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News Briefing Quest Assignment
News Briefing Quest Assignment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
News Briefing Quest Assignment
The article selected for the assessment is “Congress has a massive voting rights bill in its grasp. It must pass it, now,” written by Dennis Aftergut. The author focuses on how the elections clause in the Constitution makes it difficult for a considerable number of people in conservative states to vote. This fundamental argument made is that the clause provides Congress with the power to override the measures in federal elections. Conversely, he provides information on how the Freedom to Vote Act could change voting in the U.S. For instance, the adoption of the bill would allow former convicts to vote, provide 15 days of early voting to voters, avail absentee voting universally, and assist in leveling the campaign financing arena. All the other freedoms of individuals living in the U.S. are protected by the right to vote. In this regard, electing responsible individuals into office ensures that the officials pass bills that protect all the other freedoms enjoyed by Americans.
Traditionally, for voters to be qualified to participate in elections, states determined the qualification instead of the Federal Government. However, the 15th Amendment gave Congress the authority to guarantee people’s right to vote regardless of their racial backgrounds (Blackmun, 1985). The article covers some of the elements included in the Freedom to Vote Act, consequently comparing the provisions of the bill with the 1965 Voting Rights Act that provided the federal government with different rules that would be followed for registering to vote. The passing of the Freedom to Vote Act would be a step towards fixing enforcement at Federal Election Commission. The enforcement process would be vital to ensuring that the work of the commission would be inclusive of investigating potential violators of the law devoid of being thwarted by partisanship. By description, the federalism doctrine does not explain the regulatory dynamics existing between the states and Congress regarding the federal election Clause. The article provides this distinction substantively.
In my opinion, Congress should pass the Freedom to Vote Act essentially to promote election security. In this regard, the bill could prevent the subversion of the American electoral process. The Act represents a significant step towards the push for enacting legislation that would improve the democracy of the country, including the promotion of racial justice and equity. If passed, the Act would prevent the assault the voting rights of individuals in some states. In addition to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, it would be presumed that the Freedom to Vote Act could be the regarded as the most comprehensive law to be enacted in the country in decades. Considering the ongoing redistricting of Congress, including the 2022 midterm campaigns that are set to begin early in the year, Congress should pass the bill urgently. The act will provide individuals in the country with a baseline national standard for individuals to access voting and expand the opportunities for individuals to vote.
References
Aftergut, D. (2021). Congress has a massive voting rights bill in its grasp. It must pass it, now. Retrieved 23 September 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/22/congress-must-pass-voting-rights-bill
Blackmun, H. A. (1985). Section 1983 and federal protection of individual rights-will the statute remain alive or fade away. NYUL Rev., 60, 1.
News Articles Analysis 1
News Articles Analysis 1
Article 1
This article is about several trends in the supply chain in the year 2012.Throughout 2012 there were evolutions in the supply chain technology due to companies’ realization that a supply chain that is highly visible is necessary for success in the business climate today. Generally, IT trends like big data; cloud and mobile have greatly impacted the supply chain industry. Apart from these IT trends there are specific trends which were in the forefront in 2012.All these trends are related to various aspects of the supply chain.
These trends are; improvement of the levels of customer service over cutting costs. Supply chain costs are continuously going down since recession started four years ago. The focus of companies is the improvement of the service levels of supply chain and at the same time reducing the costs. Execution is also been seen to be moving ahead of the planning of demand and supply. Planning for demand and supply has been the ultimate focus since o=it is a crucial part of success in supply chain. Contingency planning has also resurged, supply chains are becoming leaner (Riley, 2012).Reduction in the level of inventory require organizations to be able to react quickly incase of occurrence of abnormal events such as stock outs. Companies focus on the development of contingency plans, their execution and checking if the plans are effective.
There should also be partner communication from end to end as well as collaboration in execution. This means that there should be collaboration among all partners in supply chain from retailers to those who provide raw materials. Supply chain partners now are acting together on the basis of transparency. Finally big data has become mandatory, there has been combining of data from supply chain partners and transforming the data and using the data for reacting and execution. This data is often a lot and requires big data solutions alongside complex solutions for processing to digest the data.
This article is very informative as it clearly shows the trends in supply chains in 2012.the trends show that the supply chain management is moving towards service improvement in all possible ways available.
Article 2
This article talks of the importance of visual identification technologies in supply chains as a mean of revolutionizing logistics operations. There has been a lot of progress made in visual identification technologies which have potential of big implications for the logistic systems in supply chain. The idea behind the increase of cameras as well as other software in identification is similar to the bar code system that has been in use. Product identification under the VIT system is based on the image characteristics of the product or specific markings made. The photo or video analytics are now being used in the supply chains. An example is given of a displayed robotic system in the National Retail Federation show which helps in managing planogram compliance in retail shops. The camera robot equipment moves around the shelves capturing correct planogram, and the correct set up of the shelves in the store .The robot then re-travels back through the aisles at a frequency that is determined by the merchants (Supply Chain Digest ,2013).
