Small businesses failure in the UK

Introduction According to the Federation of Small Businesses (2012), â€Å"there are 4.5 million small businesses in the UK†. Their significance in the country’s economy is confirmed by statistics from the same organization, revealing that small business account for 99% of all the businesses in the United Kingdom.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Small businesses failure in the UK specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They account for more than 48% of the private sector turnover and employ 58.8% of the people working in the private sector. London is leading with the highest number of small businesses approximated at 748,000. The South East is second with 745,000 registered small businesses. The number has been on the rise in the recent past with over 87,000 small business registered in2010 alone. Even as this number goes up, the rate of failure is still alarming, and a cause for concern. In 200 4 alone, small businesses in the UK registered a 43% failure rate (Small Business UK, 2012). According to Federation of Small Businesses (2012), â€Å"the government recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of the United Kingdom’s economy†. Combining the public and private sectors together, each year, the small businesses represent over 90% of the employer firms. In the last 15 years, 64% of all the news jobs created in the UK have come from the small businesses. Furthermore, â€Å"small businesses produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms; these patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited† (Federation of Small Businesses, 2012). The sectors significance in the country is further proven by the fact that they create more than half the country’s non-farm gross domestic product comes from it. Half the country’s high-tech workers are employed in the small businesses. Thes e include the computer programmers, chemical analysts, engineers and scientists. Small businesses in the UK offer income and convenience to a big percentage of the investors.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More than half are home-based, while 2% are franchises (Small Business UK, 2012). According to the same statistics, small businesses made up more than 97% percent of all registered and identified exporters in the country in 2007. In the same year, 30.2% of the known export value in the United Kingdom was from them. Other than the financial benefits that they offer the country, small business have a political and social importance both domestically and internationally. They have been found to make significant contributions to the economical and foreign relationships between the UK and other nations, especially with most of the industrially advanced and developin g nations including the United States. Small businesses are considered as one of the major driving forces of socio-economic development in the country. Because small businesses stimulate private ownership and entrepreneurship skills they generate more innovative opportunities (Repa, 2010) They offer stability since they are flexible and adapt themselves to changing market demand and supply situations easily. Review of relevant literature indicates that many international agencies and governments have identified the importance of maintaining healthy and supportive growth standards in small businesses (Kakkar, 2009). However, there exist very few details of the strategies recommended by prior research. Provision of services, information and support for small businesses is not well defined in most of the past studies. Nature of small business, changing patterns of employment and changes in economic environment are found to be some of the reasons for lack of focus in the research (Trevi no and Katherine, 2011). Nature of small businesses The contribution to modern economic life by the small enterprises is significant and cannot be ignored. In many of the advanced industrialized nations, the enhanced share of contribution to the economic growth is the strong evidence for their prominent place in changing the economic profile of these nations. Available information from government statistics has shown that failures are more common in small businesses than in larger companies, perhaps from the fact that big businesses have the capacity to handle risks and potentially dangerous uncertainties. â€Å"It is acknowledged that such high incidence of failure is not mainly because the small enterprises undertake more dangerous business tasks; but because of unsatisfactory management and implementation arrangements in small businesses† (Koeng and Root, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Small businesses failure in the UK specificall y for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effective management of strategy in small businesses faces considerable challenges from the fact they are more vulnerable and exposed to uncertainties and changes in the markets. As far as management is concerned, the owner is regarded as the central and dominant actor in relation to any proposal for changes in the structure or operations of small businesses. Many researches point out the personal values and priorities of the owners as the determinants of culture, social relations and attitude of the small enterprises. Based on such characteristics, small businesses could be described as organizations that have to fight for survival. These organizations have the owners as the responsible persons to handle several issues affecting the business at the same time (Tsai and Wen, 2009). The owner-manager gets significant part of his identity from the enterprise. The personal values and beliefs of the owners form the gu idelines for the development of small businesses. The management style of owners of small businesses is often a patriarchal one, and hence it is ego-centric and action-oriented (Longenecker, 2010). Causes of failure among small business Cash flow problems The most significant challenge among small entrepreneurs is having a healthy and managing cash flow. Daily (2011) points out that â€Å"many businesses struggle through poor cash flow management†. Even where good skills are available, less than enough financial resources make it hard for them to bear any fruits. A common mistake among small business people is going into business with the exact amount needed to start up, and sometimes even less. When the business is not profitable immediately, there is no money to cater for expenses and cater for the day-to-day expenses of the business. The results are either accumulated debts at an early age of the business, or failure at an early stage. Poor business planning Daniels (2010) advices that â€Å"a business plan should cover aspects such as marketing, finance, sales and promotion plans, as well as detailed breakdowns of costs and profit predictions†. Unfortunately, small businesses lack a comprehensive plan and more often leave out the important aspects of a business.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, a plan that lacks direction on costs and expenses may not be able to sustain itself regardless of how well marketing and sales were planned. In the UK, a considerable number of small business owners are young and may lack the much needed level of experience to address some of the challenges that arise from poor planning. The result is the inability for small businesses to go through any challenges that arise. Poor marketing Understanding a market is paramount for businesses that intend to establish a long-lasting presence in any market. For a business to be successful, they have to understand and meet the needs of their clientele. When this is lacking, resources spent to introduce products and market will not bear any positive results for the business. Furthermore, small businesses in the UK suffer from stiff competition since most industries are quite competitive. Lack of sufficient funds makes it even more difficult for them to invest in understanding markets and even compete effectively. Most of them also lack proper distribution channels and are unable to create a consistent flow of goods or services to the targeted clientele. Lack of finances According to Barreto (2007), â€Å"insufficient finance often means that businesses are unable to take opportunities available to them, or have to compromise-going for high cost solutions to problems, rather than lower cost ones that would yield greater competitive advantage†. In the UK, the government recognizes the significance of the small businesses by offering different kinds of support. This is through grants, financial advice and information, as well as making loans more available to small entrepreneurs. Grants are today more available through the government and other non-governmental organizations. Information and advice are essential since most small businesses suffer from poor financial management, bad credit and inability to sustain the high costs in the early days of business. Failure to embrace new technologies Inability to embrace new developments and technologies arises from a lack of financial resources. At an age when technology is evolving so fast, dragging behind may cause more harm than a business could anticipate. In a fast changing world, leading investors are those that access to modern solutions and know how to use them to their advantage. Young business may suffer weak and inexperienced capacity to manage changes that occur too fast as far as their technological needs are concerned. Issues of safety â€Å"The issues that surround running a business are more pronounced in small enterprises by virtue of their sizes act to restrict the initiatives for meeting the health and safety standards for their workers† (Armstrong, 2009). The issue of safety is especially important for those businesses in high risk industries such as production. Issues of safety can further be categorized into management, finance, compliance and environmental practices. All these issues are inter-linked, are dependent on each other, and operate as a total force. Based on this premise, the key factors that affect the occupational health and safety in small businesses can be grouped under these heads. They are (a) low or lack of management and training skills; (b) lack of financial and human resources; (c) burden of statutory and regulatory compliance; (d) relationship with regulatory agencies and the use of consultants; (e) dependent relationship with large businesses; and (f) employment and occupational health and safety practices. Poor management Management in small businesses differs largely from that of a large undertaking with formal structures. As against large businesses, in small business enterprises, the lines of communication are shorter with simple organizational structure (Bohlander, 2010). The small enterprises feel the commercial pressures almost instantaneously and severely. In the small businesses, management practices are intertwined w ith other aspects of running the business and it is not possible to separate them for higher focus. According to (Bohlander, 2010) â€Å"a shift in one area of functioning will have immediate consequences on another because of the inter-relationship between the functions of operating a small business is