Recent orders
Cultural Event Reviews Of Feb 12, 2010
Cultural Event Reviews Of Feb 12, 2010
It was on Feb 12, 2010, a day that I cannot forget in my life. On that day, I and my friend were invited to attend a night concert party which was put on by Sacramento Chamber Orchestra, which was held at Dietrich theatre, in one of the famous school in Rocklin known as Sierra College. A day before the concert, the Sacramento Chamber Orchestra enrolled about 800 people who were to attend the concert the previous day, and so more than 1000 seats were preserved for people, however, only 700 people showed up for the concert. The dressing code for the audiences were casual, however, this was much different from what the Sacramento Chamber Orchestra put on when they performed. During the concert, ladies wore a black and white outfit while men put on tuxedo fittings. One thing I liked from the concert was that, the Orchestra members were well organized and started performing exactly when all the visitors arrived at the place. A coordinator by the name James Hacko who was the chief coordinator for the function ensured that no one was standing while performance was on going. The other thing what made me believed that the Orchestra members were organized was that, after I and my friend arrived we all sat down and within a few minutes, we were given a program that helped us to know what was next after the first performance was over. The concert was only scheduled for 6 hours where it started at 10pm and finished at exactly 4am in the morning.
During the performance, I noticed that the style of music that were played by the Orchestra members varied in some point, this is because, the music that were presented were all played from different musical eras. For example, some of the songs played were; the Mozart which was from a classical era, the Dvorak, which was sung from the romantic era, as well as, the Bartok which is still sung up-to-date and in the early 20th century. There are different sorts of instruments used by the Orchestra members while performing. These instruments include violin, double bass, piano, Harp and many others which added sweetness to the music that was being played. When all those instruments were combined together, the Orchestra performances turned out to be very outstanding as well as uplifting. The first concert was opened with the Mozart music which was like a tiny symphony, played with an exemplary care. The tempo was upbeat and dynamic was managed thoughtfully. The way the music was formed consisted of some alterations in it that seemed to be superb. The romance movement by the members when it was played was very hash and tender, making its finale to be as light as that of air. After the first concert was over, the Orchestra members performed the second concert; the Dvorak Serenade. The song was in four movements that lasted over for forty minutes. From the way the song was played, its waltzes were more of folk flavor as well as being somehow quite beautiful. The third and the fourth movements were romantic and soulful in mood, which mainly depended on the melody that was being passed from the violas.
The way Sacramento Chamber Orchestra performed on that night surprised me anyway. I did not believe that such a group could have performed well using musical instruments and at the same time dancing to the rhythms of the music that was played. Actually I liked everything the Sacramento Chamber Orchestra did on stage that night and they actually made my night. I managed to dance to their music from the start of the concert until the time the members finished performing their beautiful and nice music.
The finale of the performance brought me with an emotive feeling from the beginning of the concert. So many things happened that all I did was to ride as well as, enjoying the concert. I can say that, the experience I had when I attended the concert left me a new idea concerning music. I always wondered how Orchestra would be so good in music at the same time using musical instruments to perform in such concerts. The Sacramento Chamber Orchestra concert actually made the audience to have one of the enjoyable evening since the concert was full of great music as well as, intellectually stimulating experiences of music. Above all, the concert signaled some excitement to its audiences since it was made to be enjoyable using musical instruments like piano, violin and many others. Since this was my first concert performed by the Chamber Orchestra members, I was not very sure of what to expect, but all in all, I fully enjoyed myself and I really look forward to the next concert.
To What Extent Does A Company Exist Only To Benefit Its Shareholders
To What Extent Does A Company Exist Only To Benefit Its Shareholders?
Introduction
Most individuals mostly think of shareholders only as the owners of a company in which they invest, but such a conclusion makes little arguments for the real definition and functions of a shareholder. In the most elemental sense, the relationship amid a business and its shareholders is one, which is designed to benefit each other by engaging in activities that ensure that the both parties attain profits from the company. This relationship ensures that the sole purpose of the company is to benefit its shareholders only, and it is crucial for the current market economy and creates large amounts of wealth for the shareholders (Goergen, 2012).
Virtually all managers and directors of corporations acknowledge that creating benefits and value for shareholders is a critical corporate objective, in these cases; shareholders are seen as the only one of numerous other constituents competing for a preference in the evaluation of a company’s management of key decisions. Other constituents in a corporation include customers, suppliers, employees and the rest of the community, are also seen as critical elements in a corporation (Clarke & Chanlat, 2009). These competing and usually conflicting claims of preference in the allotment of the funds of a corporation have led to the development of distinctly, different schools of thought about what the governing objective of a corporation should be. Some, as it is with this article, believe that the best- managed corporations are those that consistently do business in a way that develops the most value for the company’s shareholders (Graved, 1995).
