Tuition Reimbursement

Introduction Tuition reimbursement refers to an arrangement between an employer and an employee that outlines and specifies terms that allow an employer to pay for the employee’s advanced education (Martocchio, 2003, p.23). A tuition reimbursement plan provides suitable employees with an opportunity to improve their capabilities associated with their career.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tuition Reimbursement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They do this through participating in certain courses offered at accredited institutions of study and organizations specializing in career related training (Martocchio, 2003, p.25). It is very important for employees to understand the company’s policy on such programs. Reimbursement tuition may cover certain courses and exclude others. An employee is required to take a course that is included in the company’s tuition reimbursement program. Discussion Tu ition reimbursement helps companies build a stronger workforce (Willis, 2010, par1). However, the common benefit of an employee tuition reimbursement program is controversial in that some human resource gurus say it is a waste of money or mismanagement at its best. The common complaint is that employees do not learn anything related to their current jobs and at worst the employer pays for a staff member’s degree in an unrelated field, only for them to lose the employee to a different company (Willis, 2010, par2). Tuition reimbursement is one of the best and competitively priced retention tools for a business for a number of reasons. The business should structure the plan appropriately by ensuring that it only gives opportunities that comprise of courses associated with jobs offered by the business. This will guarantee a certain level of benefits to the business through the application of employees’ newly acquired knowledge. Through improved skills and newly acquired kn owledge by employees, the workforce strength will be enhanced, thus increasing the overall output of the business (Willis, 2010, par4). A degree in business and communication will improve the employee’s motivation to work and improve interaction with clients, which will enhance the image and integrity of the business (Willis, 2010, par7). It is important for a business to consider its employees as valued resources whose capabilities are worth improving regardless of the career course they choose to study. The business should take responsibility and encourage employees to fund their study courses because it is a personal initiative to improve one’s career through advancing one’s current education level. This is because benefit is more likely to be a motivator and loyalty builder, which will boost the business reputation as a good place to work (Willis, 2010, par8).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your fi rst paper with 15% OFF Learn More A tuition reimbursement program helps in attracting younger employees (Smith, 2004, par2). The advantage of this program especially for small and midsized businesses is in attracting younger employees, since they know the benefits of joining such a business organization. This helps in incorporating new ideas and more vibrant workforce into the business that is important in meeting business goals (Smith, 2004, par2). It is inevitable, regardless of the degree an employee will pursue, that the knowledge on a multitude of things will increase. This makes the employee more marketable for advancement with the current employer and a better employee (Smith, 2004, par4). A tuition reimbursement program ensures favourable relations with employees (Smith, 2004, par6). Employers and managers in a business are supportive of employees trying to better themselves in terms of career advancement through advanced learning. The presence of such employees and their commitment to attending college classes, serve as motivation to the employer to consider the employee for possible advancement opportunities. They do this because they consider the employee’s initiative to advance education as a positive step in personal growth and an opportunity for the overall growth of the company. A tuition reimbursement program for a Bachelor in Business and Communication will make employees highly competitive (Willis, 2010, par5). Career options for such graduates include public relations and human resource officers, business and marketing managers, government administrator, media and marketing officer, promotions officers, advertisers, management consultants, information systems specialists (Willis, 2010, par5). This degree program focuses on management. At some point in an employee’s working life, management may be included as part of a job’s responsibilities. A Bachelor in Business and Communication degree combines various aspect s of business management and communication. Employees learn the interaction between market forces within external and internal business communities (Martocchio, 2003, p.49).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tuition Reimbursement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They expand their skills in leadership and management, problem solving, public relations and critical thinking. Employees in a master’s class learn to think critically and creatively about problems facing a free market economy. They explore effective and ethical management concepts and learn the complexity of changes in an organization. Professions for employees with a bachelor in communication include journalism, public relations, marketing and advertising. For example, after pursuing a business degree, a Human Resource assistant can become a systems manager, a teacher can become a school administrator, a mechanic can become the workshop supervisor and a marketing assistant can become a marketing director (Martocchio, 2003, p.43). Business degrees mainly include courses in commerce, business finance, information technology, entrepreneurship and marketing. The main advantage of pursuing this degree is the attainment of knowledge and skills that are necessary in any field in the different sectors. Precisely, it diversifies opportunities available to employees who have taken that degree course. These skills include leadership, communication skills, report writing, teamwork, problem solving, data analysis and time management. Another reason why this degree is important is that it offers many opportunities and most important, it provides an employee with a chance for promotion in the work place and advancement of career. In addition to advancement of career and promotion in the work place, employees who undertake the course earn higher salaries compared with those who fail to pursue the degree. According to the bureau of labour st atistics, those with an economics or business degree entered the workforce in 2007 with an average starting salary of $47,782 (Willis, 2010, par6). After a given period, employees with degrees in business related fields earned more than the average salary of other degree majors. Those with an associate’s degree made, on average, $7,228 more per year than those with just a high school diploma (Willis, 2010, par6). Those with a bachelor’s degree made, on average, $20,488 more per year, while those with a master’s degree made on average $31,980 per year than those with a high school diploma (Willis, 2010, par6). According to recent studies, seven out of the top 25 highest paying jobs of 2008, required masters degree in business administration or a related business degree. In addition, management and consulting services were recently ranked as the fastest growing industry. This is attributed to the fact that both require a professional business degree. Conclusion Wh en making a decision on whether to pursue a business degree or not, it is important to consider certain factors. First, consideration of personal career goals is important and secondly, the goals and objectives of the organization should be in line with personal career goals. A business and communication degree does not guarantee an employee rise to a chief executive officer position, but it does offer a flexible way of enhancing education, updating job skills, and an opportunity for a more fulfilling position (Willis, 2010, par3).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, it is important for businesses to develop tuition reimbursement programs for employees to increase output, improve their credibility, strengthen their workforce and increase loyalty from staff members. In addition, it is important for employees to take up reimbursement opportunities in order to enhance their skills, improve their market worth and foster motivation in the work place. References Martocchio, J. (2003). Employee Benefits: A Primer for Human Resource  Professionals. New York: McGraw-Hill. Smith, M. (2004). Does Tuition Reimbursement Benefit Employers? Web. Willis, M. (2010). Tuition Reimbursement Helps Companies Build a Stronger  Workforce. Retrieved from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/12/prweb4878364.htm This essay on Tuition Reimbursement was written and submitted by user Typhoid Mary 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.

