Emilia & Documents Essay

Emilia is only a secondary character in the play but her role is crucial one. Though she is wife of Iago, she is ignorant of the real nature of his plots and she even aids his designs without any awareness of their consequences on one side. On the other side, she is coarse-minded, earthy but devotedly attached to her mistress. So Shakespeare portrays her in a realistic light, attributing to her strengths and weaknesses, combining in her character the qualities of loyalty and service, with a commitment also to the more worldly side of human nature. Shakespeare also uses her as toll to carry out the malicious motives and evil designs of Iago. She also acts as a foil to Desdemona. Her being a companion to Desdemona enables her to reveal not only her own wide experience of the world but also to highlight Desdemona’s innocence and idealism. The commonsensical realism of Emilia provides a refreshing contrast to Desdemona’s unpractical idealism. Emilia is a woman of the world and her understanding of the real nature of men and their affairs is more realistic and mature than that of Desdemona. In this respect she serves as a foil to throw into sharp relief the childlike nature of her mistress. For example, while Desdemona thinks that there are no women in the world who would play false to their husbands, Emilia knows that there are many such; â€Å"Yes a dozen: and, as many the vantage as would/ store the world they played for. † (IV. iii. 82-83) She changes over the course of the play from a passive Elizabethan domestic woman to an active and dynamic character who fully endorses the chastity of her mistress and protests over the unfair and rude behavior of Othello toward her. She remains silent in the first half of the play like a typical Elizabethan woman who solemnly accepts all the pathos and miseries of life afflicted upon her by her husbands. Her very first dialogue in the play indicates the matrimonial and domestic strife she was suffering from. Her response to Iago’s comments; â€Å"I find it still, when I have list to sleep: /Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, /She puts her tongue a little in her heart, /And chides with thinking. † (II. i. 891-894) She says, â€Å"You have little cause to say so† (II. i. 895). Adamson is of the view that â€Å"She knows. . . . it is less painful to suffer his scornful abuse than to challenge and try to change him† (247). So her silence and so short a reply is tool to hide herself in her own cocoon and an agonizing acknowledgement of triviality in the domestic sphere. Her silence is due to the complexity of the situation in which she is entangled as Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s intimate. This produces in her paradoxical emotions about one or the other. â€Å"The female connection between Desdemona and Emilia demonstrates a level of personal intimacy that is free of the professional distinctions in the male relationships, but is complicated by class distinctions and compromised by Emilia’s divided loyalty as Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s serving lady† (Nostbakken 21). So Iago exploits this role of Emilia. In the first place it is she who provides Iago with the handkerchief which he puts to such a terrible use. But she should be blamed for the tragedy as she makes matters more complicated when she professes ignorance as Desdemona asks her whether she knows where she could have dropped her handkerchief. In both these instances, Emilia is culpable, but it may be said in her defense that she is quite unaware of committing anything more than a minor violation of truth. So her silence is not a criminal silence and audience understands it that it is due to her subservience to social norms that force her to behave more as Iago’s wife than Desdemona’s maid. Whenever she becomes more vocal, it is owed to her love for her mistress. Toward the end of the play she emerges as a changed individual who has broken down the shackles of conventionalities, social compulsion and accepted behaviors. Her emotional attachment to Desdemona overpowers her alter in the play. Emilia’s stout defense of Desdemona proves futile because Othello decides to regard her as Desdemona’s bawd. However, Emilia has other functions in the play. At the death of Desdemona she felt herself very much grief stricken: â€Å"Villainy, villainy, villainy! /I think upon’t : I think smell’t: O villainy! /I thought so then: I ‘ll kill myself for grief:/ O villainy, villainy! † (V. ii. 191-194) When she once realizes that her husband used the handkerchief to implicate her mistress, she condemns and exposes him without fear although she loses her life in doing so; Good gentleman, let me have leave to speak,/‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now:/ Perchance, Iago. I will ne’er go home. (V. ii. 196-198) M. R. Ridley believes that â€Å" in all the plays there is nothing more characteristic of Shakespeare than the way in which Desdemona’s death kindles in her (Emilia) a bright flame of self-forgetful courage; it is not just that she faces the threats of both Othello and her husband(Iago), but rather that she neglects them, brushes them aside as irrelevant trivialities. †(46) Emilia may be said to represent the ordinary people who commonly figure in Shakespeare, people who are not extraordinarily virtuous in daily life, but who are gifted with a reasonable perceptiveness and commonsense and are capable of heroism in times of crisis. Her complete transformation comes with the resolution to reveal the truth when she says; ‘Twill out, ’twill out: I peace! /No, I will speak as liberal as the north†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (V. ii. 3561-62) And her disclosure; â€Å"O thou dull Moor!that handkerchief thou speak’st of /I found by fortune and did give my husband†(V. ii. 3570-71) A. C. Bradley remarks about this transformation;† Till close to the end she frequently sets one’s teeth on edge; and at the end one is ready to worship her† (p. 205). The only character to perform a complete transformation of character over the course of Othello’s action, Emilia progresses rapidly from her early role as coarse and subservient foil) to Iago(as depicted earlier) into a resolute and effective defender of Desdemona’s virtue. Works Cited Adamson, Jane. Othello as tragedy: some problems of judgment and feeling. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1980 Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean tragedy : lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. London: Macmillan. 1971 Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding Othello, A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. Ridley, M. R. Othello. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1958.

Outsourcing is a business model

Outsourcing is a business model in which one organization enters into a contract with another to manage and operate its business processes.   India has turned out to be one of the largest offshore outsourcing hubs for the IT sector and IT enabled services and processes.   About 44 % of all the outsourcing in the IT and the BPO industry is done to India.   There may be several reasons as to why India has turned out to be an IT hub (Schaaf, 2005 & Sharma, 2004).The human resources available in India are well trained, skilled, not very expensive to hire, and are basically English speaking.   The population of India is young and can be utilized in almost any field.   The human resources available in India (especially in the IT sector) have been high.   These resources are increasing in number tremendously and are becoming more and more available for the IT sector.   The cost of hiring human resources in India is much lower than several developed countries in which the MNCâ €™s originate.   Companies have to pay about 10 times more if they want to hire a professional in their home nation.   Hence, investing in India could be a huge benefit (Schaaf, 2005).India does belief in the social upliftment and offering policies that would help women to become more independent and free.   As the IT and the KPO industry is not labor oriented, it is officering a good opportunity for women to work.   Slowly the situation of women has improved in the country, and people would basically thank the booming outsourcing business (Burzi, 2005).   Personally I feel that women are more suited to do jobs in which meticulous concentration is required and the BPO industry is offering a huge opportunity for women.The Indian government has setup policies that do favor outsourcing and building the country into a global outsourcing hub.   India is very much interested in creating international relationships and establishing international business with several nation s in the world.   As the BPO industry is offering a huge benefit for the society and upliftment of the people, the government is continuously encouraging foreign companies to setup shop in India (Schaaf, 2005).India has been growing at a tremendous rate in the last ten years.   The growth annually has been about 6 %.   India may even be able to grow at a faster rate.   One of the mains causes for such a high growth rate is the booming outsourcing and the knowledge-processing units available in India.   India has been especially been open to the field of IT and software, and application of Information technology has expanded into various other sectors.   Effectively, many companies are having their back-end office in India, which offers back-end support (Schaaf, 2005).There may be a few issues that need to be considered for foreign companies whilst investing in India for outsourcing.   India has a large number of universities and a huge number of graduates are produced every year.   However, several of these universities may not meet international standards, and only about 10 to 20 % of those who graduate out every year are able to meet international standards.   The cost of hiring these individuals may become very difficult in the future due to a shortage of human resources.   Many people still consider the outsourcing business as unattractive and it may be difficult in certain instances to actually acquire the staff for such businesses.   Foreign companies may have to consider investing in the education system so that the quality of education is improved (Schaaf, 2005).India may be available to offer specialized services in certain fields.   However, in several other fields expertise may not be available.   The international investors who want to setup back-end support offices in India may not know this.   The investors have to conduct a detailed research so as to know the resources available and accordingly plan to utilize them, b efore actually investing (Schaaf, 2005).Another problem, which exists in India, is that it may be very costly to setup telecommunication links with the parent company in the US.   If due to some reason this telecommunication links are lost, life may be virtually be shut down completely in another part of the world.   Outsourcing businesses are usually conducted in developed cities of India, and several far-flung areas are unable to offer any support to the BPO’s.   Land is very costly such places, and companies would have to pay a huge price to actually setup infrastructure (Burzi, 2005).It may be very difficult for Indian professionals to work as per the convenience of US or European timings.   Many firms, which have been outsourcing their business processes to India, need to take several issues into considerations before actually conducting work.   They would have to take care of the conveyance and security of the employees (especially females) before having them work as per the US and European timings.   Socially, an Indian woman may not like to venture out of her home at night and work during night shifts.   This may be one of the major issues.   However, several of the MNC’s have guaranteed proper security, conveyance and flexible work timings to ensure that they have the staff to work according to the US and European timings.Hence, although India does offer a huge amount of opportunities for foreign investors, several issues need to be taken into consideration before actually investing.   It may actually be a challenge, but finally if these issues are sorted out, the companies could bear true fruits for their investment.   Besides, it has really become a trend for a company to setup a business in India that would offer backend support.References:Burzi, F. (2005), Outsourcing in India Gets Cultural Backlash, Retrieved on September 10, 2007, from Impact Lab Web site: http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=arti cle&sid=12101 Schaaf, J. (2005), Outsourcing to India: Crouching tiger set to pounce, Retrieved on September 10, 2007, from Deutsche Bank Research Web site: http://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/DBR_INTERNET_EN-PROD/PROD0000000000192125.pdf  Sharma, S. (2004), BPO Industry in India- A Report, Retrieved on September 10, 2007, from BPO India Web site: http://www.bpoindia.org/research/bpo-in-india.shtml