In another school of thought, are those who argue that the company’s management should constantly favor the interests of a group other than the interests of a company’s shareholders, for example, socialists point out that the interests of employees and the society should surpass those of shareholders and customers. Others seem to think that maximizing the satisfaction of a company’s customers should be the governing objective of a company. Another group argues for equal attention paid to all stakeholders of a company including the shareholders, customers, employees and the community (Harari, 1992). This paper will deal with one related question. It will consider whether the governing objective of a corporation should be to maximize the economic advantages and benefits to any other stakeholder group other than the shareholders, and to what extent this objective should run.
The governing goal for any company that is traded publicly should be to increase and maximize the value for the shareholders of the company. Attaining this objective not only serves and satisfy’s the interests of the owners of the company but also satisfy’s the economic interests of all the company’s stakeholders with time (Berle, 1931). While this argument may indicate that some stakeholders will face some harm economically in some cases, over any reasonable period, the economic interests of all the company’s stakeholders will be increased and maximized only from the decisions that the company makes to benefit its stakeholders. Generally, this is to mean that maximizing the value of a corporation’s shareholders is not just the best method but is the only way to enhance and maximize the economic interests of all the interested parties with time (Lazonick & O’Sullivan, 2000).
Among the numerous advantages resulting from adopting shareholder value maximization as the governing goal of a company, to stand out as particularly essential. The first advantage has everything to do with making of decisions. Running a company is a game of making choices, hundreds of decisions have to be made each day in such large firms that involve complex trade- offs between long term payoffs and current profits and gains or between maintaining a share in the market and profit margins (Rappaport, 1986). All large corporations require clear guidelines and an objective that has to be translated into a criterion for making decisions. Comparing the value effect of a number of tactful or strategic alternatives and choosing the options that develops the largest value for a company’s shareholders is both consistent and well outlined and can be made operation by a corporation that is both complex and large. The rest of criteria like global dominance, quality leadership, growth of profits and ROI will inevitably result to either growth without profits, overinvestment or harmful withdrawal from investments (Morck & Vishny, 1988).
One of the stakeholder groups that are seen to pose a grave dispute to the welfare of the primary shareholder is customers. It is clear to many that no company can create wealth for the shareholders without a stable and growing revenue base, which only results from having loyal and satisfied customers (Sun, 2009). However, this result in never automatic. It is likely to have a large base of loyal and satisfied customers and have no ability to translate this into adequate profits for the company’s stakeholders. From this statement a certain question arises that addresses the circumstances under which the objective of satisfying shareholder value conflict with the goal of a company to maximize its customer satisfaction (Letza, Sun & Kirkbride, 2004).
To answer this question, one real case example is crucial. A CEO of a textile compny known as Indian Head Mills pointed out that the goal of the company is to increase the intrinsic value of a company’s common stock. He argues that he is in business to improve the equity of the common shareholders in the company (Prahalad, 1994).
Other than the value perceived by the consumers, all commodities also make a considerable contribution to the value of the firm’s shareholders, the extent of this contribution usually depends on the price realized, volume sold, production and delivery costs and costs of required investments. These elements interact to result to a stream of cash flow for the company. The present value of the cash flow stream determines the economic advantages to shareholders of producing and selling the commodities (Shleifer & Vishny, 1997).
The means by which satisfaction of customers is translated into economic advantages to shareholders is crucial. As it follows, any strategy that requires investment increase of the resources of the company to increase the satisfaction of customers will increase the value of shareholders only if the return on such investments over time surpasses the cost of capital for the company (Prahalad, 1994).
If the company’s management invests more in satisfying its customers ahead of its competitors, the return is only realized from the enthusiasm of the consumers to compensate more for the increment of the received satisfaction. However, if the company’s management reacts to the advances of the competitors in satisfying customers, calculating and realizing economic returns and advantages becomes harder. In these cases, the return results from avoiding loss rather than attaining profits, this is to mean that if the company invests successfully to match the competitors, then the return will be realized by avoiding loss of a market share or need to face reducing margins and discount prices. In such cases, the economic gains are measured by looking at the effects of the investment in the value of the company (Martin & McConnell, 1991).
When a company pursues strategies that increase both shareholder value and customer, satisfaction there is usually no source of conflict. There are circumstances under which a company should sacrifice its shareholder value for satisfaction of its customers (Williamson, 1988). In some of these instances, it might be necessary to defend market shares that are highly profitable against an attack by competitors with a strategy that decreases incremental profits below the capital cost for a short period. This would be acceptable to shareholders whenever the loss value resulting from not matching the company’s competitors is more than the loss value resulting from not responding. In certain other cases, a complimentary commodity may counterbalance the value destroyed by a certain commodity as it is in the case with banking, where corporate loans serve as losses for profitable products based on fee (Keasey & Wright, 1993).
There are a number of theories used to explain the governing objectives of a corporation. One of these theories is called agency theory, which refers to a number of propositions in governing a contemporary firm, which is typically characterized, by a considerable number of owners or shareholders who allow separate individuals to direct and control the utilization of their collective capital for future benefits. These people may not usually have shares in the company, but have relevant skills to manage such a firm. The theory provides for numerous, essential ways to look at the associations between the managers of a corporation and its shareholders and verify how the final goal of maximizing value and profits to the owners is achieved, especially when the corporation’s managers do not own the resources of the corporation (Monks & Minow, 2004).