WEaknesses of the UK Parliamen essays

WEaknesses of the UK Parliamen essays What accounts for the weakness of the UK Parliament? The UK Parliament has certain weaknesses. This essay will identify and analyse five of the major weaknesses. Firstly, I will argue that the Parliament is not a true representation of the electorate. Then, I will look at claim that the strong party system and the whip system cause weaknesses within Parliament. Thirdly, I shall argue that the committee system within Parliament does not effectively scrutinise the workings of government departments. Fourthly, I will address the claim that because of the House of Lords only having limited powers and because it is not sufficiently independent or representative, it is unable to legitimate the actions of the government and finally, I will argue that external bodies reduce the strength of Parliament. The primary role of the Parliament is that of manifest legitimation- giving the formal seal of approval ii. The weaknesses in Parliament cause inefficient procedures and in the end may cause the Parliament to be unable to effectively legit imate the actions and policies of the government. Parliament is not a true representation of the electorate, regarding both the electorates choice of MPs or the representation of the needs and characteristics of the electorate. The first-past-the-post (FPP) electoral system of does not give a fair representation of the views of the electorate. The FPP is good on the account of it keeping extremist parties at bay and it maintains the local base for MPs. This system is can give absolute majorities in Parliament to parties with considerably less than 50 per cent of the vote. This is useful in creating an effective legislative majority to enable the bills to be passed quickly and with little debate. However, I believe that the FPP system is unrepresentative. It exaggerates the lead of the winning partyi, for example in the 1992 General Elections, the Conservative Party ...