tightly knit†. In most cases the employer has to consider the provision of even basic management measures based on the cash flow. Human resource management Most of the small enterprises face the challenge of training and skill development. This is especially so in the area of business communication and management. Small businesses mostly lack both the management attainment and adequate resources to meet their commitments on human resource requirements of the industry (Clutterbuck, 2007). The small business owners generally do not understand their obligations and responsibilities as far as their workers are concerned. Small business employers are often specialized in their part icular trade rather than on the business management practices. They can frequently be characterized by a norm of independence and a shared belief in their personal values. The small business owners are keen in their individual autonomy and hence do not take much care of what the rest of the team thins or requires. The tension between the role of management and the rest of the team in the small business also act to distance the owner-managers from meeting the requirements of the employees. Statutory and regulatory requirements The burden of compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements is a challenge that the small businesses have to face continuously. While medium and large sized firms are able to keep their knowledge up to date on the changes in business laws and regulations, small businesses have not. Unlike large businesses, meeting the regulatory requirements may often place considerable financial burden on small businesses. This is because the smaller businesses are una ble to spread the cost of compliance over large number of products as it is the case with larger firms. This inability may put the small businesses at a significant disadvantage. Studies also indicate that small business owners consider that government regulations may affect their profitability and ultimately lead to the closure of the business (Vance and Yongsun, 2011). This presumption that the cost of compliance will negatively affect the profitability of small businesses has led a large number of small businesses to find ways in which they could opt out of their legal obligations in the country. Viable solutions to reduce failure rates In consistent with the previous researches, Longenecker (2010) suggested that the small and medium enterprises in the UK have slowly evolved their management systems to make them better. Steingold (2009) found that with the increase in the organizational size the quality of business issues management increased. Lack of resources has been identifie d to be one of the major reasons small businesses are failing in the UK. Schneider and Pietra (2010) found more evidences to prove that small business organizations had resorted to more preventive activities such as insurance and compensation when challenges occur. Putting this into consideration, it is notable that availability of resources will be very helpful to the small entrepreneurs. The first resource that small businesses need is education and training. This is in areas of cash flow management, health and safety, marketing, and compliance with laws and regulations, among other areas. Santos, Fatima and Joaquim (2011) studied health and safety systems in small construction companies in the Asian region. The authors reported that newly hired construction workers in the small organizations are particularly at risk of occupational injuries because of insufficient safety education and training. This is important for small businesses in such industries where safety issues could co llapse a business. It is also important for small businesses to learn how to receive and send important information on issues that affect them. For example, full compliance to the law would require being fully updated on any new changes and new requirements. Another area in which small businesses need help is managing human resources. Many times small businesses employ less qualified personnel in an attempt to cut cost. Low level of literacy among the workers then makes it hard for them to be trained or adapt to new and challenging business environments in the UK. Because of their lack of knowledge, the workers are unaware of how different factors affect the business. In small enterprises, controls are normally decided by custom and practice and not by an exact risk assessment of the work practices. Reason (2008) found that the owners cited number of barriers including limited resources, lack of in-house expertise and competition as to why they were failing in human resource managem ent. It is therefore important that small business use everything they have to improve their human resource, as well as seek help on those issues that they cannot address. Another significant area of concern for small business is attitude towards their relationship with the government and law enforcement bodies. Small businesses are characterized by their indifferent attitude towards and their unwillingness to cooperate with regulatory agencies, as well as a common tendency to use consultants who may not be qualified for regulatory advice (Delgado, 2011). The same author observed three major reasons for the small business owners resorting to external consultants to assist them in compliance issues rather than dealing with the government agencies directly. First reason is that many small business owners feel alienated from the state. As a result, small business owners choose not to approach government agencies and relevant authorities directly for advice or guidance on matters that a ffect occupational, safety and health at work. Secondly the small business enterprise owners always presume that they might be prosecuted by the government for not meeting the regulatory requirements. The result is that small business owners are not in direct contact with the government, and will instead be more comfortable to use the services of small business advisors. The intermediaries may not relay all the information to both stakeholders, creating a communication breakdown. Thirdly when the small business owners do not have the competence to understand their obligation and do not seek advice from small business advisor. It is important that all relevant stakeholders put effort to fill the gap in their management knowledge. It is important for businesses and the government to note that by relying on the advisors to guide them on managing regulatory requirements, small businesses may not have access to all the relevant information. Important subjects such as financial, tax and l egal issues may not be fully addressed. For this reason, the government must ensure easy access of such information by reaching the small business instead of waiting for them to reach them. Compliance can also be improved by making it affordable for the small businesses. Financial challenges are obviously challenges that stakeholders cannot afford to ignore. Small businesses are at a higher risk of closing down due to lack of sufficient funds to run their day to day expenses. Financial related challenges can be solved through education, training and making funds available for small businesses. The UK government can get involved by having subsidized interest rates for small business loans, making the process of accessing funds easier, and encouraging non-governmental organizations to get involved through grants and training. The UK government in the recent past has put in place measures to encourage small entrepreneurs through government funded grants. Budgetary allocations for small businesses further need to be increased to help more start-up access financial support. Even though the government plays a major role in the problem, every stakeholder needs to be involved aggressively for failure rates to be reduced. â€Å"Businesses need to put a plan ahead to know what the most likely risks are in a given workplace environment and prepare for them to avoid them altogether† (Shane, 2008). To avoid stagnation and the consequences that arise when they happen, it is important for businesses to have a specific plan and regularly train employees on how to avoid being in such situations. It is also paramount for businesses to train employees on how to react when hardships occur so that they do not panic and aggravate the problem further. The size of the small business may not really be an important factor in the provision of workplace support. The assumption of high risks, poor assessment and high incidence of failure in small businesses compared to larger once has not been supported by empirical evidences. The right information is paramount in ensuring that the right policies and measures are installed correctly and that irrelevant assumptions are not made. Information at the employees’ level is also crucial in helping employees avoid any areas where they may easily expose themselves the business to risks that hurt the business. Employee and public education can be carried out through training at the workplace, government forums and annual awareness week, usually addressing different types of challenges. As discussed earlier, issues of safety are a significant problem for small businesses which may not have the resources to manage damages that arise when incidents occur. For manufacturing businesses, and those that use hazardous substances, health and safety should be addressed comprehensively. It is important to ensure that chemicals do not mix or come into contact with each other accidentally. The cleaning of production and stora ge facilities must be done in accordance with procedures that ensure safety and protection. Many industries in the region adopt mechanisms such as continuous process cleaning (CPC), to avoid any contact with the contaminated water during cleaning. Other mechanisms adopted from other regions such as Japan allow employees to arrange offices, stores and other facilitates in a way that allows easy exit in case of emergencies. Another important step for proper management and protection management of small businesses is compiling a highly skilled team in the businesses. A proper team is important for preparation, prevention and response when problems and risks that could lead to closure occur. The team must have access to every part of the business, meaning that a business must have the right teams in all its departments from the executive to the ground level. Since it is very easy to make the wrong decisions in panic, procedural manuals for incidents such as cash shortages, damaged goods and low sales must be in place to prevent such happenings. It is important for the new businesses in the United Kingdom to seek external help from bigger and more mature businesses who may have been exposed to significant crises and business threatening incidents in the past, and were able to manage it effectively. To fully benefit from new technological innovations, companies must also consult to benefit from each other’s new ideas. Consultations are made possible by fine tuning a company’s communication style and establishing good relationships with fellow investors. Such initiatives prove very helpful when a company needs help in times of trouble. Setting timeline for important projects