Comparing British Airways With Virgin Atlantic Airways

Comparing British Airways With Virgin Atlantic Airways Marketing is everywhere.formally or informally ,people and organizations engage in a vast number of activities that we could call marketing.(Philip kotler 2009) The assignment focuses on analyzing summarizing and comparing two companies which deals in same sector or industry with a marketing aspect. The purpose states that the study of the module Marketing Management needs to be implemented in virtual front by providing meaningful process to the company chosen and revise the value proposition. The assignment is divided into step-by-step parts towards preparing a plan for the organization under study. Select two companies in the same sector/industry. Answer: The requirement of the question speaks about the two companies to be selected of the same industry which can be compared on various aspects particularly marketing strategy on a global scale; I have chosen the following two companies: British Airways Virgin Atlantic airways The reasons for selecting these companies are: The value proposition of both the companies can be compared and differentiated based on their marketing assets. Both the companies are intense competitors in the business of airlines and in providing superior quality of services to the customers . British Airways- Company profile British Airways is the airline company of the United Kingdom. It has its headquarter in Waterside which is near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and it is the largest airline in UK on the basis of fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick Airport. The British Airways Group was formed on 1 September 1974. BA was formed by the merger of two large London-based airlines, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways Corporation (BEA), and two much smaller airlines, Cambrian Airways Cardiff and Northeast Airlines Newcastle upon Tyne. BA was one of only two airlines to operate the supersonic Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde inaugurating the worlds first supersonic passenger service in January 1976. BA became the worlds most profitable airline under the slogan The Worlds Favorite Airline. Rather it was earlier Boeing customer. The formation of Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984 began a tense relationship with BA. The main activities of British Airways Plc and its subsidiary undertakings are the operation of international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. Franchisees Comair, based in South Africa, franchisee since 1996. Sun Air, based in Denmark, franchisee since 1 August 1996. http://uk.reuters.com/business/quotes/companyProfile?symbol=BAY.L Virgin Atlantic Airways- Company Profile Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (operating as Virgin Atlantic) is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%). It is headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, England, near London Gatwick Airport. It operates between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from main bases at Gatwick and London Heathrow Airport, using a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft. The company holds a CAA Type A Operating License to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. In the year to February 2009, Virgin Atlantic carried 5.77 million passengers and made an annual profit of  £68.4 million on turnover of  £2,580 million. Question 2. Analyze, evaluate, compare and contrast their mission statements, value; comparative differentiation, position and marketing assets. Answer: On a preliminary note it is important to understand the concepts of Mission and Vision for a particular organization. Vision Statements and Mission Statements are the inspiring words chosen by successful leaders to clearly and concisely convey the direction of the organization. By crafting a clear mission statement and vision statement, you can powerfully communicate your intentions and motivate your team or organization to realize an attractive and inspiring common vision of the future. According to Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia a Mission Mission, which includes a statement of company values, is an important tool for managers to assert their leadership within the organization. By authors- Mary Klemm*, Stuart Sanderson*  and George Luffman* University of Bradford Management Centre, USA While a Vision Vision is an independent, non-profit motive. Its main efforts are dedicated to strategic thinking on the transformations triggered by technologies and globalisation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_(Italian_think_tank) Definition of Mission Statement by Alan Gleeson defines as the essence or purpose of a company what it stands for i.e. what broad products or services it intends to offer to satisfy the customers need . The mission statement also gives readers an idea on the  raison dà ªtre  of the company and was initially designed as a means by which potential shareholders and investors could understand the purpose of the company that they were considering investing in.   A Mission Statement defines the organizations objectives and primary motives. Its prime function is internal to define the key measure or key to measures the organizations success and its prime shareholder is the leadership team as stockholders. Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia defines Mission statement as a formal, short, written statement of the purpose of a  company  or  organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the companys strategies are formulated.  