Strategicmanagement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategicmanagement - Essay Example Its overall performance has been consistently very good and it is moving in the right direction by seeking advice as regards specific strategies and long term objectives in the current market scenario. Nonetheless, in spite of its stellar performance and status, CGC must steadily adapt to the current business practice of path-breaking forays that among things include globalization, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and excursions into unexplored regions notably the Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia. The economical growth and social progress in these regions, despite their vicissitudes, uncertainties and filibustering elements provide the right environment and prospects for games like golf. Also, CGC must widen its range of product. Big players like Nike and Adidas have entered the golf market. It is time CGC made forays into some products manufactured and marketed by Nike, Adidas, etc, that are not currently in the list of products covered by CGC. Golf has fairly good presence in countries like China, Korea, and India. The game has attracted enough attention at elite business and social levels for formation of golf clubs which include acquisition of large tracts of land even in cities like Mumbai (Bombay) where real estate prices are among the highest in the world. GGC has encountered piracy problems in China, and undoubtedly the p... n at elite business and social levels for formation of golf clubs which include acquisition of large tracts of land even in cities like Mumbai (Bombay) where real estate prices are among the highest in the world. GGC has encountered piracy problems in China, and undoubtedly the problem does not exist in China alone. Apart from taking legal steps, there is the need to address the problem more pragmatically by entering the market through the front door in these regions. China and India have opened up to foreign investments like never before. The best way to begin operations is by getting hold of big names like Kapil Dev to endorse CGC products. Kapil Dev is a former cricketer and has tremendous fan following in India. Apart from Kapil Dev, there are other players, both current and retired, who play golf. Cost of Endorsements Getting big names like Kapil Dev to endorse is expensive. Conservatively, the price could be around US$ 10 million for five years. This is a rough estimate. Other Costs Other costs include sponsorship of golf events and players. It is difficult to provide precise figures. However, CWC could mark their presence with a budget of another US 6 million dollars for 3 years. It will be necessary to appoint an official representative who is conversant with golf to act on behalf of CGC. The annual cost for such a representative will be US$ 250,000 annually to cover salary, house rent and travel. Annual Budget Thus, the total annual budget will be as follows: 1) Endorsement by a big player US$ 2,000,000 2) Sponsorship of events and players US$ 2,000,000 3) Official Representative's salary, rent, travel US$ 250,000 4) Other promotional costs US$ 250,000 Total Cost US$ 4,500,000 Agenda for Return on Investments (ROI) It is not

Individual project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual project - Research Paper Example 1). The U.S. has been attacked a number of times by terrorists. Appreciating the potential damage that biological weapons may do to the country if they landed on the hands of terrorists, the U.S. recently called for closer international cooperation to keep terrorists and biological weapons apart. The U.S. government believes that the threat of biological weapons against its citizens is growing as noted by Nebehay & Mohammed (par. 2). This is especially the case given that the ability of non-state actors and terrorists to develop biological weapons is increasing. Set against this background, a study was conducted featuring 52 respondents on the threat of biological weapons. The respondents included eight current senior policy makers (CSP), 19 former senior policy makers (FSP), and 25 experts (EXP). The data set was downloaded from the Carnegie Endowment for Peace Website. The study on the threat of biological weapons is significant considering that the development and use of biological weapons against the U.S. would possibly lead to numerous deaths and would greatly impact on the country’s healthcare system. By extension, such a threat would probably shake the country’s economy. From the statistics, it is clear that all the respondents felt that biological weapons pose at least some threat to the country. Roughly 73% of the respondents felt that biological weapons is a major threat to the country. The statistics also reveal that most of the respondents believe that the threat of biological weapons is increasing, as opposed to reducing. While no respondent felt that the threat is reducing in any way, only 17% of them felt that the threat of the weapons is neither increasing nor reducing. Given that the threat of biological weapons is real and seems to be growing according to the majority of respondents, it would be advisable for the U.S. to take active measures to prevent other countries and non-state actors from developing