will help the small businesses improve their preparedness. It also helps manage its workers in a timelier manner. â€Å"Each process scenario must be highlighted in the timeline to ensure that teams don’t spend unnecessarily long times on one aspect of a crisis† (Reuvi d, 2010). Timeliness allows order and organization during an incident management mission, an initiative that could go a long way in saving lives and minimizing damage. Waste management and environmental challenges should be accorded the right attention in a business right from its inception. For those who make products from raw materials, reactivity and toxicity tests can be used to further determine whether waste should be considered hazardous or not. All wastes must go through these tests to determine how hazardous they are to the environment and human health before disposal. When collecting waste, it should be segregated and collected according to different waste categories depending with how they test for different parameters. Waste should be not be mixed and should be collected in containers with secure lids securely sealed thereafter to avoid spillage. When these measures are not addressed, small businesses find themselves in trouble with environmental organizations and may en d up paying hefty fines that will eat into its capital base. Small business should have the capability to test the level of risk and exposure in the markets they venture into. The level of interaction with risks allows the analysts to determine the amount of damage that may have occurred in a business (Haddow, Jane and Damon, 2011). In case of Therefore, it is important for small businesses to be equipped with the necessary tools and kits to perform these assessments and minimize negative effects on its operations. The other important step is identifying the most fundamental success factors for safety in their business strategy. These are factors that must be available if sustainability initiatives have to work out and give results. They include things such as technology requirements, availability of resources, tools for measuring performance and the how the process will be aligned. Conclusion In conclusion, a proper workplace management plan can help small businesses in the United Kingdom preserve their reputation as the backbone of the country’s economy. The first step towards a proper management planning is having the right information (U.S Small Business Administration, 2011). Any company intending to perfect their art of survival must have the right data and information about their population, level of threat, climatic trends, and rates at which risks occur in the industry region and causes. False facts can lead to wrong decisions in the face of a crisis and could cost more losses than should have happened. In the country, small businesses have done much to ensure their survival rates increase. There needs to be more awareness and training for small entrepreneurs, especially those in high risk industries. The general view of planning is to create a specific response to economical, physical, social, psychological and environmental challenges. The effectiveness of the plan is influenced by both local and external factors. Particular circumstances suc h as the economic environment, human resources conditions, accessibility of business papers, number of people involved and many other parameters may also influence the outcomes of a new business. When all these factors are put into consideration, all small businesses in the United Kingdom will be in a position to develop a more effective strategy. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2009. Armstrong’s handbook of management and leadership: A  guide to managing for results. London; Kogan page. Barreto, H.V., 2007. The engine of America: The secrets to small business  success from entrepreneurs who have made it. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Bohlander, G.W., 2010. Managing human resources. Mason: South-Western. Clutterbuck, D., 2007. Coaching the team at work. Boston: Nicholas Brealey International. Daily, F.W., 2011. Tax savvy for small business. Berkeley, Calif.: NOLO. Daniels, O.O., 2010. The small business guide (U.S). Evanston: The Small Business Zone. Delgado, M., 2011. L atino small businesses and the American dream:  Community social work practice and economic and social development. New York: Columbia University Press. Federation of Small Businesses, 2012. Small business statistics. Web. Haddow, G.D., Jane, A.B. and Damon, P.C., 2011. Introduction to emergency  management. Burlington, MA: Butterworth Heinemann. Kakkar, A., 2009. Small business management concepts and techniques for  improving decisions. Global India Publications. Koeng, S. and Root, H., 2006. The small business start-up guide: A surefire  blueprint to Successfully launch your own business. Naperville, III: Sourcebooks, Inc. Longenecker, J.G., 2010. Small business management: Launching and growing  entrepreneurial ventures. Australia; Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Reason, 2008. The human contribution: Unsafe acts, accidents and heroic  recoveries. Farnham: Ashgate, cop. Repa, B.K., 2010. Your rights in the work place. Berkeley, Calif.: Nolo. Reuvid, J., 201 0. Managing business risk: A practical guide to protecting your  business. London; Kogan page. Santos, G., Fatima, M. and Joaquim, B., 2011. Certification and integration of management systems: the experience of Portuguese small and medium enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(17): pp. 1965-1974. Schneider, S. and Pietra, C., 2010. Read about it: The role of the media in improving construction safety and health. Journal of Safety Research, 41(3): pp. 283-287. Shane, S., 2008. Startup failure rates. Web. Small Business UK, 2012. What is the percentage of success of small businesses in UK? Web. Steingold, F., 2009. Legal guide for starting and running a small business. Berkeley, CA.: Nolo. Trevino, L.K. and Katherine, A.N., 2011. Managing business ethics; Straight talk  about how to do it right. New York: John Wiley. Tsai, W.H. and Wen, C.C., 2009. Selecting management systems for sustainable development in SMEs: A novel hybrid model based on DEMATEL, ANP, and ZOGP. Exper t Systems with Applications, 36(2): pp. 1444-1458. U.S Small Business Administration, 2011. Advocacy for small business  statistics and research. Web. Vance, C.M. and Yongsun, P., 2011. Managing a global workforce: Challenges  and opportunities in international human resource management. Armonk: Sharpe. This critical writing on Small businesses failure in the UK was written and submitted by user Juliet E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Exams Are Over Time to Recover

Exams Are Over Time to Recover Now that finals  are over, you’re probably distressing in whatever way you can. Unfortunately, a long night of drinking and debauchery may not be what your body and mind need to let go of the chemicals that your stressful exams have left in your brain. Instead of getting drunk and getting into trouble, it might be wise to understand exactly how stress affects you and learn some healthy (and fun) ways of relaxing from your exams. Stress Effect According to Nicky Hays, editor of Foundations of Psychology, exam stress effects can be intense, leading to worry, poor sleep habits, and decreased memory function. In fact, the more stressful the exam is, the more your body will produce adrenaline-related hormones to help you â€Å"fight† your fear. Extended periods of stress can have an effect on your body, too. The adrenaline hormones released during these times can cause your immune system to weaken, making you more susceptible to illness. It has even been shown to change the color of your hair. Post-Exam Stress: The Unsung Killer Unfortunately, just because your exams are over doesn’t mean that the stress is. In fact, recent research from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine shows that your cells may be less able to repair DNA after your exams are completed. In addition, there is a correlation between fear about the future and depression after a stressful exam week is completed. Wrong Way to Distress What’s the point of all this? The truth is, after you have completed stressful exams, your body is in a precarious position. Your immune system is lowered, your cells can’t respond as quickly or as well as you expected, and you are at a higher risk of becoming sick. This is the worst time to weaken your system even further with alcohol, drugs, or other risky behaviors. In fact, finals are a particularly bad time for both alcohol and drug-related â€Å"celebrations† and are statistically more likely times for college students to be victims of alcohol poisoning, violence, and rape. Not only that but recovering from exams with these kinds of behaviors can lead to suspension or expulsion from your school. Make Stress Go Away Here are some great alternatives to relieving finals’ stress that won’t hurt your pocketbook or your liver. Go on a short road trip with a few friends. You can get away from the campus, focus on doing something you love, and let your brain unwind.   You might be interested to check the list of  the cheapest summer destinations for students. Start an exercise program. This relieves the excess adrenaline that is trapped in your muscles and releases positive endorphins that won’t leave you hung over. Join a city sports club. Being involved in a sports team has all the benefits of exercising, but you also get to meet people who are interested in things you like to do, too. Go to a funny movie. Research from the University of Maryland has shown that laughter decreases stress levels and lowers blood pressure – especially if you’re watching it on the big screen. Listen to classical music. Soothing music has found to relieve stress on both the body and mind. Several studies have shown how it can lower blood pressure, improve mood, and even facilitate creativity! Make something crafty. Recent research from the Journal of Academic Medicine touts the de-stressing benefits of repetitive creation in activities such as knitting. These actions can release muscle tension, lower heart rate, and let the mind focus on something that is entirely stress-free. Perhaps, youll find these weird hobbies more exciting than regular knitting. Eat a banana. Researchers have found that eating these Vitamin B-infused fruits can alleviate the stresses on your nervous system. In addition, the natural sugars in bananas give your brain a small dose of endorphins, which staves off depression. See an old friend. A study published in Developmental Psychology stated that people who go through stressful situations with a good friend aren’t as damaged by it. That means, seeing a friend after exams might help alleviate your stress and make you feel better about yourself. Summary No matter how bad your final exams felt, remember that they are not the end of the world. Take care of your mind and body by relaxing in ways that will keep you healthy and safe. Not only will your body and mind feel better, but you won’t have any regrets to feel stressed about the morning after your last day of exams. How do you recover from stress and recuperate after exams? Share your tips in the comments below!