David Lynch as a Cult Auter

David Lynch as a Cult Auteur David Lynch has long been known for his abstract, surrealist, highly ambiguous, and often confusing films. Since his first film, the bizarre and depressing Eraserhead, Lynch has become synonymous with the word â€Å"baffled. † He has been responsible for heady acid trips such as Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Inland Empire. He has created a bizarre examination of sex and violence in Blue Velvet and a quiet, emotional character study in The Elephant Man.Lynch has always been the artsy type; throughout high school, he was a keen painter, with a very abstract style, and after leaving school, he studied painting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1964. However, he left after only a year, stating that â€Å"I was not inspired AT ALL in that place†. He then proceeded to travel around Europe to study the works of Austrian expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka. He returned to America, however, after only 15 days. He then studied Fine Arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, before moving to Los Angeles in 1971 to study filmmaking at the AFI Conservatory.It was at this time that Lynch began winning grants in order to fund his films, including one for $10,000 which he received from AFI in 1970 to make his debut feature-length film, Eraserhead. Over his lengthy career, Lynch has been nominated for four Oscars, but has yet to win. Four of his films have been nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival; 1990? s Wild At Heart won the prestigious award, and Lynch also won Best Director at the festival for his 2001 film Mulholland Drive. Lynch, like many other burgeoning directors, started his audio visual career making short films.From 1966-1974, he created four of film history’s arguably most memorable shorts, leading up to his breakout, oft-critiqued feature, Eraserhead (1977). His style is defined by the dark, the grotesquely physical, and the straight out bizarre. Many of h is shorts included animation of his paintings. Sound and music for films was also of utmost importance to the paranoia-filled atmosphere of his works. The dark and the bizarre were aspects he would carry over to his television show, Twin Peaks, which aired for two seasons in 1990 and 1991.Lynch is valuable because he explodes conventions, both cinematic and psychological, but it’s not enough for him to be as strange as possible—even an approach based on throwing off the fetters of the conventional and the logical demands a kind of discipline. The trick is to allow one’s imagination free play, but to be able to recognize what is genuinely strange and unsettling, rather than merely bizarre, to distinguish between the rare specimens you’ve unearthed from the darkness of the ocean floor and the seaweed clinging to you when you emerge from the water.It’s a completely unscientific process, and one that can’t be forced, so in a sense it’s ac hievement enough that Lynch has remained devoted to exploring his own subconscious, however successful he’s been in conveying his findings to the screen. Leading film critics Le Blanc and Odell state that Lynch’s films â€Å"are so packed with motifs, recurrent characters, images, compositions and techniques that you could view his entire output as one large jigsaw puzzle of ideas. One of the key themes that they noted was the usage of dreams and dreamlike imagery within his works, something they related to the â€Å"surrealist ethos† of relying â€Å"on the subconscious to provide visual drive. † This can be seen in John Merrick’s dream of his mother in The Elephant Man, Agent Cooper’s dreams of the red room in Twin Peaks and the â€Å"dreamlike logic† of the narrative found in Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. Another defining pattern of Lynch’s films is that he tends to feature his leading female actors in mul tiple or â€Å"split† roles, so that many of his female characters have multiple, fractured identities.This practice began with his choice to cast Sheryl Lee as both Laura Palmer and her cousin Maddy Ferguson in Twin Peaks and continued in his later works. In Lost Highway, Patricia Arquette plays the dual role of Renee Madison/Alice Wakefield, while in Mulholland Drive, Naomi Watts plays Diane Selwyn/Betty Elms and Laura Harring plays Camilla Rhodes/Rita and in Inland Empire, Laura Dern plays Nikki Grace/Susan Blue. By contrast, Lynch rarely creates multi-character roles for his male actors.In a short film titled â€Å"How to Make a David Lynch Film† a group of young film makers explored just that. In the short, the group highlight a number of definitive features found in Lynch’s films. They mention that â€Å"the people who like David Lynch do so because he is the master of mood, or because he’s all about atmosphere† and that â€Å"the ‘art sier’ the fan you speak to, the more they pretend to understand Lynch’s nonexistent plots. † Other Lynchian traits mentioned in the short include: * Unneeded tension brought about by dramatic pauses between dialogue * There must be ominous ounds or music in every scene to create a mysterious atmosphere * There must always be a character that goes by the name of Mr. , followed by a common first name (eg. Mr. Jimmy) * When in doubt, add close ups of eyes and lips * Phone calls to add suspense * Halfway through the film, change the actor/actress playing the lead character * In between scenes always fade in and out of black * There should be nudity for no apparent reason * Random shots of out of focus movement * Lots of kissing * Painted fingernails * Lesbian love scenes At least one sex scene, often overexposed * Infantilism (eg. Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet) * Use of black and white * Abrupt endings and loose ends Lynch is an established auteur; in f act, not only does he write his screenplays, but he has been involved with every level of his films production at one point or another: sound design, editing, camera work, lighting, casting, special effects, music, etc. His hands-on approach to every aspect of his films has helped to tie them all together with a common thread.Lynch has sufficient strength of identity within his work and peculiarity of world view to warrant his position as auteur, and David Foster Wallace, in his ‘Premiere' article for Lost Highway, said : â€Å"Whether you believe he's a good auteur or a bad one, his career makes it clear that he is indeed, in the literal Cahiers du Cinema sense, an auteur, willing to make the sorts of sacrifices for creative control that real auteurs have to make – choices that indicate either raging egotism or passionate dedication or a childlike desire to run the sandbox, or all three. As Orson Welles said, â€Å"Cinema is the work of a single man, the directorâ₠¬ . Lynch's films, good or bad, successful or not, have been the work of a film-maker in control of his medium, aware of his position as auteur and willing to assert it within his texts. Many of Lynch’s works have developed a cult following over the years. Of note are Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.There are also many in the Lynchian â€Å"cult† who are not film specific. That is, they are fans and followers of David Lynch himself, and are intrigued by all things Lynchian. The major reason that Lynch’s films stand the test of time is due to their very nature; because his innovative style is so surreal and cryptic, a selection of viewers are compelled to delve further into understanding his films.That’s the beauty of Lynch; his films deeply intrigue his audiences, igniting a thirst in the niche, cult followers to decipher meaning in films where others see none. In most cases, a director cannot really foresee whether or not a film will develo p a cult following over time. However, a further urge to make sense of his works is almost inherent of Lynch’s style, and some may argue that Lynch has constructed his films with the intention of being labelled by society as ‘weird’, or ‘strange’.It almost gives his loyal followers an excuse to be self righteous of their involvement in the cult community; â€Å"Hey look at me, I study Lynchian films, aren’t I cultured? † It can give them a sense of intellectual snobbery. Lynch’s most recent feature, Mulholland Drive was initially scripted and filmed as a television pilot, however, the project was turned down by several networks, and so, after some deliberation, Lynch decided to finish the text as a feature film.As a pilot, the story didn’t have a proper ending, and it took Lynch quite some time to formulate an ending for the film; however he says that it all came to him one night when he sat down on a chair and closed his eyes. In Mulholland Drive, Lynch dwells upon the theme of duality of identity, set in the world of Hollywood. After the failure of both her movie career and her love affair, the main protagonist, Diane, imagines a fantasy of her as another character named Betty, by recreating her ruined career and failed relationship with the woman she loves.To further expand on his main themes of identity, fantasy and reality, duality of things and Hollywood, Lynch uses contrasted filming techniques for each of the parts of the movie, creating a visual dichotomy between Diane’s fantasy (where everything is embellished in a way, highly illuminated, colourful and visually striking) and reality (which is almost completely dark and uses very little lighting, making it seem quite surreal), thus blurring the edges between the two. In her fantasy, Diane loses her identity, as her dream presents another aspect of herself. One ight argue that this fantasy is actually Diane’s attempt at self-id entification, but it is also another representation of her own personality. In the end, Diane must understand that she is comprised of, and capable of, both light and dark, good and evil, naivete and deep mystery. Therefore, she cannot escape or ignore the darker parts of herself – her failure, her hatred, her jealousy. Lynch has explained duality in his films in this way: â€Å"You must have the contrasts. Films should have power. The power of good and the power of darkness, so you can get some thrills and shake things up a bit.If you back off from that stuff, you’re shooting right down into lukewarm junk. †¦You have to believe things so much that you make them honest†. In other words, he argues that in order for films to be strong and powerful, they need to present both sides of a coin, an unrestricted view of life with all of its light and all of its darkness. However, according to him, there is no need to fear the darker side because it is a part of all of us: â€Å"Fear is based on not seeing the whole thing and, if you could get there and see the whole thing, fear is out the window†.Hence he argues that once we come to terms with these darker things and accept them as a natural contrast in all of us, rather than try to hide and escape them, we will be able to face and understand them. In an interview with The Denver Post during the release of Mulholland Drive, Lynch says: â€Å"we know that when we're walking around we see the surface of things, but sometimes we sense something more, sometimes what we sense approaches a kind of dreamlike state.Those feelings take on a life of their own; they are just as real as anything else. † This echoes Breton’s lecture that these often dichotomous forces of inner and external reality â€Å"are the one and the same thing. † However, Lynch does make note that we do approach these various layers of reality in different ways: â€Å"We have waking, sleeping and dreami ng—for most people that's what we deal with. So all of them are real, though the brain functions in a different way for each. The final movement of Mulholland Drive asks its viewers to reinterpret the first 100 minutes of screen time as now being a universe fabricated in the consciousness of small-time, failed-actor Diane Selwyn, who lies dying (or dead) somewhere in a run-down apartment in Hollywood. Linking the narrative material of the film’s final movement to the material that preceded it becomes critical in terms of how one understands the workings of the film. Of course, crucial as it may be to connect narrative information to the film’s internal structures, it is not this alone that makes Mulholland Drive such a unique experience.As in much of Lynch’s other work, the film asks its viewers to attend to every aspect of its construction, from colour schemes to camera movement, from music and sound to performance, from lighting to editing patterns, fro m set design to costume and make-up. In short, every element of the film’s construction can be a container of possible meaning. Because of this, most viewers miss much of the film’s meaning, and walk out of the theatre complaining that it made no sense. Others, however, may pick up on certain symbols or motifs, and are intrigued to decipher their meaning after viewing.What’s especially interesting in Lynch’s films is the way the entire mise-en-scene is presented as meaningful and significant. The hierarchy of significance that we associate with most movies, where some things are to be attended to more than others, is abandoned. We can never tell while watching a scene – at least the first time around – what its most significant features are. It’s possible that a seemingly minor detail will turn out be of critical importance. Everything is presented on the same level of significance.Over the years, Mulholland Drive has developed a cult following in a niche audience, and many of its devout followers are continuously attempting to decipher elements of the film. The website mulholland-drive. net is an extensive database of information regarding the film, where the film’s loyal followers can discuss the film and share their understanding of certain elements of the movie. Since all of the posts on the site are by members of the niche audience, it gives everyone a chance to see what other people thought of the movie and their analysis of its meaning.The website epitomises the commitment of members of a films cult following. To conclude, it is fair to say that David Lynch has well established himself in society as a cult auteur to be reckoned with. His abstract style often leaves his viewers with more questions than answers, and for some viewers, a desire to learn more. It is this factor that has essentially led to Lynch’s grandiose cult status. His followers are intrigued by his ambiguity. Although his ti me as a director will inevitably come to an end, the legacy of his films will last forever through their cult status. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. Lynch and Rodley, 2005, p. 33 [ 2 ]. David Lynch. (2013, March 16). In  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [ 3 ]. Le Blanc and Odell, 2000, p. 08 [ 4 ]. Lynch and Rodley, 2005, p. 148 [ 5 ]. Cook, 1986 [ 6 ]. David Lynch On Mulholland Drive, DVD Extra [ 7 ]. Lynch and Rodley, 2005, p. 150 [ 8 ]. Lynch and Rodley, 2005, p. 244 [ 9 ]. â€Å"Lynch composes cerebral symphony†, Rosen, 2001 [ 10 ]. Breton, ed. Fotiade 2000, p. 04