Historically it is associated with  Christian  religious  groups; indeed, for many years, a  missionary  was assumed to be a person on a specifically religious mission. The word mission dates from 1598, originally of Jesuits sending (missio, Latin for act of sending) members abroad. Definition of Vision statement by Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia  outlines the organization it wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It focuses on the future Or a source of inspiration to the organization. It provides clear decision-making criteria to the organization. Vision Statements also define the organizations purpose, and values are been guided in beliefs about how things should be done. The vision statement states about both the purposes and values of the organization. For employees, it states about how they are expected to behave and motivate them to give their best. Communicate with customers, it shapes customers understanding of why and how they should work with the organization. The difference between Mission and Vision statement is a Mission statement contains the information of the company in a nutshell about its products and services to customers while a Vision statement offers the future perspectives of the company or organization, the purpose or broader goal for being in existence or in the business. Mission and Vision Statements of the British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are discussed below: Mission statement of British Airways- There is no official mission statement from the companys website instead the social blogs have various statements out of which the best one chosen To be the undisputed leader in the world of airlines for the next millennium Vision statement of British Airways- The Worlds Favourite Airline Mission Statement of Virgin Atlantic- Safety, security and consistent delivery of the basics are the foundation of everything we do. Vision statement of British Airways- To grow a profitable airline, where people love to fly and where people love to work Analyzing the Mission and Vision statements The mission and vision statements of British airways seems to be in the line of business as both focus on world class operations not just local or domestic functioning, hence it is recommended that being a company which caters large scale audience/customers British Airways has to focus on its principles of functioning to achieve its vision. As far as Virgin Atlantic is concerned, nowhere it mentions about the functioning and catering the audiences of the world, it is known fact that Virgin Atlantic is more of a British nature and caters or prefers services priority to British audiences hence it needs to change its mission and vision statement which though is appealing but doesnt come in the line of business. Question 3: Benchmark the two companies. Answer: Benchmarking  is the process of analyzing , summarizing and comparing ones business processes model and performance metrics to industry bests or best practices from other industries in same sector. Dimensions are use to measure quality, time, and cost of the organization. Learning from experiences mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper. Benchmarking involves management identifying and evaluating the best firms in their area of work or any other industry where similar processes exist and comparing the results and processes of those studied (the targets) to ones own results and processes to learn how well the targets are been performed and more importantly, how they do it. Mission and Vision Statements and the Customer (Client) Surveys are the most used (by 77% of organisations) of 20 improvement tools, followed by  SWOT analysis(72%), and Informal Benchmarking (68%) for benchmarking.( www.bashares.com) 34`

Kerala’s Development Experience: a Search for a Micro Response to a Macro Process

?Kerala’s development experience: a search for a micro response to a macro process abstract The concept of development, in the sense of achieving ‘human good’ has always been there since the advent of human society, only with varying understanding, emphasis, and implications. It is seen as a process, requiring constant response and continuous solutions and also as a result of human action, only through which, reorientation of any development process becomes possible (Varma, 1989:34). The past decades have seen a series of development paradigms, involving progressive modifications, towards achieving the ‘human good’, but the results have been highly disappointing and distressing, with naked manifestation and a stark reality of the extreme riches and the extreme poverty existing side by side. In fact, most of the development approaches in the post-colonial era have contributed not only to the creation and perpetuation of such a divide but also in widening it endlessly. India’s macro development experience is an apt illustration of such a scenario. Kerala’s development experience has to be understood only in the context of the development experience of the country as a whole. Kerala’s development experience: search for a micro response to a macro process The concept of development, in the sense of achieving ‘human good’ has always been there since the advent of human society, only with varying understanding, emphasis, and implications. It is seen as a process, requiring constant response and continuous solutions and also as a result of human action, only through which, reorientation of any development process becomes possible (Varma, 1989:34). The past decades have seen a series of development paradigms, involving progressive modifications, towards achieving the ‘human good’, but the results have been highly disappointing and distressing, with naked manifestation and a stark reality of the extreme riches and the extreme poverty existing side by side. In fact, most of the development approaches in the post-colonial era have contributed not only to the creation and perpetuation of such a divide but also in widening it endlessly. India’s macro development experience is an apt illustration of such a scenario. Kerala’s development experience has to be understood only in the context of the development experience of the country as a whole. india’s development impact In the post-colonial Independent India, which envisaged an advanced, prosperous, democratic, egalitarian and just society as implied in its constitutional proclamation of a ‘socialist pattern of development’, eradication of poverty became one of the prime targets of most of the early development initiatives. However, even after five decades of India’s independence, in spite of intensive development efforts, the result has not been much different. True, India has got an impeccable record of achievements to its credit. India has achieved a literacy rate