How does British Airways affect local communities?

Stakeholders Someone who has an interest or influence on a business is known as a stakeholder. This includes; shareholders, local communities, employees, employers, customers, suppliers and the government. Any decisions made by British Airways will most likely affect some, if not all stakeholders and vice-versa. How does British Airways affect local communities? Social Costs Britain's largest airline has a negative effect in some cases on local communities, which is a very important stakeholder for the firm. British Airways' activities often cause social costs, and sometimes social benefits. This affects the local community. However, this is only the case for communities very close to airports where British Airways mainly operates. This is because aeroplane noise, which is the main social cost, can only be heard during take-off, landing and taxiing. Aircrafts and vehicles emit nitrogen dioxide (NO) and fine particles (PM). These are harmful to our health and the environment around us. This is why British Airways uses extra-economy fuel on all their planes and they would also like to point out that their planes have newer technology which reduces the emit-ion of harmful gases and particles. Even though airports are located on prime-locations, houses around them have their values decreased. This is mainly due to noise pollution. A resident of Colnbrook points out that her

  • Word count: 769
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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LESSON 1: Pressure Groups

LESSON 1: Pressure Groups . A pressure group is a body which seeks to influence government policy or public opinion, but without actually seeking governmental office itself. Unlike political parties, which offer policies on virtually every issue, pressure groups tend to be concerned with one specific issue or a narrow range of similar issues. For example - animal rights, environmental protection or tackling poverty. 2. A Sectional pressure group is one that represents the interests of a particular section of society, usually on the basis of occupation or profession. As such, their members have a direct, material interest in belonging to the group, for they usually obtain visible, tangible benefits. The most obvious sectional pressure groups are Trade Unions. These groups have "closed" membership, meaning that only those people in the relevant occupation, profession or section of society can join. 3. A Cause pressure group tends to be concerned with either a social or ethical issue (a 'cause') or with campaigning on behalf of others in society who they perhaps consider are not being treated fairly. Many cause groups therefore, are focused on broader issues relating to notions of equality, fairness, and justice, human or animal rights. For example - Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace campaign to save the environment. Unlike sectional groups, cause groups exercise

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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How Do Pressure Groups Exert Influence And Which Pressure Groups Are The Most Powerful?

How Do Pressure Groups Exert Influence And Which Pressure Groups Are The Most Powerful? How Do Pressure Groups Exert Influence? Pressure groups can exert their influence in several different ways these include: > Working with the government - These are mainly Insider Groups. They have privileged and & institutional access to the government and operate inside the decision making process. > Influencing the media - For an example, Fathers 4 Justice, they got a lot of media coverage by dressing up as superheroes and pulling stunts. This got a mixture of both good and bad media coverage, but it got their word out. Examples of Fathers 4 Justice stunts: 200 Father Christmases storm the lobby of the Lord Chancellor's department. Spiderman scales a crane at Tower Bridge entangling London in his web. Batman & Robin spend three days on the roof of the Royal Courts of Justice. The Funpowder Plot is hatched at the House of Commons where the Prime Minister is hit by purple haze. Batman pays a visit to the Queen's balcony at Buckingham Palace. Operation Father Ted swings into ecumenical action at York Minster. Activist Monks climb the roof of St Paul's. Government Ministers are handcuffed. Guy Harrison scales 150ft to the top of the roof of the House of Commons and the National Lottery is taken off air the list of extraordinary protests is endless > Using violence - For an example,

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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What Factors Lead to Pressure Groups Succeeding or Failing?

What Factors Lead to Pressure Groups Succeeding or Failing? There are factors which lead to pressure groups succeeding or failing. I will be discussing the factors which are required for a pressure group to be successful in achieving their aims. Firstly, one may think the size of a group is a factor and more people mean more votes. A government is more likely to respond to pressure groups by large groups because there are more potential votes to be won or lost. However, size is not always considered a factor because even pressure groups which are small in size can make an impact, since it depend on the way the members of the pressure group think, as in being imaginative, tactical thinkers etc. It's not quantity but the quality of the members of the pressure groups. Furthermore, the government is more likely to be influenced by large numbers of its own potential supporters who make up a pressure group's membership. For instance, if the pressure group was a traditional supporter of the Labour government, then the Conservative government is unlikely to be sympathetic to that pressure group. So some pressure groups will expect better treatment from one party than another and success or failure will therefore depending on the government in power at the time. Finance is a crucial factor leading to a pressure group being successful, since running effective campaigns can be very

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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The changing nature and activities of pressure groups - to what extent are they becoming more important?

Grant, who first defined the idea of insider and outsider groups has since pointed out that the distinction is not so clear now as before. He also points out that a newer method of pressure group activity is occurring with more effect, namely the presence of large-scale demonstrations and direct action, often organised on a national or global scale, using the internet. Such action has been seen recently in the worldwide demonstrations against the war in Iraq (2003), and in regular international action against certain environmental summits. In the UK, we have seen massive demonstrations both against the Iraq war, and against the banning of hunting with hounds. Often, this pressure group activity is characterised by having no clear leadership, and by therefore presenting itself as originating from the mass of the people. However, what did these recent mass marches actually achieve? If anything, these experiences suggested that traditional campaigns based around marches are nowhere near as effective as they used to be. There is no doubt though that pressure groups have a considerably significant place in British society in general and the political system in particular. Furthermore, it is clear that the importance of their role has been increasing and is likely to continue to do so. We can identify a number of reasons why this is so. Recruitment The goal of political

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Sectional and promotional pressure groups.