Reaction to Shrines and Temples of Nicco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Internet Addiction and College students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Literature review on Customer Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literature review on Customer Loyalty - Essay Example According to Oliver (1999), consumer loyalty and satisfaction are linked because satisfaction is an essential step in the formation of loyalty although it becomes less significant as loyalty undergoes other mechanisms. Oliver (1999) shows that although there are concerns on satisfaction, satisfaction propels loyalty illustrated through evaluation of various factors like social norms and self-identity. The study evaluates the two frameworks and their variability on customer loyalty in order to understand the various factors that influence customer loyalty from the two perspectives. According to Dick and Basu (1994), the core aim of marketing is often perceived in terms of development, maintenance, or even enhancement of customer loyalty toward products or services. In their approach, Dick and Basu consider various concepts regarding customer loyalty like attitude considerations and loyalty based on purchase. Therefore, in their framework, Dick and Basu conceptualize loyalty in terms of relationship between relative attitude targeting an entity and the patronage behaviour. According to Dick and Basu (1994), attitude acts as an appraisal function since it is associated with favourable behaviour even though having a favourable attitude toward a brand does not guarantee multiple purchases of the brand. Nevertheless, Dick and Basu (1994), show that low relative attitude accompanied by low repeat patronage indicates the lack of loyalty. However, relative attitude regarding loyalty suggests the possibility of attaining loyalty at both high and low levels of strength in attitude given that the consumers recognize significant differences among the competing brands. Dick and Basu (1994) indicate cognitive antecedents capable of propelling relative attitude in customer loyalty and they include accessibility, confidence, centrality, and clarity. Accessibility refers to the ease of retrieving

Business Communication Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Communication - Case Study Example A lack of central knowledge portal A communicative gap can be caused by inability of the employees and employers to find a common point and a common solution can be hardly found. It should be noted that a communication gap between different departments and regions is the result of invisible silos. Communication gap in the business world is often referred to differences of communication between men and women. The latter have changed their communicative strategies and reached incredible heights and leading positions in their companies. Credibility is hardly reached by women. They have to assure their business partners of their professionalism and well-developed skills. There are different communicative strategies among men and women, when the former play their communicative rules in accordance with well-established communicative strategies and the latter do not have those communicative strategies at all (Darling & Beebe 2007, p. 78). A lack of formal meeting structure It is hard to sol ve a problem of communication gap, especially when there is no formal basis for meeting and discussion of the employees’ concerns. Moreover, communication problems were even more intensified by the absence of the feedback system. The company tries to introduce their own communication improvement system, but taking different measures often fails. For example, there are â€Å"performance development reviews† as a formal tool between a manager and direct report. Personnel are concerned about their salaries, but there are a lot of those, who do not believe in the reliability of this strategy. Lack of formal Training It is evident that employees of the company are lacking of formal training. A relevant strategy is to improve communication in different departments, because implementation of innovations and changes is rather challenging for the company. A lot of flaws in the feedback system. It is also appropriate for the company to develop and promote a clear cooperation amo ng the employees. Managers of the company implement two basic approaches to foster communication in the company: laissez faire approach and traditional culture. Due to the conservative leadership practices in the organization, there are a lot of weaknesses in communication style of the company. Old views of the company’s leaders are preventive factors for innovative and creative thinking development of the employees. A presence of another leader, who is able to foster progressive thinking and policy of the company, is a great benefit for the staff (Johnson, Donohue, Atkin & Johnson 1994, p. 113). A modern approach is a strong background for development and innovations implementation in the company. A different background is a favorable factor for the company’s development. Employees are engaged in different activities and are promoting and increasing the Inglis Value of teamwork. No clear demarcation of responsibilities especially implementing operational change An imp ortant advantage for the company is the fact that the MD brought with him innovative elements from his previous company. This fact is appropriate for success and development within the organization, because Minsky and Martin (1998) claim: â€Å"first, the dissolution of  the hierarchical model of organization  has been accompanied by a changing relationship between the organization and the individual; individual contributors become the organization’s most valuable resource; contemporary organizations have highly permeable

Discuss Whether Justified True Belief Can Be Considered Knowledge Essay

Discuss Whether Justified True Belief Can Be Considered Knowledge - Essay Example Nonetheless, such engagement can also bring one to learn more about knowledge – a term ordinarily thought synonymous with the word ‘know’, when not everything we know constitutes knowledge, not even a JTB? JTB is composed of three concepts – belief, truth and justifiedness. Most basic of which is the understanding of belief, as the question of knowledge here is actually related with belief. To rephrase the main question, if JTB can be considered knowledge, would be: Can belief be qualified as knowledge if it is proven justifiably true? From this question, it can be inferred that not all beliefs can be considered knowledge and that even JTB can be doubted as knowledge. Essentially so, the main question centres on understanding what knowledge is. But since the question of knowledge here is limited only in qualifying JTB as knowledge or not, the discussion would only be limited in understanding philosophical views that either affirm or negate JTB as knowledge. So the discussion shall focus only on understanding when a belief is justifiably true; when JTB cannot be considered knowledge; and when JTB can be considered knowledge. Justified True Belief Belief is something we accept to be real or true. ... Of these, perceptual belief is most common, because we easily believe on the existence of things that are perceivable – these are called sense data. These sense data make us believe on the existence of things. For example, we believe in flowers because we see, smell and touch them. In fact, the first and immediate way for us in knowing about the things around us is making use of our five senses (Huemer 2002, p. 27). We come to know first about flowers not through books but through seeing one; we come to differentiate between sweet and bitter not through others testimony but through our sense of taste; we come to know pain and relief because we felt it; we come to know about odours because we smell them; and we come to know about sounds because we hear them – these perceptual experiences we have everyday made us believe on their existence. But not everything we perceive necessarily constitutes what we believe. There are some things we perceive that we may not believe nor care to believe. For example, we see a horse in a painting. Although we know what a horse look like, we do not believe that the horse in the painting is a real horse knowing that works of art, like painting, are basically imitations of the real world or representations of the painter’s perception, feelings or thought (Sheppard 1987, p. 4). On the other hand, not everything we believe may be true, because we are imperfect not only in our perceptions but also in what we remember, on how we reason out, and in other things that we do; so, it is most probable that we can be deceived by our own senses (Audi 2003, p. 8), which under various circumstances can perform differently. For example, if you are colour-blind, you are

Developing Professional Practice and Using Information in HR Essay - 1

Developing Professional Practice and Using Information in HR - Essay Example According to the discussion human resource managers are well aware of the potential of the employees working in the firm, they are in a better position to decide on behalf of the employees instead of the top management. Top management is just concerned mainly with the profitability and productivity of the firm, the other aspects are handled by the human resource management.From this paper it is clear that at the present time, it is vital for the business organisations to understand the pre-requisites of these professionals and provide them with the mandatory resources for efficient management of the entire workforce.   When any department is equipped with all the necessary resource needed for doing the job effectively, along with the required technology, then there stands a good chance that all work operation run smoothly. Talent and skills go hand in hand with the required resources for delivering exemplary performance.  The key social trends identified in the Davidsons case are creating the employment issues because the females lack the required set of expertise and capabilities to perform the obligatory tasks. Majority of the employees are willing to work as part-time as they want to avail various opportunities of earning sufficient amount of money. Since the customers’ complaints have increased as well, it shows that the employees need to develop their working abilities so that they can achieve their performance goals. Customer complaints are not a good sign and hence employee performances need to be reviewed to ensure that things are working in the right direction. As the employees are given wages below the industry standards at Davidsons, they are looking for new jobs in other supermarkets. All employees interact with other employees in the same

