line Free Verse Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme Lyric Poem A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of a speaker Allusion A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. references can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. Alliteration Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other Metaphor A comparison or analogy that states one thing IS another. A comparison without using like or as Repetition Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis Fixed Form A poem that may be categorized by the pattern of its lines, meter, rhythm, or stanzas.

Difference Between Atomic Radius and Ionic Radius

Difference Between Atomic Radius and Ionic Radius You cant simply whip out a yardstick or ruler to measure the size of an  atom. These  building blocks  of all matter  are much too small, and, since  electrons  are always in motion, the diameter of an atom is a bit fuzzy. Two measures used to describe atomic size are  atomic radius and  ionic radius. The two are very similar- and in some cases, even the same- but there are minor and important differences between them. Read on to learn more about these two ways to measure an atom. Key Takeaways: Atomic vs Ionic Radius There are different ways to measure the size of the atom, including atomic radius, ionic radius, covalent radius, and van der Waals radius.The atomic radius is half the diameter of a neutral atom. In other words, it is half the diameter of an atom, measuring across the outer stable electrons.The ionic radius is half the distance between two gas atoms that are just touching each other. This value may be the same as the atomic radius, or it may be larger for anions and the same size of smaller for cations.Both atomic and ionic radius follow the same trend on the periodic table. Generally, radius decreases moving across a period (row) and increases moving down a group (column). Atomic Radius The atomic radius is the distance from the atomic nucleus to the outermost stable electron of a neutral atom. In practice, the value is obtained by measuring the diameter of an atom and dividing it in half. The radii of neutral atoms ranges from 30 to 300 pm or trillionths of a meter. The atomic radius is a term used to describe the size of the  atom, however, there is no standard definition for this value. Atomic radius may actually refer to the  ionic radius,  as well as the  covalent radius, metallic radius, or  van der Waals radius. Ionic Radius The ionic radius is half the distance between two gas atoms that are just touching each other. Values range from 30 pm to over 200 pm. In a neutral atom, the atomic and ionic radius are the same, but many elements exist as anions or cations. If the atom loses its outermost electron (positively charged or cation), the ionic radius is smaller than the atomic radius because the atom loses an electron energy shell. If the atom gains an electron (negatively charged or anion), usually the electron falls into an existing energy shell so the size of the ionic radius and atomic radius are comparable. The concept of ionic radius is further complicated by the shape of atoms and ions. While particles of matter are often depicted as spheres, they arent always round. Researchers have discovered chalcogen ions are actually ellipsoid in shape. Trends in the  Periodic Table Whichever method you use to describe atomic size, it displays a trend or periodicity in the periodic table. Periodicity refers to the recurring trends that are seen in the element properties.  These trends became apparent to  Demitri Mendeleev  when he arranged the elements in order of increasing mass. Based on the properties that were displayed  by the known elements, Mendeleev was able to predict where there were holes in his table, or elements yet to be discovered. The  modern periodic table  is very similar to Mendeleevs table but today, elements are ordered by increasing  atomic number, which reflects  the number of protons  in an atom. There arent any undiscovered elements,  although new elements  can be created that have even higher numbers of protons. Atomic and ionic radius increase as you move down a column (group) of the periodic table because an electron shell is added to the atoms. Atomic size decreases as you move across a row- or period- of the table because the increased number of protons exerts a stronger pull on the electrons. Noble gasses are the exception. Although the size of a noble gas atom does increase as you move down the column, these atoms are larger than the preceding atoms in a row. Sources Basdevant, J.-L.; Rich, J.; Spiro, M. Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics. Springer. 2005. ISBN 978-0-387-01672-6. Cotton, F. A.; Wilkinson, G. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (5th ed., p.1385). Wiley. 1988. ISBN 978-0-471-84997-1.Pauling, L. The Nature of the Chemical Bond (3rd ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. 1960Wasastjerna, J. A. On the Radii of Ions.  Comm. Phys.-Math., Soc. Sci. Fenn.  1  (38): 1–25. 1923

SWO Service Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

SWO Service - Case Study Example However, in recent years it is facing various problems related to maintaining sustainability of its business. It has acquired a substantial sales order for the upcoming six months but it needs to decide upon whether to expand its business further or not. This study discusses about the detailed company and industry analysis to have conclusive evidence to decide upon the sustainability of the business in future. First of all the key issues related to the company performance have been identified. Then the industry analysis has been performed which discusses about the internal and external business factors which have an impact on the company. Then the consumer analysis has been done which includes segmentation strategies and the product mix associated with each segments. Then the trade analysis, competitive analysis and external analysis of the company has also been done. An alternative analysis has been performed which discusses about the targeting of the