of above fifty percent from a just 16 percent at the time of Independence. From a state of dependency for food, it has not only achieved a self-sufficiency but also has developed an export capacity in food production. The economic reforms in recent years and the process of globalisation have accelerated India’s economic capability in every direction including Industrial growth. With its large technological and professional man-power, with regard to nuclear, space and computer capabilities, India is fast emerging as a global power. Though these are commendable achievements, the overall picture is nowhere near the targets and far from satisfaction. In spite of India being one of the highest food producing countries in the world, one out of every two children in India is said to be malnourished. In the land of many rivers, safe drinking water seems to be still a pipe-dream for many. The health record is even more frightening as India is still the highest in the world, in the number of TB patients, malarial deaths, blind people, HIV positive cases, occupational casualties, Hepatitis ‘B’ patients and infant mortality rates. The constitutional injunction to provide free compulsory education to all children upto the age of 14 by 1960 is far from realisation. In fact, with the tripling of our population since Independence, the illiteracy rate being well above 40 percent, the number of illiterates has almost exceeded the total population of India at the time of Independence. Moreover, even among the literates, for many, education means just identifying letters and in most of the villages, many ‘literate’ do not even seem to manage that. There is a vast child labour force of 44 million. Above 70 million children are outside schools. There is a housing shortage of over 30 million and the registered job seekers are inching towards 40 million. Those who are ‘below poverty line’ being anywhere between 25 and 40 percent, more than 300 million in absolute figures, India has the largest concentration of poor people in the world (Outlook, 19 Oct. 998). The human development indices are deplorably low, placing India at the 126th position, far below many countries in East, Southeast and West Asia and Africa that became Independence much later than India did. The continuing population explosion only indicates that the educational, health and social status of women is far from satisfaction. High fertility and mortality rates, illiteracy, and school dropouts especially of the girl child have also contributed to this state of affairs. Likewise, the situation concerning preventive, public and primary health, drinking water, sewage, and sanitation and housing is far from satisfactory. Unemployment continues to be a nagging problem obscuring a clear solution. Growing urbanisation is also contributing to innumerable problems for want of clear perspective and planning. Environmental degradation, deforestation, and land appropriation continue to pose serious threats to the healthy development scenario and harshly affect the weaker sections, the most. India’s development impact only prove that the development initiatives of the past decades, meant for the uplift of the deprived sections have miserably failed, with the result of increasing poverty, inequality and ecological imbalance. Whatever efforts that have been adopted in bringing about a desirable development paradigm, a relatively contended human existence with fulfilment of basic human needs and protection of basic human rights have also proved to be still a far-flung reality. All these have only underlined the lopsided orientation and misplaced priorities of the past development paradigms and also the necessity for rethinking development. Today, development as ‘human good’ has come to imply equality and a dignified human existence for every individual, irrespective of caste, religion, race, or culture. Haq (1996:16) identifies equity, sustainability, productivity, and empowerment as four essential components in the human development paradigm. It involves searching for the roots, giving due recognition to every people’s dignity and existence, and evolving a genuine and collective participation of the people at the micro level development planning and implementation without neglecting the the macro-level development process. Such a development perspective necessitates a thorough revamping of the past development orientations and initiation of a fresh thrust from bottom upwards in every sense, by decentralising the development planning and democratic institutions. It would be a process of real democratisation and a return to nature, to the people, and to the grassroots. In short, there should be a right identification of what is the core and what is the periphery (Gregory, 2000:7). Kerala’s development experience It is in this context that Kerala’s development experience assumes significance. Kerala has been a pioneering state in many revolutionary social transformations and successful development initiatives, whether it be in implementing the land reforms or in achieving the development parameters of the WHO, or in the total literacy campaign that brought the credit of becoming the first totally literate state in the country. In the quality of life indicators, Kerala’s achievement is comparable only to the highly developed nations but within a limited economic development that is far below that of the nation’s average. Thus, in terms of 1993 figures, in spite of having a low per capita GNP of just about $180, far below than even the all India average of $300, Kerala could achieve and maintain an adult literacy rate of 91 per cent as against 51 per cent for all India; life expectancy of 73 years for males and 79 years for females as against 55 and 54 years respectively for all India; infant mortality rate at 13 as against 24 for all India; nd the birth rate at 17 as against 25 for all India; all comparable to the advanced nations. Such a high material quality of life indicators coinciding with low per capita income, both distributed across nearly the entire population of Kerala, with a set of wealth and resources redistribution programmes and high levels of political participation and activis m among the ordinary