Should the gun laws be strikter Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Should the gun laws be strikter - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, many people support strict gun control that includes background checks and mandatory handgun registration; even though, it may hinder law-abiding citizens from owning guns. There is need for strict regulation of firearms manufacture and sale in order to intensify gun safety and limit delinquents from obtaining firearms and includes also policies aimed at preventing youngsters from accessing guns to lessen their violence with guns(Gallup Summary 10). Proponents of firearm restriction believe that it improves public safety since it encourages great responsibility among gun owners and offer police great method of tracing stolen firearms (Newport 11). However, antagonists maintain that the scheme is not viable stating that it forms an expensive and additional federal bureaucracy. In July 2012, Colorado experienced dreadful mass killing in a movie theater, and many of the guns including assault weapons and semiautomatic handguns used by recent mass murders were obtained lega lly, similar to the AR-15 assault rifle used to blast victims in the dark movie theater. Many people support strict gun control since most of the reported, violent gun shootings occur in the public place (Newport 6). Majority of the public favor restriction of guns to people convicted for publicly displaying firearms in ways that are threatening; moreover, people favor restriction for concealing and carrying a firearm without permit. The support for strict firearm restriction has been strong in the past few years; with majority of people endorsing police permit for a person who needs to purchase a gun. Thus, the promising response for the shooting would be one that emphasizes the keeping of guns away from criminals and dangerous people. Furthermore, a wide range of measures that regulate firearms and strictly punish people who violate gun laws should be put in place, especially after the unthinkable nightmare at Connecticut elementary school (Carlson 2). Even though, strict gun cont rol has high chances of succeeding if framed as crime control instead of gun control, the NRA (National Rifle Association) lobby thrives on controversy and does not compromise. Tightening faulty federal background checks ought to be top priority, since no serious individual would object to coordinated and computerized record checks that hinder the sale of firearms to domestic-violence misdemeanants, felons and people formally deemed to be mentally ill. Enactment of reforms may not deter determined school shooters from accessing weapons from the black market. Even with an improved background check system, the system could have failed to hinder the Newtown shooter from accessing his mother’s legally obtained gun, since mass killers tend to be young men with deranged minds but who prepare carefully. Moreover, according to Barrett (41) some of these criminals have clean records prior to committing such offences with some obtaining guns from friends and relatives; nevertheless, fi xing background checks are worth doing, since they may deter some criminals and imposition of the 2nd Amendment rights would be minimal. The wake of elementary school massacre in Newtown Connecticut, there was a renewed ban on assault weapons with proponents

A letter of apology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A letter of apology - Essay Example The differences between high school and college present challenges to every student, but I believe those challenges may be more easily overcome if one moves straight to college from high school and doesn't suffer the consequences of spending an extended period of time away from that routine. Now that I am back into that routine, I believe I will be capable of performing far better academically. Further contributing to my difficulties in readjusting to being a student is that I was also under the supervision of Dr. as well as the school's counselor, Dr . As part of this supervision I was prescribed medication that, unfortunately, served to make me quite drowsy. The challenge has been to treat both my medical needs and my academic needs in a balanced way and the best approach to this, according to my physicians, was to allow the medications to work while taking steps to make sure the side effects were not too severe that they impaired by scholastic endeavors. The advice I was given was to create a schedule that allowed me to study and go to classes at those times when the effects of the medication were at their least severe.

Protection and Indemnity Clubs Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Protection and Indemnity Clubs - Article Example Ninety percent of shipowners in modern times is a part of one of these clubs. These clubs also cover the shipowner from liability to third parties, as well as coverage against injury or death of the crew-members. (Finnern, 2007, p. 5). The shipowner becomes both the insured and the insurer, because claims are paid out of the Clubs funds, and these funds are collected from all the members of the Club. (Finnern, 2007, p. 6). A normal clause of most, if not all, of the PI Clubs, is the â€Å"pay to be paid† rule. This rule states, in a nutshell, that if a shipowner has a claim for which he wants the club to reimburse him, he must first settle the claim with the injured party on his own, with his own means. (Hawkins, p. 3). He can then seek reimbursement from the Club for the money he spent out of pocket. (Finnern, 2007, p. 7). The reason for the â€Å"pay to be paid† rule is that the PI Clubs only provide indemnification for their members, as opposed to regular insurance. The difference between regular insurance and indemnification is that, with regular insurance, all claims against the insured are paid, whereas, with indemnification insurance, only the claims for which the insured has already paid are covered. With regular insurance, the insured does not have to suffer an actual financial loss to collect, and advanced payment is not necessary; with indemnification, the insured does have to suffer an actual financial loss to collect, advanced payment is necessary, and the amount that he collects from the indemnity insurance is only as much as he has already paid out. (Finnern, 2007, pp. 8-9). Further, the third party generally has to have a judgment against the insured, otherwise, the PI does not kick in. In other words, if the insured gives money to a third party to settle the claim, but the third party did not first obtain a judgment, the PI may not pay the claim, even though the insured has fulfilled the requisite requirement of payment.