Simulation and systems modelling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Simulation and systems modelling - Essay Example It provides an overview of DES, DES adoption challenges, and DES application main areas in manufacturing. The report also represents three selected famous systems appeals for small, medium, and large companies. Finally, the report gives a conclusion and future directions for simulations. First of all, to define simulation, The Oxford English Dictionary describes Simulation as: "The technique of imitating the behaviour of some situation or system (Economic, Mechanical etc.) by means of an analogous model, situation, or apparatus, either to gain information more conveniently or to train personnel." Also, computer simulation methods have developed since the early 1960s. (Holst, 2001) Holst defines discrete event simulation (DES) as "The modeling over time of a system all of whose state changes occur at discrete points in time those points when an event occurs". In discrete event simulation, the operation of a system is represented as a chronological sequence of events. Each event occurs at an instant in time and marks a change of state in the system (Banks et al, 2005) The need for simulation applications in management is increasing. First of all, Simulation is considered to be a powerful decision making tool for managers. Xianglong et al (2001) provided simulation system that can provide the decision-maker a sequential decision-making environment by establishing a virtual reality simulation system. Also, it could be used for experiments planning and results analysis. Semini et al (2006) listed several reasons why a simulation can support manufacturing logistics decision-making: It facilitates understanding of the real system and its behavior. It reveals previously hidden relationships and provides a systematic way to analyze the situation Can facilitate communication and provide a basis for discussions. "What-if" analyses can be carried out, allowing the decision-maker to test the affects of different alternative scenarios without having to make changes in the real system. Also, Simulation applications are used for risk and disaster management for businesses, organizations, or even countries. It could construct useful visualizations of risk, as provided by triangular decompositions and trade risk profiles, and calculating relevant risk measures. For example, it can provide additional

Confucianism and Taoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Confucianism and Taoism - Essay Example The â€Å"ideal type† Confucian is a â€Å"jun-zi† or â€Å"superior man† (Dagnabitt, n.d.). One can become a jun-zi by following Li or proper moral conduct. Li means to live with reverence or propriety. One must live with social norms and maintain proper public conduct. If one lives the Li way, one is able to establish harmony within the individual, the home, the family and the country. The superior man according to Confucianism must have five virtues – sincerity, benevolence, filial piety and propriety (Kengarman, n.d.). One has to be trustworthy, honest in speech and keep commitments. The conduct should be founded in virtues and one should be virtuous in public as well as in private life. Benevolence is another characteristic of the virtuous man and one should not do to others what he would not like others to do to him. Filial piety is the greatest virtue, and should be shown towards both the living and the dead. It is the love and respect for oneâ€⠄¢s parents and ancestors. Filial piety extends beyond the physical care of the parents. It means not to be rebellious, show love, respect and support. It means to uphold fraternity among brothers, to conceal their mistakes, advise parents when necessary, display sorrow at their sickness and death and most importantly carry out sacrifices after their death. The fourth virtue or propriety encompasses the whole spectrum of human conduct. The superior man does the right thing at the right time. If one deviates from propriety it is an act of immorality. Confucianism further believes that a superior man is needed to rule and keep the social and political order. A jun-zi is also needed in the government to help rule the state. This is essential because a good government brings about a good society. They further believe that a family is the base of society and state and hence ethics and order has to be maintained. All these require a superior man or a jun-zi to ensure that social order is maintained. In

The Little Mermaid Essay Example for Free

The Little Mermaid Essay The first reason that I like this story is it is different from many other stories that always provide happy ending. Children are impossible to be innocent; we need to know we will face some difficulties in our daily life. If life looks so perfect, that is not life. And we usually can learn more by sad stories, because sadness or tragedy can uplift people’s greatness. After I read this story, I started to discover people live around me, and there are surely someone cries in the invisible corner. It seems that many adults think a child should not see too much sadness in their childhood, they think child’s life should be filled by happiness, however, no matter in which ages, people do have some upset feelings sometimes, so I think there is not a big problem to give kids read sad tales. To realize more, we can have a good start to grow up, because we have already prepared our mental statement. The second reason that I like this story is this fairy tale concludes a concept about gain and giving up. We are making choice in every moment when we are live in earth, we choose to give up something and to gain something, and the purpose is we try to make our gain more than our lost. In this story, the little mermaid uses her sweet voice to change a magic medicine that can give her human’s legs back from the evil witch. Although she thinks she can catch the prince’s heart, she is wrong and only has a chance to live a short happy time with prince for memory. In our student’s life, we also sacrifice our free time to do some we need to complete first. There is a proverb said that â€Å"One cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. † There is no possibility that will be a present coming to you for no reason from God; we have to make decisions by ourselves, learn to make better decisions, and give ourselves present by our own. Many fairy tales are talking about the prince saves the princess, but â€Å"The Little Mermaid† is not. The little mermaid saves the prince from getting drown, and she choose to lose her life without killing the prince. We can find out that women are also strong as men, not to her powerful strength, but to her firm mind. When people face difficulties, they usually feel scared, and want to escape for sacrificing. But many examples that show women’s determination, such as some women choose to give up her life to born her baby. So we can realize that women will behave strong, when they have to protect their beloved as men. This kind of concept can give us courage and confidence to do things that we think we cannot do at first, although it is just a story, it encourages kids much. Some adults are worried that give children to read sad fairy tales will make kids feel unhappy, but I think this problem is not so serious. By reading those sad stories, we can have more impressive feeling, and start to think what reasons cause these sad endings. I like â€Å"The Little Mermaid†, it let me learn lessons, such as realizing the life is not perfect, making better choices and believing myself to accomplish my own goals. Maybe we cannot fulfill every wish in our short life, but we have tried to live a better life, like a pretty bubble exists. To this aspect, we will not have regrets.