particular segment consisting o f the mid-sized distributors and the relevant positioning and promotional strategies to be employed by the company. Lastly, a recommendation has been provided regarding the best strategy needed to be applied by the company to regain its competitive advantage in the market and have a sustainable growth and development in future. Table of Contents Problems and Analysis 5 Issues 5 Constraints 5 Objectives 5 Industry Analysis 5 Internal Factors 6 External Factors 6 Key Success Factors 7 Consumer Analysis 7 Trade Analysis 8 Competitive Analysis 9 External Analysis 9 Political Factors 10 Economical Factors 10 Technological Factors 10 Corporate Capabilities 11 Alternative Analysis 11 Recommendation 12 Works Cited 13 Problems and Analysis Issues SWO Service is experiencing different kinds of issues which are having a significant impact on the performance and growth of the company. The company has failed to generate revenues at a steady rate since its inception. The penetration pricing strat egy followed by the company initially helped it to increase its market share but now it is facing problems to successfully position its products and is losing sales on various grounds. Constraints The constraint that can be identified as regards to SWO Service is the financial constraint. It does not have adequate fund sources available to them to expand its business on a large scale. Objectives The personal objectives include more profit required by the owners of the company. It is in accordance with the company objective which is to decide upon expansion of its business to increase the profitability of the company. Industry Analysis In order to facilitate the formulation of a successful strategy and help in its decision making process regarding the sustainability of the business processes followed by SWO Service it requires to have a comprehensive analysis of the industry in which it is operating its business activities. Industry analysis actually involves identification of the ec onomic factors that helps a company to boost its performance and profitability in the operating industry (Palepu, and Healy 2-16). Industry analysis of SWO Service includes identification and analysis of its internal and external business environment which is explained below: Internal Factors Strengths George, one of the owners of SWO Service is one of its strength. George is experienced in the field of software industry and has the acumen of all different technical aspects of the software industry. Moreover SWO Service develops quality software which is acknowledged by the customers. Weaknesses The organizational structure of SWO Service is one of its major weaknesses. The various business activit

Eron Brougton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Eron Brougton - Essay Example Judge Black ruled against the plaintiff, sustaining that the defendants had no duty of care in that particular case as the plaintiff was on private property, whose owner or representative (in this case the security guard) was entitled to order him to leave. Then the plaintiff proceeded in filing an appeal in the first instance with the New South Wales Court of Appeal, which was also unsuccessful. Honourable Justices Brownie, Hodgson, and Handley unanimously decided in favour of the respondents, sustaining the reasons behind Judge Black's judgment and also making the distinction between "duty of care" and "Good Samaritan" cases. Duty of care entails "one person [having] the care of another, such as husbands and wives, parents and persons in loco parentus who have the care and custody of infant children, hospitals and patients, prison authorities and prisoners and so on" (Broughton v Competitive Foods Australia Pty Ltd & Ors2). ... from being considered a neighbour, was deemed to be a potential trespasser, and the security guard's duty of care was owed to his employer and the customers inside the premises he was hired to guard. Points in Favour of the Respondents in Case of a Second-Instance Appeal to the HCA Should Mr. Broughton be given leave to file a second appeal, this time to the High Court of Australia, he would very likely lose again. The High Court would rule in favour of the respondents and dismiss the appeal due to the following legal principles and reasons: 1) Australia's common law does not generally allow superior courts to act without regard to binding precedent, with the exception of the High Court of Australia. Even so, in the HCA the trend has also historically been to consider ratio decidendi based on the principle of stare decisis, despite the fact that it is not necessarily bound by its previous decisions. Therefore, it follows that the High Court of Australia would be likely to rule on Mr. Broughton's appeal based on careful consideration of what has motivated its decisions in the past on similar cases. Granted, there are few similar cases within the realm of the High Court, or even within Australia itself, but one that could be considered comparable is the strange case of Dianne Maree Hackshaw v. George Shaw4. It, too, involves the matter of injuries and of trespassing, albeit in a more outright manner. Shaw was working on a farm that had a gasoline dispenser on the property. He started to notice that the levels of gasoline were dropping and suspected that someone was stealing it. He took several precautions to keep it from getting stolen again, but nothing worked. After calling the police on several occasions and finally being told that he needed to provide