The Media During Communal Riots

The Media During Communal Riots Communalism is a pervasive phenomenon in the public life of India and communal riots are the ugliest expression (Krishna, 1985). Communal riots have become an integral part of communalism in India. An event can be classified as a communal riot on two grounds. Firstly, if there is violence. Secondly, if two or more communally identified groups confront each other or the members of the other group, at some point during the violence (Varshney, 2002). The reason behind such communal riots can be superficial and trivial; though deep within there are political reasons behind such events (Varshney, 2002). India is not new to communal riots; the first recorded riots were in the year 1714, 1715, 1716 and 1750 in Ahmedabad (Rajeshwari, 2004). Bipin Chandra in his book Communalism in Modern India writes that the maximum communal riots in India took place during 1923-26. Communal riots in India are not spontaneous and are rarely due to any religious animosity. They usually arise due to conflicting political interests, which are often linked to economic interests (Rajeshwari, 2004). During the 1960s till the late 1980s, the local political and economic factors played a significant role in instigating the riots in major parts of India (Engineer, 2002). However, since then the emergence of Hindtuva1 politics has been the major cause of communal riots (Engineer, 2002). The role of news media in reportage of communal riots in India is a major area of concern. Everything is reported in the media, so are communal riots. The role of the news media has grown in recent years, perhaps because of the centrality of the news media in communal violence and conflicts (Wolfsfeld, 2007). Even the most casual of observers wont deny the increasing significance of news media under such crisis situations. The influence of the news media in peace processes is more subtle, in part because what is not reported in the media is in some ways more important than what is reported. This paper would look at the way Indian media covered and reported the two most horrific incidents of communal violence in India the 1984 Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat (Godhra) riots. On both occasions the media drew criticisms. The paper would discuss if the media has been objective in covering both riots and also as to what should be medias role in coverage of such future communal riots in India, if any. The Changing Face of News Media The global media sphere is changing with each passing second. New communications technologies such as camera enabled mobile phones and laptop computers are giving journalists an opportunity to gather and disseminate information with normal ease. This digitization of the news industry has led to compression of time and space and thus enabled us to see news and images of conflicts as and when they happen. The images broadcasted in our living rooms are not only informing the global audience of the horrific happenings but might also instigate further violence in an existing violent situation. As a result, the medias reporting of a conflict situation has become as central to the unfolding of the conflict itself. With the evolution in technology the tyranny of distance might have reduced but various hidden realities and factors still affect the reporting of conflicts. This is proved by a study done by Virgil Hawkings, who explains that the conflict in Africa which has been in the post-Cold war world responsible for nearly 90% of the worlds war deaths suffered a complete media blackout. Similarly, the coverage of the massive war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which resulted in over one million deaths in the year 2000, was almost insignificant (Hawkins, 2008). Since the media has a powerful ability to reach large number of people. It ignites the opinion building process and impacts the political decisions and audience reactions in the society. This eventually shapes the course of prevalent crises and conflicts (Ballantine, 2003). The Media, Religion and Politics With the planes hitting the Twin Towers on 11 September, 2001 the relationship between media and religion changed forever. Karim (2003) suggested that religion would become an important topic for the media and the way media covers events would be influenced by the religious undertones. It is arguable if the world and its religions have changed or not, but the media coverage of the same surely has. Within India, religion has a large impact on the personal lives of millions of people. The country practices almost every other religion known to the world and this is one of the most important facets of the country, so is politics. The politicians play on the religious issues every now and then, and media is used as the platform. The politicians communicate with the common mass through the mass media. The way in which we know and find about our politicians is through the media. It is the media that serves as the main channel of communication between the politicians and the public. Religion is one of the subjects in India which the politicians intelligently use to their advantage. Academic literature has covered the representation of conflict in religion as well as media and religion but not much has been researched on media, religion and conflict situations in context with each other, especially within an environment like India. It would be difficult to understand the relationship between religion, its construction, presentation and conflict situations covered in the media, without some reference to the broader political context within which it takes place, because in a nation like India, religion is certainly driven by political motives. In order to understand the role media plays and should play during communal clashes in India, let us analyze the two worst communal riots India has ever seen the 1984 Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots. The 1984 Sikh Riots 4.1 The Events On 31st of October 1984, the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. What followed was a complete mayhem and it led to a lethal anti-Sikh riots in New Delhi, India. Sikh homes were systematically singled out in the capital and brutally destroyed (Tatla, 2006). The Sikhs were hounded, tyres were put around their neck, and petrol doused on their faces and bodies set ablaze to brutal death (Mohanka, 2005). More than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in New Delhi itself. Two hundred Gurudwaras, the place where Sikhs worship, were burnt down and many Sikh owned shops were looted (Bedia, 2009). The situation worsened when the newly elected Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi was quoted, When a big tree falls, the ground beneath is sure to rumble. This gave a sense as if Rajiv Gandhi was giving a boost to the killers who were assassinating hundreds of Sikhs in the streets of New Delhi (Mohanka, 2005). Mrs. Gandhis assassinators were avenging the killings of Sikhs during the Operation Bluestar. In the June of 1984, Mrs. Gandhi, wanted to flush out few terrorists, led by Jamail Singh Bhindranwale, who were hiding in the precincts of the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs in India. On the 3rd of June, 1984 a 36 hour curfew was imposed in the Sikh dominated state of Punjab. All methods of communication and travel were suspended. Electricity supplies were interrupted, a total black out was created and Punjab was cut off from India and rest of the world (Brar, 1992). On the night of 5th of June, the Indian Army under the command of Major Gen. Kuldeep Singh Brar stormed into the Golden Temple. By the morning of the 7th of June the Indian Army had full control of the temple. The militant leaders were killed in the two day battle but along with it a large number of pilgrims, civilians and children also died (Ahmed, 1996). The Sikh community were agitated. Their holiest shrine was turned into a bloody battlefield and innocent lives were lost. Saran Singh, a retired bureaucrat and a famous member of the Sikh community in India quotes It was sacrilege to send troops inside, open fire and in the process kill innocent devotees gathered to observe the martyrdom (Mohanka, 2005). From June to September 1984 most members of the Sikh community nursed a festering wound only to blurt out in Indira Gandhis assassination. 4.2 The Indian Medias Coverage of Operation Bluestar and the Riots Media by its nature plays an extremely important role for any socio-political situation irrespective of the boundary it holds (Mohanka, 2005). The medias role in the riots of 1984 is an interesting case. Scholars believe that media can play a role in focussing on a cause much before it takes an ugly turn. In the case of Punjab in 1984, the local media was not supportive of the Sikh causes. Moreover, since the beginning of the problems in Punjab, the government had a strict control on the media and imposed a heavy censorship. Since independence until the invasion of cable television in India, the electronic media had served as the mouthpiece of the government (Das, 2009). Similar was the role of the electronic media in Punjab during the riots. The Government had such tight control over the media that the foreign correspondents trying to capture the horrific events were not even allowed in the local land. The Indian Government acted as a strict visible gatekeeper and made it impossible to approve journalist visas for foreign correspondents. The events of the 1984 riots thus suffered not only from biased media coverage but also selective coverage which projected one sided selected perspective (Das, 2009). The media blackout during the Operation Bluestar is a prime example of the same. The day before the actual invasion by the Indian Army, the Government ordered all press out of the state and restricted press coverage in Punjab. The press was allowed only a week later on special organised guided tours. The aftermath was later described by the press, as involving a small gang of criminals disliked by the majority of Sikhs and Indians. The press described the militants as petty political agitators, rather than leaders of a movement for a greater Punjab autonomy, as believed by a majority of Sikhs. Similarly, during the reportage of the 1984 riots there were discrepancy between the press release of data and images and the actual severity of the violent situation that prevailed in the streets of New Delhi (Das, 2009). This usage of selective information in the Indian media only contributed to the ambiguous image of Sikhs throughout the nation and failed to bring out their plight in the light. During the Sikh Movement the Government of India had passed the National Secu rity Act (1980), the Punjab Disturbed Areas Ordinance (1983), The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1983) and the Terrorists Affected Areas (Special Courts Act of 1984). These acts provided the police and army with sweeping powers. They could charge and curtail to the right to life under specific situations. The approach of the media during the crisis had been partisan to take into account all types of multidimensional problem, historical, political, socio-economic and ideological. The media only focussed on special restricted information and ignored a careful examination of all the issues and processes that had led to the mayhem, the riots. During 1984, Indian leaders were free to make up non-existent stories and broadcast through Government controlled