Living Building Challenge BREEAM: Non-Residential Building

Living Building Challenge BREEAM: Non-Residential Building Rethinking the Application of the Living Building Challenge BREEAM for Non-Residential Buildings in the UK Building certification and assessment has been in spotlight since the rise of the concept of sustainable development, the need to improve building performance and reduce our consumption. Growing from a shared ideology of Jason F.Mclennans team, to create a utopian idea, the Living Building. One that has high potential for low running costs, high performance and user comfort, the epitome of the definition of sustainability. The living building challenge (LBC) was initially assessed by BNIM against the LEED standard upon its design, to determine its environmental and impact worth in a sustainable matrix.   However, in this paper a cross case investigation between the LBC version 3.0 and BREEAMs code for non-residential buildings 2011, will be undertaken to highlight each certifications merits and shortages. Followed by a cross-case analysis of 2 case studies to reflect on the investigations results. This is in an attempt to highlight which of the assessment methods has more comprehensive and in-depth critical criteria, how its applied by drawing on lessons from the case studies available for study from the public domain, through the LBC and BREEAMs online portals. For years, the race to creating sustainable assessment tools has been on-going to counter a variety of challenges in peoples lives, countries resources and global wellbeing (Rees, 1999, Edwards et al., 2013). Problems in a national scale that include waste tackling, organic and non-organic, energy consumption, water both excess and depravity from it, Carbon Dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, all of which contribute to national pollution statistics, waste and water treatment expenses and energy production (DEFRA, 2012) . The increase in these costs furthermore continues the cycle to affect the primary user, by raising energy prices for electricity, heating and cooling, county and city taxes and other government or privately provided services (Manne et al., 1991, ASIF et al., 2007). While typical cities contributes to an average of 75% of greenhouse gas emissions according to United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP, 2014),   commercial structures and transportation account for 16.25% and 25% of the United Kingdoms (UK) energy consumption sectors(Department of Energy, 2014, p. 12) . In addition to 38% of the countrys overall energy sinks being accounted towards energy generation, 83% of which is generated through coal power plants, the primary electricity generation method in the UK (Department of Energy, 2014, p. 12), contributing a large emission rate of 0.507 kg CO2/kWh (DEFRA, 2008).   Whilst the housing sector remains the dominant sector, but commercial buildings have been on a rise, to accommodate for different functions, educational, retail, offices and learning institutions. (PMRecon, 2013). The construction sector is in a strong boom (Longworth, Kern and Marshall, 2014), along with construction emissions such as material sourcing, mate rial fabrication, and the buildings operation itself. This paper will be addressing two case studies from the commercial office buildings sector of the construction industry: The Bullitt Center (LBC) and the. Addressing the strategies implemented within each, how each criterion was addressed and the impact on overall performance of the building. In the United Kingdom, the Building Research Establishment (BRE), alongside its assessment tool, the BRE Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) have formulated a number of schemes to tackle different building types, including but not limited to, BREEAM, BREEAM for commercial buildings, and BREEAM for Sustainable Homes (EcoHomes previously). The Living building challenge is a rigorous assessment tool created and published by Jason F.Mc Lennan and his associates, a project started from the mid-1990s and first coming to light in August 2006. The Living Building Challenge adopts a restorative nature, one that aims to give back to the environment (Warner, 2015). This paper will approach one of the more rigorous certification tools claimed to be applicable to any building type,). By having a net positive strategy, the building creates an excess of its needs, for storage or if possible to be input into nature as a metaphorical tax for trespassing on it (Monbiot et al., 2007). Theres a range of a 100 or more full living certified buildings around the world, the larger percentage being in the USA where the certification resides (ILFI, 2015) . However public record only shows buildings classified as non-private so the numbers can easily be more than that. And theres even a larger amount of partially or petal certified buildings a nd projects (ILFI, 2015) . . Any one building can acquire a number of certifications, relevant to each individual petal. However if a building is certified within all criteria, it gains a Certified Living Building Certificate, considerably the highest award given by the LBC. Followed by individual petal certified buildings, these are structures that have satisfied one or more of the petals, and are most likely awaiting a final audit to be fully certified. The final certification is Net Positive Energy certification, requiring the building to have provide more electricity than calculatedly needed. To achieve net positive energy over course of the year, energy efficient features, electricity generation and passive design are employed. In each section, an analytical and comparative summary of both the LBC and BREEAM will display how each standard addresses the named criterion. It is notable that due to the highly comprehensive nature of the LBC, BREEAM will be compared against the LBCs petals and using the standards and descriptions provided under the LBCs handbook. With the end of each petal, and summarizing this section, the author will conduct a summary comparative analysis between both standards, listing in brief, how each addresses the topics and providing analytical insight into the results. The LBC uses a number of concepts to guide its users through the design and certification process, the terms are derived from various sources, references or the creators own research to construct a logic space through which this tool operates. Typology: Typology refers to the scope and type of project being conducted, this helps identify what imperatives are compatible and can be applied to the project. Renovation: This refers to any project that is not a complete building on its own, but part of a previous building as an addition or rehabilitation of historic or old structures. Infrastructure + Landscape: This refers to projects that operate on an open scale, such as parks, amphitheaters, or other civil projects such as public plazas, exercise fields, bridges and so on. Building: This refers to projects that involve whole buildings both ones already existing and to include renovations or new ones all together. Community: The community challenge applies to a number of structures that coexist together and operate as part of a neighbourhood, community, campus whilst sharing certain amenities such as, but not limited to, roads, green or community areas. Transect: The transect concept is an adaptation of the New Urbanism transect planning approach that was developed and published in the Smart Code manual (latest version 9.2) by the Center for Applied Transect Studies (CATS, 2010). The transect smart code benefits from and adapts Smart Growth and New Urbanism strategies into creating a well divided yet adequately mixed community that supports sustainable growth for community, nature and urban development (Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Company, 2009). In the living building challenge, adequate transects for each project must be identified according to footprint and site scale in order to adapt the appropriate imperatives to suit the site as such that it is developed to be a productive part of its context. Whilst that approach allows for a natural flow of urban development, imposing guidelines that regulate form without function on a city scale causes complications, specifically when applied on a regulatory scale, some documents might be too technical and complicated as to negate architectural design creativity and hinder functions that occupy these buildings. (Garnett, 2013, pp. 571 588). Fortunately within the Living Building Challenge, these concepts are not strictly applied, but are merely regulated in the latest addition in version 3.0 stating that buildings needs to adapt beauty and reflect on their context, but stated exceptions due to local regulations are allowed. Scale Jumping: In case the projects place petal amenities require space larger than required or there is potential for cooperation, it is possible to scale jump these areas as long as they serve more than one building or site, and as long as theyre off the main project zone. Colour coding in the next section will be used to mark the start of paragraphs marking ones that include Living Building Standard to differentiate them for the ones comparing with BREEAM. The Living Building Functions as a Certification, accompanied with a guidance manual, used to achieve named certification. It classifies the different categories within to a series of broad umbrellas, or Petals. Each petal is composed of a number of relevant criteria, named imperatives. The LBCs categories are divided into seven petals, which encompass a set of comprehensive criteria, the acceptable methods and parameters needed to achieve them.   The Petals summarized into the following table reflects the Living Building Institutes vision into the main categories that should be addressed to achieve a comprehensive regenerative design according to the LBCs vision: Place Net Positive Water Net Positive Energy Health Happiness Materials Equity Beauty Whilst the set of Petals assigned by the LBC might be considered of a wide scope, it is however a certification and not a technical standard, thus by comparison, BREEAM encompasses more sections, which are different arrange by marginally align with the components within the LBC. Management Health and Wellbeing Energy Transport Water Waste Land Use Ecology Pollution Innovation Despite the larger number of sections, items such as Land Use, Ecology and Transport are embodied within the Place Petal. Waste is segregated and included within the Water and Materials petals, pertaining to organic waste, food waste and construction components. Pollution is divided across all petals, and emphasized within Health Happiness, Place and Materials petals to regulate pollution within surrounding and indoor environments. Finally given the LBCs transparency policy, it sponsors a system of declaration and comprehensive calculation and checks regarding each Petal from design to end of life, thus concluding with the Equity and Beauty Petals which are no included within the BREEAM, yet left open ended within the LBC. I. Place Petal The place petal, formerly the Site petal, is the first of the set, it relates to the projects setting, its site, surroundings, ecology and is concerned with placing the building its appropriate surroundings. The petal addresses all projects despite scale, surroundings or function, the designer, or design team as stated must work into defining the site appropriately to understand how to protect the sites ecology and restore it post-construction. The Place petal is heavily affected by each sites Living Transect assigned to it, project area or scale jumping and thus the petal guidebook has been rigidly assigned to ensure that all calculations and certifications have been unified. The place petal includes 04 Imperatives, listed briefly; Limits to Growth Urban Agriculture Habitat Exchange Human-Powered Living The Imperatives within the Place Petal, as previously mentioned are comparable to some of the criteria listing under the Transport, Ecology and Site sections within the BREEAM documentation. Enforcing the regenerative nature of the LBC, this petal sponsors a strategy of ecological preservation and rehabilitation as a result of human activities. All of which is sponsored by BREEAM however not enforced as rigidly nor is it mandatory, except for the Habitat Exchange petal, reflected in LE 03, minimizing impact on existing ecology. However, it does not enforce a requirement for a net zero or net positive impact on the environment, but rewards based on reducing the negative impact on the environment between a negative to net zero range. Briefly summarized, the comparison between both sets of regulations takes a positive stand against ecological decay, requiring the maintenance of local ecology and further development, not simply the mitigation of any further damage or simply reducing the damage caused. Whilst on a small scale, it would benefit local ecology, this strategy has to be employed on a wider scale to start mitigating or reversing global decay of natural environments. However, the lack of exact calculations that would measure the effect of any construction in any existing ecosystem of high or low value, makes it essential that the LBC needs other regulatory systems and assessment tools to supplement and optimize its performance.   