Business Decision Making Degree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Decision Making Degree - Essay Example The market research plan needs to clearly state the objectives of the research. In this case the primary reason for which research is being undertaken is to determine that fate of a particular product line. The purpose of the research is to uncover where the product stands in the market with respect to customer preference and based on that information whether it should be marketed further or discontinued. Once the objective is known the second step would be to determine which information is needed and who will provide this information. This research has to unveil what customers think of the product and how well it is doing in the market in terms of reputation and sales. The information will be acquired from both internal and external sources mostly customers, retailers and employees. For this purpose a sample representing all concerned groups will be selected to participate in the research. Each demographic and geographic group will have adequate representation in the sample. For this particular case the females will have a higher ratio than males and likewise the individuals from younger and middle age groups will constitute a major portion of the sample thought the remaining will have significant representation. Secondary research is available from public statistics, magazines, newspapers, published journals, trade associations, annual reports, government conducted researches, other organizations and even the organization's own historical documents. The secondary information for this particular research however, will be collected from internet sources as well as research conducted on similar products or by similar companies. The primary information will be gathered through surveys with the help of structured questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and observation. Data from questionnaires and interviews may be collected at the point of sales and online surveys will also be conducted. The collected information will then be analyzed to reveal statistics, perceptions regarding the product and the product sales trends. All methods used for gathering data will focus on customers, competition and the retailers. Although primary data is both costly and difficult to acquire and is also very time consuming, the information gathered from primary research through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups would provide significant data for the research than the secondary research, since it acquires direct information from the market that is both the consumers as well as the retailers. Understanding the consumers before making product decision is crucial. Primary research is important when making any decisions regarding consumers in order to get specific results. Secondary data is easier to access and acquire and far less costly than primary research, but it will not provide all information necessary for this particular research. The data is insufficient for some aspects of the research and some of it cannot be applied as it is. It will however be acquired to assist in development the questionnaire and sample selection and will also facilitate in making the final decision. Interviews will serves as a means of two way communication between the consumers and the marketers, allowing us to probe deeper to get the information we require.

Climate Changes Implications To Pacific Islands

Climate Changes Implications To Pacific Islands Based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) fourth assessment report, it identifies small island states as being the most vulnerable countries of the world to the adverse impacts of climate change. The Pacific islands in fact without doubt one of worlds most vulnerable regions when it comes to the risks of disaster due to climate change, especially to the several of the low-laying coral islands. Climate change is already affecting Pacific islands with dramatic revenue loss across sectors such as agriculture, water resources, forestry, tourism and other industry-related sectors. The Pacific islands are subjected to the impacts of climate change caused by excessive fossil burning, deforestation and atmospheric pollution. The Pacific islands see climate change is the major disaster and have openly and continually blame the industrialized nations for failure to take definitive steps towards deteriorating pollution of the global atmosphere. Climate change poses an existe ntial threat to the Pacific islands and may further aggravate conflicts over increasingly scarce resources. This paper examines the implications of climate change on economic, social and political security in the Pacific islands states. KEYWORDS: Climate change, Pacific islands, Small Island states, Pollution Introduction Pacific islands consist of small islands like Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Cook Islands, Marshal Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Pacific islands are one of the region are being affected by climate change. Due to their geographical size, the impacts of climate change seem faster that other regions. What is climate change? According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC), climate change refers to a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that changes the composition of the global atmosphere and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. As the United Nations Secretary General has said, it is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time, and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions. Based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) fourth assessment report, it identifies small island states as being the most vulnerable countries of the world to the unpleasant impacts of climate change. The Pacific islands in fact without doubt one of worlds most vulnerable regions when it comes to the risks of disaster due to climate change, especially to the several of the low-laying coral islands like Kiribati and Tuvalu. Climate change is already affecting Pacific islands with dramatic revenue loss across sectors such as forestry, tourism, water resources, agriculture, and other related sectors. The 41st meeting of the Pacific islands Forum, which took place in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 4th to 5th of August 2010, concluded with the issuance of a Communiquà ©, which contains a section on climate change. According to the Communiquà ©, climate change remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific islands. The Pacific islands leaders stress the need for a meaningful legally-binding agreement on emissions reduction to be reached urgently and