radio and television channels. Since there was a major restriction on the foreign press, all foreign news correspondents were left with no choice but to take the twister news of the local government controlled media. The United States of America, The House of Representatives had a view point on the same. It said: As a result the outside world receives a biased one side view of what goes on in Punjab because the Indian Government has control over most of the domestic media. This contributes to the stereotype that all Sikhs are extremist radicals who are terrorising the predominantly Hindu nation and that is just not the fact. If the Indian Government has nothing to hide it should remove the news blackout and permit outsiders into Punjab. The free flow of information is essential to the prevention of rights and liberties in a democratic society and India claims to be the worlds largest democracy. So, they should act as the worlds largest democracy. This is the foundation for a democratic nation and is not too much to ask of India to respect the rights of all its people and not just the Hindu majority. It is not right for any government to deny 16 million of its own people the basic political and civil rights. India has a moral obligation to protect the Sikh community.2 The national newspapers reporting on the Sikhs made no distinction between a regional political party, a handful of militants, and the entire Sikh community. Even the senior editors and columnists of the national newspapers considered all Sikhs accountable for the assassination of Indira Gandhi and provided no sympathy to the community during the riots. Through the critical years of political crisis in Punjab before the horrific riots, the national dailies had not help resolve the issue. The Times of India, one of the leading national dailies and The Hindustan Times did more to incite hostility between Hindus and Sikhs than perhaps any other national English language newspaper (Das, 2009). The media was a part of the misinformation carried out in the public. The best example of the same would be when a national newspaper carried out an article reporting that huge quantities of heroin and drugs had been recovered within the Golden Temple complex and the same had been used by the militants to illegally fund their operations. Since, the foreign press was banned in Punjab; they picked up the story based on the 14th June Press Trust of India (PTI) news report from the government sources. This news was carried out in the major international newspapers. One week into the incident, the government retracted the official report on the grounds that the drugs had been recovered from the India-Pakistan border and not the Golden Temple complex. This retraction by the government was not picked up by most international news agencies and the damage done by the initial report falsely remained amongst the mass.3 Many scholars believed that the Indian media forgot to prioritize issues and failed to act upon them. Senior Indian journalist, Manoj Mitta along with H. S. Phoolka in the book When a Tree Shook Delhi writes that the media focussed on the assassination of Indira Gandhi and did not care enough about the Sikh murders during the riots. Mitta says: The media by and large went by the official line on the carnage. It focused on the happenings at Teen Murti Bhawan, where Indira Gandhis body lay in state and where from people around the world had come to pay respect. So photographers were flocking to that place and the killings that were simultaneously going on in the capital did not get recorded at all. Its bizarre but true. Not all were pleased by the Indian medias coverage of the 1984 Sikh riots. The 2002 Gujarat Riots The Events On the 27th of February 2002, the Ahmedabad bound Sabarmati Express train reached a small town in Gujarat named Godhra (Yeolekar, 2002). Instead of the usual stoppage for 5 minutes the train stopped for 25 minutes and then moved out of the platform. Before the train could run at its normal speed, the alarm chain was pulled to stop the train at Signal Falia, a Muslim inhabited locality. No one clearly knows what really happened but after few minutes the compartment S-6 was on flames. 58 passengers including 26 women and 12 children were burnt to death (Yeolekar, 2002). Among the passengers were the Kar Sevaks5 travelling from Ayodhya. There have been different theories believing that Muslims were behind this barbaric act. If this wasnt barbaric enough, what followed in the days to come shook the entire secular nation of India. During the next three days, from the 28th of February to 2nd of March, 2002 Muslims were butchered, massacred and burnt alive. Out of the 24 districts in Gujarat, 16 were entangled by organized mob attacks in which over 2,000 Muslims were killed, 200 mosques and religious and cultural monuments were sent to rumbles (Sawant et al, 2002). The Muslim community of Gujarat suffered an enormous economic blow with an overall loss of Rs 35 billion. 5.2 The Indian Medias Coverage of the Riots 5.2.1 The Television Coverage For the first time in the history of communal clashes in India, violence was carried live on television (Ninan, 2002) as the cameras brought across the horrific images to viewers home in Gujarat and elsewhere. There was no live coverage of the attacks against the Sikhs back in 1984 or during the Babri Masjid fiasco in 1992. Those were the era of print media and television was limited to Doordarshan, a state owned channel. It was only in 1996 when, Rupert Murdoch ventured into India with the STAR network and STAR News happened Indias first 24 hour news channel (Page Crawley, 2001). This addition to the television spectrum of India added a new visual dimension to politics, violence and public sphere in India. In 2005, the television newscape had turned dense with a large number of players entering the market; several 24 hour news channels were launched. This led to intense competitive brand of journalism, which was evident during the Gujarat riots. There were a large consortium of jo urnalists and television crews from various channels on the streets in Gujarat, each trying to outdo each other. When the Gujarat violence happened, the private television in India had been broadcasting for about 8 years and was easily accessible by 40 million amongst the 81.6 million Indians who owned television sets4. This option offered by the private television gave the Indian viewers unprecedented access to independent broadcasting. When the first pictures of Gujarat riots were telecast on Indian screens on 27 February, the three major news networks in India Star News, Aaj Tak and Zee News did not follow the guidelines formulated by the Press Council of India, a quasi-judicial watchdog organization (Mehta, 2006). The guidelines mentioned not to reveal the identity of victims or attackers in the news reports but all the news networks carried blaring headlines about the killing of the Kar Sevaks. The guidelines were against the mentioning of victims or attackers as Hindus or Muslims because they feared it could inflame passions and lead to revenge attacks. The television news networks with its striking visual images made this guideline redundant. While covering the riots in Gujarat, the television journalists openly identified the victims and the attackers. Varadarajan argues for the naming of communities. He states that not naming the communities increases a sense of suspicion and anxiety amongst the ordinary citizens not only in the riot affected area but throughout the nation. Then people tend to assume that the victims are their own while attackers are the other (Varadarajan, 1999). Famous Indian journalists, Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt of STAR News justified their stand of naming the communities. Barkha Dutt stated, Naming the community under siege in Gujarat was moot of the story. In fact it was the story, revealing as it did a prejudice administrative and political system that was happy to just stand by and watch. (Mehta, 2006). The bold and independent media coverage by the television media during the riots invited flak from the political actors in powers who were shown in bad light. Criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Hindutva approach in the riots got STAR News and English newspapers like The Times of India and Indian Express bad press (Sonwalkar, 2006). The BJP was in power in the state of Gujarat and at the centre in New Delhi. After the initial violence, when the news coverage of the attacks against the Muslims in Gujarat started to reflect badly on the state and central government, the leaders came down heavily on the journalists and media personnel. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the nation a day after the attacks, regretting the disgraceful violence. He later on added that the news media were presenting an exaggerated account of the situation in Gujarat6. The BJP and the state government under Narendra Modi singled out STAR News and banned cable operators from showing the channel in the state. The viewers in Ahmedabad, one of the worst affected regions in the riots, were left with blank television screens, unaware from the reality happening on the streets (Mehta, 2006). Cable operators received calls from local officials in Ahmedabad and other cities to completely black out STAR News, Zee News, CNN and Aaj Tak6. Dossiers and hitlists on journalists were reportedly prepared while the channels which dared to reveal the truth and were critical of the Chief Minister and his plan of actions were not invited to the press conferences and hence were denied the basic right to information by the state itself (Sardesai 2004). The main complaint of the BJP and its allies were that the news media did not cover and criticize those who were responsible for the Godhra train tragedy in which 58 Kar Sevaks were victims. This however remains untrue as the every news channels and major newspaper had covered the Godhra train tragedy exclusively, but the follow ups did not remain as the story of the day because the Union Budget followed on 28 February. The budget coverage was pushed aside when the mass killings and large scale retaliation against Muslims started in various parts of the state (Sonwalkar, 2006). Another criticism was that, the national media inflamed communal passions by providing graphic television coverage of the dreadful events. The journalists and the news professional came out against the criticism and said that the level of violence would have been much worse if only the news media brought out the real picture by the graphic images. The BJP and its allies also christened the media as Marxist-Mullah combine and the Secular Taliban for criticising the attacks against the Muslims. Members of the Editors Guild of India visited the affected regions in Gujarat and were told by a group of Hindutva supporters that the Hindu community has been defamed with the coverage only being from the Muslim perspective: They only listen to Muslims and ignore the Hindus (Patel et al, 2002). Sardesai explains the predicament faced by journalists in covering the riots: (If ) any reporter, whether print of television, sees large-scale violence being committed, is the journalist to ignore the hard reality and merely present the facts as seen through the government binoculars? If the Chief Minister says that the situation is returning to normal even while reports are streaming in of continuing violence in several parts of