Agency theory suggests that a corporation can be seen as a nexus of contracts between a number of resource holders in the company. A relationship in an agency occurs whenever one or more people, principals, employ one more people, known as agents, to perform some service and make decisions relating to the company. The key agency relationships in companies are those (1) between managers and stockholders and (2) those between stockholders and debt holders. It is true that these associations are not usually harmonious: in fact, agency theory is concerned with the widely known agency conflicts, or conflicts of interest between shareholders or principals and agents. This has implications for a number of things, including the governance of the company and business ethics. When agency occurs, it has a tendency to give rise to agency, expenditure or costs, which are the expenses, acquired in an effort to sustain an effective agency association or relationship (Shankman, 1999).
There are number of negative implications associated with a company that implements or makes use of agency theory. The theory raises a significant issue in the organization’s self- interested behavior or tendencies. A manager of a company may have personal objectives that compete or limit the goals and objectives of the owners of maximizing the value and wealth of the shareholders. Since the owners or the principals authorized the agents or managers to administer the assets of a firm, a potential conflict of interests of the two groups exists. Another potential issue with agency theory is that the principals might find it hard to identify inappropriate behaviors of the agents or figure out whether the agents are behaving inappropriately because they give out the decision- making powers to the agents (Kehoe, 1996).
The theory argues that in imperfect markets and labor, managers are likely to seek to enhance their own value and benefits at the expense of the shareholders of a company. Agents possess the ability to operate in their own interests rather than for the benefits of the corporation because of asymmetric information and uncertainty (Zhou, 2000). In addition to this, myriad elements add to the results, and it may not be clear whether the agent caused them directly. Evidence of self- interested behavior of agents or managers of a firm include the misuse and consumption of corporate resources like perquisites and the avoidance of positions of optimal risks, in which case agents bypass profitable opportunities in which the shareholders would like to invest their capital (Fama & Jensen, 1983).
Agency costs are those costs that are borne by a firm’s shareholders to encourage agents or managers to maximize the value and wealth of shareholders rather than behave in a manner that serves their own interests. This concept is best explained by the argument that levels of debt of a firm and levels of management equity are both affected by a wish to limit or control agency costs (Hayne, 1998).
There are several alternatives to the agency theory. One of these is called the stewardship management theory, which Davis and Donaldson developed as a counter strategy to agency theory. Stewardship management theory and it alternative, the agency theory, both focus on the philosophies of leadership adopted by the owners or shareholders of a company. As it is the case with numerous companies, an owner or the shareholder manages and runs the company (Donaldson & Davis, 1991). As the company grows, the shareholder or owner eventually passes the leadership and management powers and responsibilities of the company to an agent or a manager who looks after it and runs the business. A crucial decision the shareholder has to make is how much control and authority the managers should get, stewardship and agency theories of management explores this decision and looks at the set of assumptions that the shareholder holds regarding the manager, in addition, to the affect the assumptions have on the process of making decisions (Eisenhardt, 1989).
The stewardship theory was created to be used as a model where senior managers act as stewards for a company and in the greatest benefit of the shareholders. The model of humans in this theory depends on the assumption that the agent or manager will make decisions in the best interest of the company, regarding collectivist options above options of self- serving. This kind of manager is motivated by acting for the benefit of the company, as she believes that he will ultimately benefit when the organization benefits. The steward agent or manager maximizes the performance of the company, working in the supposition that both the shareholder and the steward benefit from a strong company (Donaldson & Davis, 1991).
As opposed to the controls put in place by agency theory (Denis, Denis & Sarin, 1999), the principal or shareholders who espouse this theory will give power to the steward with the tools, information and authority to come to appropriate decisions for the organization. The principal, in this case, will completely enable the steward or the manager to act in the interests of the company, trusting that the agent will make decisions and choices that enhance the long- term profitability of the company. Actually, limiting or placing control elements on stewards will considerably de- motivates them and will lead them to become less productive leading to losses for the organization and the steward (Walton, 1985).
Despite all these potential benefits of the stewardship theory as opposed to the agency theory, most companies have not implemented the approach. This is because of a number of limitations associated with stewardship theories. The issues go back to the principal’s risk tolerance and the typical assumptions of shareholders. In most case, it becomes easier and safer for the stakeholder to presuppose agency theory and to not spend the energy and time needed to create the trusting relationship with the agent. The principal has to have the ability to overcome his inherent fear before he is able to place unlimited authority for the company in the hands of the agent or steward. Further, most schools of thought in business place considerable focus on neoclassic economic theory. Key to this theory is the assumption of maximization of utility, that people will maximize their utility during the process of making decisions (Block, 1993).