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Assignment

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning - Assignment Example Effective segments are identifiable, measurable, accessible, sizable and actionable. The next step entails selecting customers whose needs can be served by the marketer in the best possible manner. The segment so chosen is the target market. The worth of each segment in terms of sales potential and profit potential is gauged while selecting the target market. It is a good idea to select a segment that is underserved by the existing brands. In the ultimate analysis, the target market should make the best fit with the company’s capabilities and market offerings. A product cannot be ‘everything to everyone’. The marketer, therefore, creates a distinct position of his brand in the minds of the consumer in relation to other competing brands through the process of positioning. The task of positioning begins with deciding the locus in customer’s mind, analyzing competitor’s positioning, identifying gaps and ends with creating a position in the minds of the consumers. Positioning may be done on the plank of quality, service or price. Marketers may also position their products on consumer’s expectations and desires. The entire process of segmentation, targeting and positioning is a long drawn one. The marketers however conscientiously adopt STP as the concept goes hand-in-hand with the marketing mix. All major decisions including the basis of product differentiation are taken keeping in mind the STP. Advertising is a paid form of mass communication done by an identified sponsor. On the other hand, publicity is free and comes from a neutral and impartial source. The marketer has full control over advertising whereas publicity is essentially noncontrollable.

Introduction To Communalism In India

Introduction To Communalism In India 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 Hindtuva politics, it 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 in New Delhi 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 in New Delhi 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 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. 1 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 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 were also killed (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 Sikh 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 of 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 has 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 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 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 Sevaks 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 television 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 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 4. 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 journalists and tel evision 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 sets (5 notes). 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 6. 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 Gujarat (The Times of India 2002a check book). 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 Tak (The Times of India 2002a). 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 created 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) (Need to conclude) The Role of the Media During Communal Riots: An Analysis 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 and highlight stories where communities have helped each other. If we analyse the way Indian media covered the 1984 Sikh riots, we

Objectification Theory Essay example -- Psychology, Body Shame

Women are bombarded by images of a thin-ideal body form that is extremely hard, if not impossible, to emulate. Comparing themselves to these women can lead to feelings of inadequacy, depression, and an overall low self-esteem. (Expand on, need a good opening paragraph to grab the reader’s attention) Objectification Theory Objectification theory has been proposed as a standard for understanding the effects of living in a culture that sexually objectifies women (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Objectification occurs when a person’s body is treated like a separate entity and is evaluated on its own merit, without consideration for the rest of the person. When an individual is sexually objectified, they are treated like an object that exists only for the pleasure of others and objectification theory asserts that women are uniquely subject to these types of experiences, especially in Western culture. Self-objectification (SO) leads the individual to create a third person perspective in their minds that they use to compare their physical selves to and in turn causes them to see themselves as an object instead of a whole person. SO also creates a form of self-consciousness, causing a habitual and vigilant self-monitoring of outward appearance. There are many cognitive and emotional consequences of SO. Among these consequences are increased body shame, increased appearance anxiety, and a decreased ability to reach high states of motivation. Many studies have shown that there is a positive relation between SO, body shame, and eating disorders (Mercurio & Landry, 2008). It can also be argued that depression, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders are additional consequences. Depression is most often caused due to body shame an... ...ly asked them to name the color of the ink in which the words appeared; and the rate of their responses were recorded. The experiment completed by Quinn et al. reported that the women who wore the swimsuits rather than the v-neck sweater experienced feeling more defined by their bodies and increased feelings of body shame. It also took the women in the objectification condition longer to respond to the Stroop task, thus showing a decrease in performance. This split in attention could happen throughout the day with women in â€Å"real world† situations, thus hindering every day performance and possibly removing joy from their tasks due to a lack of complete immersion. It is also important to note that this experiment focused on a task that is in no way related to any gender stereotype, helping to rule out stereotype threat as an explanation for the results obtained.

Negative Effect of Internet Essay

You are at home in the U.S.A. and want to contact a friend in Ecuador, so you use the internet to communicate and life is better now. While, internet shortens the distances there are also three other negative effects impersonal communication, community misinformation and identity theft. First of all, most of us know how to use a computer but, do you remember the last time you wrote a letter to your mother in Chicago instead of sending an e-mail? Each day people prefer more the use or impersonal communication media such as chat rooms, e-mail than calling or writing to their families. At this moment the contact between families is at risk. The second negative effect or internet appears to be related with the impersonate characteristic we talked previously. Because, internet is impersonal most of the time, is the perfect media for spreading rumors and misinforming the entire community. A very common form of misinformation is the use of chain letters. For example, someone sends you an e-mail saying that McDonald’s burgers are genetically engineered (and you believe it even without evidence) so you send the same e-mail to all your contacts. Within a few hours your contacts do same as you and hundreds of people believe in the e-mail without any attempt to confirm the content. The third and last negative effect of internet is the identity theft. If the chain letters we were talking about don’t scares you yet, pay attention to your personal information. Each day two out of five citizens suffer some king of identity theft. Because a lot of transactions are made through the internet it is easy to steal your social security number and your credit card number. Furthermore, sometimes you give the information to the thieves without knowing it when you apply for that risk free credit card online, or pay for products on-line. In summary, the internet can make communication fast but impersonal, can also misinform and somebody else can steal your identity, without your knowing. As a result, I encourage people to visit the family, don’t believe everything you see on the internet and be aware of where you use your personal data including credit cards.