people, have earned for the state a unique place in the development thinking. This has also led to the emergence of a ‘Kerala Model’ of development that has been widely appreciated and recommended by the economists and other social scientists to be worthy of emulation by the developing world, before questions arose and criticisms unleashed over the sustainable nature of the model. ‘The Crisis of the Kerala model’ had become more apparent with the Model’s failures and shortcomings that were threatening its sustainability. Some of these included the following: The slow growth of Kerala’s SDP Increasing stagnancy of agricultural production and the dependency on and the vulnerability to outside sources for the major food items including rice Down-sliding of the traditional industries such as coir, cashew and handloom mainly due to the price escalation for raw materials and cut-throat competitions Sluggish and even negative industrial growth Alarming situation of unemployment Series of fiscal crisis threatening to undermine many of the Kerala Model redistribution programmes More than 15 per cent of the state’s population being the ‘outliers’ of the Model Acute environmental crisis, involving serious repercussions, especially in the context of stagnant economy, high population density and intense land-use. All the above failures and shortcomings of the Kerala model had become vastly identified and highly intensified in the context of globalisation, a macro process that has swept the whole world, including the developed and the developing nations alike, in the nineties and continue to change the developing face of the world economy and life People’s Palnning: Kerala’s Answer to a failed model and the process of Glabalisation The idea of development from bottom upwards with a decentralised system of planning is not something totally new. In Gandhiji’s vision of Poorna Swaraj, every village has to become a republic in which every individual enjoys total freedom. In his social paradigm, every individual should become the core, whereby the society is constructed as a vast oceanic circle, progressing from the individual to the family, from the family to the village, from the village to the state and from the state to the nation and so on. This is possible only when the villages are reinvented to become a republic of its own, recreating the sense of village solidarity, and making every member of the village a partner in the development mission. Only such an approach, which enables every human being to realise that they are only a part of nature, would be meaningful and sustainable. Though the slogan of ‘Gram Raj’ and the desirability of a decentralised system of planning has been as old as the freedom movement, the country had to wait till 1993, when the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments were enacted, for a determined effort towards a genuine process f decentralisation. In line with these amendments, The Kerala Panchayat Act had been passed and came into effect since 23 April 1994. Nevertheless, the provision of a constitutional and legislative framework alone need not ensure its adaptation unless there is a political will and commitment on the part of the state governments, to such a system of administration and planning as it requires a total restructuring of the system. The democratisation of the planning process involved certain necessary conditions such as the devolution of powers, responsibilities and resources as well as the complementary measures on the part of the government, but not sufficient to ensure its success unless accompanied by an intensive people’s campaign in order to motivate and empower the local self governments to take up the new challenges. Being conscious of such conditions, the state of Kerala, in August 1996, started the new experiment of People’s Planning through People’s Campaign not only to ensure an ‘informed participation’ of the people, going beyond their nominal participation (Isaac and Harilal, 1999:492-5) but also to help them make ‘informed choices’ (Franke and Chasin, 1999: 139). In a world of globalisation and economic liberalisation, there emerges a political and economic structure that only favours models based on private accumulation and growing inequality over Kerala’s emphasis on public services and egalitarian ideals. Only in such a context, emerges Kerala’s answer to the search for a New Model in the form of a micro planning called People’s Planning through People’s Campaign, based on decentralisation and high levels of local participation, both as a response to the failure of the old model and as a challenge to the hostile world of international capitalism, vowing to bring a meaningful environmental preservation and empower the grassroots (Franke and Chasin, 1999:118-133). Today, Kerala is leading the nation through ‘People’s Planning†, which essentially dwells on the devolution of power to the grass roots, thereby initiating another social revolution of the sorts, in the development paradigm. It is believed that a success in this unique experiment would definitely make development to be truly sustainable and meaningful to the people and would redefine the entire life and polity. According to Mencher, the Indian villages are still populated with most weaker sections who hardly gain anything from most of the development programmes (1978: 10). The people’s planning being different in its orientation and approach, is naturally expected to reach out to the least of the grass-roots at the micro-level governance and empower them to plan out the basic livelihood systems by themselves and gain the capacity to ensure its sustainability and climb up the ladder of dignified social existence together with other fellow citizens. conclusion: Towareds a Sustainable Model of Developmet As the world is under the sweep of globalisation, no nation or state can keep away from its grip or sway. Living in an age of information that has created an image of a global village, the individual, regional and national identities are at stake, crying for independence and freedom. The very survival itself is at stake, which can be overcome only if there are proper ways and means to identify one’s strengths, potentials and indigenous resources and utilise the same for asserting one’s identity at different levels as well as for their respective survival and also contribute to the benefit of the mankind beyond their respective boundaries. It is here that the micro-level people’s planning could combat the negative forces in the macro process of globalisation. In this context, people’s planning of Kerala’s development experience provides an alternative model of a sorts in development. The success of the emerging model, however, depends on the extent of its independent approach, free from all sorts of political overtones and identities, a genuine sense of belongingness and solidarity and collective search for strengths and a common commitment for the greater cause of a genuine development. References Franke R. W. nd B. H. Chasin. 