Another alternative to agency theory is the relationship constraints theory that is currently being recommended as an alternative to agency theory based on information. The relationship constraints theory argues that three elements affect the perceived efficiency and efficacy or a relationship constraint (McMullen, 1999). These three elements include the level of explicit knowledge, level of tacit knowledge and level of information asymmetry. The use of this theory, however, just like the other two theories presents organizations with a challenge. This becomes evident because of the fact that organizations die or live as complete or whole systems, as a set of discrete process. In the complex, dynamic environment of both tomorrow and today, individuals face a pressing limitation to make their systems function efficiently as machines that are well- integrated, rather than as a set of sub optimized, compartmented processes. The theory of constraints can be sees as a set of principles, concepts and measurements that emphasize on the ultimate output or results of the complete system, not just a component or part of it (Dettmer, 1996).
Conclusion
Virtually all directors and managers of companies that are publicly traded acknowledge that the most crucial corporate goal is to create and increase value for shareholders. The purpose of this paper was to show to what extent this objective is fulfilled in most companies, and it was found that most companies do exist to satisfy the needs of shareholders for value and profit maximization.
References
Berle, A. (1931). For Whom Corporate Managers Are Trustees. Harvard Law Review, 44: 1365-1372.
Block, P. (1993). Stewardship: choosing service over self-interest. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Clarke, T. & Chanlat, J. (2009). European Corporate Governance. New York: Routledge.
Denis, J., Denis, K. & Sarin, A. (1999). Agency Theory and the Influence of Equity Ownership Structure on Corporate Diversification Strategies. Strategic Management Journal, 20 (11): 1071-1076.
Dettmer, H. (1996). Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints: a Systems Approach to ContinuousImprovement. Milwaukee: ASQ Quality Press.
Donaldson, L. & Davis, H. (1991). Stewardship theory or agency theory: CEO governance and shareholder returns. Australian Journal of Management, 16: 49- 64.
Eisenhardt, K. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. Academy of Management. The Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 57.
Fama, E. & Jensen, M. (1983). Agency Problems and Residual Claims. Journal of Law and Economics 26 (1983), 327-349.
Goergen, M. (2012). International Corporate Governance. New York: Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Graved, M. (1995). Ownership and Influence. London: Interdisciplinary Institute of Management.
Harari, O. (1992). You are Not in Business to Make a Profit. Management Review 53-55.
Hayne, E. (1998). Agency Costs, Risk Management, and Capital Structure. Journal of Finance.
Lazonick, W. & O’Sullivan, M. (2000). Maximizing shareholder value: a new ideology for corporate governance. Journal Economy and Society 29 (1): 13–35.
Letza, S., Sun, X. & Kirkbride, J. (2004). Shareholding versus stake holding: a critical review of corporate governance. Corporate Governance: An International review 12 (3): 242-262.
Keasey, K. & Wright, M. (1993). Issues in corporate accountability and governance: An editorial. Accounting and Business Research, 23(91A): 291–303.
Kehoe, R. (1996). Franchising, Agency Problems, and the Cost of Capital. Applied Economics, 28: 1485-1493.
Martin, J. & McConnell, J. (1991). Corporate Performance, Corporate Takeovers and Management Turnover. Journal of Finance 46 (2), 671-687.
McMullen, B. (1999). Introduction to the Theory of Constraints Management System. Boca Raton: St. Lucie Press.
Monks, G. & Minow, N. (2004). Corporate Governance. New York: Blackwell.
Morck, A. & Vishny, W. (1988). Management Ownership and Market Valuation: An Empirical Analysis. Journal of Financial Economics 20 (1-2), 293-315.
Prahalad, K. (1994). Corporate Governance or Corporate Value Added: Rethinking the Primacy of Shareholder Value. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance 6 (4): 40.
Rappaport, A. (1986). Creating shareholder value: The new standard for business performance. New York: Free Press.
Shankman, A. (1999). Reframing the Debate between Agency and Stakeholder Theories of the Firm. Journal of Business Ethics.
Shleifer, A. & Vishny, W. (1997). A Survey of Corporate Governance. Journal of Finance, 52 (2): 737-783.
Sun, W. (2009). How to Govern Corporations So They Serve the Public Good: A Theory of Corporate Governance Emergence. New York: Edwin Mellen.
Walton, R. (1985). From control to commitment in the workplace. Harvard Business Review, 63: 77-84.
Williamson, E. (1988). Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance. Journal of Finance, 43, 567-591.
Zhou, X. (2000). Understanding the determination of managerial ownership and its relationship to firm performance: a comment. Journal of Financial Economics.