(1) Distinguish between sectional and promotional pressure groups. Sectional groups seek to represent the common interests of a particular section of society. As a result, members of sectional groups are directly and personally concerned with the outcome of the campaign fought by the group because they usually stand to gain professionally and/or economically. Trade unions, employers' associations and professional bodies are all sectional groups and membership is usually restricted. Promotional groups endeavour to promote a particular cause, and for this reason are sometimes called 'cause' groups. They are not self-interested in that the achievement of their objectives is not necessarily of direct professional or economic benefit to the members of the group. Examples of cause groups are Shelter, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Greenpeace. Because cause groups aim to promote a cause - which might potentially be supported by everybody, regardless of their profession or economic position - membership is not usually restricted. (2) What methods do pressure groups employ to influence the political process? The aim of all pressure groups is to influence the people who actually have the power to make decisions. Pressure groups do not look for the power of political office for themselves, but do seek to influence the decisions made by those who do hold this political

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Critically discuss the simile of the large and powerful animal and of the ship as an argument against democracy.

Critically discuss the simile of the large and powerful animal and of the ship as an argument against democracy But in real life all philosophers are social outcasts, says Adeimantus, or they do philosophy for a short while and give it up. Socrates' reply: what do you expect in a democracy like ours? He goes on to give us his famous analogies for democracy in action - living politicians please note: (democracy is like a ship with a deaf short-sighted captain; democracy is like a man in charge of a "large and powerful animal".) In a democratic state like Athens, the Philosopher will lead a quiet life, and won't have scope to help the community: although it may be possible - though hard - to change it for the better. Plato uses the simile of the ship in his book, 'The Republic', to construct an argument opposing democracy. Plato tells us to imagine ship or a group of ships, led by one man, the captain. He supposes that this captain is a large and strong man, yet has little sea-faring ability, and is hard of hearing and short-sighted. He then adds another factor, all the seamen who are under his control, all want to navigate the ship, yet have not been taught by anyone on how to navigate correctly and also have never spent any time in researching the subject. The crew also vehemently deny that such an art can be taught by or to anyone. In the end, the crew congratulate

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Pressure Groups

Pressures groups definitely strengthen the concept of democracy, they in affect minimise particular anomalies within the system. It is because of this I believe them to be an asset rather than a hiderance to the democratic process. A chief strength of pressure groups is that they allow participation between elections, they keep politicians in touch with public opinion between elections which can be up to five years. For ordinary citizens pressure groups are the vehicle which gives them a means of influencing politicians in between general elections and ensuring that governments are kept aware of the issues that people are most concerned about. Pressure groups increase social cohesion and political stability by providing a safety valve outlet for individual collective grievances and demands. Pressure Groups give a voice to minority groups, they offer protection to minorities who might otherwise be overlooked or discriminated against. In this respect pressure groups can provide a valuable counterweight to the tyranny of the majority People whom act with like minded fellow citizens are more likely to be listened to than if they acted as isolated individuals. It is because of this rationale primarlay that pressure groups are a positive feature of the democratic process. Pressure Groups may be seen to strengthen democracy in that they encourage wider participation in the

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Analyse whether Britain is a true democracy

In my assignment, I am going to analyse whether Britain is a true democracy. First of all what is a democracy? Democracy was firstly originated in Greece, A democracy is literally, the terms meaning power of the people (combining the Greek words demos, meaning "the people," and kratos meaning "to rule" or "power"). It is usually used to describe a political system where the legitimacy of exercising power stems from the consent of the people. Accordingly, a democratic polity is often identified by the existence of constitutional government, where the power of the leaders is checked and restrained; representative institutions based on elections, which provide a procedural framework for the allocation of power by the people; competitive parties, in which the ruling majority respects and guarantees the rights of minorities; and civil liberties, such as freedoms of speech, press, organization, and religion. Aristocracy is a political system in which a privileged class holding hereditary titles (the most powerful members of a society). The word "aristocracy" is the Greek aristo - cratia (rule of the best-born). It is a hierarchical structure where power is not distributed evenly. It rests mostly with a small group including the king. In a direct Democracy the government is made by the people, with all functions and duties exercised directly by the populace with few or no

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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Sectional pressure groups are ones that aim to represent the common interests of a particular section of society and are mostly concerned with only that part of society; so as a result, membership is often closed and restricted.

. . . P r e s s u r e G r O u p s . . . HITIKSHA PATEL (1) Sectional pressure groups are ones that aim to represent the common interests of a particular section of society and are mostly concerned with only that part of society; so as a result, membership is often closed and restricted. The also aim to get as many eligible members as possible to join the group. Sectional groups might include; TUC, the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, British Medical Association, Federation of Small Businesses, National Farmers Union, the Law Society Members of sectional pressure groups are directly and personally concerned with the outcome of the campaigns fought by the group because normally they stand to gain professionally and/or economically. Promotional pressure groups are also known as cause groups. This group follows a specific set of objectives- they aim to promote a cause, the achievement of which is not necessarily of direct professional or economic benefit to the members of the group. Examples of a promotional pressure group are- CND, whose cause is nuclear disarmament and The Society for the protection of the unborn child, whose cause is the prevention of abortions. There membership is not usually restricted because they aim to promote a cause that everybody is likely to support. These types of pressure groups get members joining them

  • Word count: 1990
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
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