It is apparent that the application of this section requires the expertise of an ecological specialist for both systems, and would be high in cost. Ultimately as the LBC is a restorative system, it remains important to perform this task as part of the metaphorical price of intruding on nature. In addition, addressing the Transport section of BREEAM, reflected within Human powered living and the Transects concept of the LBC. The LBC encourages walkable communities, the use of bicycles and non-engine operated modes of transportation with the more populated transects, restricting use of cars to commute in and out of these zones. In addition, it requires estimating the need for storages and car parks based on demand, providing accessibility for mobility and the use of human powered transport and finally. Apart from the effect of that policy on pollution, it does reduce the carbon and energy cost of transportation, such as commute and food miles and ultimately promotes awareness and healthy lifestyles. BREEAM while advocating similar requirements, also adds the needs for compact urban design, to reduce the need for modes of transportation, rather than regulating these modes of transportation. In summary, the need to address users needs for storage, distances and methods of comm ute is imperative to reducing the overall pollution and energy impacts of the residing community. Finally, and exclusively required by the LBC, enforcing a policy of urban agriculture, reducing food miles and a policy to encourage food storage within households sets the LBC apart. One can criticize however that the requirements of farmable land per building footprint are disproportionate to the density of users occupying it and would need to be rectified to meet realistic expectations. II. Water Petal The water petal governs the production, use and disposal of all fluid and water based materials on site, including potable water, grey water, black water, storm and rainwater harvesting, managing it, storage and disposing of the excess. The water petal only contains one imperative, which is an update from net zero water in version 2.1 to be Imperative 05. Net Positive Water in version 3.0 (LBI, 2015g). In brief, the Net positive water imperative advocates the compatibility between water systems on site and natural water systems depending on site and climate. It states that any water used on site must be part of a closed loop system where all used water must be captured on site by means of precipitation, rain or storm water collection, grey water treatment or ground water supply if possible. Of course exceptions are made in case of extreme climatic conditions where it is not feasible or where the natural supply cannot satisfy consumption due to user capacity, where an appeal can be made given proper support. In comparison, BREEAM has Wat01-Wat04 criteria (BRE, 2014),, only Wat01 that specifies water consumption is mandatory, with a minimum performance of providing 12.5% of water consumption within the building throug h closed loop methods and a maximum five credit score for providing 55% or more of consumed water in the building. Similar to BREEAM Wat02 criterion (BRE, 2014), the LBC Water Petal requires monitoring of use constantly over the year, month by month and in detail. Unlike and in a stricter approach than BREEAM however, the water monitoring process is rigid and highly detailed, requires documentation of all production, use and sinks of water in the structure (LBI, 2015g). It also promotes the jump scaling of this imperative to benefit the community, where a cistern or a unified water storage can be shared between multiple sites, the community, ecosystem or agricultural land. Concluding the   water petal, due to Englands Koepen-Geiger climate zone being Cfb, one that has an average of 800mm annual rainfall during the whole year (World Maps of Kà ¶ppen-Geiger climate classification, 2010, Kottek et al., 2006, pp. 259-263), applying an efficient water harvesting strategy would not be a difficult challenge, the problem would arise with treatment and storage specially on smaller sites, which in turn creates opportunities for jump scaling and providing neighbourhood benefit. III. Energy petal Just like the Water Petal, managing resources in the Living Building Standard have taking a developmental step towards net positive, thus as an upgrade from v2.1 of the Energy Petal that advocated Net Zero energy to the new Energy Imperative 06. Net Positive Energy (LBI, 2015a). In summary, the new Net Positive imperative calls for the production of one hundred and five percent (105%) of the projects energy requirement are satisfied on site by sustainable and renewable energy methods on a net annual basis. What adds to this petals challenge, is the need for resilience, the requirement to store energy for emergency in addition to night-time use. The resilience component requires a minimum of 10% of essential lighting load and refrigerator operation for up to a week (LBI, 2015a). A formidable challenge in England; due to the low number of sunny hours annually, reaching an average of 1493 hours of sun per year (Current Results Weather, 2015) making the return to solar origins concept adopted by LBC a solution that might not be entirely financially viable. What sets this strategy apart from other assessment methodologies is the prohibiting of combustion, burning of any material, biomass, biofuels, alternative or conventional fuels due to the possibility of harmful gas emissions, as well as the release of greenhouse gases despite how efficient the combustion module is (McLennan, 2010). On the other hand, BREEAM does not ban the use of combustion energy sources, but relies on the relationship between energy use and Carbon Dioxide emissions, which release nitrates and carbon compounds that account for global warming (Johnson, 2009, pp. 165-168). BREEAM aims for a zero carbon approach, with potential for Carbon Negative buildings acting as sinks. Both systems require a twelve-month monitoring period to determine the buildings efficiency when occupied. However, given the authors current research, it is likely a performance gap may be observed due to human use discrepancies that were not accounted for using Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), and are not adequately measured using the LBCs online calculators. IV. Materials Petal The materials petal aims to create a future of materials economy that is non-toxic, regenerative and avoid any negative effects on occupants health, the material petal aims to use materials that can be re-used while eliminating the concept of construction waste while staying financially viable, functionally efficient and aesthetically pleasing (LBI, 2015c). Due to production costs, sourcing, transportation distance and the general economy, sourcing these materials remain to be a challenge, but the LBC attempts to counter that challenge by creating a guideline to follow that will allow achieving its targets without any negative impacts. The materials petal has been put ahead of the Health Happiness Petal since the outcome of an adequate material petal certification will lead to the final outcome of Health and Happiness. The Material petal is composed of five imperatives that will be briefly discussed and critically compared to the BREEAMs six material criteria and six waste criteria, both of which are grouped under the Materials Petal in a brief yet comprehensive guideline. The five imperatives are listed as follows, Red List Embodied Carbon Footprint Net Positive Waste Responsible Industry Living Economy Sourcing Imperative 10. Red List advocated the elimination of worst-in-class materials and chemicals as it dictates, ones with the greatest negative impact to occupant and ecological health. The list includes a large number of petroleum products, polymers and compounds that contribute to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) spreading in construction as well as other harmful chemicals that lead to a number of physiopathological mechanisms, respiratory diseases and disorders they might cause to occupants (Fernà ¡ndez et al., 2013, pp. 22-27) including but not limited to symptoms such as irritations, coughing and respiratory symptoms, nervous symptoms such as headaches and fatigue, dry skin and other symptoms users might take for granted or under-estimate to be prompt yet prove even more harmful on the long run (Wolkoff, 2013, pp. 371-394). BREEAM recognizes the dangers of these materials, and allows their use under certain conditions according to its own tables and conditions under its health and wellbeing section HEA02- Indoor air quality. BREEAM tackles the problem of VOCs (BRE, 2014) by running a pre-occupancy test after end of construction to determine the concentration of contaminants in the structure, and if found within the appointed limits, it grants the points. The C2C methodology is ambition, but calculation methodology does not include energy that goes into rehabilitating that product for reuse, neither does it account for the quality of the product and ability to function adequately (Bakker et al., 2010). Energy input into the different stages of product development, such as transportation which accounts for 90% of some appliances (Llorach-Massana et al., 2015). It is however calculable and would allow for a deeper understanding of the buildings energy and carbon impact by calculating a complete building life cycle from cradle to cradle (Braungart, McDonough and Bollinger, 2007, pp. 1337-1348).This would assess the carbon impact of the building from inception to deconstruction and potential reuse. (Kneifel, 2010, pp. 333-340, Bribià ¡n, Capilla and Usà ³n, 2011, pp. 1133-1140). Imperative 12. Responsible Industry and Imperative 13 Living Economy Sourcing and Net Positive Waste are related when it comes to the overall concept, both imperatives call for sustainable, local or national and proper sourcing of materials. Processing has to be transparent and declared, sources from sustainable or renewable sources dedicated for farming or reclaimed through cradle to cradle or recyclable schemes in addition to some materials also known as Carbon Leaks and Carbon Exports (Davis and Caldeira, 2010, pp. 5687-5692, Kuik and Hofkes, 2010, pp. 1741-1748). However, the use of this concept in the UK might be hindered due to limited resources and would extend to the European Economic Area alongside consideration for the expenses and emissions produced by importing. V. Health and Happiness Petal The last of the published petal handbooks set in version 3.0, containing imperatives 07 to 09, listed as follows Civilized Environment BioPhillic Environment Healthy Interior Environment (LBI, 2015f) This set of imperatives work to provide a psychologically and physically healthy environment for occupants and owners, by creating connections to the surrounding environment (Coon et al., 2011, pp. 1761-1772) and designing and specifying healthy indoor materials. Imperative 07. Civilized Environment and Imperative 09. Biophillic Environments both share common grounds that contribute to psychological and physical health (LBI, 2015f). Both imperatives aim to create a direct connection between indoors and outdoors, a feeling of visual and a level of physical continuity to provide a feeling of joy and freedom (Ching, 1995). Achieving these targets; by performing adequate daylight calculations to identify any glare spots and daylight distribution without spaces, allowing sufficient daylight factors within the building (Roche, Dewey and Littlefair, 2000, pp. 119-126), in addition to accounting for thermal and visual comfort (Greenup, Bell and Moore, 2001, pp. 45-52), creating connections with the outdoors is an essential requirement in imperative 07 without any possible appeals except for areas of special use or areas that are not frequently occupied. BREEAM had managed to shed a stronger light when it comes to health and wellbeing criteria, by setting rigorous standards for ventilation, daylight factors and ratios and indoor quality (BRE, 2014). It also adopted criteria to provide comfortable acoustic and thermal environments as well as security for its occupants (Novak, Treytl and Palensky, 2007), despite not being mandatory, these criteria do improve user comfort and satisfying them contributes to outstanding credits. VI. Equity Petal The Equity petal (LBI, 2015f), introduced in version 3.0 has limited literature, only introduced in the standard guidebook summarizing the latest version, it includes a table of design guidelines needed to be met or complimented to provide a sense of equality and justice between all users of the project, at any scale, but mostly focused towards the public and living community challenges. This petal is divided into four imperatives and will be briefly described, since they are still under development with no comprehensive guidebooks and are still quite subjective in approach, they will not be given great focus. The petal guidelines tackle issues such as areas, distances, landscape and urban design to give users and pedestrians a sense of worth in surroundings modelled after the human scale and dimensions (Ching, 1995)/ Access to place allows general public usage of spaces created within projects to spread the benefit and eventually awareness to the project and value. Both advocate facilitated access to impaired users, allowing equal opportunities for all users (Thapar et al., 2004, pp. 280-289), Imperative 17. Equitable Investment and Imperative 18. JUST Organizations, both of these imperatives tackle the humane side of building occupancy and donation towards charitable causes. It also includes the need for consideration of users, their needs and humane treatment. VII. Beauty Petal Last of the version 3.0 newly added petals, contains two imperatives; Imperative 19. Beauty + Spirit and Imperative 20. Inspiration + Education, both of which cannot be empirically calculated and proven (LBI, 2015f), thus documentation of design literature and efforts made to raise awareness of technologies have been, which reflects on the innovation standard in the BREEAM. However aesthetic value has not been regarded in BREEAM leaving that particular point out, which could be implied given that it is a technical tool for building performance not architectural design. This section will discuss a cross case analysis between two case studies. Each reflecting one of the discussed assessment systems, the LBC and BREEAM. The author found it fitting that due to the main showcase of the LBC reflected in educational buildings, ones that have been developed to be a display and case study for LBC teams, that the cross case analysis would be best done across educational buildings of a similar scale. The LBC case study is an office and commercial complex, commissioned by the environmental protection foundation, the Bullit Foundation. The BREEAM case study is a building of a similar typology, a commercial and office complex, slightly larger in area and a BREEAM Excellence building, the Exchange in  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   street. Commissioned by the Bullit foundation, an environmental agency with a mission to safeguard the Pacific North Wests ecology from non-sustainable and invasive human activity and raise awareness to the ecological issues that surround the regions urban sprawl. The building was commissioned under what they believe is the most rigourous standard, that would stand to raise awareness and work as a teaching experience for designers, professionals of the built environment and researchers. Its a commercial office building, with space for various office tenants and a commercial space. The Living Building Challenge is a powerful tool that might hold a number of innovative and important keys towards true sustainability. But due to the vast number of topics covered by it, the LBC requires supporting technical regulations created by local authorities to be applied to differ