EUROPEAN REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS’ RESETTLEMENT DIFFICULTIES AND COPING
EUROPEAN REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS’ RESETTLEMENT DIFFICULTIES AND COPING STRATEGIES
Name
Course and Code
Instructor
Date
Executive SummaryThe report focuses on the plight of European refugees and migrants. Specifically, the report intends to explore how their resettlement faces difficulties and then recommend some coping strategies to improve their situation. In the research and analysis part, using recent events in Europe, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the author studies the experience of refugees and migrants in their efforts to resettle and cope within the European social structures. Further, incorporating the situation on Syrian and African refugees as they attempt to socially integrate within various host nations in Europe, the report offers a key point of analysis. Using qualitative secondary research design, the paper argues that policy issues and recent global development such as COVID-19 have negatively affected the resettlement and coping strategies of refugees and migrants in Europe. Solutions provided include better and open policy standards that are bias free. The findings point to evidence of flawed policies in Europe’s integration of refugees and involuntary migrants into the society. There is also evidence of double standards as some nations like Italy and Greece welcome refugees of European decent while turning away millions of Syrian and African refugees.
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc109317575 h 2CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc109317576 h 41.1 Research Background PAGEREF _Toc109317577 h 41.2 Research Problem PAGEREF _Toc109317578 h 41.3 Research Aims PAGEREF _Toc109317579 h 41.4 Research Objectives PAGEREF _Toc109317580 h 41.5 Research Questions PAGEREF _Toc109317581 h 5CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW PAGEREF _Toc109317582 h 62.1 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc109317583 h 62.2 Refugees in Europe PAGEREF _Toc109317584 h 62.3 Challenges Faced by Refugees in Europe in Settling and Coping PAGEREF _Toc109317585 h 72.4 Refugee and Migration Crisis in Europe PAGEREF _Toc109317586 h 7CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY PAGEREF _Toc109317587 h 93.1 Research Design PAGEREF _Toc109317588 h 93.2 Comparative Qualitative Studies PAGEREF _Toc109317589 h 9CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION PAGEREF _Toc109317590 h 114.1 Refugees and Involuntary Migrants Situation in Europe PAGEREF _Toc109317591 h 114.2 A Refugee Crisis Merged with Mass Migration PAGEREF _Toc109317592 h 114.3 A Report on Problems Facing Asylum-Seekers PAGEREF _Toc109317593 h 124.4 A Looming Crisis PAGEREF _Toc109317594 h 12CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION PAGEREF _Toc109317595 h 145.1 Summary PAGEREF _Toc109317596 h 145.2 Future Studies PAGEREF _Toc109317597 h 14References PAGEREF _Toc109317598 h 15
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1 Research BackgroundIt is difficult for refugees to integrate socially in their new countries. The social integration of refugees is also in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. For sustainable development, SDG 16 aspires to promote inclusive and peaceful societies, guarantee that everyone has access to justice, and build inclusive, efficient, and responsible institutions at all levels (Denaro & Giuffré, 2022). Target 16.10 of the SDGs calls for an emphasis on preserving fundamental rights and facilitating public access to information in accordance with regional legislation and international agreements (Denaro & Giuffré, 2022). Refugees’ pre-migration experiences, mode of departure, and post-arrival circumstances are only a few of the variables that affect their degree of integration and adaptation.
1.2 Research ProblemSome refugees and migrants resettle well and quickly. However, for others, entry, settlement, and coping into a new environment becomes very hard. Policy issues and related complications derail their efforts to become restructured into the new societies. Refugees’ health and social integration are significantly impacted by the causes and circumstances of forced migration. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are two mental health issues that are often present in migrants who are escaping violent conflict or persecution in their home countries (Schein et al., 2019). Using recent events in Europe, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is critical that the experience of refugees and migrants in their efforts to resettle and cope within the European structures be explored. Further, incorporating the situation on Syrian and African refugees as they attempt to socially integrate within various host nations in Europe will be a key point of analysis. The paper argues that policy issues and recent global development such as COVID-19 have negatively affected the resettlement and coping strategies of refugees and migrants in Europe.
1.3 Research AimsThe aim of this research paper is to show how policy issues and recent global development such as COVID-19 have negatively affected the resettlement and coping strategies of refugees and migrants in Europe.
1.4 Research ObjectivesThe objective of this paper is to explore the idea of refugees and migrants resettlement and coping strategies in new societies within Europe. The research paper will also highlight the issues that affect the refugees and migrants and the policy directions that make it harder or easier for others to cope within these new social structures.
1.5 Research QuestionsHow is experience of refugees and migrants in their efforts to resettle and cope within the European structures?
Why do some refugees and migrants resettle and cope easily than others in new societies within Europe?
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 IntroductionSince the beginning of 2015, there have been around one million people who have illegally entered the European Union via one of its borders (Kien et al., 2019). These people were either looking for a better life overseas or escaping violence and unrest in their own nations. Either way, they were forced to leave their homelands. Since the conclusion of World War II, Europe has been confronted with a number of significant challenges; but, the current surge of migrants is rapidly becoming the one that is posing the greatest and most serious challenge. Although neither its origins nor its causes are unique, it has nonetheless become a highly sensitive political issue, sparking a heated public and political debate and exacerbating existing weaknesses in Europe’s immigration policy.