1999. ‘Is the Kerala Model Sustainable’. In M. A. Oommen. (Ed. ). Rethinking Development: Kerala’s Development Experience. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Institute of Social Sciences & Concept. Gregory S. 2000. Rural Social Change, Social Equity, and Sustainable Development. In Mukhopadyay, S D and S Choudhury. (Ed. ). Social Transformation and Rural Sector. Visva-Bh arathi: Department of Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Statistics Haq, Mahbub ul. 1996. Reflections on Human Development. Delhi: Oxford University Press. Isaac, T. M. Thomas. and K. N. Harilal. 1999. ‘Democratisation of the Planning Process – Experience of People’s Campaign in Kerala’. In M. A. Oommen. (Ed. ). Rethinking Development: Kerala’s Development Experience. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Institute of Social Sciences & Concept. Mencher, J. P. Agriculture and Social Structure in Tamil Nadu: Past Origin, Present Transformation and Future Prospects. New Delhi: Allied. Varma, S. P. 1989. ‘Models of Development: Search for Alternatives’. In Iqbal Narain. (Ed. ). Development, Politics and Social Theory. New Delhi: Sterling. ****************************************

Equal Opportunity in Education Essay

The whole object of education is†¦to develop the mind. (Sherwood Anderson) The United States of America has developed a system to educate its youth by a publicly funded system. It is the law and born civil right of each citizen to attend some form of education by a particular age. The public school system is set in place for those who choose not to send their offspring to private, religious, or charter schools. This is the present incarnation of the public school system. It is said to be equal in all manner throughout the country. That has not always been the case in this nation. That has brought forth numerous laws and enactments to grant those who find themselves on the lesser side of gaining knowledge more of an equal footing where education is concerned. In this land of opportunity, there is an expected level of availability that is expected. In a world of intense competition from within and outside of the country education one of the few ways of balancing the scales of the socially or monetarily disadvantaged is proportionate education. In this nation children have at one point or another in history been systematically held back for one reason or another. The reasons differ in the once beliefs that they were not able to learn or personal thought of not being worthy to be taught. In 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson granted the states the right to uphold the separate but equal doctrine that ruled the land. This was a great lost to all those that held a hope those later generations would do better than those who came before. Education began to become more balanced when separate but equal was pushed aside by the landmark case of Brown vs. The Board of Education. In 1954 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Henry Billings Brown. This would begin the integration of public school which was the first step into equal opportunity for students nationwide. The Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was the next big step creating a system that would seek a fair learning experience for all. Its basic notion is that state and local funds for schools should be equitable before federal Title I funds are added to schools with large concentrations of low-income students. (americanprogress.org) The Title I funding has a slight problem in its workings that has been a detriment to the children who attend these schools. The amount of money allocated to the schools is based on the salaries of the teachers. That is a problem for schools with a high turnover ratio. Schools that have moderately younger staff that is relatively new to the task of educating young minds make less than the veterans of the better school districts. This translates into less money per teacher and that equals less money for the school and the children. It is unfortunate that less money ultimately means less of educational opportunities. The fact is that children in low income areas do not receive a fair share of money. The student need is not met by the standards laid out by the government. Money is the root of a proper education in this high end technological world. Without proper funds the simplest of supplies cannot be purchased. Computers, books, calculators, or simple printer ink is not available on a scale that is considered suitable. The eventual sharing of materials is a detriment to the students who are not allowed to have their own because of lack of equipment ready for use. The civil rights case would eventually open the door for other minorities. One that would take advantage of the Brown ruling was those with disabilities. In Brown the Court declared that it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. (web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu.) They would use this to rally their forces and demand equal opportunities for cognitively i mpaired children. Mills vs. the Board of Education of the District of Columbia and the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children vs. Pennsylvania were two cases that brought the plight of these students to the light of day. The law would be changed to give them the rights that they so richly deserved. The newest