Human rights education for indian armed forces

Human rights education for indian armed forces HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION FOR INDIAN ARMED FORCESCHAPTER INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY When asked what should be done about human rights, the French philosopher Voltaire answered:- â€Å"Let the people know them!† Over the years there has been considerable deterioration in the internal security environment in various parts of our country. JK and NE states have been the theatre of ethnic, regional and state sponsored turmoil for decades for various reasons, the primary one being isolation of the region from rest of the country and the lack of social and economic development of the area. The rise in the law and order problems and failure of the government to control the situation eventually led to the long drawn involvement of the armed forces in the region. The efforts of the security forces to control insurgency and terrorism in the area have brought up the issue of violations of human rights by the security forces. The paradoxical situation now is that while there is an increasing and widespread concern for observance of human rights by the security forces operating in the environment, gross violations of the same by the militant organisations continue unabated. â€Å"Extremist organisations find terror desirable to attract attention whereas counter measures by security forces are restrained when militants blend into the local population, making it impossible to attack their bases or personnel without collateral damage. Here in lies the dilemma for the security forces to conduct operations effectively within the constraints of ethics and the need to respect human rights. (Jasjit Singh) Terrorism and human rights cannot co-exist. They are mutually destructive of each other. Where there is terrorism there cannot be human rights. One of the greatest threats to the future of democracy is terrorism which is increasingly becoming a way of life in the disturbed states. Low intensity conflict operations today includes in its gambit operations against insurgents, militants, terrorists, and any other non state actors that jeopardises national security and sovereignty. The armed forces are being increasingly used in Low Intensity Conflict Operations (LICO) or Counter Insurgency (CI) Operations, which brings it in the media lime light. Certain restrictions have to be imposed on the basic rights of people when combating terrorism, but those restrictions have some norms to be followed. The principles of humanity suggest that military action should not cause unnecessary or disproportionate damage or suffering. When entrusted with a task of this magnitude, human rights violations do take place, but what is important is that the state remains fully aware of its obligations to eradicate the occurrence of such instances and takes prompt measures against the erring personal. It becomes imperative on part of the organisation to educate and train the personals involved in such duties with the basic rights of an individual as a human being and the steps to prevent its violation. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem This paper aims to formulate and suggest the Institutionalised Human Rights Education and Training as a means to reduce Human Rights Violations by the Armed Forces operating in low intensity conflict environment. Justification of the Study Human rights now constitute the common heritage of humankind; accordingly, human rights education is a means of accessing that heritage through the universal commitment to the dignity and worth of each human. The evils of injustice, exploitation, impoverishment, tyranny, civil strife, genocide, abuses of power, and catastrophic state failures have plagued humankind from time immemorial and produced humiliation and despair. They also spur action for social and economic transformation, which human rights education helps to define and put into practice. Human rights education reinforces the human rights to peace and to development, that is, the rights of human beings and nations to be free from aggression or other unlawful use of armed force and from mass impoverishment. Genocidal practices and other massive human rights violations are a particular challenge for human rights education. Every human being should be empowered through human rights education to expose and undermine the very possibility of such practices before they emerge and to join with others in ending such practices and holding the perpetrators accountable for their deeds and those who could help accountable for their silence and inaction. The dedication of nation-states and of the United Nations system to human rights education is a first step and the modest efforts pursued during the first United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995- 2004) and this effort must be redoubled by the Armed Forces as a responsible organisation to build stronger solidarities through the message of the dignity and equal worth of every human person. Scope This study focuses on establishing a framework of Human Rights Education and Training to the armed forces in low intensity conflict operations environment. It also attempts to suggest functional parameters that will assist in adopting a universal, holistic and integrated approach to Human Rights. Methods of Data Collection The source of data has been the abundant literature on the subject available in the College Library. A bibliography is appended at the end of the text. In addition to it, explicit use of means of mass media including internet has been made. The thought process of eminent personalities and experts on the subject, both in India and internationally, have also been incorporated as they manifested in Interviews and public shows. Organisation of the Dissertation It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- Chapter I. Introduction and Methodology. Chapter II. Human Rights A basic Study. Chapter III. Interplay of Human Rights and Armed Forces in LIC Environment. Chapter IV. Relevance of Human Rights Education for Armed Forces. Chapter V. Approach to Human Rights Education. Chapter VI. Effective Human Rights Training. Chapter VI. Conclusion. CHAPTER II HUMAN RIGHTS A BASIC STUDY Human Rights Evolution of the Concept. In the simplest of terms, human rights could be regarded as involving all those aspects which add to dignity and free existence of human beings. Historians credit the origin of this concept to MAGNA CARTA, AD 1521. On scrutiny however, it would emerge that this document actually was a petition urging the king to concede certain rights to a particular section of his people. It neither had a direct reference to the common mans basic freedom nor the required range of application. The term â€Å"Human Rights† was introduced in the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the US constitution embodied a â€Å"Bill of Rights†. The French resolution later on in 1789, ushered in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Much later in 1929, the Institute of International Law, New York, USA, prepared a Declaration of Human Rights and Duties. In 1945, the Inter American Conference passed a resolution seeking the establishment of an international forum for the furtherance of human rights of the whole mankind. The World War II was probably the turning point, which drew the required attention towards human rights. The atrocities committed on ethnic grounds by the axis powers shocked the conscience of the international community. The allied powers then vowed to usher in a world order for promoting respect for the observance of Human Rights and fundamental freedom. The United Nations charter, in its preamble declared, â€Å"we the people of the United Nations Organisation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of human person, in the equal rights of men and women and the Nations large and small†¦..†. The charter then went on to declare that the purpose of the United Nations is, â€Å"to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedom for all, without distinction based o n race, sex, language or religion†. The United Nations proclaimed the universal declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The United States defined Human Rights in a policy document in 1978 , which includes the following aspects:- â€Å"Freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, torture, unfair trial, cruel and unusual punishment and invasion of privacy, rights to food, shelter, health care, education, freedom of thought, speech, assembly, religion, press, movement and participation in Government†. Human Rights The International Endeavour. The United nations Organisation in keeping with its charter to promote respect for fundamental freedom and Human Rights for all without any distinction, came out with an International bill of Human Rights consisting of the following:- Universal Declaration of human Rights, 1948. The International Covenant on civil and Political Rights, 1966. The International covenant of Economic social and cultural rights, 1966. The optional protocol (1966) providing for the right of the individual to petition international agencies. The principles on which this bill was based on are as under:- All human beings have been brought within the scope of this bill, without any distinction. Equality of application without any distinction of race, sex, language or religion. Emphasis on international cooperation for implementation of the bill. UN Declaration of Human Rights. The UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948 approved and accepted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Further on 16 December 1966, two covenants were also approved by the UN General Assembly on â€Å"Economic, Social and Cultural Rights† and â€Å"Civil and Political Rights†. These covenants are legally binding and came into force in 1976. Some of the important aspects of UN Declaration are as under:- Right to life, liberty and security of person (Art 3). Right against slavery or servitude (Art 4). No one shall be subjected to torture, cruel, in human or degrading treatment or punishment (Art 5). Equality before Law and equal protection under law (Art 6 and 7). (e) Right to effective remedy against violation of Fundamental Rights (Art 8). Right against arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (Art 9) Right against interference with individuals privacy (Art 10 and 11). Right to a free and fair trial (Art 12). Right to freedom of movement, residence and nationality and to seek asylum in other countries (Art 13, 14 and 15). Right to marry and to form a family (Art 16). Right to property (Art 17). Right to freedom of thought, religion, freedom of opinion and expression (Art 16 and 18). Right to work, reasonable working conditions and to receive equal pay for equal work (Art 23, 24). Right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and to be a member of a society (Art 20 and 22). Right to a standard of living, conducive for health, well being and social protection (Art 25). Right to education (Art 26). Right to participation in cultural life of community (Art 27). Right to a social and international order in which the right and freedom set forth in this declaration can be fully exercised (Art 28). Human Rights The Scenario in India. India does not have a known convention on human rights. However, India is a signatory to the various conventions proclaimed by the United Nations organisation. Traditionally, Indian culture has always stressed the observance of human rights. Our constitutional founders have given this aspect the due prominence in the form of fundamental rights, which has been embodied as Directive Principles of State Policy. The important aspects are as given below :- Right to equality (Art 14). No discrimination against any citizen based on religion, race, caste, sex etc (Art 15). Right against untouchability (Art 17). Right to freedom. Right to freedom of speech and expression (19(i)(a)) Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms (Art 19(i)(b)). Freedom to form associations (Art 19(i) (c)). Freedom to reside and settle in any part of country (Art 19(i) (f). Freedom in choice of profession (Art 19(i) (f)). Right not to be compelled to be a witness against himself (Art 20(2). Protection of life and personal liberty (Art 21). Protection against arrest and detention (Art 22). Right against exploitation by traffic in human beings, beggary and other similar forms of forced labour (Art 23 and 24). Right to freedom of Religion (Art 25 to 26). Right to move Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights (Art 32). CHAPTER III INTERPLAY OF ARMED FORCES AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN LOW INTENSITY CONFICT ENVIRONMENT â€Å"When the soldier is fighting against an adversary in war, considerations of Human Rights are secondary principles. Practices and usage of war are the best guide. But during peace time employment, in addition to the guidelines laid down in various conventions, it is essential that the environment that the soldier has to operate is clearly understood. -Army Training Note S/1/95 Six decades after our independence, country finds itself beset with terrorism and insurgencies in many states simultaneously. The security forces have been actively involved in counter insurgency operations in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and more recently, Naxals in as many as twelve other states. Involvement of non state actors in promoting insurgency in our border states is also well established. The insurgencies and terrorism are quite different from a full scale conventional war and thus demand the utmost attention of a government and the people. The counter insurgency operations must differ materially from regular warfare for which armies train and equip themselves. Environmental Realities in LIC More often than not the armed forces are deployed for operations at a very belated stage, when the situation is almost out of control. The prevailing environment that is likely to be encountered by the army therefore assumes a great degree of importance. Some of the salient aspects of the environmental realities are given in the succeeding paragraphs:- Public. There is a prevailing sense of in-security among the general public. People tend to either silently obey the militants or to migrate to safer places. They are very reluctant to cooperate with the security forces. Militants. There is an overpowering cult of the gun and defiance of authority. They acquire sophisticated and lethal weapons by establishing nexus with powers inimical to the state. They have no desire for peaceful negotiations, unless the government out rightly succumbs to their demands. Bureaucracy, Politicians and Judiciary. These come under