2.2 Refugees in EuropeArmed conflict in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia has led to many refugee crises around the world in the past ten years. But in the last few months, there has been a new migrant crisis, and Europe is once again the center of attention around the world. At the start of this year, the Russian military began to move into Ukraine. Since then, millions of Ukrainians have left their homes to find safety. Most of them went to Poland, Romania, and Russia, which are nearby countries. More than 10 million people have been forced to leave their homes, making this the worst refugee crisis in the European Union (EU) since World War II (Aalto et al., 2022). In a show of solidarity with refugees that has never been seen before, a recent report by Chaaya et al. (2022) found that European governments and people have opened their borders and homes to people seeking asylum in the area.
Even though everyone is focused on Ukraine, the Greek coastguard continues to turn away asylum seekers trying to enter the country from Turkey (Rahimi and Abadi, 2022). In Melilla, the Spanish police are using force to stop people from climbing the wall, a majority of them being asylum seekers. The big difference shows that the EU treats migrants differently based on different criteria (Cai et al., 2022), one that can only be termed as preferential and double standards. Because of its troubled past, Europe has always had strict rules for refugees. It is unlikely that other people seeking asylum in Europe would be treated the same way as Ukrainians (Choudhary et al., 2022). The EU’s help for Ukrainians who had to leave their homes is an example of how the process of giving asylum to refugees is highly political and often biased.
2.3 Challenges Faced by Refugees in Europe in Settling and CopingThe refugee crisis demonstrates the insurmountable divide that exists between the idea of universal human rights, which includes the right to inclusion, and the power that national governments have to exclude those they judge to be unwanted. In point of fact, the image of the refugee serves as an instance of the tension that exists within a state-centric system as a reaction to the aspirations of modern global society members for justice and a sense of belonging (Whittaker, 2006). In addition to this, it sheds light on the fact that our mechanisms for safeguarding the weak and disadvantaged are inadequate since they are predicated on the fictional idea of national communities that are separated by national barriers.
When a community gets forced migrants, it is unprepared to take in more citizens because it has to conserve the limited shared resources it has within its territory, such as land, water, housing facilities, natural resources, and mineral resources. These resources include land, water, natural resources, and mineral resources (asylum seekers and refugees) (Kang, 2021). People who are attempting to escape domestic persecution are included among these travels. It is not uncommon for communities in which migrants settle to have difficulty accepting newcomers. Immigrants often face challenges in a variety of aspects of day-to-day life, including social integration, peaceful living, trade, cultural practices, religious views, language obstacles, agricultural practices, economic activities, pastoralism, and other facets. Every time there is strife between immigrant populations and their host communities, social cohesion suffers, which in turn leads to a range of different forms of societal collapse.
2.4 Refugee and Migration Crisis in EuropeThe current refugee crisis that is spreading through Europe is a manifestation of the continent’s insecurities and its inability to adequately manage forced immigration in the here and now. Despite being the location where the concept of human rights and the right to political asylum were first articulated, Europe is governed by the same security-focused paradigm that is used everywhere else in the world (Kadir et al., 2019). This position holds contradictory beliefs. As a result of the largest flood of migrants and refugees seen in Europe since the conclusion of World War II, the continent has shown the arbitrary nature of both its internal and external boundaries.
One area where communitarianism has made significant progress is in the formation of an EU-wide response to a problem that was traditionally the responsibility of individual states. Despite the fact that this has led to an increase in national interests and national egoism, communitarianism has made significant progress in this area. The community building process has made tremendous headway in a number of areas, including the regulation of immigration for humanitarian reasons (Kiselev et al., 2020). It is essential to take notice of the fact that the many ardent requests to Europe often revolve on the question of how to divide the costs associated with housing migrants, rather than the desire to accept responsibility for overcoming this huge challenge.
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY3.1 Research DesignThis study makes an effort to incorporate a wide range of methods into its examination of the process of refugee resettlement. Comparative research is a field that looks at particular problems in two or more countries at the same time, taking into account the diverse sociocultural contexts of each of these societies. In order for individuals to have a better understanding of the process of resettling refugees, the goal of the study is to present an all-encompassing portrayal of the procedure. In order for research to be carried out in state and public administration, the study also suggests developing a research technique that is more suited to and more thorough for refugee studies. This would allow for research to be carried out. The study of the refugee crisis presents the researcher with a number of unique challenges, all of which need to be conquered in order to be successful. However, there are many other alternatives that may be used as models at each stage of the study process. An exhaustive review of previous research that was carried out and published in a number of academic journals serves as the main piece of evidence for this investigation. The purpose of this investigation is to provide the outcomes of a thorough literature review of scenario and prediction studies about refugees and migrants that were carried out in Europe between the years 2014 and 2022. The study was carried out by applying two different approaches to the collection of information in order to get the most exhaustive and impartial evaluation of the literature in both the realms of migration scenarios and projections. These different approaches of searching were used throughout the writing of the report. The investigation included three stages: a thorough search of all websites, an examination of all scenario study bibliographies, and a qualitative investigation of the findings obtained from the previous two procedures.