in leveling the field of education has come through the No Child Left Behind Act which was signed into being by former President George W. Bush in 2002. These reforms express my deep belief in our public schools and their mission to build the mind and character of every child, from every background, in every part of America. (George W. Bush, 2001) No Child Left Behind puts an emphasis on improving the quality of public education. It calls for increased accountability, more choices for parents and students, putting reading first, and a higher emphasis on standardized testing. However the standardized testing is one of the biggest problems of the act. The majority of teachers has a problem with the testing and calls it bias. They also put forth that the testing takes away from the true teaching of knowledge, rather they now teach to test. This makes the education of the nation less than competitive with other countries. To combat these problems in our ever changing world we must go back to the beginning. In that thought process society must rethink its past transgressions. The country must avoid the same mistakes of the past. Politicians are not the ones who should make the decisions to lead the future of United States of America. Educators should be in charge of educating the youth. Those who have spent their lives gaining knowledge to teach the children of their world should be tasked with the job of finding a way to educate equally. This task should be given to those who best fit the job description. The assignment should be outsourced if it is needed. Other countries excel in education and this nation could learn from those who educate on higher levels. Educating the masses on a more equal platform will only add to greatness. Reference Quotes on Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/eduquote.htm Ensuring Equal Opportunity in Public Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/comparability.html Plessy v. Ferguson (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson OVERVIEW Executive Summary (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html The Need for Equal Opportunity and a Right to Quality Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/detail? Equal Opportunity (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer An American perspective on equal educational opportunities (2002) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

Trámites para solicitar el asilo político en EE.UU.

Solicitar y obtener el asilo polà ­tico permite que personas extranjeras puedan quedarse a vivir en Estados Unidos y ganar estatus legal. Con el paso del tiempo puede obtener una tarjeta de residencia permanente –green card– y despuà ©s, si se desea, la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense. Sin embargo, una nueva polà ­tica anunciada por el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump y con fecha de entrada en vigor del 16 de julio de 2019 limita grandemente quià ©nes pueden solicitar asilo en la frontera terrestre que separa Estados Unidos y Mà ©xico, como se explica mà ¡s abajo. Causas para solicitar el asilo en Estados Unidos Puede solicitar asilo polà ­tico cualquier persona que teme, con fundamento, que pueda ser perseguida o ya ha sufrido persecucià ³n por razà ³n de: su razanacionalidadreligià ³nopinià ³n polà ­ticapor pertenecer a un determinado grupo social Si no se cumple con ninguna de estas causas, todavà ­a hay otras opciones migratorias para las và ­ctimas de: asalto sexualviolencia que califica para la visa Utrà ¡fico humano (visa T)violencia domà ©stica por ley que se conoce como VAWAprograma SIJ para nià ±os y jà ³venes solteros menores de 21 aà ±os que sufren abuso, negligencia o abandono. Dà ³nde y cuà ¡ndo se solicita el asilo Para solicitar el asilo es requisito imprescindible que el solicitante se encuentre presencia en Estados Unidos o en una de sus fronteras. Sin embargo, a partir del 16 de julio de 2019 todos los migrantes que se presentan en la frontera terrestre de Estados Unidos con Mà ©xico y solicitan asilo serà ¡n rechazados, excepto en dos excepciones. En primer lugar, se aceptarà ¡ la peticià ³n de asilo de aquellos migrantes que puedan demostrar que pidieron asilo en al menos un tercer paà ­s por el que hayan pasado previamente y dicha solicitud fue rechazada. A este respecto, Estados Unidos ha firmado acuerdos de tercer paà ­s con Guatemala y El Salvador de tal manera que los migrantes que camino de EE.UU. pasen por uno de esos dos paà ­ses, deberà ¡n solicitar allà ­ asilo. Por otro lado, aunque no existe un acuerdo expreso de este tipo entre EE.UU. y Mà ©xico, este à ºltimo paà ­s està ¡ dificultando en su territorio el trà ¡nsito de migrantes de otros paà ­ses que se proponen alcanzar la frontera con Estados Unidos. Y, en segundo lugar, se aceptarà ¡ para su tramitacià ³n –que no quiere decir aprobacià ³n– la solicitud de migrantes que, aunque no han pedido asilo en un tercer paà ­s, pueden probar que han sido và ­ctimas de una forma severa de trà ¡fico humano. Esta nueva polà ­tica afecta los migrantes de todas las nacionalidades que se presentan en la frontera terrestre sur de EE.UU y solicitan asilo, excepto mexicanos, que son vecinos geogrà ¡ficamente y, por lo tanto, no estar obligados a pedir asilo previamente en un tercer paà ­s. Sin embargo, sà ­ que afecta a los mexicanos que se presentan en una frontera marà ­tima. Por ejemplo, un salvadoreà ±o que sale de su paà ­s por và ­a terrestre con el fin de llegar a EE.UU. està ¡ obligado a pedir asilo en Guatemala o Mà ©xico antes que en EE.UU. ya que en la frontera estadounidense solo se aceptarà ¡ su solicitud si: se cumplen los requisitos para el asilopuede demostrar que aplicà ³ en al menos un paà ­s por el que transità ³ y su aplicacià ³n no ha sido aceptada. Si eso no es asà ­, el oficial de migracià ³n de EE.UU. no aceptarà ¡ una aplicacià ³n de asilo en la frontera estadounidense. Ademà ¡s, las personas que ya se encuentran en EE.UU. podrà ¡n solicitar asilo antes de que pase un aà ±o a contar desde el dà ­a de la à ºltima entrada al paà ­s. Sin embargo, existen excepciones a esta à ºltima regla. Por ejemplo, si una persona ha entrado hace mà ¡s de 365 dà ­as y en su paà ­s de origen