without delay. This paper will focus on the implications of climate change on economic, social and political security in the Pacific islands. The first part of this paper will provide a brief summary on climate change and the Pacific islands and issues arise from climate change; second, we will examine the implications of climate change: threat to human security such as food, natural resources and ecosystem, and health; migration; and political instability. The impacts of climate change are quite varied. If we look at the physical impacts that climate change is having, we will see the issues arise from climate change are sea level rises and temperature increases. According to Espen Ronneberg, changes in atmospheric and ocean temperatures will be having impacts on Pacific islands through a mixture of physical interactions and one of them is changes in precipitation patterns. Hence, climate change creates an existential threat to the Pacific islands and may further exacerbate conflicts over increasingly scarce resources. Climate change is increasing the harshness and frequency of disasters, which are causing displacement, livelihood insecurity and increasing political instability. This research paper is attempted to discover the implications of climate change on economic, social and political security in the Pacific islands even though there are a few consensus regarding the climate change have been made for example during the 108th Congr ess (2003-2004), nearly 100 bills, resolutions, and amendments specifically addressing climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were introduced. The bills, resolutions, and amendments focused primarily on climate change research and comprehensive emissions cap and trade programs. Additional bills concentrated on GHG reporting and power plant emissions of CO2. Physical Evidences of Climatic Change The Pacific islands are subjected to the impacts of climate change caused by human influences such as excessive fossil burning, deforestation and atmospheric pollution; and due to natural reasons for instance the movement of tectonic plates, orbital variations, volcanism and ocean variability. The Pacific islands see climate change as the major disaster and have openly and continually blame the industrialized nations like United States for failure to take definitive steps towards deteriorating pollution of the global atmosphere. Besides that, the increasing of population growth, tourism and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources negatively impacts the ecosystem. The growth of population is expected to further exacerbate land and resource scarcity and make the situation more badly. Climate change poses an existential threat to the Pacific islands and may further exacerbate conflicts over increasingly scarce resources. Below are the two major issues that arise due to climate c hange. Sea Level Rising The issues arise due to climate change are sea-levels rising, extreme weather events and disasters and livelihood degradation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) agrees the primary issue arise due to climate change is rising of the sea level. Relatively small rises in sea level would make some densely settled coastal plains uninhabitable and create a significant problem. Moreover, any increase in sea level will accelerate the coastal erosion and cause the low-lying island states like what happen in Tuvalu and Kiribati. It is estimated that, the sea-levels are likely to rise for the next centuries to come. Presently, the IPCC predicts sea level rise is most probable to be just short of half a meter, and at least between 9 and 88 cm through 2100, but they also warn that climate change during that time may lead to irreversible changes in the earths glacial system and ultimately melt enough ice to raise sea level many meters over the next decade. Tuvalu is the best example to explain issue of rise of sea level. In early 2000, there were a series of media reporting over sea level rise issues using Tuvalu as an example. The daily life of Tuvalu revolves around the ocean and the immediate threat on the Tuvaluan, economy, environment and its islands is of concern to the Tuvalu government. Tuvalu government has concluded that Tuvalu was destined to become the first nation to be sunk by climate change because it is one of the smallest and lowest-lying countries in the world. Erosion due to sea level rise is not the only issue in Tuvalu. Inundation will increase further inland together with salt water intrusion to destroy underground the freshwater sources. According to McCracken of the United States Global Change Research of Climate change, a 1 cm rise in sea level can consume 1 m or more of beach width towards the sea. Below figure shows the sea level trends for Tuvalu since 1995. Figure 1: The sea level trends Source: Than Aung, Awnesh Singh and Uma Prasad. Sea Level Threat in Tuvalu. (2009) The issue of the rising of sea level is not a new issue to Tuvalu. The actual danger to Tuvalu is the rate of the sea level rise. Figure 1 shows the sea level trends with time, it is quite clear that trends for Tuvalu are more or less horizontal since 1999. It clearly indicates that the sea level rise rate is not accelerating but however, as mention earlier a 1 cm rise in sea level can consume 1 m or more of beach width towards the sea; it shows how dangerous the rising of sea level may affect small islands like Tuvalu. Extreme Weather Events and Disasters The Pacific islands states are more exposed to extreme weather events and climate variability than most countries. The increase in temperature and sea level rise is expected to trigger an increase in natural disasters. The region will experience increasing frequency and severity of extreme events such as heat waves, exceptional rainfall events, droughts, tropical cyclones, storm surges, EI-Nino conditions, and severe diseases. Floods and droughts are particularly devastating for small islands. Many islands rely on regular rainfall to recharge limited groundwater resources. When there is too little rain, or too much at one time, these reservoirs