3.2 Comparative Qualitative StudiesFor instance, in the research that was recently published by Kiselev et al. (2020), it was found that Syrian women migrants who were in a vulnerable (legal) situation were forced to seek shelter in Turkey and Greece due to the gender-based violence that they encountered in their home country. This was discovered to be the case in the context of the migrant women’s experience of the situation in their home country. However, some studies use a more inclusive meaning of the word “migrant” and include both types of people within its scope. When discussing migration in relation to asylum, Kang (2021) differentiates between refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, and involuntary migrants in the same way as she does when discussing involuntary migrants. According to Kang (2021), the similar tendency can be seen in the case of Italy as well as in the situation of other European countries. The qualitative dataset is comprised of research studies that were carried out after 2014 and primarily investigate the reasons that prompted migrants to decide to leave the country from which they originated. These studies were carried out with the goal of acquiring further knowledge on migrants. They have identical methodological qualities, such the same administration procedures, and they don’t include any sample tactics in their research. The administration procedures and sample collection methods described here are not used in these research studies. In the great majority of the research, focus groups, in-depth face-to-face interviews, and/or anthropological observations were carried out. The number of people who took part in the investigations ranged from nine to a maximum of three hundred, and the interviewers made use of an interview guide rather than a standard questionnaire.
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION4.1 Refugees and Involuntary Migrants Situation in EuropeDespite the fact that neither its origins nor its causes are unique, it has nonetheless become a highly sensitive political issue. In spite of the fact that neither its beginnings nor its drivers are especially novel, it has developed into a politically contentious matter of great complexity. As a result of the inability of EU governments to respond in an appropriate manner, the situation for thousands of refugees and other migrants is becoming more precarious. After leaving everything behind in one life and beginning a new one in a new country with different laws, education and health systems, other languages, and different cultural expectations, an adjustment period is necessary (Kang, 2021). It will be far more difficult for these persons to make an application for asylum and protection because of the circumstances surrounding their departure from their country of origin. After arriving in a new country, those who have a history of being refugees are entitled to assistance from their previous nation’s government in the form of housing, medical treatment, and educational possibilities. On the other hand, this does not hold true in all circumstances.
Significant pre-migration trauma has been experienced by a large number of refugees and asylum seekers, including mental and physical torture, mass murder and genocide, witnessing the deaths of family members and friends, sexual assault, kidnapping, theft and destruction of personal property, malnutrition, and a lack of water and shelter (Turrini et al., 2022). Leaving is a challenging endeavor that often carries a risk to one’s life. Finding a safe haven could seem energizing at first, but as new challenges emerge—such as family division, language barriers, legal snags, unemployment, homelessness, or a lack of access to healthcare and education— Duszczyk et al. (2020) note that unhappiness might increase.
4.2 A Refugee Crisis Merged with Mass MigrationAs a result of the continuing worldwide situation, a greater number of refugees and asylum-seekers from countries in crisis were and will be treated in Europe. More than one million people entered Europe in 2015, marking a significant milestone in the movement of people who had been displaced from their homes. The actual move might have a negative impact on both the emotional and physical welfare of an individual. Because of this, the organization of clinical attention for misfits and tourists is pretty problematic for the frameworks of medical services in Europe. According to the findings of Kang (2021), the majority of refugees arriving in Europe were likely fleeing persecution, conflict, or famine. More than eighty percent of those who showed up in 2015 were from countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which have all endured conflicts that have resulted in significant population loss. There are around a million refugees and migrants who have arrived in Europe as of today, according to the estimations, which represents an increase of approximately 95 percent when compared to the same time period last year. And according to the figures, the vast majority of the refugees came from Syria, which accounts for around 55 percent of the total number (Kang, 2021).
4.3 A Report on Problems Facing Asylum-Seekers
If a migrant, voluntary or involuntary, is unable to communicate with other people and speak English because of a language barrier, this will need a significant amount of extra work on your part. Many often, children who have been displaced from their homes have symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Kang, 2021). However, individuals are less inclined to seek the guidance of a qualified expert owing to the cultural stigmas associated with the issue as well as hurdles to communication. The refugees were confronted with a number of primary and immediate challenges, including a scarcity of food, housing, and medical care; apprehension regarding the possibility of contracting or passing on the disease; a reduction in income; worries regarding the wellbeing of their families; anxiety; and apprehension regarding the future. In addition to this, they run the risk of the community responding to them with hostility and provocations.