Johnes Disease essays

Johne's Disease essays Johns, Johnnys, Joane..... hard to pronounce.... Well 92% of beef producers are unaware of Johnes disease. The estimated $2,000,000-$4,000,000 Johnes disease costs the Georgia Beef Industry each year is hard to forget. Good morning, I am Crystal 8888 from 3333 County. Today I will share with you : What is Johnes Disease? What are the causes? What are the symptoms? Imagine this disease as a thief sneaking into your herd and robbing you of profits years before you suspect a problem. Johnes is not a new disease, in any way. A scientist named Heinrich Albert Johne discovered it in 1885. Johnes disease ( also called paratuberculosis) is a chronic mycobacterial infection affecting the lower small intestine of ruminant animals. This bacterium is in the same class as tuberculosis and leprosy. The organism that causes Johnes disease or mycobacterium paratuberculosis survives in stagnant water, manure and soil for up to a year. It also withstands freezing at minus 14 degrees centigrade for up to a year. Exposure to direct sunlight, heat and specific disinfectants will kill the organism. Newborn calves or young animals are the most susceptible to infection. The most common source of infection is feces, or manure. Bacteria excreted in feces can contaminate soil and water which is then ingested by other animals. Feed troughs, hay bunks, water tanks, ponds, can be contaminated by an infected animal or indirectly by equipment used to move manure. Newborns can be infected by the manure on the teats or from the colostrum or milk from a diseased cow. As the bacteria slowly grow in the small intestine of the infected animal, the intestinal wall becomes thickened and unable to absorb nutrients. It is a slow, progressive disease; infected animals may show no signs of the disease until years after initial infection. The signs of Johne ...

Essays - Free Essays

Essays - Free Essays , , , . . . , , , . , . [29]. , , . , , . , , - . , , , . . . , . , . , .. , .. , .. , .. . . , , , . , , , , [26]. , , . : . : . : . , : 1. . 2. . 3. . 4. . 5. . : , , , ; ; , . . , , , 30 , 5 . 42 . 31 . 1. 1.1. , , . . . [24]. , , . , , . [15]. , , , , . , , ; , , , . , Essays - Free Essays , , , . . , . , , : , . : , , . , , . . , , , . : . - , . , - . (. nnovatio , ) , , , - . , , . , . , , - , : 1) , , 2 ) , , . ' . : - , ; - ; - ' ; - ; - . , . : - ; - ; - ; - ; - ; - . , , , , , . , , , , (Conversation Techniques, Self-Discovery, Pieces of Good Advice, Puzzle Stories), (Learn to Speak English, Tell me more, Business English) , , . ' , , , - , , . , , , . , , . - . , - , ' . ' , : - ( , , , ); - ( , ,