the state, are not the lies to be exposed? And if the government insists that the army is out on the street when the fact is that the army has been kept on stand-by and is waiting for transport trucks, whose version is to be broadcast? (Sardesai, 2002) 5.2.2 The Press Coverage If the graphic coverage by the television channels hit the headlines and raised criticisms, the nature of the press coverage also came under the hammer. The coverage by the print media makes an interesting study. There were two different approaches followed by the local and the national media. The local section of the press, including the Gujarati dailies Sandesh and Gujarat Samachar, covered the events from a pro-Hindutva stand and justified the killings of hundreds of Muslims. While the national media, including The Times of India and the Indian Express, were overtly critical of the channelized attacks against the Muslims (Sonwalkar, 2006). The team of Editors Guild of India met several journalists, correspondents, editors, Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others to conclude that the English-language national press played an exemplary role in coverage of the riots. BJPs allegations of media playing an aggravating role in coverage of the riots have been dismissed by many scholars. Patel argues that the allegation was specious, self-serving and must be dismissed (Patel et al. 2002). The Editors Guild of Indias team observed that: Our finding is that the prompt and extensive portrayal by the national media of the untold horrors visited on innocent people in the wake of the Godhra carnage was a saving grace. The exposure of the supine is not complicit attitude of the State and manifest outpourings of communal hatred, stirred the conscience of the nation, compelled remedial action, howsoever defensively and belatedlyHowever, the role of the sections of the Gujarat media, specially the Gujarat Samachar and more notably Sandesh, was provocative, irresponsible and blatantly violative of all accepted norms of media ethics. This cannot be lightly passed over. (Patel et al, 2002) Gujarat Samachar is the largest selling daily in Gujarat with a circulation of nearly 810,000 followed by Sandesh with 705,000 (Sonwalkar, 2006). These two newspapers have a large readership and dominate the print market in Gujarat. A study by PUCL in 2002 found that there were several instances of distorted and false reporting in these two newspapers and also the circulation of Sandesh rose by 150,000 due to its pro-Hindutva stand. The coverage analysis found that when Muslims were at fault, their names were clearly mentioned and the perpetrators identified. However, when the Muslims were the victims of murders, loots, arsons, and other heinous crimes the attackers were unnamed. The study concluded: No sources were quoted for headlines, even when they were simply lifted from speeches by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (one of the Hindutva polical parties in the state). Headlines were also misleading, and often followed up by reports that did not substantiate, and even negated the headlines completelyThe anti-minority stand was obvious in the slant in news reporting. (PUCL, 2002) Sandesh was extremely provocative in its reporting. PUCL states Sandeshs usage of headlines was to provoke, communalize and terrorise people (PUCL 2002). On the 28th of Februrary, Sandesh carried a headline saying, 70 Hindus Burnt Alive in Godhra. Another report on the front page read, Avenge Blood with Blood, which was a quote from a statement made by one of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders, but the newspaper used the words as a headline without mentioning the leader (Sonwalkar, 2006). On the 6th of March, the headline read, Hindus Beware: Haj Pilgrims return with a Deadly Conspiracy, when the fact remains that hundreds of Haj pilgrims were terrified by the happenings in the state and had retuned under police protection. PUCL emphasized in its study that most news in Sandesh post-Godhra violence began with the sentence, In continuing spiral of communal rioting that broke out as a reaction to the demonic/barbaric, etc Godhra incident. The comminatory adjectives used in describing the Godhra incident were strikingly absent when covering the post Godhra Muslim annihilation (PUCL, 2002). One of the reports mentioned that the breasts of two Hindu women had been chopped off by Muslim mobs during the crisis. This report turned out be false and the editor countered by saying that the information had been provided by the police. The papers editor told that it was against the policy of the newspaper to carry out corrections and clarifications for previously published articles (Patel et al, 2002). The Press Council of India later censured the newspaper for the fault (Prerna, 2003). Gujarat Samachar also heightened the tension through its pro-Hindutva stand in coverage of the events. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi openly praised Sandesh for its work, which was publishing false and rumoured reports with a pronounced pro-Hindutva and an anti-Muslim stance. In a letter to the newspapers editor, Modi writes: The newspapers of the state played a decisive role as a link between the people and the government. You have served humanity in a big way. It is the state governments primary duty to restore peace and security. It is noteworthy that the newspapers of Gujarat gave their full support to the state government in undertaking this difficult task.I am grateful to you. (Varadarajan, 2002: 286) The one regional newspaper that stood out amidst the Hindutva ideology was the Gujarat Today, notably started by few liberal Muslims in the state. The report suggested Gujarat Today regularly carried out positive news items highlighting interdependence of the communities involved (PUCL 2002). The two English-language national newspapers in India, The Times of India and the Indian Express were critical of the state government in their articles. However, these two newspapers also publish editions from Gujarat and a clear divide was evident between the two English-language dailies and the two regional editions (Sonwalkar, 2006). While the English-language version was sharp in its criticisms of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his policies, the two Gujarati dailies propagated the need of Hindutva. Desai, an Ahmedabad-based correspondent of the Indian Express writes: Today, all the people who once used to look at me with respect question me and abuse me. They do this because I represented a publication whose medium is English and because I reported human misery in its right perspective.A friend said: All of you from the English language media have tarnished the image of Gujarat. Today, the common man in Gujarat hates the English language media. Even a section of the English language media hates the English language media. (Desai, 2004: 228) We find that there was a demarcation between the coverage of the national media and a section of the regional press. The national media did a commendable job but were criticised by a few. The Role of the Media during Communal Riots: The Road Ahead The result of multiple and complex interests of regions, states and/or various types of groups within them leads to economic, social and political conflicts. Such conflicts are difficult to handle and requires negotiations between the parties involved and in this amorphous age of media the governments are finding extremely difficult to handle such situations (Terzis, 2008). Despite the increased importance of communication, very few governments can speak about successful communication during conflicts because they fail to take into consideration the perception of the conflict in the minds of the common mass, the scientific analysis of the causable factors, the agendas of the parties involved and the changing nature of the conflict itself (Ballantine, 2003). The role of mass media in covering and resolving conflicts, especially those involving religious differences that leads to frequent communal riots in India, is extremely crucial. We are in the age where the basic principles of reportage of facts are sacred, comment free, get both sides of the story, double check your facts before writing, are not enough in reporting communal riots. There are enough challenges faced by a journalist and media personnel in such a situation. The guidelines for a reporter in covering communal riots should be to lookout for detailed background information, not continue with the stereotyping of communities, find residents who deal with both the communities, talk to victims from both sides, corroborate victims as well as polices accounts, discover the role of the police, the politicians and the media

Use of Symbolism in Joseph Hellers Catch-22 Essays -- Catch-22

Use of Symbolism in Joseph Heller's Catch-22 The clerk sneezed three times in rapid succession and looked at me through watery eyes. "What did you say your name was?" I told him my name and he turned to a towering file cabinet overflowing with papers and brown manila envelopes. After sneezing three times and searching through a drawer, he pulled out a thin folder and laid it on the counter. "Ah," he said in a nasal voice laden with condescension and impatience. "I see you have no experience in our particular area of expertise. Come back when you get some experience." I explained that I was there to get experience. "Well, I don't see how you can find any work with your experience," the clerk groused, peering at me through a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. "Federal regulation Catch-22." He sneezed three times. I stared, trying to comprehend the logic of this ineffectual bureaucrat. He wouldn't hire me with my level of experience, but I could only get experience by working at this company. He sneezed three times. There was only one c atch, and it was Catch-22. Catch-22 was written in 1961 as a first novel by Joseph Heller, a former army bombardier who got combat experience in World War II from his base on the island of Corsica. Catch-22 became a classic American novel. Heller went on to write several other novels deriding bureaucracy and the military-industrial complex. Catch-22 follows the exploits of an Army bombardier during World War II. John Yossarian and his squadron were based on the small island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean. While the plot jumps all over the place in no chronological order, a story emerges. He loses his nerve for fighting when a man on his plane is killed and Yossarian realizes that the war will be ... ... of Baghdad, and the Sheik of Araby. These amazing facts about Milo seem to imply that he is more than one man. This is supported when Milo gives his syndicate the name M&M Enterprises, implying that it is not a one-man company. These observations led me to put some thought into Milo. I concluded that Milo was meant to symbolize the military-industrial complex that during the 1960s, when the book was written, caught the country in a Catch-22 and held it for decades. The more contracts and power were given to the companies, the more power they had to manipulate the rise and fall of Cold War tensions and continually bloat the military budget. But the companies were needed to combat the threat of Soviet power that hung over the country. There was a catch, and it was Catch-22. Bibliography Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. Dell Publishing Co., Inc, New York. 1961 Edition.