se produce un cambio de rà ©gimen que lo pone en peligro si regresa, puede entonces solicitar el asilo. Son lo que se llama circunstancias excepcionales o cambiantes. Obligacià ³n de esperar en Mà ©xico Una de las novedades en materia migratoria impuestas por el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump es el Programa de Protocolo de Proteccià ³n al Migrante, conocido por sus iniciales MPP o por Permanecer en Mà ©xico. Segà ºn este programa que comenzà ³ a implementarse en enero de 2019 en el Puerto de Entrada de San Ysidro y se ha extendido a otros puntos de a frontera sur, los solicitantes de asilo en la frontera que no pasan la entrevista de miedo creà ­ble efectuada en persona, por telà ©fono o videoconferencia con un oficial de USCIS, son puestos en un procedimiento de remocià ³n y deben esperar en Mà ©xico mientras esperan su caso. Estas personas reciben una carta en la que se le notifica quà © dà ­a deben presentarse en la entrada del paso migratorio a EE.UU. para ser escoltados por oficiales de ICE a corte migratoria, para la audiencia preliminar master calendar de su procedimiento. Ante esa Corte es donde deben luchar para ganar su caso de asilo. Tipos de solicitud de asilo   Hay dos posibles caminos para pedir asilo: el afirmativo, que decide el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a, (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y el defensivo, que se tiene lugar en corte judicial. Proceso afirmativo de asilo ante USCIS Como regla general, debe esperarse un proceso largo en el que deben llenarse formularios y presentar un buen argumento de las razones para que el asilo sea aprobado. El  formulario I-589 es el que se utiliza para solicitar el asilo.  Una vez que se pone en marcha el proceso se recibirà ¡ una carta del USCIS notificando la apertura del caso y su identificacià ³n con un nombre. El solicitante de asilo recibirà ¡ mà ¡s tarde una carta para presentarse en un Centro de Apoyo a Aplicaciones para sacar las huellas digitales y otros datos biomà ©tricos. Si la persona que solicita el asilo incluye en su peticià ³n a su cà ³nyuge y/o hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os y estos està ¡n en USA, deberà ¡n tambià ©n presentarse para esa cita. Posteriormente, el solicitante de asilo recibirà ¡ una carta en la que se fija el dà ­a y el lugar para una entrevista con un oficial del USCIS. Es muy conveniente ir acompaà ±ado de un abogado y preparar la entrevista de tal manera que todo lo que se conteste guarde consistencia con lo que se afirmà ³ en la carta de solicitud de asilo. Ademà ¡s, si està ¡n en USA el cà ³nyuge y/o hijos para los que se pide un asilo derivado, tambià ©n deben presentarse. Por à ºltimo, llevar testigos, si los hay y pueden ayudar al caso y toda la documentacià ³n que apoye el caso y sirva para identificarse, original y una copia traducida al inglà ©s. A continuacià ³n, el oficial que realiza la entrevista llega a una decisià ³n, que debe ser supervisada por su superior. En algunos casos habrà ¡ internamente dentro del USCIS otra revisià ³n, pero son casos excepcionales. Finalmente, USCIS comunica la decisià ³n, bien en persona al solicitante que debe presentarse de nuevo en una oficina del USCIS o bien por carta. Si el asilo es aprobado, se puede trabajar y permanecer en Estados Unidos, solicitar un Nà ºmero del Seguro Social, sacar la licencia de manejar, y se podrà ­a tener derecho a ciertos beneficios sociales.   Sin embargo, la peticià ³n puede ser denegada por cualquiera de las siguientes causas: No se reà ºnen las condiciones para ser considerado asilado por no probar miedo creà ­ble. Ademà ¡s, porque se ha cometido cierto tipo de delitos graves o se es considerado un peligro a la seguridad nacional, como por ejemplo formar parte de pandillas. Asimismo, es causa de negacià ³n el haber estado asentado de manera firme en un tercer paà ­s antes de venir a los Estados Unidos Tambià ©n puede negarse por no cumplirse con los requisitos de plazos –1 aà ±o desde la à ºltima llegada al paà ­s para solicitar–, o porque previamente ya una corte lo habà ­a denegado y no hay cambios excepcionales. Si la solicitud de asilo es negada y el solicitante carece de estatus migratorio legal el USCIS lo envà ­a ante el sistema de Cortes de Inmigracià ³n donde se abre un proceso de deportacià ³n (removal proceedings) y se analizarà ¡ de nuevo si tiene derecho al asilo, en lo que se conoce como procedimiento defensivo. Proceso defensivo los requisitos para asilo ante corte En el proceso defensivo de la solicitud de asilo el solicitante tiene abierto en su contra un procedimiento de deportacià ³n ordinario o de expulsià ³n inmediata  (removal proceedings). Esto sucede en varios casos. Por ejemplo: Cuando el USCIS deniega una peticià ³n de asilo (tipo afirmativo) a una persona que no tiene estatus legal. Asimismo, cuando una persona indocumentada es detenida o es  agarrada intentando ingresar ilegalmente la frontera y  en ese momento solicita asilo. Ademà ¡s, cuando una persona realiza una solicitud de asilo al llegar a un puerto de ingreso a EE.UU. y, despuà ©s de una entrevista con un oficial de USCIS, este determina que no ha pasado satisfactoriamente la entrevista de miedo creà ­ble. El juez puede conceder la peticià ³n de asilo o denegarla. En este à ºltimo caso, la decisià ³n se puede apelar. Si la solicitud se considera que fue frà ­vola, la persona que la presentà ³ no podrà ¡ regresar a EE.UU. siguiendo un conducto legal. Si se agota la apelacià ³n sin que el asilo se conceda, el extranjero debe abandonar Estados Unidos, a menos que pueda conseguir algà ºn tipo de proteccià ³n, como un withholding of removal tambià ©n conocida como suspensià ³n de la orden de deportacià ³n o una proteccià ³n bajo el acuerdo contra la tortura (CAT, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Asilo para los familiares inmediatos   El esposo o la mujer y los hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os de una persona a la que se le aprueba la peticià ³n de asilo pueden tambià ©n beneficiarse de ese mismo estatus, tanto si ya està ¡n en ese momento en Estados Unidos como si està ¡n en otro paà ­s. En ambos casos lo que tiene que hacer la persona que gana el