tremendous pressure because of the constant threat of retribution. Police/Paramilitary Forces. Militants endeavour to induce fear in them through intimidation, and other forms of retribution. This coupled with inadequate equipment and training has adverse effects on the morale and efficiency of these forces. As a result their credibility gets eroded and they fail to induce any confidence among the people. Media. The official media and some of the national dailies are viewed as the mouth piece of the government and its credibility with the masses is usually low. Reporters have scant knowledge of LICO and tend to sensationalise events. Civil Administration. The general conditions prevailing amounts to the civil administration being ineffective and the authority of the government gets eroded with the writ of the militants running supreme. Law of the Land. The law of one state is not always applicable in the other states. This facilitates the militants shifting their bases and operating from areas where they can escape the law. Once certain special laws are enacted, these are portrayed as draconian in a democratic society, thereby providing sufficient cause for propaganda and also drawing attention of the Human Rights Organisations. The militants also thrive on the various existing lacunae in our legal system. Neighbouring States. Inimical neighbours exploit the instable situation to the full extent and resort to waging a proxy war. The Nexus. Militants tend to establish a nexus with identical anti government movements. Even some religious fundamentalist extends their direct support. State and Central Agencies. There is a plethora of state and central agencies operating in such an environment. They usually lack unity of purpose and operate at cross purposes. Impact of Environmental Realities. All these environmental realities given above have an impact on the operations carried out by the army. These are as given below:- The army gets involved when things have gone out of hands of the police/para military forces to handle thereby making their task much more difficult. Operations tend to become long drawn and the army gets involved over protracted periods to effectively neutralise the militants potential. The resources required are also out of proportion invariably. The army invariably has to operate in an intelligence vacuum. Barriers of language pose additional problems. Militants also manage to infiltrate various civil and police organisations compromising security. There is often an absence of clear cut political directive, making it difficult for the army to understand the charter and to evolve its aims, objectives and plans n a long term perspective. There is inadequate cooperation from the local public, bureaucracy and the politicians. Media gets exploited by the militants to discredit the army, thereby imposing great caution on operations by the army. There is a lack of integration between various agencies, thus making problems of coordination acute. Where the militants enjoy public support, willing or forced, it is difficult to sift and isolate the militants from the public. Law of the land often provides great immunity to the militants and imposes numerous constraints on conduct of military operations. Where the inimical neighbours provide active support to the militants, a great deal of effort is diverted to check infiltration of such support. Where Armed Forces Go Wrong. It is now evident that the whole problem is intensified due to proximity of civilians to the area of operations. The following issues form part of the media campaign and cause concern to various Human Rights Organisations:- Curbing of Fundamental Rights. Operations of cordon and search, vehicle checking etc, cause harassment to people. As these operations cannot be done away with, it must be ensured that these operations are done on firm intelligence only to avoid any unwanted fallout. Rape/Molestation. Reports appearing in the media are a min of actuals and the malicious propaganda being launched by militants. Illegal Detention. As per rules, any offender is required to be handled over to the police within 24 hours of apprehension, for filing of a case. Problem arises when due to mistaken identity an innocent citizen is detained by an enthusiastic unit and the legal formalities get delayed due to efforts to extract information by that unit. Fake Encounters. Stage managed encounters in the vicinity of population centres come to the knowledge of human rights organisations. Attack on Civilians. Bomb blasts, proxy actions in populated areas and seemingly intentional killing of civilian population in hostile territory, becomes a media headline, and draws adverse propaganda. Custodial Deaths. In a bid to extract information, no suspect should be tortured. Failure to carry out a medical check up before handing over to the police authorities, could result in reasons for an eventual death of the individual at the hands of the police, being attributed to alleged torture by army prior to handing over. Compensation. All victims should be compensated at the earliest. Rules should be framed on various contingencies and offenders if any should be made to pay compensation, and punished as well. Special powers to the Army. Special powers conferred should be understood in its totality. Legal constraints like carrying police representative for cordon and search operations, frisking of women by women police, signing of â€Å"No Claim† certificates etc have to exercised with due care. Cross Fire Tactics. Militants employ this tactics of firing from a crowd or putting civilians in front of them as shields. Indiscriminate reaction by armed forces will not go well with the media and public at large. Prolonged Operations. Our experience of operations in North Eastern states have amply proved that when units are pressed to achieve quick results and prolonged operations conducted, instead of achieving tangible results, what actually took place was alienation of the population, besides causing discomfort to own troops. â€Å"To extricate information from an apprehended insurgent/militant regarding their crime, intentions, information regarding operations in progress and whereabouts of their bases, some force is required to be used against the norms of human rights. No individual will ever divulge information if treated well.† Lt Gen (Retd) VK Sood, PVSM, AVSM Human Rights Record of Army Indian army has achieved a great degree of success in this genre of conflict due to the highly successful operational style and technique adopted. This is based on a very humane approach of psychological dissuasion and winning the hearts and minds of the population. It is a â€Å"discriminate† approach, in as much as it relies upon large scale application of trained manpower as imposed to indiscriminate use of heavy fire power and airpower. Operations in LIC are complex. The difficulty in identification of the militants and their affinity to the local population, make the task of security forces difficult. In such operations, therefore, a certain amount of human rights violations are likely to take place. The Indian Army however, takes such incidents very seriously, not only because of the violations by themselves being criminal acts, but also due to the fact that it adversely affects the units discipline. ‘The Pledge We are the human rights generation We will accept nothing less than human rights. We will know them and claim them, For all women, men, youth and children, From those who speak human rights, But deny them to their own people. We will move power to human rights CHAPTER IV RELEVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO ARMED FORCES Increased awareness of human rights over the last thirty years has led to new standards for state actors in peace and war. Since the Cold War, democratic governments have promoted constitutional reforms aimed at subordinating the military to civilian control and preventing human rights abuses.Militaries have also undergone a self examination to adapt their roles and missions to the changing strategic environment. By and large they have endorsed democratic principles and human rights. In India, we have a commitment by the armed forces to remain subordinated to civilian authority, act within constitutional bounds, and respect human rights. Reflecting changes in national security strategy, the Indian Armed forces need to play a critical role in promoting democracy and human rights. Rooted in a belief that there is an affinity between democratic systems and free market economies, and that democratic states are less likely to go to war with each other, this strategy aims to ensure that regimes consolidate democratic institutions and increase respect for human rights. The incorporation of democracy and human rights as national security policy objectives has been accompanied by operational changes in the role and mission of the forces as per our military doctrine. Existing Human Rights Safeguards Historical Legacy This Humane characteristics of the Indian Army and its soldiers have been exemplified in the history : During the Police Action against Razakars in the state of Hyderabad in 1948. Gen J N Choudhry, commander of the Indian Forces, reminded the Indian troops that they should be absolutely humane while dealing with the local population as they were their own countrymen particularly the woman, children and the infirm. (b) Similarly, in December 1961, after the military operations in Goa the then Chief of the Army Staff in a message to the troops said ‘ In Goa, you are in India and with your compatriots. Your duty is at home. Go and protect the people. Let no one suffer violence. At the end of the operations the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his message to the operating forces said â€Å" You, and officers and men serving under your command in Goa Operations, have my warmest congratulations on the splendid way all of you have carried out the allotted task- with efficiency, courtesy and humanity†. (c) As mentioned earlier 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered in 1971 Bangladesh operations. At the time of surrender Lt Gen J S Aurora gave a solemn assurance that â€Å" The personnel, who surrender, shall be treated with dignity and respect that soldiers are entitled to in accordance with the Geneva Convention and protection shall be provided to the foreign nationals, ethnic minorities and the personnel of West Pakistan origin†. The Indian Army has stood the test of time as regards the Human Rights issue wherever and whenever deployed for counter insurgency or conventional operations. History is on its side to prove the point. After the end of 1971 Indo-Pak war, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered. While treating the POWs, the Indian Army not only complied meticulously with the Geneva Conventions on POW, but also gave them free access to their friends and relatives in West Pakistan. It also gave them freedom to celebrate their religious festivals. The Indian Army is fully aware of the pitfalls, nuances, implications of Human Rights violations and the resultant adverse effect on its operational efficiency and morale. It has therefore taken comprehensive measures at all levels to safeguard and prevent Human Rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. The measures undertaken at the macro level to the grass root level of troops operating in LIC operations in Jammu and Kashmir are enumerated in the succeeding parag raphs. Humane Fibre of Indian Soldiers By and large, the basic instinct and reaction of an Indian soldier in most of the situations is to protect the Human Rights and uphold human dignity. The factors responsible for development of this attitude and reaction to a large extent are military discipline, compassion and camaraderie and apolitical entity. Indian Army in Peace-keeping Operations Outside India The contributions of the Indian Army to the Humanitarian cause in United Nations peacekeeping operations outside India is well known, appreciated world wide and well documented. The Indian Army has earned for them the praise and admiration of the warring factions, the United Nations and the Government of their own country. Peacekeeping operations in Korea, Gaza, Congo, Somalia, Cambodia, and Rwanda are some of the shining examples of the legacy of the Indian Army to the Human cause. 30. Human right training has been intensified and efforts to reform military justice in Indian Army have been introduced. While these initiatives have lowered the decibel level between human rights advocates and the military, there is no consensus on their effectiveness. Two crucial dilemmas arise in attempting to harmonize such efforts with other objectives. First, training has met obstacles that limit its impact. The backgrounds of many militaries have afforded them considerable freedom from civilian control while portraying them as guarantors of the state. Another dilemma involves threats such as drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism. In most mature democracies responsibility for dealing with such threats falls to civilian institutions. But in much of the country, these challenges have overwhelmed new democratic governments, leading to a call for the army to play a central role. The democratic transition in many nations removed the armed forces from internal security op erations; thus human rights organizations and democracy activists fear that proposed roles and missions will reinforce impunity and lead to a return to violations. There is a greater focus required on incorporating human rights issues in operational training exercises and developing more pragmatic and mission related arguments for respecting them. The Army needs to sponsor a collegium or working group which could compose of representatives of various international and regional organizations and officials with responsibility for human rights training. It will need to produce a consensus document that specifies objectives for doctrine, education and training, internal control systems, cooperation with external control systems, and the delineation of police and military functions. Deliberations earlier have highlighted possibilities and difficulties of reaching a consensus between civil and military representatives on advancing human rights. On the positive side, a relatively detailed consensus does exist. At the same time there are major differences over priorities. Military officers stress education and training as key to improving performance. They acknowledge the importance of incorporating support for democracy and respect for human rights in doctrine. Civilian participants, on the other hand, emphasize the need for both internal and external control mechanisms to ensure accountability for violations. New Threats, Ancient Rights