Bandag Automative Case Study Essay

1. Given Bandag Auto’s size, and anything else you know about it, explain why and how the human resource management function should be reorganized. Answer: Firstly, we recommend that Bandag Automotive form a new, separate Human Resources Unit that will be dedicated to the Bandag’s new strategy. Bandag Automotive does not have a business strategy, so the new Human Resource Unit will provide this statement, which will allow strategic human resources to operate: ‘Bandag Automotive’s business strategy is to achieve superior levels of customer service and high profitability through a highly committed workforce.’ Jim will no longer have direct HR responsibilities with the employees; everything will be handled through the new HR organization chart. The new HR manager will help formulate business strategies and policies and identify workforce requirements. Jim’s father has a lot of experience with the company and has created an excellent relationship with the employees. He will be a good advisor for the new HR manager. The new HR manager will have these tasks, pulled from the Department of Labor’s O*NET: * Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems. * Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements. * Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes. * Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures. * Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives. * Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview and select applicants. * Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations. * Plan, organize, direct, control or coordinate the personnel, training, or labor relations activities of an organization. * Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations. * Administer compensation, benefits and performance management systems, and safety and  recreation programs. The new HR manager with the help of Jim’s father, will survey the current employees to get to know them better and to prepare for job analysis. 2. Recommend what Bandag should change and/or improve upon regarding the current HR systems, forms, and practices the company now uses. Answer: Bandag should revoke all contacts with the external HR firm that had been hired previously. Now, the new HR manager will completely separate Bandag from the external agencies. He will have prepared the HR policies that work along with the company’s new strategy. All required forms will be internally generated. To ensure independence from the HR agencies, the manager will recruit two HR assistants to assist. One will be responsible for the recruiting, orienting, and training of new employee and employee advocacy. The second will be responsible for evaluating current employees, tracking promotions, proper counseling and firing of employees, and training current employees on new policies. Of course, the legal part of HR that Jim had many problems with will now be the responsibility of the HR manager. Finally, Jim, Jim’s father, and HR will evaluate the effect of the new unit on Bandag Automotive and its HR issues. The problems facing Bandag automotive result from a lack of a dedicated HR staff. Jim’s policies are not wrong, but they are applied in the wrong way. If the HR unit is not created it will lead to continuing problems and the gap between the employees and employer will be increased. In the end, poor HR management will give Bandag Automotive a bad reputation and will lead to a drop in quality, loss of customers and lower profit. 3. Jim fired an employee for creating what the manager called a poisonous relationship. Explain whether or not the employee has a legitimate claim against the company and the actions the company should take. Answer: Henry Jacques was fired because his manager reported that while he was doing the technical part of his job well, he had serious problems interacting with his coworkers and was making his store poisonous. Jim approved Henry’s dismissal. Though Henry’s manager had heard that he has a mental illness, he did not take that into account when evaluating Henry. Henry also never brought it to his management’s attention if he indeed has a mental illness.  In that case Henry does not have a legitimate claim against Bandag Automotive. He was warned in his performance appraisals that he had problems working in a team environment, and he never brought up the fact that he has a disability. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the employee must establish he has a covered disability. Also, we do not have enough information on Henry’s claim to know if this is his defense. We believe he was fired appropriately; however, the right thing to do in this situation was to first transfer Henry to another position and to give him a final warning. In this position, most of his work should not be on a team. If he continues to be problematic when working on his own, a discharge would be more appropriate. 4. Miriam, the controller, is basically claiming that the company is retaliating against her for being pregnant, and that the fact that the company raised performance issues was just a smokescreen. Explain whether or not the EEOC and/or courts would agree with her and the actions the company should take now. Answer: Miriam had been with Bandag Automotive for six years. She went on pregnancy leave for twelve weeks under the FMLA, and then received an extra three-week leave under Bandag’s extended-illness-days program. Miriam was recently fired by Jim because she had been turning her budgets in late and possibly forged some documents. If we assume that Jim’s claims are solid, he had a right to fire her for misconduct. We believe that her claim of wrongful discharge related to her pregnancy is unfounded. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in our opinion, will not agree with her and will not fight the case on her behalf. In addition, she resumed work for three months after her leave, and may be angry because her request to adjust her schedule was refused. If she wasn’t happy with her schedule she could have quit. Bandag’s HR system failed here because a job description and contract could have prescribed specific working hours, which she would have to abide by. 5. An employee who is deaf has asked to switch jobs to be a delivery person and he was turned down. He is now threatening to sue. Recommend what the company should do and describe why. Answer: A truck maintenance employee who is deaf, applied for a job driving one of Bandag’s distribution trucks, and Jim directly turned him down because of his disability. We believe that the employee will win if he sues Jim, unless Jim can prove that the employee was denied because there were more qualified applicants and in no way because of his disability. Yet it is still pretty risky because the court system is very strict about the Americans with Disabilities Act. If the deaf employee can prove that Jim thinks that is absurd for a disabled person to drive a truck, he will win and cause monetary and public damages to the company. Our solution to mitigate the problem is to rescreen all applicants, including the employee to see if he is qualified for the job. If he is, offer him the job if he is still interested, and he will hopefully drop the case.

Veterans Disability I Disability Attorneys of Michigan

Veterans Disability I Disability Attorneys of Michigan Remembering 9/11 As we begin our Monday morning, it is important to take a moment to remember this historic day that changed so many American lives. Today we remember all of the victims and families of victims from the September 11th  attacks.Today there will be 9/11 Memorial services around the country to pay tribute to those we lost.At the Disability Attorneys of Michigan, we would like to pay our respects to the victims and families of victims of the 9/11 attacks sixteen years ago. And we would like to thank our incredible military for working so hard to keep our country safe.We will never forget.Disability Attorneys of Michigan. Compassionate Excellence. DA Michigan, Disability Attorneys, Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Veterans Disability, Veterans Disability Attorneys, Veterans Disability lawyer, Veterans Disability Lawyers

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