are taxed, threatening food and water security. Flooding and droughts will render whole islands, particularly low-lying atolls, uninhabitable, leading to their abandonment, migration and conflicts over resources, thus endangering security on the islands. This extreme weather has gave impacts to economy such as it led to the decline of tourists to Pacific islands, a good example was the case of Niue, in 2004 Cyclone Heta had destroyed a large part of the island. The summary of the impacts of extreme weather and events as per shown in the below table. Table 1: Impacts of Extreme Weather Events and Disasters Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change Implications of the Climate change to Pacific Islands Threat to Human Security Climate change may result a threat to human security. It may become more difficult for human to satisfy their basic needs. As far as everybody concerned, the needs of immediate action to find solutions for people whose homes, lands and livelihood, are being destroyed by rising of the sea levels and the extreme weather disasters. Ajay Chhibber, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General once said, We recognize climate change to be a critical development challenge with enormous implications for the entire range of development concerns: poverty, livelihoods, food security, conflict and social cohesion, to name a few. He added, At a time of global economic crisis, climate change has the potential to reverse hard-won development gains in the region, which could compromise our collective ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and plans for a prosperous, peaceful and secure region. Sea level rise will increase salt water intrusion, thus degrading fresh water resources. The impacts of climate change on freshwater systems are mainly due to the observed and projected increases in temperature, sea level and rainfall variability. An increase in the ratio of winter to annual flows, and possibly the reduction in low flows caused by decreased glacier extent or snow water storage, is predicted. Sea-level rise will extend areas of salinisation of groundwater and estuaries, resulting in a decrease in freshwater availability for humans and ecosystems in coastal areas. Increased rainfall intensity and variability is projected to increase the risks of flooding and droughts in many areas of the world especially to small island states. This will diminish economic sectors such as agricultural production unless new resistant crops are introduced to offset these impacts. The Pacific islands states have traditionally depended upon food production for survival and economic development. In addition, the issue of sea level rise is not the only cause a threat to human security in terms of food security, but the extreme weather also brings negative impact to food security in the Pacific islands. The extreme weather that cause drought also cause many problems particularly in agriculture all over the region. Increased risk of flooding in river catchments also threatens food production. Heavy flooding of the Wainibuka and Rewa rivers in Fiji in April 2004, for example, damaged between 50% and 70% of crops. A few studies have focused on the impacts of climate change on agriculture sector in Fiji. For example changes in temperature and rainfall have influence agricultural production. Sugarcane production is expected to drop by 9% from current conditions with losses averaging US$13.7million a year by 2050. Impacts on traditional crops with 11-15% drop in taro, y am and cassava production with a loss of US$680,000 a year in lost food crops. In terms of the economic costs of climate change impacts, the island of Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, could suffer economic damage averaging at least US$23 -US$52 million a year by 2050 (i.e. equivalent to 2-4% of Fijis GDP). Another best example of the impact of climate change to the lost of agricultural production or food production was Cyclone Ami, for example, caused over US$35 million in lost crops in Fiji in 2003. Furthermore, climate change exposures are likely to affect the health status of millions of people, particularly those with low adaptive capacity, through: increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with implications for child growth and development; increased deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts; the increased burden of diarrhoeal disease; and the increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone related to climate change. Moreover, climate change may cause the spread of disease such as malaria and dengue fever. For instance, warming in Papua New Guinea is likely to cause a contraction of the cooler malaria free zone in the highlands. Studies show positive associations between temperature increases and diarrhoea, and between warmer sea-surface temperatures and ciguatera outbreaks. Since the health services in most Pacific islands states already ill equipped and struggling to cope with existing health problems, it is unlikely there will be capacity to effectively respond to the increased health burden caused by climate change. Furthermore, climate change was likely to increase the rates of diarrhoeal disease in Fiji and Kiribati due to decreases in rainfall and increases in temperature. No evidence was presented to show relationship between flooding or heavy rainfall and cases of diarrhoea. yet, the 1997/98 drought (associated with El-Nino) had widespread impact, including malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency in children and infants. In addition, we may see the implications or impacts of the climate change to the Pacific islands states in case of Vanuatu. According to Edward Natapei, the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, more than 80%, of the population of Vanuatu depend on the land for their subsistence farming and contributions to the national economy. Their traditional farming practices have been shaped by their subsistence needs and climatic conditions. Land has always been culturally precious to the Ni-Vanuatu mainly because rights to its ownership