This is very important in the supply chain as it helps in the management of logistics in the supply chain. This is achieved due to the high speeds realized with the application of the visual identification technologies. Their speeds are much higher as compared to the traditional scanners. They also reduce the problem of no reads which were common with the traditional scanners. This will ensure that the supply chain is in full control of its logistics. In the long run most supply chains will eventually replace the bar code system as it will be so effective and hence desired by virtually all supply chains.
The article is very important since it brings out a new technology that is being slowly adopted into the supply chains. This is important as it related to management of logistics in supply chain. Therefore, adoption of this system will make supply chains effective in their operations particularly in their logistics.
Article 3
This article is on IT investments that are being undertaken by most supply chains. Most companies are now rethinking of IT investments in their companies. The supply chain industry has been through a period of reduction and downsizing when it comes to IT. This articles calls for the executives to rethink the investment strategies their companies are using. This is particularly because of the dominance in cloud computing, the web and social media. The companies should think of investing in supply chain software. The main goal of supply chain software is enabling supply companies and their partners to detect as well as respond as quickly to any changes. These changes can be on product characteristics, demand for particular products and, supply of raw materials for the products. After detecting the changes they are responded to ensure that the products always meet the needs of the consumers at costs that are optimal.
There are basic components of the supply chain management software and they are; demand management also known as forecasting gives an insight of future demands. Product life cycle management keeps a track record of products from the idea of its creation to R&D and finally production (Handfield, 2011).Product planning managers the ability of a production company in terms of their inventory and product demand. Supply chain event management ensures that ca control is crated for the execution of critical parts of the supply chain process. Supply relationship management ensures that there is management of information flow between suppliers and manufacturers .Warehousing ensures that there is tracking of the movement of inventories into production and out of production as well as between distribution centers. Therefore, every supply chain organization should ensure that they invest in IT as this will enable them be consistent when it comes to semantics that are around the supply chain management.
This article is very important as it shows clearly the importance of IT investment in supply chain business. The integration of IT in supply chain ensures that the risks within a supply chain are management as there is early detection of any problem which can be a potential risk factor.
Article 4
The article is about leading change when it comes to supply chain management. It talks about General Motors as a leading supply chain manager all over the world. Companies on a mission of the implementation of supply chain management which is integrated are aware of the challenges that come with it. Among the greatest challenges is changing the organization structure that will ensure that there is redesigning of the supply chain. It is often a difficult task to try and recondition people into accepting the change especially in organizations where there have been particular mindsets for a very long time. When looking out for the appropriate change to be made in supply change management one needs to look at top ten supply chain organizations in the world. Examples of such organizations are General Motors which has had a radical culture change that had a great impact on their supply chain (Hadfield, 2004).
GM has always been exemplary to other organizations when it comes to their archaic management structure, suppliers and dealer relationships that are arms-length and processes which are dysfunctional.GM is committed to focusing on agility in their supply chain. Over the last five years there have been changes undergone by GM in its global management structure. Most companies are applying e-business as a strategy to make improvements in their supply chains.GM has gone ahead to create a strategy that will ensure it supports the organizations intentions of applying internet technologies in their supply chain. The strategy used by GM involves the use of the web in buying, building and designing new vehicles that are innovative. They also already have a global supply chain structure in place to ensure the realization of the new strategy. Therefore any company that intends to make changes in their supply chain management should ensure that they use the appropriate tools that will help them realize effective changes.
This article is very appealing as it gives information on the success of a very big supply company GM. It shows the changes that the company employed to ensure that they are among leaders in supply chain management. It will help other small companies adopt some strategies that will steer them forward in the supply chain management.
Article 5
This article is about Wal-Marts plan of making the organization a green supply chain. The large retailer announced that it would ct down on close to 20 metric tons of the green house gases that the supply chain releases by 2015.This goal is to be achieved through the focus on popular products like meat, clothing, milk and bread .This will be done through urging their suppliers to think through their process of sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, and eventually transporting these goods. Wal-Mart is asking its suppliers to ensure that they carry out an examination of the carbon life cycle of the products that the supply from the raw materials that are being used to the actual process of manufacturing until the recycling phase ( Rosenbloom, 2010).Sustainability suppliers in Wal-Mart should ensure that they work with these suppliers in helping them to figure out the exact measures they should apply. They should ensure that the costs they used in production process should be energy efficient. An example could include redesigning of the packages being used or the use of different fertilizers .This will be a responsibility of the suppliers but not Wal-Mart.the only role that Wal-Mart will play is ensuring that the suppliers ensure their production processes are green in all possible ways.