International Banking and Comercial Payment Essay

International Banking and Comercial Payment - Essay Example Direct export, export through an agent, or export by the establishment of branches and subsidiaries are ways in which firms export. 2 Risks of fraud, political risks, exchange risks and risks associated with recovering payment are but a few of the risks that confront exporters and importers. Thus, it is important to organise judiciously an export operation and to consider carefully international payment terms in an attempt to present smooth operations to minimise risks for exporters. 3 Although exporters may choose from open account, document collection, letter of credit or cash in advance as payment methods to optimise risks while ensuring that they give effect to an export transaction, it makes sense to exercise presale due diligence and to consider all risks carefully, including country specific risks. 4 It is possible for international trade transactions to present great dramas that may lead to disputes requiring expensive and time consuming dispute resolution procedures or expen sive litigation in courts of several countries. 5 The case presented in Appendix A, below, describes an interesting situation involving the unauthorised removal of a bill of lading included with the documents for a document collection export transaction presented by Wyevale Ltd, located in the UK for Asian Traders Inc., as buyers, located in the Philippines. The discussion presented below focuses on an analysis of the facts and the legal issues related to the previously mentioned case of Wyevale Ltd exporting to Asian Traders Inc. An Analysis of Facts of the Question The situation described in the case presented in Appendix A is a typical DA (Documents against Acceptance) collection procedure for export in which the buyer is required to indicate acceptance of bill of exchange prior to the Import Bank releasing title of the goods in the form of bill of lading to the buyer. 6 7 It is important to understand that making, altering, negotiating or transferring a bill of lading with the i ntent to defraud is a criminal offence. 8 However, the managing director of Asian Traders Inc. may have inadvertently left the Import Bank with the bill of lading on his person without realising this, and that he had then proceeded to take an opportunity to sell the goods consigned to his firm to a third party based on possession of the bill of lading. Because the exporter, Wyevale Ltd of the UK will have a record of the correspondence with Asian Traders, and the banks will have their testimony, it is not possible for the managing director of Asian Traders to escape litigation and simply walk away without paying the exporter because he has in his possession a bill of lading. 9 However, the Import Bank employee should have been more careful. In any case, the importer, Asian Traders Inc. has five days in which to effect payment. Because Asian Traders has the bill of lading, and it has sold the goods consigned to a third party, which has paid to Asian Traders Inc., there is no reason w hy Asian Traders should not pay in due course, unless an intention exists to deviate from acting in good faith. Even if a bill of lading has passed on to an importer, this will not mean that the importer is in a position to take physical delivery of goods because the ship on which the goods were consigned may not have arrived in port or released its cargo. 10 Thus, it will

Aircraft inspection either a 100 hourly inspection or annual Research Paper

Aircraft inspection either a 100 hourly inspection or annual inspection student comes up with the type of scenerio - Research Paper Example This involved inspection of the aircraft’s conformity to prescribed regulations. Conformity inspection involved review of designated data and all document required as per the stipulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As a matter of fact, conformity inspection sought to ensure that JPY had correctly undertook all processes and tests required by FAA. Additionally, it involved inspection of the parts to ensure they are in compliance with design data. Initial investigations involved evaluation of the existing documents for conformity before comparing the engine’s current condition to conformity requirements. Finally, the areas with problems were identified and appropriate course of action adopted. Of interest were the permanent records provided by JPY and these included the following: 1. The aircraft’s log book: confirmation for valid seal from FAA and existence of validly filled information 2. Aircraft Worthiness Certificate documentation. This cert ifies that the aircraft owner and operator have maintained the aircraft in airworthy condition. Additionally, it allows understanding of the persons allowed to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, or any alterations on the aircraft. Conventionally, two conditions have to be met before the aircraft is considered â€Å"airworthy†. 3. A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aircraft from its original design.  Ã‚  The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design. These are useful in not only knowing the modifications but also the effect that the modification had on the aircraft’s original design. 4. The Type Certificate Data sheet :) that is, when the aircraft configuration and the components installed are consistent with the drawing, specifications, and other data that are p art of the TC, and include any supplemental TC and field-approved alterations incorporated into the aircraft. 5. The Pilot’s Operating hand book provides useful information on weight and balance, operating ranges of the aircraft and airworthiness of the aircraft. 6. Also , included with the aircrafts documentation came the weight and balance certificate Description of the scenario The aircraft was brought was availed for repair by JPY. The process was initiated through a call from JPY to our maintenance department complaint being magneto issues encountered earlier. JPY had initially thought the issue had been resolved but it suddenly recurred and hence the need for further inspection and correction. The first meeting between us and JPY was held on the 23rd of November, 2013 at 1654 Entrance Drive New Braunfels Texas on the Flight Ramp outside the hanger’s main entrance. JPY flew the aircraft from Karnes County Airport to our facility. During the meeting, a comprehensiv e discussion of the problems encountered with JPY’s Cessna 320B were discussed, in addition to various documentations for the aircraft being handed over for inspection. The log books revealed that the aircraft was due for 100-hourly