and use form a central part of their culture and traditional governance. Increasingly considerable pressure is being placed on access to land by the rapidly growing population. Above has discussed, the three fundamental pillars of human security are natural resources and ecosystems, food, and health. According to United Nations University writer Christian Webersik (2010) identifies climate change as a variable that can drastically undermine each of these pillars, with stark consequences. A poor response to natural hazards and may create anti-government grievances in societies with weak governance structures and stricken by political violence and poverty. Migration The impact of sea level rise from climate change could be catastrophic for the Pacific islands states. The increasing of population growth, shrinking of land mass and declining of income opportunities may result to migration from outer to central islands or to other countries. The unpleasant impacts of climate change increase the rate of domestic migration and relocation, with people from rural areas and remote islands moving to urban centres. The number is growing as people in rural areas are losing their livelihoods and land because of natural disasters and sea level rise. The International Federation of the Red Cross in the World Disasters Report 2001 estimated that more people are now forced to leave their homes because of environmental disasters than war. According to Jonathan Adams in his article written for the New York Times (2007), some experts warn that, ultimately, these issues will combine to power a wave of emigrants fleeing the Pacific islands. Indeed, there are already signs of flight: according to a study by the Australian government, applications for New Zealand residency from eligible Pacific island nations shot up sharply in 2005 and 2006, compared with 2003. Afifi and Warner (2008) find a statistically significant link between environmental degradation and outward migration. Due to the extreme weather events and disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and sea level rise in the source country are found to have a significant and positive link with migration flows. For example, flooding in the source country is found to increase migration, but this relationship is not statistically significant. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change report noted that climate change is likely to very likely to cause higher maximum temperatures, more intense rainfall events, increased risk of drought, increase in tropical cyclone peak wind intensities, and an increasing number of floods in some areas. Tuvalu is the best example to explain the impacts of climate change in the case of migration. Economic factors associated with environmental factors, forcing people from Tuvalu to migrate to new place, this will result in a brain drain. Tuvalu already has an ad hoc agreement with New Zealand to allow phased relocation and many residents have been leaving the islands. The New Zealand government already takes in a quota of Tuvaluans every year, many of whom have found jobs in the strawberry fields and packing plants around Auckland. It has assured Tuvalu that it will absorb the entire population if the worst comes to pass. That is a lifeline that many similarly threatened island nations including Kiribati, Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. There was a debate on the issue of climate change, Climate change Threatens International Peace, Pacific islands Tell UN Debate, on 26 September 2008. The Pacific Island states voice out at the General Assembly on the issue of climate change, promising to table a draft resolution during the climate session that will call on the United Nations to scrutinize the threat posed by climate change to international peace and security. Prime Minister Feleti Vakauta Sevele of Tonga, addressed to the Assemblys annual General Debate to urge other Member States outside the region to show their support for the draft resolution. The prospect of climate refugees from some of the Pacific Island Forum countries is no longer a prospect but a reality, with relocations of communities due to sea level rise already taking place, he said. The resolution is expected to ask United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to commission a report on climate change and security, and to invite the Security Council an d the General Assembly to work together on possible recommendations to deal with any problems identified. In addition, Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, urged countries to convert the commitments they made about greenhouse gas reduction into reality. Only through selfless and concerted efforts by all countries led by the major greenhouse gas emitters can we have a fighting chance of lessening the destructive impact of climate change, he said, adding that it also enhances the chances of a credible agreement beyond the current Kyoto Protocol. Derek Sikua, Solomon Islands Prime Minister said he feared that the magnitude of climate change has already outgrown the existing capacity of the UN system to respond. Many smaller countries were being left to find their own solution for themselves against the impact of climate change, as regional groups and other organizations charted their own course. The Prime Minister called for the UNs Small Islands Developing States Unit to be strengthened so that it can help countries, such as those in the Pacific Ocean facing rising sea levels, with special needs. There are a lot of actions was taken by many institution bodies to overcome this problem, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change has changed its initial position on the likely patterns of migration in response to increased disasters and negative effects of climate change. The second change is recognition that physical vulnerability to climate change constitutes only one factor in a persons overall vulnerability to environmental hazards. Political Instability The nations of the Pacific are, in general, developing island states that are geographically distributed and economically