4.4 A Looming CrisisThe increase in the number of members of the European Union from 25 to 28 happened concurrently with the deployment of a concerted policy to manage border crossings in order to reduce immigration (Kadir et al., 2019). This has resulted in an increasing desire to eliminate internal border restrictions. However, in the present day, the most significant obstacle to the implementation of the idea of a European Union is the need to safeguard the continent’s borders. This is shown by the increasing trend to restore local constraints and hurdles while delaying the implementation of unrestricted movement throughout Europe. Given that a governance system centered on states, which has inherent limits, is required to manage a problem such as forced migration, which by its very nature exceeds the bounds of individual states, the resulting paradox strikes at the very core of the global system of protection. This is due to the fact that migration under coercion is a phenomenon that occurs beyond national lines. Ironically, desperation has led to a degree of cooperation among European states, although a very minor one, which these countries were previously unable to achieve. One is able to scale barbed wire barricades as well as hurdles built by laws and regulations when despondency is present. The notion of universal human equality, which is one of the guiding principles upon which European civilisation is formed, and the concept of boundaries, on the other hand, are in conflict with one another, and so Europe has to reevaluate both concepts. In order to find a solution to this problem, Europe has to reconsider the idea of a border.
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION5.1 SummaryThe study claims that policy difficulties and recent global developments like COVID-19 have had a detrimental impact on the resettlement and coping mechanisms of refugees and migrants in Europe. One example of a recent global development is COVID-19. Some displaced people are able to adapt successfully and rapidly to their new environments. On the other hand, for some people, adapting to new environments, settling in, and entering them might be quite challenging. Their attempts to get reorganized into the new societies are thwarted by policy concerns and other obstacles relating to these issues. The reasons for and conditions of forced migration have a substantial influence on the health of refugees as well as their ability to integrate into society (Geuijen, Oliver, & Dekker, 2020). Both post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are examples of mental health conditions that are often seen among migrants who have fled their home countries as a result of violent conflict or persecution.
5.2 Future StudiesIn light of current happenings in Europe, such as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, it is of the utmost importance that the experiences of refugees and migrants in their attempts to reestablish themselves and make do within the structures of Europe be investigated. In addition, the position of Syrian and African refugees who are attempting to socially integrate within different host countries in Europe will be a crucial topic of study, and this issue will be included into the research.
ReferencesAalto, S., Kiiras, K., Mayer, H. and Miettinen, H., 2022. Armed conflict in Ukraine. Perspectives on the geographies of inequalities and Sustainable Development Goals—five case studies, p.38.
Cai, H., Bai, W., Zheng, Y., Zhang, L., Cheung, T., Su, Z., Jackson, T. and Xiang, Y.T., 2022. International collaboration for addressing mental health crisis among child and adolescent refugees during the Russia-Ukraine war. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 72, p.103109.
Chaaya, C., Thambi, V.D., Sabuncu, Ö., Abedi, R., Osman, A.O.A., Uwishema, O. and Onyeaka, H., 2022. Ukraine–Russia crisis and its impacts on the mental health of Ukrainian young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, p.104033.
Choudhary, O.P., Saied, A.A., Ali, R.K. and Maulud, S.Q., 2022. Russo-Ukrainian war: an unexpected event during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 48, p.102346.
Denaro, C., & Giuffré, M. 2022. UN Sustainable Development Goals and the “Refugee Gap”: Leaving Refugees Behind?. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 41(1), 79-107.
Duszczyk, M., Podgórska, K., & Pszczółkowska, D. 2020. From mandatory to voluntary. Impact of V4 on the EU relocation scheme. European Politics and Society, 21(4), 470-487.
Geuijen, K., Oliver, C., & Dekker, R. 2020. Local innovation in the reception of asylum seekers in the Netherlands: Plan Einstein as an example of multi-level and multi-sector collaboration. Geographies of asylum in Europe and the role of European localities, 245-260.
Kadir, A., Battersby, A., Spencer, N., & Hjern, A. 2019. Children on the move in Europe: a narrative review of the evidence on the health risks, health needs and health policy for asylum seeking, refugee and undocumented children. BMJ paediatrics open, 3(1).
Kang, Y. D. 2021. Refugee crisis in Europe: determinants of asylum seeking in European countries from 2008–2014. Journal of European Integration, 43(1), 33-48.
Kien, C., Sommer, I., Faustmann, A., Gibson, L., Schneider, M., Krczal, E., … & Gartlehner, G. 2019. Prevalence of mental disorders in young refugees and asylum seekers in European Countries: a systematic review. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 28(10), 1295-1310.
Kiselev, N., Pfaltz, M., Schick, M., Bird, M., Pernille, H., Sijbrandij, M., … & Morina, N. 2020. Problems faced by Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Switzerland. Swiss medical weekly, 150, w20381.
Rahimi, F. and Abadi, A.T.B., 2022. The Ukrainian refugee crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. International Journal of Surgery (London, England), 102, p.106671.
Schein, Y. L., Winje, B. A., Myhre, S. L., Nordstoga, I., & Straiton, M. L. 2019. A qualitative study of health experiences of Ethiopian asylum seekers in Norway. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1-12.
Turrini, G., Purgato, M., Tedeschi, F., Acartürk, C., Anttila, M., Au, T., … & Barbui, C. 2022. Long-term effectiveness of Self-Help Plus in refugees and asylum seekers resettled in Western Europe: 12-month outcomes of a randomised controlled trial. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 31.
Whittaker, D. J. 2006. Asylum seekers and refugees in the contemporary world. Routledge.