This initiative is not only good for the environment it is also god for Wal-Mart as an organization. If costs are driven from the supply chain then Wal-Mart will make some savings which can be passed to the customers. This will ensure that the organization keeps their reputation of offering low process. Participation for suppliers in reduction of green house gases will not be forced .However; Wal-Mart clearly states that it will only be involved with suppliers who are working towards the efforts of reduction of greenhouse gases.
This article is very important as it shows that the supply industry has not been left behind when it comes to provision of safe products. The world is going towards green products this means that the supply chain industry has not been left behind in these initiatives of making the world a greener and hence safe place.
Reference
Hadfield, R. (2004). Leading Change in Supply Chain Management. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/leading-change-in-supply-chain-managementHandfield, R. (2011). The Supply Chain IT Investment Enigma: Companies are Rethinking IT Investments. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/the-supply-chain-it-investment-enigma-companies-are-rethinking-it-investmenRiley, S. (2012). Five Supply Chain Trends That Shaped 2012.Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.scmr.com/article/five_supply_chain_trends_that_shaped_2012/ Rosenbloom, S. (2010).The New York Times. Wal-Mart Unveils Plan to Make Supply Chain Greener. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/business/energy-environment/26walmart.html?_r=0Supply Chain Digest. (2013). Supply Chain News: Could Visual Identification Technologies Revolutionize Logistics Operations? Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.scdigest.com/ONTARGET/13-04-09-2.PHP?cid=6918&ctype=content
News Analysis
News Analysis
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Institution
News Analysis
For an extended period, there have been debates on ownership of guns and the regulations governing acquisition and ownership. This discussion follows various individual’s suggestions and take from individuals in the government and also gun downs that occur in states. Trump, the president of the United States, has also shown efforts to review the legislation on gun control and tried to stop epidemics of gun violence. I found three articles to analyze on the gun control issue. The first article of the professional news site from the New York Times, second from a liberal news site, Think progress.org and a conservative news site, Redstate.com. To analyze the articles, I used the Society of professional journalism code of ethics (“SPJ Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalists”, 2014) and identified the differences in writing styles and the information therein.
The first article is from the New York Times, titled, ‘Trump Weighs Action on Gun Control. But It’s Still a Theoretical Discussion’ and provides information on Trump’s actions on controlling the guns in the states (Haberman et al., 2019). The article is about Trump’s opinions on gun measures, including senators and statehouse officials. After a gun down at an elementary school, A democrat from Connecticut, Christopher Murphy communicated to senators to support a bill on background checks. The senators identify that President Trump has not put legislation on gun control that forces a bill through congress. White House officials feel that Trump has no interest in including public opinion in gun control. I was interested in the SPJ to provide context code of ethics that states, ‘Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story.’ The author ensures that the speaker or source of information is specified. The article has provided the names and titles of individuals who provided views used, hence providing the right context by not misrepresenting.
Also, in another code, ‘Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.’ For example, the article states that Trump is facing pushback from gun rights advocates, and this may make him drop ideas of doing some things even after promising. From the statement, the statement is repugnant as this may make citizens lack trust in him; nevertheless, the author stated it. The reader is supposed to understand the stage at which the government has addressed the gun control issue since it is a problem affecting the people. The writer has clearly stated Trumps acts and its possibilities of implementation, which is adequate to the reader. However, the article mentions 26 people gunned down in an elementary school and 31 people in El Paso Massacre but does not provide the legislations that led to their justice. These are sensitive issues, and I may wish you know how the authorities handle it and the legislations that should be changed. After reading the article, one should find more information on Trump’s actions, to understand his reasons. This fact will guide on the truth of the material.
The title of the second article from thinkprogress.org is, ‘Mitch McConnell suggests Trump cannot be trusted to mean what he says on guns.’ The work is about the leader of the majority Mitch McConnell doubts on Trump’s actions and words concerning stop on gun violence (Israel, 2019). It first acknowledges there have been a series of mass shootings in various places, and Trump had promised background checks but changes later after speaking to the public. McConnell has had any experience of this before with Bill Clinton, and he was honest in radio that the president promised to reinvent the government but instead used funds to reinvent his campaigns. The article tends to provide the weakness of Trump concerning gun control and gives reasons for the facts. I was interested in the SPJ code of ethics that states,’ Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience.’ Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear.’ I think the article proves boldness because it provides information of leadership faultiness to the public.