varied. The level of development of the Forums island member countries varies considerably across the region as does the quality of governance. Access to resources is often difficult due to the geographic distances and resources are often scarce and in demand. Climate change is increasing the unpredictability of weather patterns, such as increasing the incidence and intensity of cyclones. Political stability is volatile in many of the regions nations especially to Pacific islands region. Across the region, the population demographics are changing with the average age reducing; while education and access to it is improving opportunities for youth are still limited compared to the more developed nations of the world. If a country becomes unstable and no longer capable to respond to other challenges, it will diminish the capacity of the country to peacefully interfere domestic and international conflicts. The multiple stresses may give rise of to several conflicts constellations, where the interactions of climate change with other factors increase the risk of violent conflicts. Disputes over land as a result of inequalities and frictions between traditional and introduced of land management system as well as intra-state migration may become aggravated. Many conflicts were related to land issues. However, the scale and intensity of conflicts and the level of instability vary across the regions. The adverse impacts of climate change alter the distribution and quality of natural resources such as fresh water, arable land, coastal territory, and marine resources. These changes can increase competition for scarce resources, with the increased possibility of armed conflict. Existing tensions within the Pacific islands states will similarly be heightened especially in already unstable areas and can endanger national security as well as be a threat to international peace and security. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (2001), owing to factors of limited size, availability, and geology and topography, water resources in small islands are extremely vulnerable to changes and variations in climate. Moreover, a reduction in the size of the island, resulting from land loss accompanying sea level rise, is likely to reduce the thickness of the freshwater lens on atolls by as much as 29%. Increases in demand related to population and economic growth, in particular tourism continue to place serious stress on existing water resources. Shifting boundaries of existing land are particularly problematic for communities with collectively owned lands. The blurring of boundaries can intensify the disputes between communities over land ownership and usage, as communities may fight to re-claim their share of natural resources. This could lead to conflicts between individuals and communities as they try to redistribute resources, and is likely to evolve into a security threat if not dealt with in a transparent and equitable manner. Multipliers of Conflicts Climate change is not like other conventional security threats. The combination of the threats stemming from climate change impacts of increased water and food insecurities, rising sea levels, and increased extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and cyclones, will create risks to national and regional security as well as to international peace and security. Because climate change has multiple impacts in many different areas, it has the potential to cause multiple problems simultaneously and erode already fragile conditions, both environmental and economic. The combination of increased disease due to lack of potable water, flooding and coastal erosion, lack of food, and migration will continue to escalate into humanitarian crises that will strain government resources around the globe and especially within the Pacific. In the Solomon Islands, the combination of various adverse impacts of climate change led to armed conflict, requiring the deployment of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). As environmental migration is usually internal and short term, the possible for instigating conflict is quite minimal. Yet, unstable urban and rural demographics are related to higher risks of civil war and low level communal conflicts during periods of environmental stress are common. The Future of Pacific Islands The Survival of Pacific Islands Environmentalists have warned that the effects of climate change, caused by a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, will include thermal expansion and a meltdown of glaciers. That could lead to the rising of the sea level and extreme weather events and disasters, and would be devastating for countries such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and China. However, the small nations of the Pacific, where some of the worlds lowest-lying islands are situated, would be the first to be swamped. Those considered mostly in danger, as well as Kiribati, are Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and parts of Papua New Guinea. Dozens of families have been forced to move, dismantling their wooden huts piece by piece and reassembling them further back from the water. Now the population is being squeezed into an ever narrower strip of land between the lagoon and the Pacific. Environmentalists have predicted that the effects of rising sea levels will be borne disproportionately by the worlds most poor countries, which make a insignificant contribution to climate change and are least well equipped to adapt. A report this month by the CSIRO, Australias government scientific organisation, forecast that climate change in the Asia-Pacific region could see the rising of sea level by up to 19 inches by 2070. So, there are possibilities that small islands states in the Pacific islands could be sunk in the future. So, what are the options that the Pacific islands have? For those islanders who are worried about the future, have been leaving their island for other Pacific states like Australia and New Zealand. In the case of the New Zealand, their government has a scheme entitled Pacific Access Category (PAC) that allocate up to 75 