asilo es llenar una aplicacià ³n I-730 (following-to-join) por cada uno de los miembros de su familia que reà ºnen esas condiciones. Tiene dos aà ±os para hacerlo y el plazo comienza a contar desde el dà ­a en que se le aprobà ³ la solicitud. Ademà ¡s, la relacià ³n ya tiene que existir en el momento en que se aprueba la solicitud de asilo. Por ejemplo, en el caso de matrimonio, tiene que ser anterior. Cabe destacar que segà ºn las leyes federales de los Estados Unidos pueden obtener beneficios migratorios por razà ³n de matrimonio tanto los matrimonios entre un hombre y una mujer como los de gays y lesbianas. Cà ³mo conseguir un permiso de trabajo Por lo general, mientras se tramita la solicitud de asilo en Estados Unidos no se tiene permiso de trabajo. Sin embargo, puede solicitarse si han pasado mà ¡s de 150 dà ­as desde que se realizà ³ la solicitud y no ha habido una resolucià ³n del caso. Pero lo fundamental es entender cà ³mo se computan esos dà ­as. En la prà ¡ctica el permiso de trabajo puede tardar mucho mà ¡s. Si el USCIS concede la solicitud, tramitarà ¡ directamente la autorizacià ³n (EAD, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Si el asilo lo concede un juez de inmigracià ³n o una corte de apelaciones entonces se podrà ¡ solicitar el EAD al USCIS. Si se tienen dudas de cà ³mo hacerlo, se puede solicitar una cita con el servicio de inmigracià ³n a travà ©s de Info Pass. En todo caso en el momento en el que a una persona se le concede el estatus de asilado esa persona adquiere el derecho a trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Es decir, el EAD no es necesario, pero puede pedirse para utilizarlo como un I.D. Beneficios sociales Mientras se tramita el asilo algunos estados consideran a los solicitantes como PRUCOL. En estos casos tienen derechos a algunos beneficios sociales si reà ºnen los requisitos.   Cà ³mo obtener la green card Las personas a las que se le ha reconocido el estatus de asilados pueden solicitar un ajuste de estatus y la correspondiente tarjeta de residencia, conocida como green card. Para ello deben cumplir con una serie de requisitos como haber residido fà ­sicamente en Estados Unidos por al menos un aà ±o, seguir sufriendo la condicià ³n que lo ha convertido en asilado y cumplir con los requisitos necesarios para convertirse en emigrante legal en Estados Unidos. A los cuatro aà ±os de la fecha de obtencià ³n de la tarjeta de residencia pueden solicitar la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n. Viajar al extranjero mientras como asilado Se recomienda solicitar unos 60 dà ­as antes de viajar un documento para viajar rellenando el formulario I-131, que es và ¡lido por un aà ±o. Se puede salir de Estados Unidos sin esperar por la entrega del documento. Se puede solicitar que envà ­e a una oficina consular y recogerlo allà ­. En cuanto a viajar al paà ­s de origen, es algo que se puede hacer, pero con prudencia, ya que Estados Unidos puede considerar que hubo un fraude en la solicitud de asilo o que las circunstancias que motivaron su peticià ³n ya no existen y, por lo tanto, ya no cumple las condiciones para ser considerado un asilado. Estadà ­sticas latinoamericanos y asilo en EE.UU. No hay cifras oficiales del nà ºmero total de casos de asilo aprobados. Sin embargo, sà ­ hay datos parciales que se obtienen a partir de las decisiones dictadas por cortes de inmigracià ³n. Està ¡n excluidos de dichos datos las resoluciones sobre asilo acordadas por oficiales de USCIS. Segà ºn Syracuse University, en el aà ±o fiscal 2018, las cortes migratorias de EE.UU. decidieron un total de 42.228 casos de asilo, de los cuales negaron la solicitud un 65 por ciento de las veces. En otras palabras, las cortes solo aprobaron el 35 por ciento de los casos. En cuanto a los solicitante de origen latinoamericano, las cortes decidieron sobre un total de 8.232 casos en los que los solicitantes procedà ­an de El Salvador, aprobando el 23,5 por ciento de los mismos, es decir, 1.935 salvadoreà ±os obtuvieron el asilo en corte. Se resolvieron 6.240 casos afectando a hondureà ±os, aprobà ¡ndose el 21,2 por ciento de los mismos, es decir, 1.323. Se decidieron 6.052 casos de guatemaltecos, aprobà ¡ndose el 18,8 por ciento de los mismos, lo cual supone 1.138 casos ganados. Y se resolvieron 5.379 casos de mexicanos, aprobà ¡ndose el 14,5 por ciento, es decir 780. Cabe destacar que en algunos casos en los que se negà ³ el asilo, se autorizà ³ a permanecer en Estados Unidos aplicando alguna forma de alivio a la deportacià ³n, especialmente en el caso de ciudadanos de El Salvador, Guatemala y Honduras. Asimismo, resaltar que aunque no se cuenta con datos oficiales, se estima que USCIS aprueba un nà ºmero destacable de solicitudes de asilo presentadas por menores procedentes de esos tres paà ­ses de Centroamà ©rica. Los datos de aprobacià ³n y negacià ³n de solicitudes de asilo por pueden consultarse por nacionalidad del solicitante y corte en una herramienta creada por la Universidad de Syracuse. Asilo polà ­tico en EE.UU. Para solicitar y obtener el asilo polà ­tico en EE.UU. es necesario persecucià ³n pasada o miedo creà ­ble de ser perseguido si se regresa al paà ­s de origen por razà ³n de raza, nacionalidad, religià ³n, opinià ³n polà ­tica o membresà ­a en un determinado grupo.El asilo polà ­tico debe solicitarse en la frontera de EE.UU. o, en determinadas circunstancias especiales, estando ya presente en el interior del paà ­s. Una nueva polà ­tica del presidente Trump obliga a los migrantes que llegan a la frontera terrestre de Mà ©xico con EE.UU. a demostrar que han solicitado asilo en al menos un tercer paà ­s antes de aceptar su solicitud de asilo. Las à ºnicas nacionalidades excluidas son los mexicanos y los canadienses, por razones geogrà ¡ficas.El asilo polà ­tico puede ser afirmativo, ante el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a, o defensivo, ante Corte migratoria.En caso de obtener el asilo, los familiares inmediatos podrà ¡n tambià ©n beneficiase.La obtencià ³ n del asilo es un trampolà ­n hacia la tarjeta de residencia y, si se desea, hacia la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n. Este artà ­culo es solo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.