Also, the code, ‘Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless’, is excellently applied. Trump is in power, and the article provides information on his accountability to the citizens or nation concerning gun control and mass shootings. This code makes the piece more attractive to readers as they wish to understand the take of their leaders on issues that affect them. The reader of this article should know the reason why gun control legislation is not working and why the president’s words cannot be trusted. However, the writer has provided the information based on one person’s opinion hence not sufficient to the writer. It limits the data to only one person; therefore, it does not give broad ideas on the issue; thus, the reader may not get so much informed. It only provides McConnel’s views and opinions on Trump’s actions, which may be biased on individual concepts. Also, after the mention of the mass shootings, the article should provide a link to the materials that can provide information on the shots. After reading the article, the reader should find more evidence that supports the idea in the article; that Trump should not be trusted.
The third article from Redstate.com is titled,’ Watch: Nancy Pelosi Gets Treated Like a Republican by the Press, and She Doesn’t Like It at All.’ It is a reported article that gives the difference by which the media or press treats the politicians on the two political parties; republicans and democrats (Morse, 2019). Democrats have the opportunity to even lie without the reporter correcting them while the republicans are given hot seat and snarl through pre-established narratives by the media. It then narrows down to Nancy Pelosi’s experience with the press. She is a democrat, but the media treats her like a republican. She gets directed on what to talk about through the use of questions. She blamed Senator McConnel for the non-existence of advancement in gun control legislation. I was interested in the SJP code of ethics that states,’ Never plagiarize. Always attribute.’ The article gives information that had happened through other sources and, as such, acknowledges them. For example, the author recognizes information was gotten from an interview with San Francisco Chronicle reporter, and through the conversation, they acquired the stated knowledge.
Also, under the Society of professional journalist code of conduct that states, ‘provide access to source material when it is relevant and appropriate,’ the article applies it by providing a link on further reading. It first explains that the American people are losing interest in gun control; hence gun sales have increased tremendously. It then provides a link that reads,’ READ: Gun Sales See Spike Despite Democrat Efforts to Slow It Down. This link ensures that the reader gets all the information required from the article without doubts. The article wishes to inform the reader of the effect of media on political parties and the party to blame on the issue of gun control that is affecting people. However, I find the topic concentrating on Nancy Pelosi, while the article speaks of the two political parties. Nancy is just used as an example to show the treat. Therefore, the topic should focus on republicans and democrats. The reader should find out why the blame has been put on senator McConnel on lack of legislation on gun control to get more information on gun control. As a senator, what power did she have?
The articles provide political opinions on gun control, starting with Trump in New York Times, McConnel doubts on trump opinion in thinkprogress.org, and Nancy Pelosi takes on gun control awareness in media. Second, in thinkprogress.org, McConnel warns people not to trust Trump, and lastly, in Redstate.com, Nancy Pelosi blames McConnel for increase in gun sales. All the articles narrate experiences of individuals that make them get into a conclusion. They give occurrences of individuals actions on the verge to solve the problem on gun control legislation. The New York Times article proves to be more informative due to various characterization, and provision of lots of ideas that provide sufficient and efficient information to the audience. Also, in terms of the headline, the New York article offers the right topic to the audience. It first informs that Trump is just weighing actions against the issue and further states that there are no conclusions made, but rather a theoretical discussion. As the reader reads this, one is convinced of the information in the article and understands the conclusion made.
The three articles addressing news on gun control by the government and its officials are informative. They follow some of the code of ethics of the Society of professional journalism, hence providing context, and ensuring they don’t mislead the audience. The New York Times article offers a lot of information that enhances readers understanding and satisfaction. However, the ThinkProgress and RedState articles have limited some information that may be useful to the audience. The headlines, too, are not much informing on the content of the article, unlike the New York article, which provides full information. The new yok headline is direct to the point, understandable, and ensures the reader concentrates on the concept. The information provided and the way it is addressed determines the way the reader will interpret and believe hence proper ethics with short and comprehensive headline is appropriate.
References
Haberman, M., Stolberg, S., & Martin, J. (2019). Trump Weighs Action on Gun Control. But It’s Still a Theoretical Discussion. New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/us/politics/trump-gun-control.html.
Israel, J. (2019). Mitch McConnell suggests Trump cannot be trusted to mean what he says on guns. Thinkprogress. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://thinkprogress.org/mitch-mcconnell-admits-trump-may-not-actually-support-the-gun-legislation-he-said-he-wanted-c704c035f366/.
Morse, B. (2019). Watch: Nancy Pelosi Gets Treated Like a Republican by the Press and She Doesn’t Like It at All. Redstate. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2019/09/12/watch-nancy-pelosi-gets-treated-like-republican-press-doesnt-like/.
SPJ Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalists. Spj.org. (2014). Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.