Tuvaluans per year to settle in New Zealand as Climate Changed refugees. According to Oxfam, in order to overcome or at least reduce the impact of climate change, they have outlined a few adaptation projects. Among the adaptation are protective planting, crops diversifications, water harvesting, irrigation and water reservoirs, community climate-proofing programmes and so forth. In the protective planting what they do is they plant trees to combat erosion problem. For example, in Tuvalu, work is being done in response to the flooding of agricultural land. Communities are drawing on local knowledge, with a strong focus on planting mangroves to stabilise the coastal environment. Activities like this are developed using local peoples traditional methods rather than new and unfamiliar ones. Moreover, on Fiji and Kiribati, mangroves are being planted to stabilise coastlines and riverbanks to help combat the effects of erosion. On the other hands, in crop diversification programme, the Members of the Tuvalu Climate Action Network (TuCAN) are looking at climate adaptation initiatives to address issues like coastal erosion and food security. Root crops like taro take years to be harvested; with the current sea surges, the salty water gets into the taro pits and kills the plants. The group is looking at bringing in species from other countries to help overcome this problem. Climate change adaptation in the Pacific involves, among other projects, rainwater harvesting and desalination. The Tuvalu governments Water and Sanitation Strategy includes the construction of around 300 large rainwater tanks in the capital, Funafuti. Households are instructed in the maintenance of roof catchment and guttering and the management of the collected water for domestic use. Following the Samoa tsunami in 2009, Oxfam provided affected families with rainwater harvesting materials. Guttering and collection tanks were provided for families who had relocated inland, and the system was incorporated into the design of new homes. This means an ongoing supply of clean water, with communities able to respond to future water shortages. Small grant schemes in Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga provide funds for community-initiated climate change adaptation projects. In Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu, communities have increased their water storage capacity by constructing rainwater tanks. On the drought-prone island of Aniwa in Vanuatu, communities have built small solar desalination stills capable of producing enough fresh water for drinking. In the Pacific islands itself, there are many innovative community-based projects initiate by Oxfam that aim to climate-proof villages and develop resilience to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. For instance in Fiji, the Fijian village of Korotarase is located on low-lying, swampy land alongside a river and beach on the northern island of Vanua Levu. In March 2007, heavy upstream rainfall combined with a king tide and the village was flooded. The people of Korotarase have since joined with five other Fijian villages and are working to climate-proof their homes and communities in preparation for future impacts caused by tidal surges, coastal erosion or flooding. They are trialling salt-resistant varieties of staple foods such as taro; planting mangroves, native grasses and other trees to halt coastal and riverbank erosion; protecting fresh water wells from salt-water intrusion; and relocating homes and community buildings away from vulnerable coastlines. Another example is Kiribati. The Republic of Kiribati is one of the worlds least developed countries (LDCs). The low-lying nation is made up of 33 atolls and reef islands stretching 5000 kilometres across the central Pacific. The Kiribati Adaptation Program is made up of a range of actions, including raising awar

The Loneliness of Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

The Loneliness of Hamlet Hamlet was a lonely, isolated character, with few friends, and little faith in humanity. His loneliness played a great role in his downfall, by alienating him from his friends and family and eventually taking control of his actions. He did not share the knowledge of his father's murder or the appearance of the ghost with anyone. He couldn't even trust his friends and family, and he hid his true feelings from his only love, Ophelia, driving her to suicide. These events lead eventually to his downfall, and could have been avoided by sharing his dilemma. Two of Hamlets friends, Horatio and Marcellus, were standing watch at the castle one night when they witnessed the first apparition of the ghost of Hamlet's father. They decided to confide in their friend, and tell Hamlet of what had taken place. The following night, the three of them all stood watch to wait for the ghost. It appeared, and informed Hamlet that his uncle, Claudius, had murdered his father. Immediately following this, Hamlet declared that the event must be kept in secrecy "Never make known what you have seen tonight (I;v;144)." In order to prove the validity of the ghost, Hamlet would have to find proof of his father's murder, without sharing his ideas with anyone. He decided to make believe he was mad, so that the members of the king's court could excuse his behavior as he plotted his revenge. However, as he kept to himself, he became overwhelmed by his "madness" and fell into a deeper state of loneliness, ignoring those close to him, as he contemplated the value of l ife. "...it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire-why it appears nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors...(II;ii;289)" As Hamlet tried to prove the murder of his father and have his revenge, Claudius discovered that Hamlet knew the truth. Claudius hired two of Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet in secret, "...be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no (II;ii;278-79)." Later on, Claudius and Polonius, the father of Ophelia, also spied on Hamlet when he was with Ophelia, trying to discover the cause of his madness "Ophelia, walk you here.